Regular season ends with a win

Summary: Rochester, MN (3/21/99): The regular season ended for the Buccaneers with an 8 to 2 win over the Rochester Mustangs. Wade Chiodo scored his first points as Buccaneer picking up two goals, while Pete Fregoe added to his USHL leading point total with two goals and an assist. Frank Berenguer was sharp in goal with 31 saves. The Bucs Clarke Cup playoff opponent, date and time will be posted Monday.

It has been a year of records for the Bucs, setting USHL records with 48 wins in a single season, most consecutive wins with 19 and best home record at 30 - 2. The Bucs also scored 304 goals during the season - 70 more goals than Omaha, the next closest team!

Sejna (Smrek), Miller (Clarke, Fregoe), Field (PP) (Birrenkott, Reinholz), Clarke (Miller, Smrek), Chiodo (unassisted), Fregoe (Clarke, Miller), Chiodo (Donnette) and Fregoe (SH) (Larranaga) scored for the Bucs.

Rantings

Usually with only one game left for most teams the playoff match-ups are already settled. This year, the race is so tight for the last couple of playoff spots we will not know until the last games of the season who will get them. We do know the top 5 spots for the Clarke Cup playoffs: Des Moines, Green Bay, Omaha, Sioux City and Lincoln. The other three spots will be determined in games tonight. If Green Bay and Omaha advance to the second round, Green Bay and Omaha will play each other with the home ice advantage going to Green Bay. For the Bucs, the game does not mean all that much, but for Rochester it means the difference between a playoff spot and the end of the season. That, coupled with the fact that the Bucs are banged up and / or sick, means it could be a very tough game (Erik Jensen, Wade Chiodo, Mark Krueger, Rob Novak and Matt Shasby are out). Frank Berenguer will start in goal for the Bucs.

First Period

The Bucs came out doing very well - in fact Noah Clarke and Nick Field both hit the pipe in the first 10 minutes. The pressure continued and at the 13:19 minute mark, Peter Smrek found his fellow countryman Peter Sejna all alone in front, who scored to make it 1 to 0. Right after the goal, Nick Field plowed into Adam Coole, drawing a penalty. To me, it looked as if Field was pushed into Coole. Adam Coole was shaken up on the play, forcing the back-up goalie to take the ice - not a good thing for Rochester. Mark Wise, the new goalie was tested early as Peter Sejna had a short-handed chance and got a piece of the puck to save the goal. The bucs were next to go on the powerplay, but were unable to get much pressure on the net. The period raced by and was soon over, and Frank Berenguer had 6 saves while the Mustangs had 13.

Second Period

With one minute gone in the period, the Mustang goaltender got tied up with a defender and Kelly Miller ended up with an open net to shoot at. The assists went to Noah Clarke and Pete Fregoe. The assist gave Pete Fregoe his 101st point of the season - way to go Pete! Seconds later the Bucs were called for a penalty. Frank had to come up with several saves during the power play, but were able to kill it off without any damage. The Bucs were next to go on the power play, and wasted no time in scoring. Nick Field tipped in a Bill Birrenkott blast to score (additional assist to Jerrid Reinholz). The Bucs came right back as Peter Smrek cleared the puck to Kelly Miller. Kelly fed Noah Clarke who buried it to make it 4 to 0. That goal gave the Bucs 300 goals on the season! As the period wound down and you could tell that the Mustangs were beat mentally. Both goalies had 9 saves in the period.

Third Period

Two minutes and eight seconds into the period, Wade Chiodo came in all alone and scored his first goal as a Buccaneer. We had earlier reported a goal and an assist to Wade, but these were later changed to Pete Fregoe - this one won't be changed! Two minutes later Kelly Miller passed it to Noah Clarke who exchanged passes with Pete Fregoe all the way down the ice. Pete Fregoe ended up with the goal to make it 6 to zip.

Before I could write the goal and assists down, Wade Chiodo scored again with a quick wrist shot. Dan Donnette got the assist to make it 7 - 0. The Bucs found themselves down a man as Bill Birrenkott went to the box. Rochester wasted no time as Gilkerson scored to ruin the shut-out. Gilkerson struck again with two minutes left in the period, but it was too little, too late.

Pete Fregoe topped off the regular Buccaneer season scoring as he scored a short-handed goal on an assist from Felipe Larranaga. The Bucs tried to get Wade a hat-trick in the last minute as he hit the cross bar on one shot and then narrowly missed on another. Berenguer had 16 saves in the period and the Bucs put 18 shots on goal. It has been one special season - what a team!

Written by Steve Bendy

Fregoe scores 2, hits 100 points

Summary: Des Moines, IA (3/20/99): Pete Fregoe scored two goals to win the USHL most goals scored race and push his total points for the year to 100. Pete is the first player since 1993-94 to reach 100 points in a season.

Pete's goals helped the Bucs beat Fargo 8 to 3 to sweep the series with the Fargo Ice Sharks. Jerrid Reinholz, voted Buc rookie of the year also picked up two goals. Matt Carney came up with 32 saves to pick up his 31st victory of the season. Player Awards were handed out in pre-game festivities.

Fregoe (Roach, Miller), Fregoe (Clarke, Jensen), Reinholz (Chin, Birrenkott), Reinholz (Chin, Sejna), Sejna (PP) (Stafford, Smrek), Jackson (Birrenkott, Sejna), Smrek (unassisted) and Caudill (Field) scored for the Bucs.

Rantings

The final home game of the year always brings mixed feelings. We look forward to the playoffs but realize that many players will move on to the next level of hockey. We will miss them and their parents, but are happy that they are able to advance. The Player awards were handed out, and the Bucs took the ice.

Player Awards

Standard Trophy (most valuable player)	Pete Fregoe
Landmark Trophy (fans most popular player)	Kelly Miller
Curt Hammer Award (leading scorer)	Pete Fregoe
Vicki Allen Community Service Award	Noah Clarke
Bob Punsalan Memorial Award (contribution to amateur hockey)	Rob Novak and Peter Sejna
Buccaneer Booster Club Award (outstanding rookie)	Jerrid Reinholz
Bob McCorkle Award (sportsmanship + ability)	Noah Clarke
Pepsi Scholarship Award (academic achievement)	Pete Fregoe
Booster Club Scholarship Awards	Rob Novak and Landon Luther

First Period

The Bucs came out playing hard, putting lots of pressure on early. The pressure paid off as Pete Fregoe scored at 3:19 with assists to Josh Roach and Kelly Miller. The Fans celebrated as they knew that Pete had only one more point to reach the 100-point mark for the year. Fargo did not give up and less than a minute and half later had tied the game. The goal must have inspired the Bucs, because 15 seconds later Erik Jensen and Noah Clarke had assisted Pete Fregoe in scoring his 44th goal of the season, giving him 100 points on the season and the award for most goals scored in the USHL. The Ice Sharks scored another goal with four minutes left in the period, and the that is how the period ended. Matt Carney ended up with 15 saves, while the Bucs had 16 shots on goal.

Second Period

The Bucs had played a sloppy first period, and you could tell they were playing much better as soon as the puck was dropped. It took six minutes for the Bucs to score. Bill Birrenkott and Michael Chin assisted Jerrid Reinholz for the goal. Jerrid brought the puck over the blue line and fooled everyone with a quick blast. Jerrid scored again 5 minutes later when he slapped in a Michael Chin pass in mid air! (additional assist to a hard-working Peter Sejna).

The Bucs scored one more goal just 44 seconds into a power play. Peter Smrek had just passed to Garrett Stafford, who quickly found Peter Sejna who was parked on the other side of the net all by himself. The Bucs had really stepped up the play and led 5 to 2 at the end of the period as a result. Matt came up with 10 saves and Brian Halland had 6 saves for the Ice Sharks.

Third Period

The Bucs again came out strong and their was no doubt that they were going to win another home game. Two minutes into the period, Bill Birrenkott and Peter Sejna assisted Jimmy Jackson in his 11th goal of the season. At the 8:52 mark, the Ice Sharks did score to make it 6 to 3, but it was too little too late. Thirty seconds later Peter Smrek got the puck and froze the defense - they all thought he was going to shoot or pass. Instead, he skated in and put the puck in the net on a nifty back-hand. The Bucs scored one final goal when Nick Field assisted KC Caudill to make it 8 to 3. The crowd counted down the seconds as the Bucs won their final regular season home game. Matt Carney had 7 saves in the period for a game total of 32. The Bucs ended up with a total of 36 shots on goal.

Written by Steve Bendy

Bucs sweep Waterloo

Summary: Des Moines, IA (3/19/99): It only took Pete Fregoe 15 seconds to score the first goal as the Bucs went on to defeat Waterloo 4 to 1 to sweep the series. Landon Luther was well on his way to a shut out when 2 minutes into the third period a Waterloo player found himself all alone in front of the goal and scored.

The Bucs clinched the Anderson Cup last weekend with a win in Waterloo, but tonight after the game the team celebrated as they skated the cup around the rink to the cheers of the Buc faithful. Peter Smrek waved the pirate flag to the delight of the crowd.

Fregoe (Jensen), Reinholz (Smrek), Clarke (Shasby) and Chin (EN) (Krueger, Caudill) scored for the Bucs.

Bucs beat Huskies 5 to 4

Summary: Mason City, IA (3/14/99): The Bucs beat North Iowa 5 to 4, to sweep the series and eliminate the Huskies from the USHL Clarke Cup playoffs. It was the final game between the two teams as North Iowa is set to move to Cedar Rapids next year.

The Huskies, coached by former Buc assistant coach Steve Nelson, played a tough game and never gave up. KC Caudill scored the go-ahead goal with less than 4 minutes to play just after the Huskies had killed off a Buc power play. KC also picked up two assists in the game to top off a hot weekend of play. Frank Berenguer had 25 saves and the Bucs put 35 shots on goal.

Clarke (PP) (Jackson), Reinholz (Sejna), Krueger (Caudill, Smrek), Field (Caudill) and Caudill (Shasby) scored for the Bucs.

Rantings

As we pulled onto the interstate I began to think of the excellent performance Tommy Hawk gave during last night's game in Waterloo. For those of you that missed it, Tommy Hawk, the Waterloo mascot performed a "strip-tease" during the intermission. To call it a strip-tease would be a dis-service; it was a work of art! He skillfully removed his jersey, breezers and pads to the music carefully throwing them onto the swipe just traversed by the Zamboni. A true professional, he did not take everything off - he stopped wearing only a flesh colored body suit and a cup. The cup was festively decorated; some say it was a big "W", some say it was a USHL logo. I have to admit I wasn't looking that close. In any case, this family enjoyed it and thought it was done in great taste. Once again, Waterloo lays claim to having the best mascott.

I noticed many Polk County license plates on the cars that passed us; it looked as if many Buc fans were making the trip up. Upon entering the parking lot, my prediction was confirmed, as it was full of Buc fans. We outnumbered the Huskie faithful two to one. Even Larry was in the crowd. As the Bucs took the ice, a loud B-U-C-S cheer erupted and I caught a young Huskie player staring in disbelief with his mouth open. It is sad that Mason City will be losing the North Iowa Huskies after so many years and so many great teams. Their loss is Cedar Rapids gain I guess.

First Period

I wondered how the Bucs would respond to the game as they had the Anderson Cup clinched and North Iowa had to win to stay alive for a playoff spot. North Iowa was playing well, but the Bucs got on the board first on a power play goal from Noah Clarke just 4 minutes into the game. The loan assist went to Jimmy Jackson. Four minutes later North Iowa tied the score, and for awhile the Huskies were badly outshooting the Bucs.

Midway through the period, Jerrid Reinholz put the Bucs back on top when Peter Sejna found himself right in front of the goal and dropped the puck back instead of shooting. North Iowa answered with a goal 4 minutes later. Mark Krueger scored with 1:39 left in the period on assists to KC Caudill and Peter Smrek.

Second Period

The Bucs played a very solid second period. Although both teams got 13 shots on goal, the Bucs had many quality scoring chances. Only one goal was scored, that by Nick Field, assisted by KC Caudill with just one minute left in the period.

Third Period

The Huskies knew it was now or never and they came out ready to play. They scored 5 minutes into the period and then again 2 minutes later to tie the game. The Bucs seemed to understand that they needed to play like the champions that they are or this game would be a loss. With just 3:40 left in the game, KC Caudill got the game winner on an assist by Matt Shasby. The goal came just after the Huskies had killed off a penalty. The Bucs ended up out shooting the Huskies 35 to 29, with many of the Buc shots coming in the last 5 minutes of the third period. Frank Berenguer got the win, and most would say it wasn't his best game of the season.

Written by Steve Bendy

Bucs take Anderson Cup

Summary: Waterloo, IA (3/13/99): For the second year in a row the Des Moines Buccaneers have won the Anderson Cup, which is awarded to the regular season USHL champions. The Cup brings an automatic bid to the National Junior A Championship in Lincoln, Nebraska. The Bucs clinched the Cup with a 7 - 3 win in Waterloo Saturday night, and the Cup will be awarded Friday night (3/19) in Des Moines during the Waterloo game.

The Bucs took a 2 goal lead on the first period and never looked back as KC Caudill and Jerrid Reinholz both scored 2 goals. Matt Carney faced 22 shots while the Bucs put 35 shots on goal.

Fregoe (Shasby), Caudill (Jackson, Shasby), Chiodo (Jensen, Sejna), Miller (Reinholz), Caudill (Novak, Stafford), Reinholz (Miller, Donnette) and Reinholz (Miller, Donnette) scored for the Bucs.

Pre-Game

I’m gonna round table here, gotta do it somewhere, and there’s a lot to say. I have a complaint against Gino. Not to be too open, and if I do completely unravel some threads I shouldn’t then I will apologize later, but this has to be said. We could have won the cup Friday night, but we didn’t because Omaha won. However we did win it Saturday night, but was it there to be presented? No, it was not. There were numerous fans at the Young Arena just to watch the cup be presented, one all the way from Wisconsin who had come to see the presentation. But because Gino couldn’t find the time to get back to certain people in the Buc organization nothing happened. For anybody who is interested the cup will be presented on Friday. Hmm…that might be it for now, but that’s enough. Don’t want to complain too much. On to the good stuff… And that would be about the greatest mascot in the league Tommy Hawk. I can say that partially because I was able to meet him once and he let me out onto the ice…but also because he reeks of attitude. Which is always a good thing. He did a little strip tease for us this time. In the past he has danced to "Staying Alive" and done a skit where he beat up a red, white, and blue jersey, which he got from an unnamed source. I think it would be great to get Tommy to come down to our arena and do a little skit down here as well…or maybe he could fight with Winger. You never know.

First Period

Because Noah Clarke fought a little too late last night during the game and got a game ejection he was sitting out for the night with Birrenkott, Chin, and Luther. Otherwise everyone else was playing. During the anthem Carney couldn’t sit still and his feet moved to the brass quartet playing. Nate Wright for the Hawks got a hooking penalty and the power play was actually a pretty good one, though it had some disappointing results. When we should have gotten a goal and the goalie was beat a Black Hawk laid across the front of the net then managed to send the puck flying out of the crease with his gloved hand. Can anybody tell me…I realize it wasn’t right for him to do the thing with his hand, but laying in front of the net like that, was that ok? Well, in any case the ref was blind all night, and it was the same one that had officiated our Friday game. He wasn’t the brightest. At 12:46 we got our first goal from a slap shot from Pete Fregoe (assist to Matt Shasby). The second goal of the period gave us the lead when KC Caudill got a clean shot to the back of the net (assist to Jimmy Jackson and Matt Shasby). Nate Nomeland hid inside of his cage after this and kept his head towards the ground. Already we were beginning to outshoot Waterloo steadily.

Second Period

The Waterloo fans finally were able to cheer in the second period when they got their first goal with 17:05 left to go. The little egotistically Jim Murphy had gotten the goal and didn’t fail to let everyone know it either (assist to Keith Stanich). But before the fans could even stop cheering we had ourselves another goal effectively stifling their good mood. This came at 3:07 from Pete Fregoe (assist to Erik Jensen and Peter Sejna). Though the arena seemed to be sold out there were still some open spaces and there were a lot of Buc fans all over in the area. Which was good to see, they were waiting for the cup. Kelly Miller got the fourth goal of the game on a pretty little goal by deeking out Nomeland (assist to Jerrid Reinholz), this came at 10:56. Waterloo took a time out after this, obviously getting a little worried and also realizing that they had a play-off spot to fight for. KC Caudill got his second goal at 11:10 of the period and the score was now 5-1 (assist to Novak and Stafford). The Black Hawks left the ice looking very dejected.

Third Period

The first goal of the period came from the Waterloo Black Hawks after a long dry spell. It was there first shot and it went to John Grubb (assist to Bran Canady) at 4:49. Jerrid Reinholz scored on a one-timer at 9:12 (assist to Kelly Miller and Dan Donnette). This was all good since the Reinholz’s had made it the game. They were a happy bunch of people when Jerrid scored! Jerrid wanted to give his family a show and he scored again (assist to Kelly Miller and Dan Donnette) at 14:13. At this point people started to leave the arena like a mass Exodus. Our fans began to really cheer for our team chanting for the cup, etc. Jensen and Salmonella got into a little fight and the infection got off pretty easy and Jensen got the original penalty for us. So Waterloo was on the power play. Now this guy’s name is really not Salmonella, it just looked like it and so I gave him the name. I thought I’d remember it better that way. We took a time-out after this. The last goal would go to Waterloo with 2:12 left and it went to BJ Stephens (unassisted). However with a minute left the fans began to cheer and with thirty seconds left the "We got the cup!" chant began. The remaining Waterloo fans really began to leave then. The Bucs on the ice were greeted by the rest of the team and the coaching staff…that would be there only celebration until next Friday when the cup can be hoisted on the ice by the team! Des Moines 7 – Waterloo 3. Total Shots: Des Moines 35 – Waterloo 23.

Written by Sarah Bendy

Sejna scores 4 goals in fight-filled 6 to 1 victory

Summary: Des Moines, IA (3/12/99): Peter Sejna scored four goals to bring his total goals scored for the year to 38 - just one behind Pete Fregoe and 4 behind USHL leader Ruslan Fedotenko. Three of Sejna's goals were on the power play. The fans not only saw a lot of goals, but were also treated to fights by Felipe Larranaga, Jerrid Reinholz, KC Caudill, Erik Jensen and Noah Clarke. In an ironic twist, Felipe Larranaga ended up fighting his brother who plays for North Iowa. Matt Carney was sharp in goal for the Bucs and missed his shut-out by 7 minutes. Matt ended up with 27 saves, while the Bucs put 35 shots on goal.

The Bucs need only one more win to clinch the Anderson Cup. If the Bucs can pick up another win this weekend against Waterloo or North Iowa, the Bucs will be awarded the cup at next Friday's home game against Waterloo.

Sejna (PP) (Jackson, Fregoe), Sejna (Stafford, Stodgell), Sejna (PP) (Smrek, Chiodo), Reinholz (Field, Stafford), Sejna (PP) (Clarke, Jackson) and Roach (Sejna) scored for the Bucs.

Pre-Game

Hoping not to wax euphoric or seem all to poetic, yet wanting to make an art of my words I strive to get everything I feel and think out of my head. But no matter what I do neither pen or keyboard can effectively demonstrate the power I feel inside of my brain…the greatness that stores itself in there. Sometimes it’s as though my own futile body and language fails miserably to convey what I know to be true and good. And that hindrance is hard to bear, not taken lightly. That said, I want to do some complaining. Which I haven’t done for awhile; for lack of any real enthusiasm with what I’ve been doing. My Rant’s have become less then fun and I’d like to resurrect the spirit I once had in them. The one that reeked of attitude and sarcasm. So if I seem harsh or unnaturally rude, part of this is just my writing style, part something that is so far buried in me that you will never find me so nasty in person. On my list of complaints is first the fact that there’s a website down south for some Texas team…now I have no complaints about the website, it’s about Dave’s Ravings. How original is that? Really, if you’re going to try and copy me the least you could do is find an original name. I appreciate the comment of saying my rant is worth something enough to be copied, but have some guts and go for something more original and of your own thoughts. The second thing I’d like to complain about and this is the lousy weather we’re having. I’m so ready for spring and warm weather. However I’ll be headed to Texas in just a week and a half and then I’ll get my warmth. #1 was in goal for the North Iowa team and Carney played for us. Of course if Omaha loses their game Friday night we would win the cup, but keep in mind that Omaha isn’t likely to lose. The host parents were announced tonight and the players gave out corsages and what looked like little towels. So the game got going a little later then normal.

First Period

17:18 and Johnson got a penalty at 2:42 for interference. This was our first power play opportunity of the night and Peter Sejna capitalized on this (assist to Jimmy Jackson and Pete Fregoe). The goal came at 4:15 and was literally blasted by Sejna who would go on to have a great night. Sejna got the second goal as well at 11:53 (assist to Garrett Stafford and Nick Stodgell). North Iowa got their second penalty after this and if you remember right we scored on their first penalty…so the odds were not in their favor. Sgambi got the 2 minute holding call. The goal didn’t happen, but one of our players was taken down and the whole arena was not happy about this. It was becoming evident that the ref was a complete idiot. Saves: Des Moines 8 – North Iowa 13.

Second Period

After having taken a little nap during the first intermission I felt like I was pretty much ready to go, well maybe a little less then ready, but I was feeling well. This was going to turn out to be a very interesting game. The first fight started after a ruckus around the goalie. Two players emerged from the crowd, threw their gloves and helmets to the ice and began circling like vultures after carriage. When they went at it you could see Felipe’s jersey flash his number and he went to the ice…the other player let him back up and they went at it again. Seeming to wrestle more then throw fists. When the two went to the ice finally they were pounced on and escorted to the box laughing the whole way. The two that fought knew each other well…knew each other well enough that they were blood. It was Efren Larranaga and Felipe Larranaga. The crowd enjoyed this as well as the next three fights to come. All this hadn’t come very far into the period and there was still a lot of action to go. Peter Sejna got a genuine bona fide hat trick at the 4:19 mark sitting on the doorstop (assist to Peter Smrek and Wade Chiodo). With an even 2 minutes left in the period after a nice setup Jerrid Reinholz got a goal (assist to Nick Field and Garrett Stafford). Saves: Des Moines 6 – North Iowa 7.

Third Period

I took a longer nap during the second intermission hoping it would keep me awake longer then the other one had. But I had my doubts on that subject. Omaha had beaten Dubuque and so our hopes for the Anderson were postponed until Saturday. Reinholz and #5 went at it next and though Reinholz was enthusiastic enough he got dumped over the shoulder. The two were put away for the fight. Peter Sejna got his fourth goal and it was another power play goal (assist to Noah Clarke and Jimmy Jackson) at 7:42. KC Caudill had to win the awards for the best fight of the night when he and #20 went at it. No matter what #20 did Caudill did not go down to the ice. After all this Caudill swiped his hands free of the deed. The fans were finally getting into the game, but it had taken three fights for them to get there. With about then minutes left Erik Jensen decided he was tired of being out of the action and he and #3 started fighting. Before they were even completely escorted off the ice another fight had erupted on the opposite side of the Jensen fight. This one was Noah Clarke and #15, and they not only got the fighting penalty but a game misconduct as well. Unfortunately this would end up coming too late in the period and the two players would be out the next two games. Josh Roach got yet another power play goal at 11:02 (assist to Peter Sejna). With just over six minutes left in the period #19 got the Huskies their first and only goal, it was a clean shot (assist to #23). Saves: Des Moines 13 – North Iowa 9. Total Saves: Des Moines 27 – North Iowa 29.

Written by Sarah Bendy

Bucs 2 - Sioux City 3

Summary: Sioux City, IA (3/6/99): The Bucs dropped a game for the second time this weekend, losing to rival Sioux City by one goal. Sioux City scored with less than 2 seconds left in the third period to slip past the Bucs.

The race for the Anderson Cup got a little more complicated with the two Buc loses and Green Bay's win over Omaha tonight. Des Moines, with 85 points, needs just two more wins in six remaining games to clinch the cup regardless of what the other teams do. Even if Green Bay wins all six remaining games, they will end up with just 89 points - giving us the cup as we won all three games with Green Bay this season. Tomorrow night, Green Bay must play in Lincoln, who are on a 3 game winning streak. If Omaha wins all four of their remaining games they will end up with 88 total points.

Fregoe (Clarke, Stodgell), Jensen (Fregoe), scored for the Bucs.

February Summaries

1998-99 Schedule

Clark Cup Summaries

Disclaimer
This is a game summary and commentary from a Buccaneer fan's point of view, and the viewpoints expressed in this column DO NOT necessarily reflect those of the Des Moines Buccaneer's organization.