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Imported to Jamestown - Junior Hockey News
Published: Thursday, 25 Oct 2012
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From Stockholm, Sweden to Jamestown, New York. From Munich, Germany to Jamestown, New York.
Sweden's Victor Johansson and Germany's Huba Sekesi are a pair of import forwards who are adapting to the North American Hockey League style of play in their first season with the Jamestown Ironmen.
Linemates, Johansson and Sekesi have yet to make a major offensive impact.
Johansson has played in all 14 games this season for the Ironmen, who are in first place in the NAHL's North Division with an impressive record of 10-2-2. Johansson has scored just one goal but has seven assists.
Sekesi joined the Ironmen six games into the season and while he is pointless in eight outings, has showed an aggressive side with 27 minutes in penalties.
Despite the lack of offense, Ironmen coach-general manager Dan Daikawa likes what he has seen of Johansson, who is a 1992 birth year, and Sekesi, who was born in 1993.
"Victor is a player with great speed and can really shoot the puck," noted Daikawa. "He is adjusting to the smaller ice sheet and the checking of the North American game. I think that if he learns to use his speed, he could get more some points. As for Huba, he is not your typical German player. He loves the physical part of the game. He skates and shoots very well. Right now, I think that he is pressing a little for his first goal. It will come and when it does, I hope plenty will follow."
The 6-foot-1, 181 pound Johansson, while feeling he has adapted "pretty well" to the North American style of play, admitted that "it hasn't been easy. I knew before I got over here that the way the game is played is much different than what I was used to. But I think that I have adapted pretty well to the way that hockey is played in America."
Johansson likes the Ironmen organization and the town of Jamestown.
"It's a great organization and it has been since day one. We have a great rink with good training facilities and a nice locker room. Everybody that is involved around the team are very dedicated and serious. The North Division is a very competitive division where all teams compete hard for the points every week.
"So far I've had a great time in Jamestown, which of course the guys on the team are a big part of. Both coaches and players have been very helpful since I got here. I live with a great billet family."
The Ironmen head out to Port Huron for a pair of road games this weekend, having won six in a row.
"I hope we can keep our winning streak going and get the 'Two and a half Euro line' going," said Johansson who plays on a line with Sekesi and Luc Gerdes.
Johansson said the unit is called the 'Two and a half Euro line because Gerdes "claims that he is at least 50 per cent European."
Gerdes, who hails from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is second on the Ironmen in scoring with 12 points, including a team-high nine goals.
As Johansson has had 14 games to adapt to the NAHL, Sekesi said he thinks his game is getting better over his eight outings with the Ironmen.
"In the beginning everything was so different," Sekesi related. "Harder practices and more games. But my teammates have helped me a lot and I am glad that we have such a great group of guys in Jamestown."
Sekesi, who is also a member of the German national junior team, said he is "still adjusting to the smaller ice sheet. It makes the game faster and you have way less time to make decisions."
Like Johansson, the 6-foot-1, 187 pound Sekesi is impressed with the Ironmen organization.
"I really like the coaches, the owner and everybody else who works for the organization. They are trying to make us better hockey players and better human beings."
Sekesi also appreciates Jamestown and his billet family.
"I really like it. I am living together with six other teammates in a huge house and our billet mom is awesome. Jamestown as a city has many people I have met who are very nice. They seem to be excited to have players from a different continent in Jamestown."
Sekesi, while anxious to score his first NAHL goal, said he sees his role "is to be physical and create more space for my teammates. I want to improve to be effective every game."
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Author: Randy Russon
Russon brings a a lifetime of media experience to the JuniorHockey.com staff.
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JAMESTOWN IRONMEN PRESS RELEASE
Jamestown Ironmen forward, Daniel Cesarz was named Combat Hockey’s North Division Star of the Week by the North American Hockey League on Tuesday.
The honor comes as no surprise as Cesarz had a great performance this past weekend, leading the Ironmen to a sweep of his former team, the Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings. Cesarz recorded an assist and scored the game winning goal twenty seconds into overtime during Jamestown’s 2-1 victory on Friday, while chipping in with another goal and assist during Saturday’s 7-3 win. Cesarz, in his second year in the NAHL, upped his season total to six goals while scoring a goal in each of his last four games.
“The entire team wanted to prove a point last weekend and Daniel led the charge,” said Ironmen Head Coach Dan Daikawa. “He was the best player on the ice all weekend. He creates so much offense with his speed and skating. He is also a great kid and we feel very fortunate to have him on the roster this season.”
Jamestown (10-2-2) now stands alone atop the NAHL North Division standings after winning six straight games. The Ironmen head to Port Huron (10-6-0) to take on the second place Fighting Falcons this weekend with games set for Friday and Saturday at 7pm. The two teams already squared off as Jamestown opened the home portion of their schedule against Port Huron early in September, splitting the weekend series as Jamestown recorded one win and one overtime loss.
The Ironmen will return home to the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena on Friday, November 2 for a two game set with the Michigan Warriors (3-11-0). It will be Retro Night at the Ironmen game on Friday as puck drops at 7pm. Fans are encouraged to wear their favorite retro gear and they may be selected to participate in retro jeopardy during the intermission.
Saturday, November 3 is billed as Youth Sports Night at the Ironmen game, where anyone wearing Jamestown area youth sports gear (parents or children) will receive $2 off their admission into the game. The Ironmen Kids Club will also be invited onto the ice following the game for a skate around with the Ironmen players.
Also on Saturday, November 3, the Jamestown Savings Bank Arena will host USA Hockey’s Try Hockey for Free Day from 3 – 4pm. This represents an opportunity for kids, ages 4 – 9 years old to try hockey at no cost. Each participant will be supplied with a helmet, gloves and rental skates and brought on the ice to learn basic skating and hockey skills from on-ice instructors.
There is no cost to the event and participants will be registered starting at 2:30pm in the lobby. Each participant will receive a USA Hockey jersey and goodie bag to take home and will also receive one free ticket to that night’s Ironmen game with the purchase of an adult ticket.
For tickets or information regarding the Ironmen Kids Club, upcoming promotions or Try Hockey for Free Day, please call the Jamestown Arena at 716-484-2624.
SPRINGFIELD JR. BLUES PRESS RELEASE
Jr. Blues Host Janesville this WeekendDate: Oct 25, 2012 RSS
Springfield Jr. Blues (4-8-2) versus Janesville Jets (7-5-2)
Two Games – Friday, October 26th and Saturday, October 27th
Both games start at 7:05 p.m.
Season Series: (4 Head-to-Head Games in 2012-2013)
Game 1-Friday, October 26th – 7:05 p.m. (Nelson Center)
Game 2-Saturday, October 27th – 7:05 p.m. (Nelson Center)
Game 3-Friday, December 21st – 7:00 p.m. (Janesville)
Game 4-Saturday, December 22 – 7:00 p.m. (Janesville)
Last Weekend Results (both teams)
The Jr. Blues split a two-game road series against the Topeka Roadrunners in Topeka.
Janesville is coming off a two-game series sweep at home against Coulee Region.
Big Story of the Weekend Series inside the Nelson Center
Both teams enter Friday night on a roll as the hometown Jr. Blues have won three of their last four games, while the visiting Jets from Janesville, also have won three of their previous four games. Springfield swept Port Huron in their last two games at home before being shutout in the final game in Topeka last weekend 1-0. The Jets won both games last weekend but lost on the road against Kalamazoo two weekends ago, 1-0.
Team Scope
Springfield Jr. Blues-The Jr. Blues enter the series over the weekend with quite a bit of confidence as they have won three of the teams’ last four contests. Brett Skibba is a large part of the reason, as he currently leads the Jr. Blues in points with 14 and has scored five goals in the last four games—including a hat trick in the 5-3 win over Port Huron on October 12th.
The team is currently in seventh place in the North Division—but own a record of 3-4-1 overall at home and are 3-4-1 in their last 8 games. Their opponents over the last 8 games currently hold a combined record of 41-13-4. Matt Leon, is 3-3-2 in eight starts this season with one shutout. While Ryan Kellenberger, is 1-5-0 in six starts so far. The two have combined to allow 37 goals on 451 shot attempts.
Janesville Jets- Entering this weekend’s games, Janesville has won three straight games. They were able to sweep Coulee Region last weekend at home and earn a split on the road in Kalamazoo the weekend prior.
The Jets are led by an offensive attack that features Jason Ford, Austin Vieth, and Connor Lemirande. Ford leads the team with eight goals and 14 points.
The goalies for the Jets have both been quite impressive as well. Brock Krautz, who is the teams number one option, is 5-3-1 in nine starts while back-up goalie Austin Priebe has started five games and has an overall record of 2-1-1. All four goalies that will be participating in the two game series clash this weekend own a save
Who is Hot (Both teams in last 5 games)
For the Jr. Blues, success has been relying on how well both Nate Chasteen and Brett Skibba have played. Chasteen has tallied six points in his last five games while Skibba has added five himself. Skibba has scored five goals with no assists while Chasteen on the other hand, has six assists and no goals scored. Also hot for the good guys, between the pipes, is starting goalie Matt Leon. Leon is 2-0-0 in his last two starts, including a shutout in Topeka. He has allowed just three goals on 66 shot attempts.
As for Janesville, Connor Lemirande and Ruslan Pedan have both put up four points each. Starting goalie Austin Priebe is 2-1-0 in his last 3 starts and has allowed seven goals with 104 total saves (.937 saves percentage).
Special Teams Comparison (through fourteen games)
Springfield – PP: 18.2 % (9th in NAHL) – PK: 82.5 % (14th in NAHL)
Janesville – PP: 15.8 % (13th in NAHL) – PK: 84.1 % (11th in NAHL)
(Tyler Cobb is a beat writter for the Jr. Blues.)
A reminder that the latest edition of the HOCKEY NORTH SHOW (with me, Randy Russon) airs tonight at 6 p.m. on ESPN 1400 Radio.
Available on line at http://stream.1400espn.net
The HNS is a weekly, one-hour, inside look at the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, the North Division of the North American Hockey League, as well as the northern teams in the Ontario Hockey League. Weekly guests are also a highlight of the HNS on ESPN.
The HNS is sponsored by:
Dr. Kevin Caruso, Cambrian Nissan, Fratelli's Kitchen, Giovanni's Restaurant, GiGi's Bistro, Muio's Restaurant, Service Grill Pizza, Dominick's Bakery, Service Rentals & Sales, Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League, Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL), North Bay Trappers (NOJHL), Elliot Lake Bobcats (NOJHL), Soo Eagles (NAHL), Michigan Warriors (NAHL) and Sudbury Wolves (OHL.)
Thanks, Randy
Randy, Any Soo Eagles on your Hockey North Show tonight?
Jim,
Yes sir! Coach Bragagnolo and one of his players. Not sure who yet but there will be a player in attendance.
Regards,
Randy
FYI,
Defenceman Michael Lant of the Soo Eagles will guest on tonight's Hockey North Show on ESPN 1400.
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