Maine Hockey Journal

Jr. Pirates strive to be USPHL powerhouse franchise

(PHOTO: Rosina Vacchiano)

(PHOTO: Rosina Vacchiano)

SACO – The Portland Junior Pirates’ United States Premier Hockey League Premier team is off to a strong start in the inaugural USPHL season.

The team opened up the season at the Woodchuck Classic in Burlington, Vt. Sept. 6-8 sweeping the weekend with wins over Cegep Andre-Laurendeau Boomerang (Quebec Junior AAA) in an exhibition, while picking up league wins over the Philadelphia Little Flyers and perennial power Boston Jr. Bruins.

They dropped their home opener to the South Shore Kings, 5-3, on Saturday, and fell in a shootout, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon to the Middlesex Islanders in North Andover, Mass.

“Our goal here for our program is to be one of the top junior programs that kids want to come to before going off to college hockey,” said Portland Jr. Pirates head coach Kent Hulst. “We are trying to build that.”

The talent is starting to come to the OA Sports Center in Saco to develop their trade. The team has collection of players from all over including Massachusetts, Minnesota, Texas, Tennessee, Quebec, and Sweden on the Premier roster.

“We do a really good job of scouting and people we know with connections,” Hulst added. “We try to watch players throughout the year and try to get them to camps at our facility.”

York native James Winkler, who has committed to Northeastern University, left Berwick Academy and had the option to play for the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League – the lone USA Hockey Tier I Junior Hockey League – to hone his skills in state before making the trip south to Boston to start s college career.

“I get to stay home, great coaches here, and it’s a great facility with a great program,” said Winkler on why he chose the Jr. Pirates. “It was an easy decision.”

Winkler said having his college plans secured it has taking the stress off and he can just go out and play his game.

It has shown as he has scored a goal in each of the team’s first four games.

“With James, he has been a (USA Hockey) festival player throughout his time here in the northeast,” Hulst stated. “Now he has the commitment to Northeastern and they are happy he’s with our program with the off-ice (training) he will get.”

The team was able to get Alexander Paolo and Gianni Paolo, brothers from Hope, R.I., who played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights last season, winning the Atlantic Junior Hockey League Championship.

Alex is an overage forward and Gianni is a 17-year old defenseman, who was drafted by the Shawinigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in the 12th round this summer.

“Whenever you bring guys that have been a part of a winning program that has won a championship, they bring intangibles throughout the regular season,” Hulst added.

The other two players drafted into the QMJHL were Winkler in the 12th round to Cape Breton in 2013 and Antoine Dagenais, a seventh round draft pick in 2012 by the Baie-Comeau Drakkar.

Hulst said a player to keep an eye out this year is Jordan Haskell, a Freeport native who played for the with the Fresno Monsters of the Tier II North American Hockey League for parts of two seasons before moving to the Jr. Pirates in the middle of last season.

Hulst expects him to be a leader on and off the ice.

The other Maine native on the roster in addition to Winkler is Neil Maietta of South Portland who also played at Berwick Academy last year.

“I really liked the facility,” he said. “I know the coaching staff really well, and knew we could pull a great group of guys together and surprise a lot of people this year.”

Maietta just wants to learn and improve as the season rolls on.

“I just want to improve as a player,” he said. “Just be a role model and help the team pull together.”

After Sunday’s game against the Islanders down at Merrimack College, and a game against the Boston Bandits in Marlborough, Mass., next Saturday. They return home Saturday, Sept. 28 and Sunday, Sept. 29 to face the Bandits at 5:40 p.m. and 11:40 a.m., respectively.

Also in action this weekend were Jr. Pirates’ USPHL Elite and U18 teams.

The Elite team opened the season in Wayne, N.J., where they dropped a pair of games to the New Jersey Hitmen, 3-1, and, 4-1, to the East Coast Eagles.

The Elite team will have their home opener on the Sept. 28th at 3 p.m. against the Bay State Breakers and will play again at 9 a.m. on the Sept. 29th also against the Breakers.

The U18 Midget team was also Wayne this weekend, losing a 4-1 decision the South Shore Kings on Sunday.

The U18 squad won’t make their home opener until Friday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. versus the New Jersey Hitmen followed by an 11 a.m. affair with the Hitmen on Oct. 6.

At the Woodchuck Classic they dropped their opening two games to the Philadelphia Revolution and the Middlesex Islanders.

NOTES: Winthrop native Mark Dufour, who is a Union recruit, scored a power play goal for the Islanders for a 4-3 win over the PJP’s Premier squad.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login