Warriors Scheduled to Take on the New England Jr. Huskies on Wednesday

All eyes will be on the Eastern Junior Hockey League this week as the 45-game season culminates in the all-important playoff race set to begin this week. The first test for the Valley Junior Warriors will be a playoff contest on Wednesday against the New England Jr. Huskies. Game time is set for 3:10 p.m. at the Foxboro Sports Center.

Heading into Wednesday’s match up against the New England Jr. Huskies, Andy Heinze’s squad has momentum on its side. Despite battling the inevitable bumps along the road that come along with a youthful squad, the Warriors have saved their best hockey for the end. The team posted decisive victories in four of their final five games of the season to finish fourth in the Northern Division with a record of 18-22-3.

The final stretch of the season is where the team really displayed its true colors. Despite battling tired bodies that have endured the toll of a 45-game season and with the knowledge of a grueling playoff run just around the corner, the players delivered one of the most impressive offensive explosions in recent memory. The Warriors capped off the season with key league wins against the Green Mountain Glades, Capital District Selects and Boston Jr. Shamrocks. During that stretch, the Warriors outscored their opponents by a 24-15 margin.

Leading the charge for the Warriors was Kyle Haines, who finished the weekend with an incredible 8 goals and 1 assist in three games.

Haines, the 5-11, 165-pound forward from Topsfield, began his weekend on Friday by posting two goals in a 4-2 defeat of the Green Mountain Glades. The following day, Haines was unstoppable as he lit the lamp four times to help secure the weekend sweep of the Glades. After notching his first goal just 23 seconds into the game, Haines posted all three of his team’s goals in the third period to secure the key victory.

Haines continued where he left off on Sunday by registering two goals and one assist in a 6-4 win against the CD Selects. As a result of his outstanding weekend, Haines now sits second on the team in scoring with 20 goals and 24 assists in 41 games. He has also scored at least one point in his team’s last 15 games!

The entire Warriors squad will look to continue the positive momentum with a victory over the New England Jr. Huskies. Please check back to the site for playoff updates.

To learn more about the Eastern Junior Hockey League (EJHL), please visit the league web site at www.easternjunior.com.

Also, mark your calendars now as the 2008 Spring Eastern Showcase will be making its way to the Haverhill Valley Forum on May 15-18, 2008. This will be the second straight year that the Valley Junior Warriors have served as host to this tournament. To learn more about this premier junior hockey showcase, please visit the event's web site at www.easternhockeyshowcase.com