THE FLASH
Vol. I, No. 1                CM Hockey Newsletter             November 2003

Go to newsletter article:
   "About this Newsletter"
   "A Title to Defend"
   "Varsity Captains Announced"
   "Freshman"
   "Web Page gets Resurfaced"
   "Developmental"
   "CM Player Profile: Matt Bohn"

As the Canon-McMillan Hockey Association enters its 10^th season, we are continuing to make strides to improve the program both internally and externally. As part of our improved external relations, this newsletter has been established to provide lines of communication with the alumni, friends, and family of our organization.

Each monthly issue will feature articles about our teams, a Big Mac Player Profile, game recaps, and coming events involving the association.  The publication will be available at all CM home games, and an electronic copy can be read on the CM Hockey homepage at www.cmhockey.com.  Other copies of the newsletter will be distributed locally to keep those in our community informed about what's happening with our seasons.

We hope our readers enjoy the content of each newsletter and continue their unparalleled support of Canon Mac Hockey.

A Title to Defend
Big Macs Seek to Repeat as Division Champs

Canon-McMillan's 2002-03 campaign was the best in team history.  They won a division championship and backed that up with a memorable playoff win over Canevin in the first round of the 2003 Pennsylvania State Hockey Playoffs.  The exciting season came to an end when the Big Macs fell to ??? in the 2nd round of the playoffs, but that playoff loss did little to dampen the excitement entering the 2003-04 season.

The big change from last season is behind the bench.  New Head Varsity Coach Dave Fryer was hired in June and has been working hard to become acclimated with the program and the players.  Jon Duffill returns as an Assistant Coach and someone on the staff with whom the players are familiar.  Tim Fryer will work under his older brother as the other Assistant Coach, so it shouldn't take him long to understand what Dave Fryer wants to implement.

The strength of the team will be between the pipes, where Drew Stanton will return after leading the PIHL in Save Percentage last season while playing in 19 games for Canon Mac.  But the Big Macs will also boast another solid goaltender in Shannon Anesetti, who is considered one of the top female goaltenders in Western Pennsylvania.  John McFalls rounds out the trio of quality netmiders on the Varsity roster, and he will push for playing time as he gathers more experience and hones his talents throughout the season.

The defense was solidified when Jim Gordon returned after golf season and hard-working Adam Wabneg decided to join the team.  Junior Eric Lang provides steady play and a physical presence on the blue line, while Captain Matt Bohn will use his experience and leadership skills to be a key contributor at both ends of the ice.

Eight of the team's top ten scorers from last season will return at forward, and a balanced offensive attack will be driven by Assistant Captains David Wauthier and Doug Stanton.  Jesse Patnesky provides the most natural scoring touch, while Nick Godfrey and Jeffrey Warnock will collect some hard-earned goals and work diligently on the penalty kill.  Josh Tohey possesses a hard, accurate shot and the versitility to play both forward and defense, and Senior Adam Zeh brings toughness, experience, and leadership to the ice and the locker room.  The return of Doug Rheam after football season will give the Big Macs a big boost offensively, but the contributions of Freshmen Kyle Harnen and Corey Griffith will prove to be valuable all season long.  Jake Borish never stops working and improving, and Sophomore Ross Butler, a Varsity rookie, is quietly consistent every shift.

Canon Mac won't have much time to get tuned up, though, as their schedule is loaded up early in the season.  The Big Macs will face 'AA' elites Indiana, Peters Twp., Greensburg Central Catholic, Pine-Richland, Bishop Canevin, and South Park all before Christmas.  Kittanning and second contests against both Peters and Canevin highlight the 2004 portion of the schedule.  But there are a lot of good teams in 'AA' hockey this season, and nearly anyone on the schedule could be a surprise contender for the state title.

In all, the 2003-2004 Big Macs aim to carry another division title in to the post-season playoffs, with hopes of advancing beyond the 2nd round this year.  Local rival and defending state champion Peters Township stands in their way as a new member of the re-aligned division, while Bishop Canevin will be out to avenge their playoff loss and capture the division crown.  But if Canon-McMillan can withstand the heavyweight onslaught early in their schedule, they may be the team making the most noise in the second half of the season.

Varsity Captains Announced
Bohn, Wauthier, and Stanton Picked as Leaders

The coaches and players of the Varsity Team have nominated its captains for the 2003-04 season.  Matt Bohn, a senior defenseman, will serve as the team's captain this year.  Assistant Captains will be senior forward David Wauthier and sophomore forward Doug Stanton.  "I saw leadership qualities from all three of those players from the first time I met them.  They were named captains because of their ability to lead, which I'm confident they will excel at for us," said Head Coach Dave Fryer.

As the Canon-McMillan Hockey Association prepares to unveil its teams for the 2003-2004 season, it has recently unveiled its new web page, as well. The page features player and coach profiles, statistics, a fan page, an alumni page, recruit information, news articles, and much more. The new, sharp look of the page will help promote the ongoing improvements of the program and allow us to increase awareness of CM Hockey. Check out the site at www.cmhockey.com!

THE FLASH
    Published by the Canon-McMillan Hockey Assoc.    Address: CM Hockey
    Written and edited by David Fryer                       c/o Debra Lewis
    Web Page: www.cmhockey.com                               19 Cioti Lane
    E-mail Address: dave@cmhockey.com                     Canonsburg, PA 15317