Season Over, But Much To Look Forward To

A Positive Vibe Brought to You by Play-by-Play Announcer Dan Marley

The Eastern Hockey League's Philadelphia Revolution concluded the regular season on a very high note, higher than what most people think.  

Sure a 19-23-2-0 record and a first-round loss may not look stellar; but, look how far this organization has come since they were first known as the Matt O'Neill Lightning back in the early 90s.  

First, let's look at the Revolution's regular season.  They finished with 19 wins in 44 games, setting a franchise record for wins in a season.  This is the same team that also started the season 3-12-1-0 and were plagued with many injuries and had trouble moving the puck out of the defensive zone.    

The months of November and December saw a shift in gameplay that heavily favored the Revolution down the stretch.  With an additional boost from the acquisitions of forward Larry Adegoke from the Hampton Road Whalers (USPHL Empire Division) and Daniil Gerasimov from the New York Bobcats, the Revolution were able to snap out of their little funk and win big games.  Their 16-11-1-0 run after the slump shows this improvement.  

"At this start," said EHL Revolution Head Coach James Laux, "the season could have just went downhill.  The leadership, teamwork, and personal character displayed by everyone helped us turn this season around and finish the season strong."  

The Eastern Hockey League Playoffs were a challenge.  They were up against a powerhouse in the Northern Cyclones in the first round.  They may have been ranked as the number-four seed; but, the Cyclones had the second-best record in the regular season.  Northern had the upper hand and swept the Revolution, but the Revs kept each game close.

Look for some Junior B Revolution players to
make an impact at the Junior A level next season.

"In both of these games," said Coach Laux," we followed our game plan.  Everyone played a strong game.  The work ethic and mindset were there, but, we were unable to capitalize on enough of our high quality chances." 

What has amazed me about this club is their ability to never give up.  Every game, whether they were down by one goal or nine, the Revolution always played every game with heart and grit.  I also love how this team stands up for one another, especially the times when Kyle Jennings got that game misconduct on the final game of the regular season versus the New Jersey Titans; and both Jacob Caffrey and Mikko Kivinen accepted suspensions for defending their teammates in an altercation with the Boston Junior Rangers back in October.  

Next season, the Revolution look to continue that momentum.  

"There is a lot of potential for next season," said Coach Laux.  "we have some great players returning and are going to have fun recruiting players this summer.  I am greatly looking forward to the future of this organization."

As they move forward, some Revolution players will be leaving the junior hockey scene.

"The Revolution organization recognizes and appreciates the dedication and time made by Riley Egan, Ryan O'Malley, Jennings, James Wallace, and Hunter Tetrault," said Coach Laux.  "We wish them best of luck at their next stages of hockey development."

In my personal opinion, look for players like Vojtech Luza, Stanislav Khokhlov, and Devyn Dworsky from the Junior B roster to make the Junior A roster next season.  They have a great upsides to each of their games, and I am confident that these three can make a strong impact and fill in the missing holes.  

Personal Message from the Broadcaster:

Before I conclude, I want to thank the Philadelphia Revolution for the incredible opportunity they have provided me with this season.  It has been an honor and privilege to call the games and write for an organization that can only get better as the years progress.  As I move forward in my career, I will always reflect on the memories I have made here and the amazing people I have met on the ice and in the front office.  Best of luck to the players and coaching staff, and best of luck to entire Revolution family.  Remember, Go Revs Go!

Signing Off,

Dan Marley

Revs, Cyclones Begin Race to EHL Finals Tonight

WARMINSTER, PA - The Eastern Hockey League's first round matchup between the Philadelphia Revolution and the Northern Cyclones begin tonight at 5:00 PM.

Due to the EHL's "125-mile rule," all first round games between the two clubs will be played at the Cyclones Arena up in Hudson, New Hampshire.  The Revolution, however, will be considered the home team for the second game of the series, which is scheduled for tomorrow at noon.

"Having to travel is a disadvantage," said EHL Revolution Head Coach James Laux, "but having that home-ice advantage in game two will gives us the last line change we need that could be a deciding factor in this series."

The Revolution and Cyclones have met twice in the regular season, with both games going in favor of the Cyclones by a combined 12-2 score.  

"We have focused on slowing them down through the neutral zone and handling them off the rush," said Coach Laux.  "They are an offensively talented team that likes to create offense off the rush.  We will also need to rely on our goaltending to keep us in games and give us an opportunity to win."

If the best-of-three series goes to a deciding game three, then the Revolution and Cyclones will play on Monday March 3rd at 1:00 PM.  

"Expect us to be a hard-working team that is difficult to play against," said Coach Laux.  "I want to see everyone on the Revolution step up and play the kind of hockey I now they are capable of playing."

Fans can stream the game live on FastHockey.com.  

The Philadelphia Revolution are a United States Tier-III junior hockey organization stationed in Warminster, Pennsylvania.  The team sports squads in the Eastern Hockey League, the United States Premier Hockey League, the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League, and the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League.  For more information about the Revolution, visit www.PhiladelphiaRevolution.net.  Like Philadelphia Revolution Ice Hockey on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @RevsJrHockey for team scores and news.

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Eastern Hockey League Playoffs Are Set, Revolution/Cyclones First Round Preview

An Opinionated Piece from Revolution Broadcaster Dan Marley

Before I start, I would like to congratulate the East Coast Wizards and Vermont Lumberjacks organizations for their entry into the Eastern Hockey League.  They have entered a stellar Tier III Junior A league that has a lot of potential to grow even stronger.

With the New Jersey Titans winning the one-game play-in over the Washington Junior Nationals last night, the EHL playoff schedule is now officially set.  There are 16 teams that all want to hoist the very first EHL Championship trophy, and it's no surprise that the playoffs are a time where both the expected and unexpected happen.  

The question on everyone's mind now is who will skate away the victors?  Will it be a team that has dominated the regular season like the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs, a team that has been consistently under the radar like the Titans, or a team that has overcame a lot of struggles like the Philadelphia Revolution?

The first round of the playoffs will be a best of three and, more importantly, all three games will be played in three consecutive days.  Because of this, the league rules that if opponents are separated by 125 miles or more, all games will be played at the higher-seeded venue.  This is a case with the Revolution, who will be playing the Northern Cyclones of Hudson, New Hampshire beginning this Saturday at 5:00 PM; the two teams are separated by 322 miles.  

These two teams have met twice in the regular season with both games going in favor of the Cyclones by a combined 12-2 score.  These games, however, were played when the Revolution were in their September and October slumps.  Since the last time these two teams played each other, the Revolution went 16-12-1-0.  

Despite this improvement in their style of play since October 20th, the Revolution will still be up against a power house.  The Cyclones missed the regular season crown by five points in the standings and are known for their home-ice advantage (17-5-0-0), special teams success (top four on the power play and penalty kill), and goal scoring (nine players with 10-plus goals).  It may be scary to look at these opposing statistics, but the playoffs represent a clean slate for all involved teams.  

"Everything that has happened this season," EHL Revolution Head Coach James Laux told his team after Sunday's home loss to the Titans, "no longer matters.  The three straight losses to end the year, the incredible role we were on to start the second half of the season, and the slump we endured in the first 16 games no longer mean anything.  Every team is zero and zero.  Let's show everyone that the postseason is our time to shine."

From my perspective, I see this series being a close one for two reasons. 

First, the Revolution are more rested.  After the Christmas Break, they played 10 of their 14 remaining games on the road and all within a 43-day span.  That's a lot of traveling.  It's good to have a couple of days off to kick back and regroup.  

Finally, the team has been playing a stronger style of hockey, led by their improvements in goaltending and the extra boost they received from players from the Junior B squad.  The addition of goaltender Daniil Gerasimov in net and the dedication seen by call ups Devyn Dworsky and Stanislav Khokhlov have helped this club win close games and play competitively down the stretch.

If the Revolution want to win this series, they need to find a way to shut down both of Northern's special teams units and keep the puck out of their zone as much as they can.  Also, they need to prevent forward Kevin Valenti from generating any offense.  Valenti has dominated the EHL in offense this season, registered 35 goals and 41 assists in 44 games.  

Game one of the series between the Revolution and the Cyclones will be played on Saturday March 1st at 5:00 PM.  Game two is scheduled for Sunday March 2nd at noon.  If a third game is necessary, both clubs will play on Monday March 3rd at 1:00 PM.  

Fans can stream the games live on FastHockey.com.

EHL Revs End Regular Season With Loss to Junior Titans

WARMINSTER, PA - The Eastern Hockey League Philadelphia Revolution's regular season came to a close on Sunday afternoon.

Chris Connor's two goals and Daniil Gerasimov's 24 saves were not enough as the Revolution lost a tough game to the New Jersey Junior Titans by a 5-2 score.

"It was a tough game," said EHL Revolution Head Coach James Laux.  "The game did not go our way.  We have been playing seven games in 10 days, a majority of the time on the road, and it's been a reason why we haven't been on top of our game this week."

Jordan Dempster led the Junior Titans on the offensive front with two goals and an assist.  Also scoring for New Jersey were forwards Jordan Klotz, Anthony Cusanelli, and Michael Zidansek. 

Goaltender Justin Kirk earned the win in net, stopping 37 of 39 shots on goal.

"Kirk played a great game in net," said Coach Laux, "and we cannot take that away from him.  We definitely had the shots, but he outplayed our forwards and made some stellar saves."

Today's loss finalizes the team's regular season record to 19-23-2-0, good for 40 points in the standings and fourth place in the EHL South division.  Their seeding and playoff schedule for the playoffs will be determined later today.   

"Mental and physical rest is needed right now.  Our goal is to get everybody back into top shape and ready for the opening playoff round."

The Philadelphia Revolution are a United States Tier-III junior hockey organization stationed in Warminster, Pennsylvania.  The team sports squads in the Eastern Hockey League, the United States Premier Hockey League, the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League, and the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League.  For more information about the Revolution, visit www.PhiladelphiaRevolution.net.  Like Philadelphia Revolution Ice Hockey on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @RevsJrHockey for team scores and news.

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Revs Come From Behind to Beat Washington Jr. Nationals

 WARMINSTER, PA - The Eastern Hockey League Philadelphia Revolution (16-20-2-0) came from behind to defeat the Washington Junior Nationals (4-32-1-1) at The Rink at Warwick by a 3-2 score on Wednesday afternoon.

Revolution forward Riley Egan scored the game-winning goal 30 seconds into the third period after his team scored two unanswered to tie the game at two in the second.  The captain's 13th goal of the season was his first since January 11th.  

"It was about time for me to get back in the goal column," said Egan, "but more importantly, we as a team came together and battled back for the win.  It shows when everyone is doing the right thing on and off the ice."  

Ken Tencza and Zachary England scored the other two goals for the Revolution.  Goaltender Daniil Gerasimov earned the win in net, stopping 27 of 29 shots on net.   

"It was a good all-around team win," said EHL Revolution Head Coach James Laux.  "We had to make some adjustments in the second period, but we were able to pull through and preach the kind of game we have been playing all season."

Junior National forwards Mitchell McLean and Taylor Cox scored two goals in a 35-second span to give their team a 2-0 lead early in the second period.  Net minder Anthony Giordano received the loss in net, allowing three goals in 44 shots.  

"Giordano played a really good game and made some really phenomenal saves," said Gerasimov.  "It was nice to have that special battle against a solid goalie like him.  He helped make this game both exciting and competitive."

The Revolution will be playing in the President's Day EHL Showcase up in Walpole, Massachusetts this weekend.  The team will be playing on Saturday the 15th against the Valley Junior Warriors (14-18-3-5), Sunday the 16th against the Boston Bandits (20-13-3-2), and Monday the 17th against the Boston Junior Rangers (14-20-2-3).

"This is the last showcase of the season," said Coach Laux, "and the three games we are playing this weekend are going to be huge for us in the standings.  We want to use this weekend to set the tone for the playoffs."

The Philadelphia Revolution are a United States Tier-III junior hockey organization stationed in Warminster, Pennsylvania.  The team sports squads in the Eastern Hockey League, the United States Premier Hockey League, the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League, and the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League.  For more information about the Revolution, visit www.PhiladelphiaRevolution.net.  Like Philadelphia Revolution Ice Hockey on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @RevsJrHockey for team scores and news.

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EHL Revs look for Season Sweep Against Jr. Nats in Matinee Matchup

WARMINSTER, PA - Today, the Eastern Hockey League Philadelphia Revolution will host the Washington Junior Nationals in a rare mid-week matinee matchup at The Rink at Warwick.  The contest is scheduled to begin at 1:30 PM. 

This will be the final meeting between the two EHL South division rivals this season.  The Revolution have won the previous five contests, outscoring the Junior Nationals 28-10.

"We plan on running an aggressive and physical forecheck to establish our tempo early on in this game," said EHL Head Coach James Laux.  "This is key for playing a Junior Nationals team that has been showing signs of improvement in the past few weeks in their regular season play."

The Revolution come into this game after a 2-2 draw against the Philadelphia Junior Flyers Sunday afternoon.  Scoring for the team were James Wallace and Stanislav Khokhlov.     

"We played a well-rounded game coming off the long break," said Coach Laux.  "We were able to out chase them in regulation and hold them to 30 shots between the regulation and overtime frames."

With seven games remaining in the regular season, the Revolution will keep Khokhlov and Devyn Dworsky on the EHL roster and not send them back down to the USPHL Empire club.  

"These two have been showing me and the rest of the coaching staff that they belong at the Junior A level," said Coach Laux.  "We have a lot of big games coming up before the playoffs, and we need them to continue to play the style of hockey we know they are capable of playing."

Fans can stream today's game online at FastHockey.com.  

The Philadelphia Revolution are a United States Tier-III junior hockey organization stationed in Warminster, Pennsylvania.  The team sports squads in the Eastern Hockey League, the United States Premier Hockey League, the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League, and the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League.  For more information about the Revolution, visit www.PhiladelphiaRevolution.net.  Like Philadelphia Revolution Ice Hockey on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @RevsJrHockey for team scores and news.

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Gerasimov's Shutout Highlight's EHL Revs' Record-Breaking Win

Daniil Gerasimov

WARMINSTER, PA - The Eastern Hockey League Philadelphia Revolution (15-20-1-0) earned their first shutout win of the season against the New Jersey Titans by a 4-0 score.

Newcomer Daniil Gerasimov earns his first home win at The Rink at Warwick, stopping all 41 shots on goal. 

"I am really proud of myself that I earned my first career shutout with the Revolution," said Gerasimov.  "The great offensive and defensive support I received from my teammates helped me earn this accomplishment." 

Earlier this week, the Revolution acquired the Moscow, Russia native from the New York Bobcats in exchange for forward Myckauly Melanson.    

"I can't ask for a more better performance from Gerasimov," said EHL Head Coach James Laux.  "He was making saves on shots that could have created a different outcome for this game."

For the Revolution and Junior A hockey, today's win broke a franchise record in the regular season wins category.  Prior to this season, since the organization originated as the Matt O'Neil Lightning (Charlestown, MA) in 1995, the most wins the organization has earned in the regular season was 14, a feat achieved during the 2003/04 season when the Revolution were then known as the Boston Harbor Wolves.   

"It's good to see the organization continuing to build at the Junior A level and showing great improvement," said Coach Laux.  "We obviously have a lot of work to do coming down the stretch as we approach the playoffs and try to get good positioning."

Scoring for the Revolution were forwards Ken Tencza, James Wallace, Zachary England, and Larry Adegoke.  

"In the beginning of the game," said Coach Laux, "we looked a little unprepared.  We allowed the Titans to take advantage of us throughout the first period.  Once we adjusted ourselves in the second and third periods, we were able to get the breaks we need to skate away with the win."

Titans goaltender Justin Kirk received the loss in net for his team, allowing all four Revolution goals on 33 shots.  

The Revolution's next game will be on Sunday February 9, when they head to West Chester, Pennsylvania to take on the Philadelphia Junior Flyers.  The puck is expected to drop at 2:00 PM.

The Philadelphia Revolution are a United States Tier-III junior hockey organization stationed in Warminster, Pennsylvania.  The team sports squads in the Eastern Hockey League, the United States Premier Hockey League, the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League, and the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League.  For more information about the Revolution, visit www.PhiladelphiaRevolution.net.  Like Philadelphia Revolution Ice Hockey on Facebook and follow them on Twitter @RevsJrHockey for team scores and news.

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