Vacaville Jets


Jets show well at San Jose’s Winter Classic T


By Matt Mackinder


he Vacaville Jets stayed close to home for the holidays this season, and not only did all three of their teams participate in the San Jose Jr. Sharks’ Winter Classic tournament, but also advanced to their respective championship games. “It was a great weekend for our entire organiza- tion,” said Jets director of coaching Larry Cahn. “Even though we didn’t bring home a banner, you could see the continued progress of each of our teams, and that’s what most important.” The Squirt B squad, led by coach Richard Ap-


pleby, delivered an impressive performance against some tough competition in its six games. The Squirts began the showcase with a 2-2 tie against the Santa Rosa Flyers before celebrating victories over the Oakland Bears, Jr. Sharks and California Cougars. In the semifinals, the Jets came away with a big 3-2, overtime triumph over the Redwood City Black Stars before falling to Santa Rosa in a tightly con- tested championship game, 2-1.


“We played well and I was very proud of the boys,” said Appleby. “They put forth a great effort the entire weekend.” Led by head coach Roman Hubalek, the Jets’ Bantam A team also showed well at the Winter Clas- sic despite a devastating 7-1 loss to the San Diego Jr. Gulls 1 team to open the tournament. The club rebounded with a tie against the Jr. Gulls 2 team and followed that up with wins over the


Cougars and Jr. Sharks to propel the Jets to the championship game in its division against the Jr. Gulls 1 squad - a game they lost, 3-1.


“The boys played hard,” said Hubalek. “It was nice for them to come back after our opening-game loss; it showed the kind of charac- ter and resilience our kids have.” Without its head coach Eric


DePaul - he and his wife gave birth to their first child over the holidays - the Pee Wee A team also came through with a formi- dable performance in San Jose. After defeating the Jr. Sharks’ 12U girls team in the first game of the showcase, the Jets went on to tie the Jr. Sharks boys team and defeat the Tri-Valley Blue Devils


Squirt B goaltender Damon Leaf and the rest of the Jets came through with outstanding performances at last month’s Winter Classic tournament in San Jose. Photo/Brian Bjorklund/Delta Sports Photography


to earn a trip to the semifinals and a rematch against the Blue Devils, which Vacaville won, 3-1. The Jets fell to the Jr. Sharks in their division’s


title tilt.


“Every single player has improved since the beginning of the year, and that’s encouraging,” said DePaul, whose team entered the New Year with an impressive 11-7-2 record.


“They’ve all hit the scoresheet and have a posi- tive plus-minus (rating). We’re moving the puck well


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and playing hockey the way it’s meant to be played: as a team.”


Cahn, in his first season with the organization, is more than pleased with the program’s overall perfor- mance heading into 2012.


“We’ve make some significant strides here in a short time, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for us over the next couple of months,” he said. “All of the coaches, players and parents have really come togeth- er to make this a great season, on and off the ice, and I can’t say enough about their commitment.”


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