After a weekend where the Junior Titans Met team finished a season sweep of the Frederick Freeze, Coach Brandon Kape received a phone call from the league informing him that four of his Titans were selected to the MJHL All-Star game. The Junior Titans will send forward and assistant captain Billy Dovenero (25gp 24g 17a 41pts), forward Todd Unger (30gp 23g 19a 42pts), goaltender Trevor Ralph (3.0 GAA .908 sv%), and assistant captain and defenseman Dom De La Guardia (27gp 2g 11a 13pts) to Walpole, MA on January 26, 2014 for the MJHL All-Star Game.
The Met team is tied for fourth in the Dowd Division as they just completed a four game sweep of the second place Frederick Freeze. The Titans moved themselves to within 5 points of first place as they enter the final two months of the regular season. With just 11 games remaining in the regular season Coach Kape’s squad made a huge statement to the league with their sweep of the Freeze: “What a great way to start the New Year,” Coach Kape exclaimed, “We finish off the season sweep of a great team in the Frederick Freeze and four of our top players and leaders are awarded to the All Star game. Billy, Dom, Trevor, and Todd are all major parts of our team and it’s great to see that their hard work and dedication has been recognized by other members around the league.”
Dovenero, a Howell, NJ native has made quite and impact up front for the Titans this season. He is second on the team to only his All-Star teammate Todd Unger and looks to be gaining momentum as he has 5 points in his last 4 games: “It is an honor to be nominated to the MJHL All Star team and I look forward to representing the Titans in Walpole at the end of the month,“ Dovenero said.
Todd Unger hasn’t found the net over the past couple of games but his presence on the ice is always felt. He plays first line minutes for the Titans and is a critical part of the offense along with quarterbacking the power play. On being selected to the All-Star game Unger said, “I am excited for the opportunity to play with some of the best players in our league and being able to share this moment with three teammates is even better.”
It may be freezing outside but Trevor Ralph is hot on the ice. Ralph backstopped all four wins versus the Freeze and is really looking forward to the All-Star game: “After a weekend like we just had, to be named to the All-Star team is a great honor. There are a lot of good goaltenders in this league and I am happy to even be considered amongst them.”
“Tex” or assistant captain Dominic De La Guardia is an essential part of the Titans Met Team. His leadership alone proves his value but his consistently physical and smart play along the blue line and in the defensive zone is what got him noticed by the league: “I want to thank the league for nominating me to the All-Star game and am excited to compete amongst the league’s finest.”
The Met team only has two games remaining in the month of January until a critical home and home series versus the Philadelphia Junior Flyers. Their next home game is January 18, 2014 at 4:00 PM versus the Washington Jr. Nationals at the Howell Ice World.