The key for newcomer Spencer Neu was a broken stick.
The Williamsville East junior broke the stick he’d been using for years and was forced to use his backup for the Flames’ games Thursday night against Timon and Saturday afternoon against Hamburg. Neu scored in both games for his first two Fed goals, and he credited the new stick.
“I broke my one stick that I’ve been using forever, so I had to use my backup, and I scored both times with that,” Neu said. “I guess it’s my new lucky stick.”
Williamsville East captain Mike Steffan thinks it’s more than just a new stick that’s led to Neu’s recent success.
“He’s been working really hard, especially these last two games,” Steffan said. “He got promoted to the third line, and he’s been playing really well. He’s been working hard, he’s been working his butt off, so he deserves it.”
Steffan, meanwhile, has been hot all season. He added three more goals and an assist in Saturday’s 6-3 win over Hamburg, and it’s all opponents can do to contain him. But as usual, Steffan credited his linemates for his success rather than his own skill and hard work.
“I just thought our line has been playing really well,” Steffan said. “We’re working hard, we’re moving the puck, we’re talking a lot, and just getting it to the net. We’re working well together.”
Whatever the reason for Steffan’s success, much of the Flames’ success is because of Steffan’s leadership both on and off the ice. Saturday’s win was their fourth straight to start league play 4-0.
But after an 8-7 win to start the season and a 6-5 overtime win to follow that one, the Flames’ defense has started to come together as well. They shut out Timon 5-0 on Thursday before defeating Hamburg 6-3 on Saturday.
Defense coach Rick Ruggiero saw signs of improvement in Thursday’s and Saturday’s games, but he believes his team still has room for much more.
“We need to get stronger,” Ruggiero said. “We’re getting there. We’re young, getting our feet wet, and when we play as a unit — six guys, that’s the defense, goaltending, and forwards — we’re pretty solid. So when we continue on doing that, we’re gonna be okay. We have too many breakdowns right now, and we’re gonna work on ’em.”
The Flames took a quick 4-0 lead in Saturday’s game with two goals by Steffan and one each from Sam Pastore and Neu before Hamburg made a goaltending change 2:33 into the second period. The Bulldogs found new life and scored two goals, thanks to Jason Delmont and Jake Hangen, to cut Williamsville East’s lead to 4-2.
Steffan scored his third goal of the day on the power play with exactly two minutes left in the third, and although Hamburg’s Owen Gonter answered back 40 seconds later, a Sean MacLeay empty-net goal, assisted by Steffan, gave the Flames a 6-3 lead with 18 seconds left, and that was all they needed.
The Flames were happy with Saturday’s quick start but not so happy with how they let Hamburg climb back into the game.
“They’re always a tough game,” Steffan said of Hamburg. “They’re always a battle. They always want to beat us, and we knew it was gonna be a tough game and we would have to compete. We came out strong in the first period, and I think it was one of our better periods of the year. And then the second and third, we kinda slacked off, but we found a way to win.”
“I thought the first period effort was really good,” Williamsville East head coach Mike Torrillo said. “I thought we really played with a lot of enthusiasm. Got a little sloppy in the second. I give [Hamburg] credit. They worked hard. I thought they worked a little harder than us in the second, and then we did what we had to do in the third to finish.”
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The Flames took their first loss of the season Sunday afternoon, as Niagara Wheatfield defeated them, 6-3. Williamsville East is now 4-1.