March 26, 2008

The Rebels are excited to announce the head coach selections for the 2008-2009 season:

December 29, 2006   With equipment on tarmac somewhere in Europe, Moscow North Stars get helping hand.  The sweaters were too big, maybe some of the skates, too, but the Moscow North Stars shrugged it all off yesterday and grew into the equipment in the space of an hour.  They grew in other ways in the eyes of many, too.

The North Stars played the Long Island Rebels to a 1-1 tie at the Orleans Recreation Complex yesterday in a minor peewee AA game in the Bell Capital Cup, played them tough and hard in equipment that was begged and borrowed. They definitely didn't steal their point.

Thanks to a tremendous outpouring of support from the businesses and people of the national capital region (did you expect anything less, really?), the North Stars were able to play yesterday despite their own equipment being
left behind on an airport tarmac in Europe while they made their way here. The call went out at 7 p.m. Wednesday night.  It was answered.  Oh my, how it was answered.

By 9:30 a.m. yesterday, the North Stars had enough gear to take to the ice. The North Stars wore big Senators sweaters yesterday, thanks to, well, the Senators, who also supplied the socks. They wore skates from the Play It  Again Sports sporting goods store in O rleans.  Bell Canada, M&M Fournel's Corp. Ltd., Rogers Television and the Gowling, Lafleur and Henderson LLP law firm donated various items of hockey gear.

Individuals and teams chipped in, including cash donations that amounted to more than $6,000. "Without the friendly citizens of Canada, we couldn't play," said North Stars coach Dmitry Afanasiev through interpreter Oksana Mikhilsov. "We just have (the equipment) because they helped. We thank you so much."  This is
one of the stories that will go down in Bell Capital Cup lore, one of those wonderful stories that transcends the game.

Even the Rebels got in on the act, loaning the North Stars a couple of their white sweaters, the No. 22 of Christopher Calandra and the No. 88 of Brandon Gaynor.  "I feel horrible for them, coming all that way and not having their equipment," said Bob O'Shaughnessy, one of the Rebels coaches. "Considering they didn't have their own equipment ... I know when I was a kid what it was like not to have my own skates.  "I think they played great. I think (them not having their equipment) was to our benefit. It was a treat to see them play."

When it was over, Calandra waited in the hallway until the Russian player, who said his name was Sasha, came out of the North Stars dressing room, still wearing the Rebels sweater over his street clothes. He reluctantly peeled it off as the Rebels need it for future games.

"My guys were upset they didn't have their jerseys with them. They all brought extra ones hoping to exchange them after the game," said O'Shaugnessy. "They're disappointed because they heard that's a tradition with Russian teams."

Even with the borrowed equipment, the skill of the Russian kids shone through. They scored just 19 seconds into the game with Vladimir Brukvin, an eyecatcher with the North Stars, tapping a puck into the open side. The North Stars ran into penalty trouble after that as they had trouble interpreting the "no contact" rule.  "We were not ready. We knew the rules were different from our rules, we knew there was no contact, but we didn't
think it was no contact at all, like a walk in the park or a game with your friends," said Afanasiev.

The North Stars played most of the first period short-handed, including a couple of long stretches when they were down two men with a third in the box waiting for his minor to start. It finally caught up to them at 7:41 of the first as Peter Harrington scored at the end of a 5-on-4 power play that had followed a 45-second 5-on-3.

"Without a doubt, they are a very skillful team. On those 5-on-3s in the first period, they seemed to control the play a lot better than we did. I thought it was typical Russian hockey.  "They regrouped well and they were
very aggressive," said O'Shaughnessy. The goaltenders took over from there with Rebels goaltender Trevor Vankampen making a spectacular toe save to save the Rebels' share of the tie with just
a couple of seconds left in the game. North Stars goaltender Vyacheslav Volkov was also outstanding.

Mikhilsov said the North Stars were hoping to have their equipment catch up to them last night.  "The boys are okay, but we need our equipment. We hope and believe it will get here," she said.  "It's very different to not skate
in your skates," said Afanasiev. "As soon as we get our skates, we'll be better. Then we can show Russian hockey in Canada."

It wound up a tie game, but this will go down in Bell Capital Cup history as one of those days where everybody came out a winner.

Hockey Country lived up to its name, again.
 

Sept. 26, 2006  -  The L.I. Rebels Junior Team playing in the America East Junior Hockey League is currently in first place after the first three weeks of the season.  Six games into the junior year has the Rebels at 4 wins and two loses, with  28 Goals For and 19 Goals Against.  Updates and standings can be found at  www.Americaeasthockey.com 

April 2, 2006  -  The L.I. Rebels Bantam Major team made it to the finals of the USA Hockey National Championship by defeating the Michigan Rattlers, Orlando Stars, and the Indianapolis Racers in a come from behind overtime win.   With many on Long Island listening to the live game broadcast in East Lansing Michigan the Rebel Bantam team took on the Los Angeles Hockey Team.  In a hard fought shootout the Rebels came up short but earned National respect with their effort.  A small town rink in Dix Hills, Long Island  had a team earn not only a spot in the National Championship Game but the admiration of hockey organizations across America.  We are not disappointed with the second place National finish but are very proud of this team, it players, parents  and  coaches.   We are the home of the 2006 National Champions Silver Medalist Bantam Team.