"Let's go Braves!"

NIHL SCHEDULE

Bantam Silver (A)
FINAL RECORD:  10-15-5
NIHL STANDINGS

MOST RECENT GAME REPORT:

2/14/2000 
Wilmette Bantam Silver’s season came to an abrupt and disappointing end with a 5-4 loss to the Chicago Blues at Wilmette.  Fully aware of the importance of a fast start, Wilmette came out of the blocks flying in the first period.  After surrendering an early power-play goal on the front end of a 2 man short-handed situation, Wilmette responded with 3 unanswered first period scores.  Garrett Rothe started the scoring with the first of his goals in the period, batting in a rebound off of Wally Welch’s shot from the point.  Robbie Matthews accounted for the second tally, positioning himself in right spot to bury a rebound from Garret Rothe’s blast.  10 seconds later, Garrett Rothe found the back of the net for his second goal, in an unassisted effort.  Seemingly in control with a 3-1 lead, the home squad again found itself disadvantaged with a two man short-handed situation in the second period and the Blues power-play came through again to reduce the deficit to 3-2.  One minute later, the Blues tied the score on an equal strength effort and the home team visions of reaching the final 8 began to fade.  But in a game that was marked by several momentum swings, Wilmette reached deep inside and the line of Robb, Rothe and Lazarus bullied the home squad back into the lead when Alex Robb fed Greg Lazarus in the high slot to regain the lead at 4-3.  

Heartbreak was to follow, however, as, on a 4 on 4 situation, Wilmette’s 
defensive coverage lasped in the waning seconds on the second period, 
and resulted in the Blues scoring the equalizer with 1 second left on the clock.  
The Blues scored the winning tally at the 6 minute mark of the third period 
and then, desperately, fended off repeated Wilmette offensive forays to 
preserve the victory. 

The disappointment in a loss such as this masks the wonderful effort 
and team spirit exhibited by this group of skaters throughout the year.  
While the outcome fell short of their goals, Wilmette Bantam Silver 
should take pride in their accomplishments during the year, their 
improvement as individuals and as a team and their support and 
friendship for their teammates.  Our thanks, most of all, go to our coaches, 
Rob Pulford and Steve Kelly, for their dedication to and enthusiasm for 
our players throughout the year.  Our players could not have been coached 
by two better individuals.

ROSTER

02/05/2000 

Wilmette Bantam Silver concluded its NIHL regular season schedule by salvaging a 2-2 tie against the Kings in the Polar Dome.  With both teams appearing to be looking ahead to the upcoming AHAI playoffs, play was ragged and occupied the center ice area for most the period.  Wilmette had trouble capitalizing on several opportunities when they managed to penetrate the offensive zone, with Mike Longhini’ s goal, assisted by goaltender and scoring leader wannabee, Richard Drazin,  being the only score of the period, despite Wilmette’s 9-3 shot advantage.  The second period saw the home team mount a ferocious attack, outshooting Wilmette by a 14-8 margin, and taking the lead on two early goals, less than 20 seconds apart.  Richard Drazin’s heroic efforts keep the visitors in the game, however, as he was forced to stand up against several solo shots as Wilmette’s defensive zone coverage made the NHL All-Star Game look like a cage match.

With Coach Rob Pulford’s stirring 2^nd period intermission motivational speech still ringing through the timbered Polar Dome ceiling, Billy Fairclough finally solved the Kings’s defense with an unassisted effort with 5 minutes to play.  Wilmette then formed its noted defensive shell for the remainder of the game to hold on to the tie. Special recognition goes to Tony Mironov who returned from an ankle injury with a strong skating performance and was rewarded with a +2 effort.

Wilmette Silver finishes the NIHL regular season with a 4-4-4 record, earning 5^th place out of 10 teams in Silver Tier II.  Congratulations to Northbrook, Express and Hawks who advance from Tier II to the NIHL playoffs.

January 29, 2000

Having seen their remote chances of gaining a spot in the NIHL playoffs mathematically eliminated by Winnetka’s loss to the Express earlier in the week, Bantam Silver took on the role of spoiler to derail the Express’ run to the playoffs.  Wilmette could not seem to get untracked, falling behind 2-0 going into the third period.  Matt Gettleman’s unassisted power play goal, early in the third period,  brought the visitors out of their doldrums and gave Wilmette a spark of hope.  On the ensuing face-off, however, Express dumped the puck in and, in the ensuing scramble, a Wilmette player covered the puck in crease.  Awarded a penalty shot, Express wasted no time in increasing the margin to 3-1 which turned out to be the final score.  Again, Wilmette played on valiantly, out-shooting the home team 28-18, but the exceptional play by the Express goaltender rejected the Wilmette scoring attempts, despite Garrett Rothe’s effort which bounced off both pipes. 

Lady luck failed to befriend the Wilmette skaters.  The Braves look to change their fortune next Saturday at Santa’s Village against the Kings in their NIHL season finale.

01/23/00    So now we move to Sunday morning with the prospect of a 10:15 AM game with nothing at stake other than pride and effort.  We lose Billy Fairclough to the “Fairclough Flu” Saturday night, so we’re down a skater to begin.  Visions of a 5 hour bus ride home are dancing through our heads and once again, we prepare to do battle in the world’s coldest ice facility.  Although it seemed that everyone knew that the game started at 10:15 AM, someone forgot to clue in our skaters who spent the first period watching Armstrong pepper Richard Drazin with 12 shots.  Fortunately, Richard keep his team in the game, allowing only 1 goal.  Two second period goals saw Armstrong take a 3-0 lead and thoughts of a “mailed-in” game were beginning to dance through the Wilmette parents’ minds.  But, to its credit, Wilmette regained its composure and played with renewed interest throughout the remainder.  Wilmette avoided a white-wash with Alex Robb’s blast in the second period, off a Mike Longhini pass.  Toughness and pride won out, in losing effort, with Rob Pickens visiting the sin-bin 3 times to win the coveted “rough-neck award.”  

Despite the 1-2 record, Wilmette acquitted itself well in a very competitive tournament with 16 Bantam B teams from Minnesota, South Dakota and Illinois.  Credit should be given to the Rochester Tournament organizers who put to together a well-played, well-officiated program with very evenly matched teams.

 01/22/2000    Courtesy of a very sympathetic organizer, Wilmette found its next game on Saturday afternoon with the host Rochester North team.  The late start gave the visitors from Illinois plenty of time to recover from their team curfew violation in celebrating the previous night’s victory.  The result was one of the most thrilling games of the season.  Rochester North started with an explosive fore-check that kept Wilmette on its heels most of the period.  Despite being out-shot nearly 2-1, Luke Schneider refused to be beaten and turned away all 12 shots.  Garrett Rothe, playing his best game of the tournament, started Wilmette on the right foot with an unassisted tally in the first period, giving the visitors a 1-0 lead at the end of the 1^st period.  As a harbinger of the see-saw battle, Rochester tied the game in the second period, only to see Wilmette, in the form of Garrett Rothe, respond to regain the lead, off a Josh London assist.  Not to be denied, Rochester again tied the game with two minutes left to even the match at 2, going into the third period.  Rochester built on the momentum of its late 2^nd period goal, taking a 3-2 lead with less than 2 minutes gone in the 3^rd period.  At a point where lesser teams could fold,  Wilmette, led by their inspirational coaches, Rob Pulford and Steve Kelly, dug deep and scored not once, but twice, first on a rocketing back-hand by Mike Longhini, assisted by Alex Robb, and then on a unassisted break-away by Garrett Rothe, completing his hat-trick.  Wilmette regained the lead 4-3 with 7 minutes to play.  Rochester then responded again to tie the score at 4 with just under 5 minutes to play.  The ebb and flow continued through the first overtime period of 5 on 5 play, with neither side gaining the advantage.  In the second overtime, now with 4 on 4 play, Wilmette finally sprung Garrett Rothe free in the offensive zone and he responded with a lightning quick wrist shot that was earmarked to the far corner.  The Rochester goalie was up to the task and robbed Wilmette of what would have been a truly remarkable win.  As fates would have it, the home squad was finally able to solve the Wilmette defense to score the final goal in the second overtime for the 5-4 victory.  The fact that Wilmette was even close in this game is in large part due to Luke Schneider’s effort in goal, turning away 22 shots.

01/08/2000  Wilmette Bantam Silver greeted the new millennium with a NIHL playoff crucial home match against the Chicago Hawks.  The Y2K compliant home squad understood the stakes, essentially “just win, baby,” to insure a spot at the NIHL Bantam Silver dance.  But the Hawks represented a formidable challenge, having suffered only one loss through 6 NIHL contests.  A confident, but edgy, group of Wilmette skaters found themselves trailing 1-0, less than 4 minutes into the 1^st period.  But, 3 minutes later, Garrett Rothe found space and time, through an assist from Greg Lazarus to knot the contest at 1.  The Wings again took a one goal lead in the second period, with just one minute gone and protected the margin throughout the second period, despite being outshot 7-2.  

Gut check time, with a chance for the NIHL playoffs in the balance, down 2-1, beginning of the 3^rd period.  How does a team respond?  How badly does a team want to advance? How does character show through?  One minute thirty gone in the period, Hawks dump in and chase.  Rob Pickens beats the forechecker, advances to Alex Robb on the near boards.  Robb takes a heavy check from the Hawks defenseman to clear a pass to Garrett Rothe on the near side board.  Rothe scoots up the wing, creating a 2 on 1.  When the Hawks’ lone defenseman, drops on Rothe, he feathers a pillow pass to Greg Lazarus, driving the net. A quick wrist shot, stick-side corner, tie game.  1:49 remaining, Robb carries the clearing pass down the near-side boards, drags the defenseman in, drops a pass to the trailing Garrett Rothe.  Bill Fairclough drives the opposite wing, gets a perfect centering pass from Rothe, again exposes the stick-side with a hammering one-timer, Wilmette leads 3-2.  The next 1:49 fell to the capable hands of Richard Drazin, making his return in net after 5 weeks on the IR.  Richard mustered up his best pharaoh game of the year (ok, you know, the king of denial), and stoned the desperate Hawks’ offense.

Clearly, the best and most important game of the year for Bantam Silver.  Won as a team with many contributors beyond those appearing on the score sheet.  Mike Longhini, back-checking to thwart an odd-man break, Robbie Matthews time and time again taking on bigger players to make a defensive zone clear, the solid defensive pairings of Matt Gettleman-Rob Pickens and Josh London-Wally Welch, the steady, grinding effort of James Heath, Tony Mironov, Rick Greenberg and most of all, our coaches who inspired and willed the players to a higher level of performance.   

01/09/00   Team Cardiac Arrest traveled on little cat’s feet (it was foggy outside) to the venerable Ryder Truck Rental and All Seasons Skating Emporium in Naperville for its inaugural match with the Cyclones.  The “Refuse to Lose” attitude was still with the team, although the first period ended with Wilmette on the short end of a 1-0 score.  The second period went all to Wilmette, outshooting the host team by a 14-6 margin and crossing the red-line 3 times.  Wilmette’s initial tally was credited to Josh London with an assist from Greg Lazarus.  2 minutes later, the vaunted Wilmette power play clicked with James Heath driving home a rebound from Garrett Rothe’s shot for his first goal of the season.   The visitors upped the margin to 3-1 on a masterful effort by Mike Longhini, taking an outlet pass from defenseman Matt Gettleman, and bull-dogging his way to a score.  

Unfortunately, 2 goal third period leads have proven the arch nemesis for the blue squad.  Visions of a well-deserved win vaporized on back to back goals by the Cyclones to knot the score at 3 with 4 minutes to play.  Hopes were raised when Garrett Rothe apparently scored the tie breaker with one minute to play, only to be dashed when the Cyclones net minder prevented the back-hand shot from completely crossing the red-line.  Luke Schneider, in net, turned away 21 shots in a strong game. 

12/18/99  At the halfway mark of the NIHL season, Wilmette Bantam Silver skated its most critical game of the year on Saturday against the Tier II leading Express.  Still smarting from its less than stellar performance earlier in the week against the Blues, an undermanned Wilmette squad put together its best performance of the year, resulting in a well-earned 2-2 tie.  The Express dominated the first period, outshooting the home team 9-5, but could only cross the line once, due to Luke Schneider’s heroics in goal.  The Express continued the pressure in the second period, but slowly and surely, Wilmette weathered the attack and began to counter with an offensive surge of its own in the later part of the period.  The determination and grit of the home team paid off with 4 minutes left as Mike Longhini notched the equalizer, assisted by Robbie Matthews and Josh London.  Wilmette continued its strong effort in the third period, culminating in Mike Longhini’s masterpiece of a score, while short-handed to put Wilmette up 2-1.  Wilmette then held off the visitors until, with only 27 seconds left, Express scored on a 6 on 5 scramble in front of the net.  Wilmette mounted a last desperate surge at the end, only to see Garrett Rothe’s shot hammer just inches wide of the Express net.   

Skating with only two lines, Wilmette’s effort was unsurpassed in this game and, while disappointed that they gave up the late tying goal, the valiant home team met an important challenge.  Most importantly, Wilmette remains in the hunt for the Tier II title when the season resumes in January.

12/15/99

Wilmette Bantam Silver ran into a hockey team “on a mission from God” and fell to the Blues 3-2 on Wednesday night.  The game opened well for the home team with Mike Longhini’s unassisted effort starting the scoring at the 8:43 mark.  The Blues quickly responded 40 seconds later with the equalizer to end the period at 1-1.  The Blues kept the Wilmette squad bottled up all night, particularly dominating the neutral zone and frustrating the Braves occasional offensive forays.  The Blues’ hard work paid off in a 2^nd period goal, just 30 seconds into the period, giving the visitors a lead that they preserved into the third period.  The Blues scored the eventual game winner midway through the period and then hung on.  Garrett Rothe’s power play goal, assisted by Greg Lazarus and Mike Longhini, brought the home team within 1 goal with under 2 minutes left.  But an aroused Wilmette team was unable to convert the equalizer in a frustrating finish.  Luke Schneider’s 12 saves kept Wilmette in the game, but his fine play was not matched by an equivalent effort by the rest of his teammates.  Rick Greenberg was a notable exception, playing an aggressive forechecking style throughout the contest.

12/7/99

Eager to erase the somber memories of their Thanksgiving tournament debacle, the Bantam Silver squad brought their late night action to renovated Northbrook skating complex to take on the previously undefeated Bluehawks.  Both squads skated a tentative first period, although Wilmette was outshot by an 11-4 margin.  Luke Schneider again was a stalwart in net, rejecting all 11 shots and the period ended in a 0-0 tie.  Northbrook broke the deadlock early in the 2^nd period, converting a power-play goal.  But the resiliency of the Wilmette team came through late in the second period, when Billy Fairclough one-timed a centering pass from Greg Lazarus with 3 minutes left in the period.  Garrett Rothe fired in Wilmette’s second goal, with an assist from Rick Greenberg, with only 38 seconds left to give Wilmette a 2-1 lead, going into the third period.   

Building on the momentum of the late second period tally, Mike Longhini scored a pivotal goal on the first shift of the third period to put Wilmette in front 3-1.  Mike’s score resulted from a very pretty assist from Matt Gettleman.   Gettleman got his second point of the evening, while short-handed, guiding a 90 foot clearing pass into an empty net as Northbrook went all-out to tie the score.  Lady Mo’, turned in favor of the home team, who used an extra skater to score two goals within 1 minute.  With visions of previous third period leads evaporating, Mike Longhini took matters into his own hands.   While killing a penalty, Mike took a clearing pass, left a Bluehawk defenseman in a sea of ice chips, and beat the staggered Bluehawk goalie in a highlight film goal.  Mike’s goal was the concluding score in a 5-3 Wilmette victory.   

11/29/99 Wishbone Tournament 

In response to the recent public outcry regarding the emphasis in youth hockey programs on winning at all costs, Wilmette Bantam Silver has decided to re-define its season’s record in terms of Team Growth Opportunities (formerly known as “Wins”), Learning Experiences (formerly known as “Losses”) and Mutually Acceptable Outcomes (formerly known as “Ties”).  No matter how the record is noted, Team Silver got schooled over the Thanksgiving week-end, suffering an 0-4 collar. 

Wilmette Bantam Silver opened the Winnetka Turkey Tournament with an eagerly awaited re-match against Tier 1 rival Glenview on Thanksgiving Day.  A gallant effort by all participants went for naught as Wilmette suffered a 4-2 bitterly contested defeat.  Like Quasimodo ringing the bells of Notre Dame, Wilmette suffered the ignominy of clanging 3 shots off the iron which would have proven the difference.  Garrett Rothe, with 2 goals, provided the sole scoring effort for Wilmette who, in general, played a strong game at both ends.  Luke Schneider, facing an iron-man week-end in light of Richard Drazin’s injury, turned away 23 shots in goal.   

Friday saw Wilmette’s saga of “if we didn’t have bad luck, we wouldn’t have had any luck at all” continue against Dearborn.  After trailing 3-0, Wilmette mounted a stirring come-back with Mike Longhini’s unassisted 2^nd and 3^rd period scores.  A late penalty against Dearborn gave Wilmette hope, only to see a defensive zone clear agonizingly trickle into the vacated Wilmette net.  Wilmette was kept in the game through Luke Schneider’s heroics with 35 saves. 

Columbus, Indiana brought a grunting style of hockey to Wilmette’s third game of the tournament on Sunday.  Wilmette fought a tough 0-0 battle with the clear class of its group through the first period, but was steam-rolled in the second and third period to end up on the short end of an 8-0 Learning Experience.  Despite the margin, Luke Schneider stood tall in net and stopped 28 shots. 

11/16/99  Facing the challenge of playing their third game in four days, the Wilmette Bantam Silver team took its traveling road show back down scenic I-294 to meet the Chicago Hawks at the venerable Bridgeview (aka Saints Spectrum for you purists!) Ice Arena and hot dog emporium.  Fighting off the effects of jet lag, Wilmette established its ferocious fore-checking style early and came away with a well-earned 5-2 victory.  Mike Longhini started the scoring early with an unassisted tally, just a 1:26 into the first period.  Matt Gettleman increased the margin with just 4 minutes left in the first period, converting assists from Garrett Rothe and Alex Robb.  Bill Fairclough scored a pivotal goal with under a minute to go in the second period while short-handed, punching in a rebound after Mike Longhini’s end-to end rush.  Third period goals by Garrett Rothe (a cannonading one-timer from Billy Fairclough) and by Josh London, assisted by Mike Longhini, raised Wilmette’s margin to 5-0.  The visitors’ parents, having been numbed into complacency at the prospect of running time and an early departure, saw the Hawks try to claw back into the game with two quick goals.  However, the Wilmette coaching staff effectively broke the home team’s momentum with a time-out, allowing the blue-clad icers to regain focus, composure and their breaths.  Wilmette maintained the puck in the offensive zone for the remainder of the period.  

“Licorice” Luke Schneider was the stalwart in goal, particularly frustrating the Hawks in the second period when Wilmette was out-shot 14-12.  Luke was called on to make several tough saves while the visitors were adjusting to the Wings break-out.  In total, Luke turned away 29 shots.  

11/13/99  Wilmette Bantam Silver made its road debut on Saturday, traveling the scenic highways and by-ways of the Illinois Toll Road system for an evening session at the Southwest Ice Arena against St. Jude.  Obviously exhausted by the number of throws to the automatic toll machines, Wilmette Silver succumbed to the sheer numbers thrown against them by St. Jude and lost 7-4.  (Note to WHA Board of Directors:  In lieu of new uniform purchases, how about some I-Passes!!)  The game turned out as high scoring, see-saw affair, with Robbie Matthews scoring the first of his two goals off of a Mike Longhini assist to open the scoring.  Wilmette then fell behind on 3 consecutive talleys by St. Jude, only to draw within one on Robbie Matthews second goal, again assisted by Mike Longhini, with just 6 seconds left in the period.  The second period was a copy of the first with Greg Lazarus tying the score on an unassisted effort, only to see St. Jude take the lead again less than a minute later.  Once again, Wilmette, showing a determination that has characterized this team all season long, knotted the score on Alex Robb’s goal, assisted by Rob Pickens.  Unfortunately, the visitors were unable to counter St. Jude’s remaining offensive effort and saw three unanswered goals in the second and third periods account for the final margin.  Luke Schneider turned away 11 shots on goal for the visitors.  Wilmette’s somewhat thin bench was unable to match up throughout with St. Jude’s greater numbers.  In fact, mileage was being offered for the next available St. Jude game to resolve the over-booking problem on the bench.   

11/14/99     The decades old battle for North Shore bragging rights renewed Sunday night with Wilmette Bantam Silver facing off against Winnetka.  A well played game by both sides produced a satisfying 4-4 tie.  Wilmette opened the scoring early in the first period with Mike Longhini finishing an assist from Tony Mironov.  2 minutes later, Winnetka matched the tally to knot the game at 1.  Longhini again took charge with an impressive solo effort to restore Wilmette’s one goal lead.  But a resilient Winnetka squad responded less than 30 seconds later to end the period tied at 2.  Roles were reversed in the second period with Winnetka scoring the only goal as Wilmette was stymied by an aggressive Warrior fore check which held the home team to only 4 shots on goal.  Momentum had clearly swung to the visiting squad, when, once again, Wilmette dug deep and Garrett Rothe produced the play of the game, skating through the entire Winnetka power play unit to tie the game at 3 on a solo short-handed effort. Winnetka responded to retake the lead at 4-3, midway through the period.  But Wilmette keep battling and their effort was rewarded with 3 minutes left, as Matt Gettleman’s shot from the point, off of a pretty pass from a determined fore-checking Greg Lazarus, found the back of the net.  Having seen two one goal leads disappear and having to fight back twice from 1 goal deficits, Wilmette displayed heart, determination and a no-quit attitude, as the home team outshot Winnetka 18-9 in the final period.  The outcome may not have been a satisfying as a win, but Wilmette came away knowing more about itself, and its heart as a team as a result.  Richard Drazin was dazzling in net, turning away 21 shots, and coming up big on several occasions in the third period.

11/10   Wilmette Bantam Silver opened the 1999-2000 regular season with a dominating 5-0 victory over Skokie #2.  Inspired by five consecutive practice sessions, and having been reacquainted with the benefits of changing in an actual locker room, the home squad served notice early that “WILMETTE HOCKEY WAS IN THE HOUSE!”  Alex Robb opened the balanced scoring attack just 52 seconds into the 1^st period, converting passes from Garrett Rothe and James Heath.  Mike Longhini followed midway through the first period, making Skokie#2 regret that they accepted the penalty on Wilmette, instead of taking the yardage, with a fine short-handed effort.  Josh London increased the Wilmette margin to 3-0 less than a minute later, off of Garrett Rothe’s second assist of the evening.  Single tallies by Greg Lazarus, assisted by Rob Pickens and Billy Fairclough in the second period and by Mike Longhini, assisted by Josh London in the third period concluded the scoring. 

10/23,24  Despite already having made reservations to travel to Rochester, Minnesota in January, a valiant and game Wilmette Bantam Silver team showed plenty of heart with two crucial victories over the week-end to close out the Seeding Round for NIHL.   

The nocturnal Silver squad began their sweep week-end with a solid 4-0 victory over Skokie on October 23^rd.  After a scoreless 1^st period, Alex Robb tallied the only goal the visitors would need, “free-birding” a wrist shot early in the 2^nd period, off of pretty passes from Mike Longhini and Tony Mironov.  Two minutes later, Wilmette increased the margin, while short-handed, when Garrett Rothe’s strong forechecking effort forced a turn-over in the Skokie zone, which Longhini quickly converted.  Matt Gettleman’s blast from the blue line with a minute left in the period gave the sharp-dressed men from Wilmette a comfortable lead, going into the third period.  The peripatetic Mike Longhini picked up his third point of the evening with the assist.  Wilmette’s final tally came in the third period with Wally Welch completing a nice passing play with Garrett Rothe for his first goal of the season.  Luke Schneider turned away 12 shots, including a penalty shot, for his third shut-out of the season.  Wilmette’s team domination was evident in shots on goal margin, with the visitors outshooting Skokie 41 to 12. 

Showing remarkable resiliency with a back to back schedule of games,  Wilmette eagerly hosted the Blues on October 24.  Wilmette wasted little time in defending their home ice with their most productive game of the season, resulting in a dominating 7-1 win.  Billy Fairclough scored the first of his two goals with less than 2 minutes gone in the first period.  Rick Greenberg scored next, as the beneficiary of a gritty forecheck effort by James Heath who was credited with the sole assist.  Greg Lazarus followed with his first tally of the season, again as the aggressive forechecking of Robbie Matthews forced the Blues into errors in their own end.  Alex Robb’s patient stickhandling in front of the Blues’ net increased the home squad’s lead to 4-1, with assists from Mike Longhini and Rob Pickens.  The second period was spent almost entirely in the Blues’ zone with Billy Fairclough scoring his second goal mid-way through the period with Robbie Matthews’ second assist.  Two goals with less than a minute to play by Mike Longhini, assisted by Alex Robb and Tony Mironov and by Garrett Rothe, assisted by Matt Gettleman, eliminated any doubt as to the outcome.  Richard Drazin, showing renewed focus and energy, faced 11 shots on goal, turning away 10, and controlled the play in the Wilmette defensive end.   

The defensive corps of Josh London-Wally Welch and Matt Gettleman-Rob Pickens earned special recognition for their improved play.  Josh London and Wally Welch each finished the week-end a strong +6.   

10/13  Still stinging from a Roger Ebert “thumbs-down” review of the Glenview game film, the Bantam Silver team brought a renewed vigor and focus to their game with Evanston.  Rested, ready and ripped, the Wilmette squad responded in admirable fashion with a 5-0 victory.  Playing a somewhat tentative style, but firmly in control of the game, Wilmette broke the ice with a 3 goal 1^st period flurry in the last 3 minutes.  Goals by forwards Billy Fairclough and Alex Robb bracketed a goal by defenseman Josh London to give Wilmette a commanding 3 goal margin at the end of the 1^st period.  The game, however, did not firmly fall Wilmette’s way until early in the 3^rd period when the lead was increased to 4-0 with Matt Gettleman’s second tally of the campaign.  Wilmette pushed the contest to running time with 3 minutes to go as Garrett Rothe finished the scoring. 

Special recognition goes to Tony Mironov, who scored his first point this year with an assist on Billy Fairclough’s goal.  James Heath, making his debut as a front-liner, was (dare I say it?) simply en fuègo with 3 assists, also his first points of the year. 

Team defense was greatly improved in shutting down the Evanston forwards all night.   The defensive tandems of Josh London-Wally Welch and Matt Gettleman-Rob Pickens limited Evanston to 7 shots on goal and none in the 3^rd period. 

Luke Schneider (“I don’t need no stinkin’ Rod Beck relief help!”) pitched a complete game shut-out in goal.  

10/7/99  “Star light, star bright, Wilmette Bantam Silver went up against Glenview tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might have a better outcome to report with prose light.”  Unfortunately, the Bantams saw stars in more than just the uniforms of Glenview, falling in the home opener, 6-2.  Glenview game into the game, boasting a high powered offense with running time victories over Evanston and Skokie.  Wilmette showed the effects of the prior night’s skills session, becoming intimately acquainted with the Glenview players name from following their jerseys all night.  Actually, Wilmette faired well in the early aspects of the contest, with a goal by Mike Longhini tying the game at 1-1 in the first period, off an assist from Billy Fairclough and Matt Gettleman.  From that point on, the bench strength and numbers from Glenview wore down a leg weary Wilmette team, as the visitors scored 5 unanswered goals.  Wilmette, however, continued to press the action, actually out shooting Glenview 19-18.  Wilmette’s perseverance paid off in the third period on Matt Gettleman’s first goal of the season which was the final tally in the game.  

Wilmette played hard throughout, but Glenview’s ability to skate three lines took its toll on an undermanned Wilmette squad.  The Bantam Silver team continues to show determination and effort and will, no doubt, regroup with a better effort in its next game against Evanston.  Good seats are still available and the WHA is still accepting reservations for its mini-season ticket package.

It was the best of time, it was the worst of times as Wilmette Bantam Silver opened its 1999-2000 NIHL season with a 6-4 loss against the Kings.  The Silver squad uncharacteristically started out fast, jumping to a 3-1 lead at the end of the first period.  Mike Longhini tallied his first goal of the season at the 8:19 mark of the period, on an assist from Garrett Rothe.  Wilmette then stunned the home team with a two goal flurry with less than 30 seconds left in the period, first on a goal by Robbie Matthews and next, a goal by Billy Fairclough.  Garrett Rothe assisted on both tallies.  The second period saw the Kings close the margin to 3-2, as they outshot Wilmette 14 to 7.    

With the ebb and flow clearly with the home team beginning the third period, Garrett Rothe tipped in a hard, low shot from Josh London, who was fed from Billy Fairclough to give Wilmette a 4-2 lead with 8:40 left in the game.  The Kings responded in defense of their home sheet a minute later with the first of a four goal barrage, leaving the Wilmette team looking like a stunned George Foreman after losing the “Thrilla in Manila.” 

Wilmette’s Bantam Silver concluded a successful pre-NIHL season with a record of 1-1-1 in the Sports Weekend tournament held September 25-26.  The Silver team opened the tournament Friday night with a disappointing loss to the Huskies Silver, 5-3.  Wilmette led twice in the game, on an opening unassisted goal by Garrett Rothe and again, 2-1 when Rothe scored his second goal, assisted by Wally Welch and Rick Greenberg.  However, the Huskies stormed back in the second period to score 3 goals in a 1:30 span to take a 4-2 lead into the third period.  Alex Robb added the third Wilmette goal late in the third period, with assists from Greenberg and Rothe, but that was as close as Wilmette could get.  Richard Drazin, in goal, turned away 19 shots. 

Saturday morning’s first game scheduled the Silver team against a burly crew from Flint, MI.  After recovering from the initial shock of the size differential, Wilmette took command in the first period on two goals from Garrett Rothe and a last second tally by Billy Fairclough.  Assisting on the goals were Rick Greenberg and Greg Lazarus.  Second period goals by Rick Greenberg and Garrett Rothe, completing his hat-trick, provided the margin of victory for Wilmette.  Luke Schneider stood strong in goal turning away 39 shots.  Special credit was given by the coaching staff to Mike Longhini, Alex Robb, James Heath and Matt Gettleman for their physical play against a much larger team. 

The tournament concluded for the Wilmette Silver with a well-played 1-1 tie with the Chicago Chill ’86 team (a AAA team playing in a Silver tournament??!!  Have you no shame??).   Chill ’86 opened the scoring in the 1^st period and then relied on their goalie’s heroics to preserve the win.  The Wilmette showed great determination in their relentless pursuit of the tying goal, dominating play from the middle of the game.  Wilmette Silver finally penetrated the Chill defense off a set face-off play as Josh London powered a laser from the point to the low stick-side corner to knot the game.  Credit Mike Longhini with an excellent face-off win in the offensive zone, along with an assist from Robbie Matthews.  Matthews earns special recognition for his effort in this game, recovering from an arm injury received in Friday night’s game and filling in for a short-rostered team.  Richard Drazin played a superb game in net, keeping his team in the game with several “Richteresque” saves. 

The Silver team tied for 2^nd in its tier, but was edged out of the consolation finals in the tie-breaker against Chicago Chill ’86.  However, the tournament provided a great tune-up for the NIHL season which begins on October 3.

The Wilmette Bantam Silver Team opened its pre-NIHL season (that’s pre-season, season reservation holders, not exhibition!) with a well-played 1-0 victory over Winnetka.  Garrett Rothe tallied the game’s only goal on a power play, late in the first period, off an assist from Matt Gettleman.  The goal tending duo of Luke Schneider and Richard Drazin then took over, turning away 19 Green and Gold shots to preserve the shut-out and the win.  In a 1-0 victory, many players contributed in ways which didn’t show up on the score-sheet.  A strong defensive effort was led by Wally Welch, Josh London and James Heath.  Garrett Rothe’s line, including Greg Lazarus and Rick Greenberg, Mike Longhini’s line with Alex Robb and Tony Mironov and Billy Fairclough’s group with Rob Matthews and Rob Pickens all showed good chemistry in the defensive end of the ice.  All in all, a very solid team performance to build on for the season.   

Congratulations are in order to Coach Rob Pulford and Coach Steve Kelly on their victorious coaching debut, and, also, to Mike Longhini who was elected captain of Bantam Silver by the players. 

A note of thanks also to Al London who graciously assisted us with the NIHL Scheduling Meeting.  Al once again demonstrated his mastery of the NIHL Scheduling Meeting through his brilliantly executed double reverse butterfly straddle option on our away games at Downers Grove and the Polar Dome.  As a result, the number of overnight stays required to meet our away game commitments was kept to a minimum.  Simply put, “Al London, you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him!”