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Big Bear Tournament Champs!
Scott Sortal
Head Coach
Susan Marren
Manager
NT White Victory vs. Kenosha Thunder 11/26
White vs Maroon 2/15/12
Recent White Varsity News
NT White advanced to the Final Four in their division of the State Championship hunt with a convincing win over Oak Park/River Forest on Saturday morning. Things didn't look particularly good for White when OPRF came out strong and pinned us into our zone for too much of the first minutes of the game. Fortunately, our brick wall goaltending - this time manned by freshman Jared Merens (31) - held tight, guaranteeing that early game lapses didn't hurt us.
White struck early with a tip-in goal scored in the first by Harry Jones (71) off a shot by defenseman Troy Pecka (13) who got the well earned assist. White firmly had their skates under them, controlling the puck and the momentum, ending the period 1-0. Things took an unexpected turn midway through the second, when OPRF scored on a power play, evening the score at 1-1. Even though the score might have been tied, the fans in the stands were still convinced that White was controlling the game. That impression became reality when White went up 2-1 on a gritty goal by Kevin Marren (20), assisted by Harry Jones (71). White went into the locker room with a slight lead, a head of steam and an air of quiet confidence. Although clearly, the third period was the slowest 15 minutes ever to tick off a clock, the fans kept up the enthusiasm and White kept up the pressure with a third and final goal, scored by Harry Jones (71) off a dish by Matt Solberg (77), assisted by Graham Soman (27), nailing shut OPRF's hopes of advancing in the playoffs. It was a hard fought game by both sides, with OPRF proving a worthy opponent who simply got bested in the end. Once the celebrating and the handshaking died down, White got back to business and began looking ahead to their next match, versus Deerfield, this coming Monday night. These teams have already clashed three times this season, with two going to NTW and one to Deerfield. Come on out Monday Night at 8:35 and cheer on New Trier White as they continue in the hunt for a State Championship!
Practice makes perfect came to life this weekend as NT White swept a set of practice games as they continue on their bid to stay fresh before their playoff game on March 17. Saturday morning saw the first of the weekend contests with a quick trip up to Milwaukee for a match against AAA Phoenix. This was a particularly close watched contest, as the last meeting of these two ended with White losing a lead (and the match) in the third. This match started out strong with White striking first on a goal by Trevor Baldwin, assisted by Kevin Marren. Phoenix scored next ending the period 1-1. NT came out strong at the start of the second taking the lead for the second time on an unassisted effort by co-captain Sam Belliel. Unfortunately, the lead did not last and things looked bleak with a score of 4-2 at the end of the second. But, once again the break did White good and they came storming out of the locker room fighting to regain a footing in the contest. Lighting the fire, and lighting the lamp, was a shot by Matt Solberg tightening the gap to 4-3. Next came an unbelievable effort by Sam Weinstein, off a rebound by Harry Jones to tie things up 4-4. White finally regained and held the lead late in the third with a goal by Captain Sam (his second of the day), with a fabulous assist by Barrett Stephan.
Sunday's match was no less hard fought, even though the scoreboard may elude to it. NT White took an early lead in their second practice match of the weekend, versus the Express; on a heads-up, team effort from CJ D'Amico and Trevor Baldwin. NT struck again in the first, as Sam Weinstein found the back of the net on a pretty little dish from CJ D'Amico. White continued to pull away in the second on a goal by freshman Chris Brower assisted by Harry Jones. Don't be fooled, though. The Express came to play and tightened the score to 3-2, before Matt Solberg and Harry Jones put the final nails in the coffin - each racking up a point on unassisted goals. All in all, things look good for NT White as they continue the road to the State Playoffs. Injured players are returning, the mojo is coming back as well as the confidence that comes with a job well done. Stay tuned for one more practice game before our match on March 17 vs OPRF. Hope to see you there!
The playoffs ended just as they started for NT White, with a tie. This time it was against perennial rival Loyola Maroon in the third battle of the season -- each of with ended with a tie. There is a saying which goes something like "if we played this team 10 times we'd each win 5", but in this instance I think we tie all 10. Both teams battle hard, keep the intensity up and keep the physicality strong but not dirty.
NT White struck first with a beautiful goal early in the second period on an unassisted effort by freshman Harry Jones (71). That momentum held steady for a while, but Loyola tied it up by the end of the second where the impasse held though the end of the game. Highlights of the game circled around some strong goal tending by Jared Merens and an equally excellent White penalty kill. Official games kick back up on March 17th when NT White enters the State Playoffs - so stay tuned NT White fans, there's more fun to come. Additional "friendly" games are scheduled in the next weeks to keep the team at their best during the short playoff break, so keep an eye out for updates between now an then. Go NT and Go White!
The Man in the Arena
- 02/05/2012, 8:47am (CST)
Playoffs Start with a Tie
- 01/31/2012, 2:02pm (CST)
Spark still shines in tight match with St. Viator
- 01/15/2012, 2:54pm (CST)
White Tops Evanston in Convincing Win
- 01/15/2012, 2:39pm (CST)
Tough Start to the New Year
- 01/11/2012, 9:12am (CST)
Mite Night
Wilmette Mites Cheer on NT White!
NT White Welcomes Wilmette Mite Team!
"Mite Night" at Heartland on Saturday October 29 was a thriller! NT White took on Loyola Maroon in a heavily anticipated game. As it was "Mite Night" in the stadium, the stands were packed with members of Coach Sortal's Wilmette Braves Mite team, who went nuts when their favorite coach's team played to an exciting 2 – 2 tie with Maroon. It was almost as exciting as when, late in the third, a stray puck flew into the crowd and the Mites descended in swarms to collect the keepsake. As the players and the coaches left the ice, they were greeted by the throng of Mites who wanted a high-five from the players and to cheer their favorite coach. Coach Sortal even invited the Sortal-ites into the locker room where they could collect autographs from the players and begin their dream of one day sitting in that locker room, wearing a New Trier jersey.
