Maple Leafs diversify, add Super Elite team

By Steve Stein

The Massachusetts Maple Leafs have joined the Super Elite Division of the International Junior Hockey League, but they’re not leaving the Continental Hockey Association.

For the first time in several years, the Maple Leafs will be fielding two full-season junior teams. The IJHL squad will be for younger players who can’t travel much because of academic commitments, and the CHA team will be for older players who don’t have as many travel restrictions.

The CHA team is a powerhouse. It has made five consecutive appearances in national tournaments, including a Jr. C National Championship season in 2008.

“The guys on this [IJHL] team will get a taste of junior hockey while being able to focus on their studies,” said Maple Leafs owner Tony DeSilva. “They won’t be on a bus all the time.

The IJHL Maple Leafs will play in the eight-team New England section of The Super Elite Division. They’ll have just two overnight road trips within the division, one to visit the Maine Moose and the other to visit the Northern New York Gamblers.

Decisions on who will play on the IJHL and CHA teams will be made during the Maple Leafs’ training camp, which opens Aug. 16.

“It should be a very competitive camp, a ‘battle royale.’ When it’s all over, we plan to have two competitive teams,” said DeSilva, who is also the head coach of the CHA Maple Leafs and general manager of both teams.

Former Maple Leafs player and CHA assistant coach Kris Metea will be head coach of the IJHL team.

Even though the Maple Leafs held tryouts during summer tournaments, they’re still looking for players for both teams. Contact Tony DeSilva at hockbase@aol.com or at 508-971-0808. The organization’s Web site is www.Massmapleleafs.com.

Defending champion Cubs hope to get even better in second season at Hyannis

By Steve Stein

The Cape Cod Cubs had a nice romp through the Super Elite Division of the International Junior Hockey League last year.

They went 37-4-4 to win the regular season championship, and won back-toback games to capture the playoff title in their inaugural season.

It will be very difficult to repeat those feats this season. The seven-team division has expanded to 15 teams and two sections, with several outstanding organizations coming on board.

Cubs coach Dan Hodge is looking forward to the challenge.

“The competition will be better, and our kids will get more exposure and opportunities to play in more cities and rinks,” he said.

“Obviously, our league is doing something right if so many teams want to join it,” he added. “We’re becoming the mold for other leagues.”

The Cubs’ home ice is the Joseph P. Kennedy Rink in the year-old Hyannis (Mass.) Youth and Community Center. Crowds of More than 1,000 regularly packed the rink last year for Cubs games.

“We have a great fan base,” Hodge said. “I think a lot of people were curious to watch our Russian players play last year, but they also knew that we played good hockey.”

There were about a dozen Russians on the Cubs’ roster last year. About seven or eight will play for the Cubs this season.

The Cubs also have a distinct local flavor, provided in large part by returning defenseman Jeff Erving from Barnstable, Mass., and new right wing Logan Brown from Nauset, Mass.

“Jeff is a strong leader,” Hodge said. “He took the Russian guys under his wing last year and made sure they were comfortable. Our goal is to get him ready to play college hockey at a four-year school, probably Division 3.”

As for Brown, he’s drawn interest from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, a Division 1 program.

“Logan is going to be one of our go-to guys,” Hodge said. “He’ll be playing in all situations.”