| Home | Roster & Stats | Schedule & Results | Coaches & Contacts | Photos | About Us |
Peachtree Ridge Lions Archives : 2008 - 2009
  |
Peachtree
 |
Articles
LIONS SPLIT GSHL PAIR
The PRHS Lions went 1-1 in league action this past week, dropping a hard fought 5-3 decision to cross town rival Brookwood before rebounding with a 3-2 victory over Pope. The Lions overall league record is now 4-10-1 with 3 regular season games remaining. In a game played last Sunday night in Duluth the Lions jumped on top of the Broncos when Austin Shin converted on a cross ice pass from Mitch Nylen to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. After Brookwood tied it, the Lions came back as Tyler Fortier pinched in from the point and scored after Kyle Jassman outworked the Broncos down low to work the puck free. The Broncos scored the next 2 before Daniel Huntington converted on a pass from his cousin Christian Huntington to close the gap to one goal. But the Lions could not get the equalizer and Brookwood added an empty netter with 12 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Last night in Marietta, PRHS jumped out early as Josh Williams scored off the opening face-off just 10 seconds into the game. Before every one could even get seated, Mitch Nylen scored just 31 seconds later and the Lions were up 2-0. After a scoreless 2nd period Pope scored twice in the 3rd to tie the game at 2-2. But with 2:39 remaining Nylen added his second of the night on a nifty wrap around with an assist from Austin Shin who battled to keep the puck alive down low. Wes Edenfield stood tall in nets and the Lions got back on the winning track as the final score ended 3-2 in favor of the Lions.
From the Lion’s Den: PRHS welcomed back Shawn Rothlis to the lineup. Shawn has returned from a semester in Canada. Ice problems early in the day at the Marietta Ice Center were resolved in time for the game. J.J. Boehn , Russell Waugh and Jamie Martens got some extended playing time against Pope. Daniel Huntington and David Ogden were unavailable for the Pope game. Josh Williams and Daniel Parow are both sporting number 26 for the time being. The Lions are off until 2/10/2010 when they take on Walton at the IceForum in Duluth at 9:30pm.
GRAYSON OUTLASTS LIONS
The PRHS Ice Lions lost a heartbreaker to Grayson Sunday night in Duluth 6-4 in GSHL action. The Lions came from 3 goals down to tie the game at 4-4 but could not get the go ahead goal. Grayson scored the eventual winner with 5 minutes to go and despite numerous opportunities the Lions could not net the equalizer and when Grayson scored an empty netter with .35 seconds remaining PRHS dropped their ninth league game of the season. Grayson took advantage of some defensive lapses to jump out to a 3-0 lead before the Lions could answer. Austin Shin won a battle on the boards and shoveled a pass to the point where Captain Mitch Nylen’s blast caromed in off the post to put the Lions on the board. Nick Pracht then scored his 3rd goal of the year off a pretty pass from Chris Ponzcak to cut the lead to one. After Grayson scored again, Pracht answered on a well executed power play by banging home a rebound and shortly after that Alternate Captain Tyler Fortier took one “end to end” to even the score. Unfortunately it would not be enough as Grayson finished off the scoring and the Lions could not answer. PRHS peppered the Grayson goalie over the last 5 minutes, especially after pulling their goalie for an extra attacker but they could not finish the deal.
From the Lions Den: With this being MLK weekend several travel players were out of town at tournaments. Matt Saad, Jamie Martens and Corey Sebastian saw some extended playing time and Chris McConnell was back in the lineup. Michelle Fortier injured her wrist and left the game in the 3rd period…severity yet to be determined. “Ice Ice Babies” were out in full force for the game. Next up is cross town rival Brookwood, next Sunday night at 7:40pm at the IceForum. The two teams tied in the regular season opener 5-5. The annual team picture will be taken at Thursday’s practice.
PRHS BLANKS HOYAS
The PRHS Lions got back on the winning track with a 2-0 shutout of the Harrison Hoyas Wednesday night in Duluth. Behind stellar goaltending and stifling defense the Lions gained a measure of revenge for an earlier loss to the Hoyas. Raymond Harrington looked poised and controlled and never gave the visitors any chance. The Lions scored late in the first period when Jackson Tralango outworked two Hoyas behind the net and popped the puck loose where Daniel Parow poked it home for his first career HS goal. In the second period Josh Williams scored his 2nd goal in just his 2nd game when his shot from the high slot was deflected up and over the Harrison goalie. That was all the Lions would need as Harrington and the defense never gave the Hoyas a chance. Chad Cole, Tyler Fortier, Mitch Nylen and David Ogden all stood tall and made sure that the 2 goals would be more than enough to get the Lions back in the win column.
From the Lions Den: Next up for the Lions is a rematch with Grayson, Sunday night January 17 at 8:10pm at the IceForum. Ice Ice Babies are expected to be in attendance for the first time in the New Year. Josh Williams is still sporting the “phantom” number on his jersey.
Lions drop 2nd half opener to Raiders
The PRHS Lions started the 2nd half of the GSHL season pretty much the same way as they ended the 1st half, dropping a 9-5 decision to the Alpharetta Raiders Wednesday night in Duluth. As has been the pattern lately the Lions fell too far behind early and couldn’t make up the deficit against a strong opponent. Alpharetta jumped out to an 4-0 lead in the first period before Daniel Huntington scored off a nice feed from newcomer Josh Williams. The Raiders scored 2 more before Jackson Tralango scored an unassisted goal for his 5th of the season. After Alpharetta notched another Mitch Nylen netted his 8th on a backhander with an assist from Michelle Fortier (her first career HS point). Goals in the 3rd by Josh Williams off a nice feed from Nick Pracht and one from Chad Cole who rushed it end to end to score with an assist from Tralango made the final 9-5. Wes Edenfield had a tough night in nets as the Raiders were relentless throughout.
From the Lion’s Den: The game against the team from Quebec scheduled for Philips Arena on Sunday morning was inexplicably cancelled at the last minute. No make up has been scheduled. Next up for the Lions is a rematch with Harrison, Wednesday night at 9:30pm at the Duluth Ice Forum. Ex-Lion Shawn Rothlis was in town over the holidays and skated in practice. Shawn is currently attending Notre Dame Prep School in Saskatchewan. Josh Williams played in his first game an registered 2 points. Welcome Josh! The Duluth alumni edged the PRHS alumni 9-8 in a game played over the holidays. There was a tremendous turnout of past players, coaches, parents and families and it was a great time was had by all.
TOUGH WEEK FOR LIONS
The PRHS Lions dropped a pair of games in GSHL play this past week getting buried by AAA Forsyth before dropping a heartbreaker to Roswell. Sunday night in Marietta, the Lions were simply no match for Forsyth and had no answer for a bigger, faster, older team and fell by a score of 13-3. Austin Shin, David Ogden and Kyle Jassman scored for PRHS and Jassman and Jackson Graham added assists. With the decision by the GSHL to play games across divisions, results such as this are inevitable. The Lions bounced back and fought hard on Wednesday night in Duluth but a goal by Roswell with 3 minutes to go proved to be the game winner. The Lions fell behind before Chad Cole notched a power play goal with assists from Austin Shin and Mitch Nylen. Nylen closed the gap to 1 on an assist from Daniel Huntington before Roswell scored again to stretch their lead back to 2. Huntington added another assist when he set up Nicholas Pracht and the deficit was 4-3 at the end of 2 periods. Just 40 seconds into the 3rd period Pracht scored his 2nd of the night on an assist from Nylen and the score was tied. Unfortunately Roswell tallied the game winner on a PRHS turnover and despite relentless pressure in the closing minutes the Lions could not force overtime.
From the Lions Den: Christian Huntington and Austin Shinn have been named Alternate Captains. They join Captain Mitch Nylen and Alternate Tyler Fortier in leading the Lions. The Lions are now off for the holidays and finished the first half of the season at 2-7-1. Tyler Fortier and Josh Berkman remain out of the lineup with injuries. Check out pictures from the Lions participating in the skills competition at the Gladiators game at www.gwinnettgladiators.com.
August 2009:
Preseason Welcome:
Dear Peachtree Ridge High School Students
We would like to welcome you to the Peachtree Ridge Lions High School Hockey Club web page.
A little bit about the team, the coach of the team is Eugene Jarusinski, he has been coaching the high school team since its inception and was behind the bench when the team won its first GSHL “AA” Division State Championship in 2006 – 2007. He is assisted by Steven Ruffolo, Paul Regan, Josh Fischer and former Lions Captain Alex Chitty.
The team is a member of the G.S.H.L., The Georgia Student Hockey League and has been consistently one of its most successful teams. The team plays 4 pre-season games and 14 regular season games and up to 5 playoff games. We try to hold practices once a week at the Duluth Ice Forum on Satellite Blvd. in Duluth.
On the website, you can check for upcoming events, games and practices, you can also see the up to date statistics on your favorite player and if you couldn’t make it to the game, you can read the write up of the game. Sometime we even have videos of the plays of the game and plenty of pictures.
Last year we were the first team to actually have Cheerleaders at a hockey game the “Ice Ice Babies” made their debut and were an instant hit. We are looking forward to the second year’s edition of the “Ice Ice Babies”.
So come on out and enjoy a fast paced hockey game, and cheer along with the “Ice Ice Babies” and the rest of the fans. We look forward to seeing you at many upcoming games and supporting the team this season.
Mar. 23, 2009 update:
LIONS FALL IN FINALS
The PRHS Ice Lions made it to the GSHL AA Championship game before falling to the defending state champion Brookwood Broncos 5-1 Monday night in Duluth. Before a standing room only crowd, the Lions scored first but then watched as it was all Brookwood the rest of the night. Freshman Josh Berkman scored on a blast from the right side just 22 seconds into the game off a pass from Stephen Musso but Brookwood answered quickly to even the score at 1. Brookwood then scored 2 goals in the second period and 2 more in the 3rd, the last an empty netter, to lock up their second title in as many years. Goaltender Wesley Edenfield fought valiantly and kept the Lions close but the regular season champions could not get on track offensively and the title that was so close slipped through their grasp. It was a disappointing ending for seniors Stephen Musso, Nick Cittadino, Zach Tomlinson, Chris Little and Josh Johannson who finished the game in the nets for the Lions. These seniors experienced a state championship, a runner up finish and a semi final appearance in their illustrious careers. PRHS played without the leagues leading goaltender Raymond Harrington who was suspended for the last 2 games for his involvement in a melee earlier in the playoffs when he went to the defense of a freshmen teammate who was jumped from behind by a Brookwood Senior. The Lions finished the regular season 11-2-1 and the playoffs at 3-2 for an overall record of 14-4-1.
From the Lions Den: Special mention needs to go to the parental volunteers who contributed so much during the year. Phil Cittadino for his remarkable photography, Chris Rothlis for the amazing video, Chip Johannson for the best website in HS hockey, Gay Nylen for handling spirit wear, Mike Musso for the yearbook photographs, the Ice Ice Babies for being the best fans anyone could ask for and each and everyone who made this season a truly special experience for all that went along for the ride. To the coaching staff, Gene, Steve, Paul and Josh, it is truly amazing the time that you put in considering that not one of you has a player involved in the program. That dedication is unique and hard to find. Thanks!
Mar. 19, 2009 update:
LIONS BEAT BRONCOS AGAIN
The PRHS Lions knocked off the Brookwood Broncos in the 3rd round of the AA GSHL playoffs 3-1 Thursday night in Duluth. In front of a packed house the Lions overcame an early 1-0 deficit to send Brookwood to the losers bracket of the AA division. Peachtree Ridge fell behind with 5 minutes left in the first but Stephen Musso scored off a nice give and go pass from Shawn Rothlis and tied the score with 1:13 to go in the period. Tyler Fortier started the play from the point. PRHS went ahead for good in the 2nd as Mitch Nylen fired a no look pass from the boards right on Musso’s stick and the Captain did what he does best and buried it for a 2-1 Lions lead. The duo reversed the process less than 2 minutes later as Musso sent a pass from behind the net to Nylen flying in from the high slot and he made no mistakes and put it away and the PRHS lead was 3-1. Shawn Rothlis assisted as well and the Lions had all of the scoring they would need. Goaltender Wesley Edenfield started the game and held down the fort until Raymond Harrington took over and stoned the visitors for the remainder of the game. Musso, Rothlis and Nylen were reunited and accounted for all 3 goals and the line of Josh Berkman, Hunter Kemp and Daniel Huntington did a tremendous job of pressuring Brookwood all game long and not letting them get into a routine. Defensemen Nick Cittadino, Christian Huntington, Tyler Fortier, Chad Cole and Jake Cittadino were once again stellar on the backline making sure the goaltenders had all of the help they would need. An ugly incident at the end of the game where a Brookwood senior jumped freshman Nylen from behind and began punching him in the head, led to a melee which saw questionable suspensions handed out by an obviously overwhelmed officiating staff. The Lions now move to 3-0 in the GSHL playoffs and face Alpharetta Saturday night in Duluth.
From the Lions Den: Zach Tomlinson, originally thought to be out for the season produced some valuable minutes for the forwards. A scary moment occurred when Brookwood senior Nathan Remillard suffered a severe gash from a skate across his foot and had to be helped from the ice. PRHS wishes him all the best and a speedy recovery. Raymond Harrington was not on hand to receive his Governor’s trophy as he and Nylen were being whisked across town and arrived midway through the first period. A tremendous turnout of students, parents and faculty gave the Lions a huge home ice advantage.
Mar. 15, 2009 update:
LIONS BEAT CHATAHOOCHEE IS GSHL PLAYOFFS
The PRHS Ice Lions defeated Chattahoochee in the 2nd round of the GSHL playoffs, 6-4 Sunday night in Duluth. Captain Stephen Musso led the Lions with a hat trick and 4 points overall. Josh Berkman, Hunter Kemp and Daniel Huntington also notched goals as the Lions move on to their next game against rival Brookwood. Musso started the scoring with a bullet from along the boards that cleanly beat the Hooch goaltender. Hunter Kemp started the play and picked up an assist. With just under a minute to go in the 1st period Daniel Huntington banged home the rebound of a Shawn Rothlis shot and the Lions led 2-0, with Mitch Nylen picking up the second assist. Kemp scored his first goal of the year with a laser that went “top shelf” after a pass from Jake Cittadino and just 4 minutes later, Josh Berkman banged home a rebound off another Musso blast and the Lions were up 4-0. The Hooch scored 2 in a row to cut the lead in half but once again the Lions captain answered with an unassisted blast from the far boards and the hosts scored again 1 minute later when Musso finished his hat trick on a nifty give and go with Nylen and Berkman as the Lions put the game away. 2 late goals by the visitors were not enough and the Lions remained undefeated in the playoffs. Raymond Harrington got the start and the win in goal for PRHS.
From the Ice Den: Zach Tomlinson and Tanner Subers although out for the season with injuries were in attendance as was last years Captain Alex Chitty. Next game is Thursday night at 8:30pm vs. Brookwood at the IceForum. Brookwood dropped Harrison into the losers’ bracket with an exciting 3-2 victory Sunday night. Those players who qualified for letters for the season were given their approvals this past week from the coaching staff. Congratulations boys!
The PRHS Ice Lions began their playoff journey with a 5-0 shutout of Mill Creek Sunday night in Duluth. Wes Edenfield posted the 3rd straight shutout for the Lions and the hosts were never headed as they coasted to an easy first round victory. Mitch Nylen scored the first two goals, Shawn Rothlis the second 2 goals and Chad Cole finished the scoring with a short handed goal after a nice end to end rush as PRHS set off in quest of their 2nd state championship in the last 3 years. Defensemen Christian Huntington had 3 assists to lead the Lions scoring and Daniel Huntington chipped in 2 assists and Josh Berkman added an assist as well. The Lions led 2-0 after the 1st period as Nylen scored from down low and added his 2nd with a back hander from in close. Shawn Rothlis scored both Lions goals in the second period, the first on a nice rebound of a Christian Huntington shot, the second on a nice move in front of the net. When Cole scored his goal in the 3rd PRHS put in cruise control and made sure that Edenfield would protect a well earned shutout. The Lions had the better part of the physical play as well as the scoring outcome and now move on to a 2nd round matchup with Chattahoochee who beat Alpharetta 5-4 in a shoot out.
From the Lions Den: The Lions played without Captain Stephen Musso, defensemen Tyler Fortier, and forwards Jackson Graham and Tanner Subers. In the earlier meetings this season, PRHS beat the Hooch 6-1 and 7-2. Game time for the second round game is Sunday night, March 15 at 9:20pm again at the IceForum. Mitch Nylen, Raymond Harrington, Josh Berkman and Jake Cittadino will represent their travel teams at the SE District Regional Championships this week in Huntsville, Alabama. An enthusiastic group of students from Peachtree Ridge were present to support the boys. The Lions have now gone 10 periods without allowing a goal.
The PRHS Ice Lions clinched the AA GSHL regular season title with a 6-0 victory over Milton Wednesday night in Duluth. The victory assures the Lions of the #1 seed in the upcoming GSHL playoffs. Captain Stephen Musso, playing defense for the first time all season starting the scoring with a slap shot from the top of the circle which would end up being the only goal needed. In the second period Shawn Rothlis banged home a goal after a scramble in front of the net with an assist from Musso. Mitch Nylen then scored the first of his 4 goals on the evening on a nice one timer on a pass from Musso. Josh Berkman started the play with and assisted as well. Nylen then scored after a beautiful break out pass from Christian Huntington and an assist from Tyler Fortier to make the score 4-0. The 5th goal was Nylen on a feed from Hunter Kemp and Nylen finished the scoring with a short handed, unassisted, breakaway goal. Raymond Harrington had another strong game in the nets and made several key saves to notch the 2nd consecutive shut out for the Lions. PRHS finished the regular season 11-2-1. The Lions came on strong at the end and had a little bit of help from Alpharetta who knocked off Brookwood allowing the Lions to have a chance at the title and PRHS did not disappoint turning in one of their strongest efforts of the season. The defensive core once again was outstanding in limiting the chances for the visitors from Milton. Congratulations to Coach Gene, Coach Steve and Coach Paul and to all of the players who worked so hard to achieve this goal.
From the Lions Den: Josh Berkman returned to the lineup and had an assist. Tanner Subers is out for the season after breaking his hand. Musso, Nylen and Rothlis continue to rank 1, 2 and 4 in league scoring. Nylen has had hat tricks in 3 straight games. Coach Ruffolo went “hatless” for the first time this season. Playoffs begin Sunday March 8 and dates and times will be posted shortly.
Feb. 16, 2009 update:
The brothers Cittadino (Jake and Nick) book-ended the scoring as the PRHS Ice Lions defeated Mill Creek 7-0 Monday night in Duluth. In between Stephen Musso tallied twice and Mitch Nylen registered his 2nd straight hat trick as the Lions improved to 10-2-1 in GSHL play. The Lions scored first as Jake Cittadino fired a laser to notch his first career HS goal as Dominc Vokoutis and Josh Johnasson set up a perfect screen in front of the Mill Creek goaltender. Mitch Nylen scored his first of the evening and was set up by Shawn Rothlis and Jake Cittadino. Stephen Musso then scored back to back unassisted goals and the Lions led 4-0 at the end of one. Nylen scored a nifty short handed goal to the start the second period and completed his hat trick 5 minutes later with assists from Rothlis and Christian Huntington. With 3 minutes to go in the game Nick Cittadino matched his brother with a tally of his own with assists from Christian Huntington and Chris Little. 8th grader Raymond Harrington was in nets and registered the shut out with a huge assist from Chris McConnell who broke up a 2-1 in the 3rd period with a nice poke check followed by a punishing check. McConnell missed a large portion of the season with an ankle injury but is rounding into peak form. With balanced play from all 4 lines and the defense once again rising to the occasion the Lions seem to be peaking as the playoffs approach. Possibly the finest passing play of the season occurred in the 2nd as Daniel Huntington passed to Nylen who sent it back to Huntington who hit Rothlis for a one timer that just snuck wide of the post.
The Lions Den: Musso, Nylen and Rothlis are currently 1, 2 and 4 in AA scoring. Josh Berkman reinjured his leg in a travel tournament in DC and his return for the season is questionable. The Lions still have an outside chance of winning the regular season and gaining the #1 seed in the playoffs. A freshmen has notched his first career HS goal in 2 of the last 3 games. Next up is the final regular season game against Milton, next Wednesday February 25 at the IceForum.
Feb. 8, 2009 update:
Playing short handed for all of the game and extremely shorthanded for the 3rd period the PRHS Ice Lions produced a tremendous effort and came back to tie Collins Hill Sunday morning in Duluth. Missing the league’s top 2 scorers for the whole game and then 4 defensemen for the 3rd period the Lions came from behind to earn a point on a late goal by Senior Chris Little, his second of the game. The Lions took an early lead on an unassisted breakaway goal by Little and went up 2-0 three minutes later on a goal by Shawn Rothlis with assists from Daniel Huntington and Nicholas Pracht. Collins Hill scored one late in the first and the Lions led 2-1 after 1. The Lions then lost Senior Zach Tomlinson on a questionable penalty with 6 mintues to go in the second period (3 players short). At the start of the 3rd period, the previously mentioned defensemen had to leave to prepare for a travel game (7 players down). Shawn Rothlis left but returned and his presence gave a boost to the entire team. Collins Hill then scored the next 2 before Little put in the tying goal with just under 6 minutes to play with an assist from Tanner Subers. Wesley Edenfield was again stellar in the nets as the Lions upped their GSHL record to 9-2-1 with 2 games remaining. Alternate captain Nick Cittadino logged a tremendous amount of ice time with the shortage of defensemen and did a stellar job supporting his goaltender. The Lions had several chances to win down the stretch but could not net the clincher. In the end, this tie felt as much like a victory as any of the previous 9 wins.
From the Lions Den:
Stephen Musso and Mitch Nylen did not play due to travel team commitments. Next up for the Lions is Mill Creek on Monday February 16th at Duluth. Josh Johannson, Chris Little, Nick Cittadino and Zack Tomlinson represented the Lions at the Annual Senior Showcase at the Phillips Arena yesterday. Josh Johannson had the 1st goal for the Yellow team and each of the PRHS boys had points as the Yellow team beat the Blue team 6-3. Considering they played a very difficult game in the morning and had to race down to the Phillips, these fine young men represented themselves, their team and their school in an exemplary fashion.
Feb. 1, 2009 update:
The Peachtree Ridge Ice Lions celebrated Super Bowl Sunday with a 7-1 dismantling of Chattahoochee at the Marietta Ice Center. Led by Mitch Nylen’s hat trick and Stephen Musso’s 4 points the Lions steadily pulled away from their opponents to move to ½ game out of first place in the GSHL AA division. Musso started the scoring with a blast off of a pass from Nick Cittadino. Nylen notched his first with assists from Chris Little and Shawn Rothlis. Only 1 goal was scored in the second period but it was an important one as freshmen Chris Poncsak scored his first high school goal on an assist from Musso. Nylen then scored the next 2, the first on a nice cross ice pass from Daniel Huntington, the second short handed. Musso added his second of the game on an assist from Christian Huntington and sophomore Tyler Fortier closed the scoring with assists from Musso and freshmen Chris Chapin. Raymond Harrington had another strong outing in the nets and the Lions were able to get plenty of ice time for everyone as they raised their record to 9-2 in league play.
From the Lions Den: Next up for the Lions is a game against Collins Hill Sunday morning at 10:00am in Duluth. With the return of Jake Cittadino, Josh Berkman is the only player left on the injured list. Scary moment in the 3rd period when Stephen Musso blocked a slap shot and it hit him square in the foot. After the game, the outline of the puck was clearly visible on his foot.
Jan. 21, 2009 update:
The PRHS Ice Lions finished a season sweep of the Alpharetta Raiders with a 3-1 victory in Duluth on Wednesday night. In a game where the offense failed to find a rhythm the stellar play of goaltender Wesley Edenfield was all that the Lions needed as they held the Raiders to just 1 goal. After a scoreless first period, Mitch Nylen crashed the net and knocked home a rebound to give PRHS a 1-0 lead halfway through the second. Chris Katz from Alpharetta scored with 5 seconds left in the period to tie the game heading into the 3rd. Edenfield and Alpharetta goalie Chad Hardy then took over trading great save after great save until Christian Huntington hit Zach Tomlinson on a great break out pass out and Tomlinson scored on the breakaway with 1:35 left in the game to give the Lions a hard fought victory. An empty net goal by Stephen Musso accounted for the final tally. On a night where it was needed, defensemen Nick Cittadino, Chad Cole, Tyler Fortier, Christian Huntington and Hunter Kemp were at their best in making sure Wesley had all the support he would need.
From the Ice Den: Josh Berkman and Jake Cittadino remain out with injuries. The Lions raised their GSHL record to 8-2 with 4 games remaining. Next up for the Lions is Collins Hill on Super Bowl Sunday, February 1, at 10:00am at the IceForum. The boys featured a “mixed” look as they wore their home white jerseys with their away blue socks as Alpharetta did not have their white jerseys with them.
Jan. 11, 2009 update:
The PRHS Ice Lions exacted a measure of revenge with a stirring comeback and beat the previously unbeaten Brookwood Broncos Sunday night in Duluth. In a rematch of the last game before the holidays the Lions kept their poise and composure as their opponents completely lost theirs and came back from a 4-1 deficit to win 6-4.
The rematch started the same way as the previous contest as Brookwood jumped out to 2-0 and 4-1 leads before PRHS came roaring back. The Lions cut the deficit to 2-1 as Shawn Rothlis scored off a nice pass from Daniel Huntington. After 2 more Bronco goals, Rothlis again scored on a breakaway as the Brookwood goalie gambled and lost on a loose puck. Then captain Stephen Musso stepped and scored the next 2 to tie the game, the 2nd on a beautiful top shelf, shortside tally to knot the score at 4-4. Freshmen Mitch Nylen then finished off the Broncos with 2 straight the first on a nice “lob pass” from Musso. Nylen’s second finished the scoring and the Lions sealed the deal with solid defense. Goaltender Raymond Harrington was outstanding all night and kept the Lions in the game throughout with big save after big save.
From the Ice Den: Josh Berkman and Jake Cittadino both sat out nursing injuries and Christian Huntington was not in the lineup as well. Chad Cole and Daniel Huntington showed tremendous heart as they played strong games after a very scary pre-game incident. The humorous moment of the evening came when the Brookwood coach stopped the game because captain Musso was wearing a different number than he was assigned (his jersey has gone missing). PRHS registrar Steve Ruffolo notified the referees and scorekeeper before the game as the rules require. The humorous portion is the fact that the number was fine while Brookwood was winning, but became an issue after the Lions took the lead…
Dec. 14, 2008 update:
Lions fall behind early, lose to Brookwood
The Peachtree Ridge Ice Lions fell behind 3-0 in the first 45 seconds and never totally recovered as they lost to Brookwood 8-4 Sunday night in Duluth. In front of a large crowd, the Lions dug a deep hole before the game was a minute old before they temporarily righted the ship. Stephen Musso scored on an assist from Shawn Rothlis to get the Lions started and Mitch Nylen followed 2 ½ minutes later on a great break out pass from Christian Huntington. When Josh Berkman scored on assists from Nylen and Musso with 16 seconds left in the first period it looked like the Lions were back in business. However, 2 goals in the first 5 minutes of the 2nd period took the wind out of the comeback and even Christian Huntington’s goal off a nice blind feed from Nylen was not enough to sustain the surge as Brookwood answered 3 minutes later with a short handed goal that effectively put the game away. 2 late goals by Brookwood finished the scoring. The Lions fell 1.5 games behind the Broncos in the AA division.
From the Lions Den: Greg Sauers was in the lineup for the 1st time this year on defense. Last year’s captain Alex Chitty watched the game from the Lions penalty box where he had a chance to catch up with Musso and Nick Cittadino. An extremely large crowd filled the bleachers and ringed the glass at the IceForum for this rivalry showdown. It’s time to settle down for a “long winters nap” as after a Tuesday practice the boys will be off until mid January. 2nd half schedule should be posted shortly… “…and I heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight…Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”
Nov. 23, 2008 update:
Coming off of their first loss of the season the PRHS Ice Lions bounced back in grand fashion beating the Mill Creek Hawks 9-2 on Sunday night in Duluth. Stephen Musso scored 3 of the first 4 goals for the Lions as PRHS was never headed against a Mill Creek squad missing some key members to injury. Musso scored ½ way through the first period and Christian Huntington scored a minute and a half later on a blast from the point and the Lions never looked back. Shawn Rothlis continued his great play with a hat trick and Jackson Graham scored his first high school goal. Mitch Nylen had 4 assists and Josh Berkman, Huntington, Graham, Rothlis and Musso each added an assist as well.
From the Lions Den: Kudos to the GSHL and the IceForum for shifting rinks as the college games had put one of the rinks an hour behind schedule. Former players Alex Green, Michael Janofsky and Andrew Chitty were on hand to lend support to the boys. The line of Musso, Nylen and Rothlis was broken up with Musso playing wing with Josh Berkman and Daniel Huntington and Zach Tomlinson joining Nylen and Rothlis. Hunter Kemp played defense for the first time all year and had a solid game, in the absence of Tyler Fortier. Musso leads the league in goals, and Nylen leads the league in assists; Rothlis is also among the top 5 in overall scoring. The Lions are off for 3 weeks before facing Brookwood on Sunday December 14 at Duluth in a showdown for 1st place in the AA division.
Nov. 16, 2008 update:
The Peachtree Ridge Ice Lions dropped their first game of the 2008-09 season falling to Harrison on Sunday night in Kennesaw by a score of 8-5. The Lions trailed 2-0 when Shawn Rothlis scored to cut the deficit in half. Stephen Musso scored 3 minutes later and the Lions tied the game. After a Harrison goal Tyler Fortier celebrated his return to the lineup with a power play goal assisted by Musso. Rothlis scored again to give the visitors their first lead of the game but Harrison had an answer not once but twice in 62 seconds to take a 5-4 lead into the third. 3 consecutive goals by the Hoyas in the third were too much for PRHS to overcome and the final ended 8-5 with Musso adding another on an assist from Rothlis.
From the Lions Den: Tyler Fortier was back in the lineup and celebrated with his first goal of the year and added an assist as well. Coach Gene got to observe this game from a different vantage point. Mitch Nylen did not make it back from Detroit in time to suit up. Parents and players looked “spiffy” in their new spirit wear which was delivered last week. The “Ice Ice Babies” were sporting new “hockey” jerseys and as usual brought an extraordinary level of enthusiasm and energy to the game. Next up for the Lions is a date with Mill Creek, Sunday night at 9:40pm at the IceForum.
Nov. 9, 2008 update:
ICE LIONS STILL UNDEFEATED
The Peachtree Ridge Ice Lions scored 2 goals in the first minute and cruised to a 6-3 victory over Milton in Marietta on Sunday night. Stephen Musso scored twice off of passes from Mitch Nylen on goals just 25 seconds apart and the Lions never looked back. Nick Cittadino then hit Nylen with a nice breakaway pass leading to another PRHS goal. Josh Berkman scored on his own rebound and Nick Cittadino also scored while Berkman and Nylen each had 2 assists, and Zach Tomlinson and Musso also had an assist apiece. Goaltender Wesley Edenfield was once again stellar in the nets and never let the hosts from Milton within 2 goals, despite the Lions spending a large portion of the game in the penalty box. The Lions upped their GSHL record to 5-0.
From the Lions Den: Shawn Rothlis, Daniel Huntington and Christian Huntington showed up right at game time after traveling from the Huntsville Silver Sticks. Tyler Fortier and Chad Cole were out of the lineup. Next up for the Lions is an away game at Kennesaw versus Harrison on Sunday night November 16 at 6:30pm. The “Ice Ice Babies” made the road trip to the MIC to support the boys. Musso, Nylen and Rothlis rank 1, 2 and 4 in AA scoring.
Oct. 27, 2008 update:
The Peachtree Ridge Ice Lions beat Chattahoochee 6-1 Monday night at Duluth to raise their record to 4-0 in GSHL play. Shawn Rothlis and Mitch Nylen scored 22 seconds apart in the first period and the Lions never looked back. It was another big night for the line of Rothlis, Musso and Nylen as they delivered 14 points in the victory. Also scoring for PRHS were Stephen Musso who had another hat trick and Daniel Huntington. Raymond Harrington was stellar in the nets and the defense, despite missing Nick Cittadino and Tyler Fortier played outstanding in limiting the visitors to just one goal. Chad Cole, Jake Cittadino, Josh Berkman and Christian Huntington frustrated the opponents all night long, with Christian adding an assist as well. Next up for the Lions is an away game at the Marietta Ice Center on Sunday November 9 at 8:40pm.
From the Lions Den: Musso, Nylen and Rothlis rank 1, 2 and 3 in league scoring. Hunter Kemp who has been out injured came out for the late night game to support his teammates. Hunter hopes to be back in action soon. Josh Berkman moved from wing to defense with the shortage of defensemen and did a great job. Helmet decals were given to the boys courtesy of Chip Johansson. You can track all of the GSHL results on the league website at www.gshl.goaline.ca.
Oct. 19, 2008 update:
PRHS GOES TO 3-0 (click for print view)
Peachtree Ridge Lions raised their record to 3-0 in GSHL play with an 8-4 victory over an undermanned but game Alpharetta squad in Duluth on Sunday night. The line of Stephen Musso, Mitch Nylen and Shawn Rothlis led the way with 15 points. Musso had 4 goals; Rothlis had 5 assists as the Lions never trailed and took advantage of the huge bench disparity to remain undefeated.
Besides Musso’s 4 goals, Nylen added 2 more and Rothlis and Nick Cittadino also scored in a game that saw many of the younger players get additional ice time and help them get acclimated to the high school game. Wesley Edenfield kept Alpharetta off the board until the outcome had been decided.
Next up for the Lions is Chattahoochee, Sunday night 10/27/2008 at the Duluth IceForum. Chattahoochee is currently 0-1-1 in league play.
The Lions Den: Musso, Nylen and Rothlis currently rank 1, 2 and 4 in league scoring after 3 games with Musso leading the league with 9 goals while Rothlis and Nylen are tied for the lead in assists with 7. GSHL commemorative patches were unveiled recognizing the 10 year anniversary of High School hockey in Georgia and will be displayed on all GSHL jerseys during the 2008-09 season. The “Ice Ice Babies” made their debut at the Alpharetta game and lent great support to the boys with their tremendous energy and enthusiasm.
Oct. 12, 2008 update:
Lions Hang on and Outlast Eagles (click for print view)
The PRHS Lions jumped out to a big lead and then hung on anxiously to escape with an 8-7 victory over Collins Hill in GSHL league play on Sunday night. The Lions had a 5 goal lead with just over 10 minutes to play but watched the Eagles score 4 goals in 5 minutes to cut the lead to 1. The one goal held up over the last 6 minutes as Peachtree Ridge improved to 2-0 in the AA division.
As he did against Harrison, freshmen Mitch Nylen started the scoring with a one-timer off of a beautiful pass from Christian Huntington. Captain Stephen Musso followed that one with a “top shelf” bullet and the Lions led 2-0. Alternate captain Zach Tomlinson then scored his first of the year as he took advantage of a wild carom off the boards and beat a surprised Eagles goalie to put the Lions ahead 3-0 and when Tanner Subers scored, assisted by Dominic Vakoutis and Josh Johansson the Lions seemed to be on auto pilot and led comfortably 4-0.
Collins Hill scored their first but that was quickly answered as senior Nick Cittadino made a nifty cross ice pass to Musso to once again extend the lead to 4. After another Collins Hill goal, Mitch Nylen scored 2 unassisted goals and the lead was 7-2. Shawn Rothlis scored on a breakaway and it looked like this one was over, but the Eagles stormed back to make this one much more exciting than it should have been. The turning point was an extremely questionable call as Collins Hill was awarded a penalty shot on a play that the referee seemed to miss completely. The Lions, while shaky for a while, regained their composure and ended the Eagles comeback with solid play over the last 4 minutes to protect the one goal margin.
The Lions’ Den: Next up for the Lions is a home date with Alpharetta at the IceForum, Sunday October 19 at 6:30pm. Alpharetta opened league play by skating to a 2-2 tie with Chattahoochee. Nylen, Musso and Rothlis are among the top 6 scorers in the league after the first 2 weeks. Raymond Harrington got the start in goal against Collins Hill.
Oct. 5, 2008:
Lions Keep Cool to Beat Harrison in Opener (click for print view)
The Peachtree Ridge Lions opened league play with a 5-3 victory over the Harrison Hoyas, Sunday night in Duluth. The Lions jumped out to a 3-0 lead and were never threatened in winning their AA GSHL opener. Stephen Musso had 3 goals and 2 assists, Mitch Nylen had 2 goals and 3 assists and Shawn Rothlis had 2 assists as the Lions withstood a Hoya team whose sole focus seemed to be trying to intimidate the home team with physical play.
Nylen scored first with a nifty goal scored while sliding on his backside after being hooked down with an assist from Musso. Musso again set up Nylen who broke in alone and deked the goaltender to put the Lions up 2-0. The tables were reversed when Nylen sent a beautiful pass through traffic to Musso who buried it top shelf for a 3-0 lead. After Harrison got on the board, the Lions came right back as Musso rifled in a bullet of a backhander with assists from Rothlis and Nylen. Harrison scored again and the Lions again had the answer as the same 3 players accounted for the 5th goal, as Musso scored with Rothlis and Nylen on the assists. Harrison scored one more but it didn’t matter as the outcome was long decided.
Wesley Edenfield turned in a strong performance in net and kept the Hoyas at bay throughout the game not allowing a goal until the game was well in hand for the Lions.
The Lions Den…Stephen Musso was named team captain for the 2008-09 season and Zach Tomlinson, Nick Cittadino and Josh Johansson were named alternate captains. PRHS Hockey spirit wear will soon be available on the hockey website.