Ready to Rumble!
Kirkwood opens league play with Rolling Thunder rematch
The St. Louis Rockets and Chesterfield Falcons both showed up for the Veteran’s Cup looking like completely different teams than the ones we saw in preseason scrimmages.
Did they just need the extra time to settle into the season? Did they intentionally show us a suboptimal version of themselves the first time around?
It’s hard to even speculate on that front, but the bottom line is that the 12U Peewee A3 division suddenly looks like a doozey.
Kirkwood won the Rolling Thunder Tournament featuring four of these league opponents (Rockets, Meramec, STP-1, and NWA) despite suffering a 5-1 loss to the first St. Peters team.
The Rockets then won the Veteran’s Cup with two wins against Kirkwood. Chesterfield also had Kirkwood on the ropes that weekend, leading the Stars by two goals in the third period before a big, late comeback.
So, even though Kirkwood remains the league’s top ranked team as we open the regular season this weekend, the list of contenders looks deep and tightly bunched.
But what is shaping up to be a highly competitive regular season may not mean all that much more than mere prelude in the grand scheme of things. Southern Illinois moving up to A2 left the A3 division with an even eight teams, meaning the Blue Note Cup bracket will be perfectly balanced with no byes.
Perhaps there will end up being a team or two at the bottom of the table that will look like a favorable matchup for the top seeds in the spring. Generally speaking, though, these next few months will be much more about growing as a team and learning your opponents rather than earning a material advantage on your playoff path.
I have a hunch that almost every team in this division will feel like it has a legitimate chance to survive and advance no matter what seed number ends up next to their in late February.
What’s on Tap?
League Play
Kirkwood Stars
vs Northwest Arkansas
When: Noon Sunday, November 16
Where: Greensfelder Recreation Complex (Queeny)
No sandbagging shenanigans from this Northwest Arkansas team this year. These Jr. Ice Hogs started and stayed at A3.
Before seeing the updated version of the Rockets at the Veteran’s Cup, NWA stood out to me as Kirkwood’s top competition for league play based on what we saw in the preseason. They played the Stars to a pair of one-goal games and looked extremely tough doing so. Kirkwood’s 2-1 win at Wentzville came as the most fun I’ve ever had calling a youth hockey game because the action was so fast and nonstop from end to end.
The Stars saw a ton of speed from the Rockets last weekend, so hopefully that has them ready for another fast, dangerous affair here.
MYHockeyRanking.com = 79.88
Overall Record: 5-9-2
Goal Differential = -23 (46-69)
Average Goals For = 2.88
Average Goals Against = 4.31
Previous Meetings
L 2-3 vs Kirkwood (Sep. 27 Pacific)
L 1-2 vs Kirkwood (Oct. 4 Wentzville)
Familiar Opponents
L 1-2 at Affton A3 (Sep. 28 East Alton)
(Kirkwood W 5-1)
(Kirkwood W 4-2)
(Kirkwood W 2-0)
T 2-2 vs Meramec A2 (Oct. 3 Wentzville)
(Kirkwood W 5-3)
L 1-2 vs Rockets A3 (Oct. 4 Wentzville)
(Kirkwood W 4-1)
(Kirkwood L 4-6)
(Kirkwood L 4-7)
W 4-2 at St. Peters A3-1 (Ice Zone)
(Kirkwood W 4-1)
(Kirkwood L 1-4)
How to Watch
YouTube Live Streams: I stream and commentate Kirkwood’s games live on YouTube (NOT on Facebook this season). You can find and subscribe to my channel for free here: youtube.com/@DanKukla314
LiveBarn: Or you can pay $25.95/mo for an automated camera without commentary. (The mute button works on my streams if that’s what you’re into).
Kirkwood Stars
MYHockeyRanking.com = 80.88
Overall Record: 12-3-0
Goal Differential = +25 (61-36)
Average Goals For = 4.07
Average Goals Against = 2.4
Great Clips
Shareable highlights from Kirkwood’s games at the Veteran’s Cup!
Veteran’s Cup Group Play: Rockets
David finds Liam in front of the net for go-ahead goal!
Leo and Bode connect with Will on back post for the equalizer!
Aaden ties the game on centering pass from Leo!
Rori makes a point-blank save to keep the game tied!
Veteran’s Cup Group Play: Chesterfield
The Jaden-Jackson connection strikes again!
Gavin prevents attacking Falcon from turning the corner before Rori covers loose puck in low slot!
Jacob skates end-to-end for quick answer goal!
Bryson sends a centering pass from Will top shelf to kickstart Kirkwood’s comeback!
Aaden steals the puck, dangles through the defense, and slips it in off the post for a goal!
Jackson scores his second goal of the game to pull Kirkwood even with Chesterfield in late comeback!
OH IT’S IN THE GOAL! Leo scores late to cap Kirkwood’s comeback victory!
Veteran’s Cup Group Play: Northwest Chargers
Jackson breaks out, tees up Jaden for early 2-on-1 goal!
Rori saves open shot to keep Chargers scoreless during 5-on-3 power play!
Rori stops breakaway with glove save!
David Kuuukla finds Sam Huuughes in the slot for 5-hole go-ahead goal!
Beating the buzzer with one second left... LIAM GALE!
Chargers center puck to the back door, but Rori closes it!
Blake Warfel has all day to pick his spot, and boy does he pick a good one!
David’s shot sneaks under goalie’s glove for a goal!
David backhands in a rebound on the back door for his second goal of the game!
Jacob skates end-to-end, shoots in a goal from the faceoff circle!
Is that a hat trick for David Kukla?!?!
Jaden makes a move to set up Jackson for a goal!
David tallies his sixth point, feeding Bryson for Kirkwood’s 10th goal!
Will Dunbar, previously seen entering Enterprise on TV, scores Kirkwood’s 11th goal of the game!
Veteran’s Cup Championship: Rockets
Sam centers it into traffic where David scores his fifth goal (and eighth point) in four periods!
Rori makes two big saves under heavy pressure!
BIG, QUICK ANSWER FROM KIRKWOOD! Bode makes a move in the slot and scores to retie the game!
Points Leaders*
David Kukla: 9 goals, 10 assists
Veteran’s Cup: 5 goals, 5 assists
Jackson Lowery: 10 goals, 7 assists
VC: 3 goals, 2 assist
Bryson Stiefer: 9 goals, 6 assists
VC: 3 goals, 2 assists
Jaden Lowery: 5 goals, 7 assists
VC: 2 goals, 2 assists
Leo Bauer: 5 goals, 6 assists
VC: 1 goal, 3 assists
Liam Gale: 5 goals, 6 assists
VC: 2 goals, 2 assists
Sam Hughes: 3 goal, 7 assists
VC: 1 goal, 2 assist
Blake Warfel: 2 goal, 6 assists
VC: 1 goal, 3 assists
Aaden Lam: 6 goals, 1 assist
VC: 2 goals
Will Dunbar: 3 goals, 3 assists
VC: 2 goals, 2 assist
Jacob Schultz: 3 goals, 0 assists
VC: 2 goals
Bode Bosse: 1 goals, 2 assists
VC: 1 goal, 1 assist
Gavin Langan: 0 goals, 3 assists
VC: 1 assist
Rori Murray: 1 shutout
*Adjusted from official score sheets based on video review
Excellent recap … let’s get a victory today !