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BY JOHN GORDON jtgordon@leader.net
Tuesday, February 01, 2000 Page: 15
Pee Wees speak – and act – softly but carry big sticks
They are called the Pee Wee Pocono Pirates, but don’t let the name fool you.
This is an ice-hockey team comprising 11- and 12-year-olds who have giant
hearts and desires. The fire on ice was lighted three years ago, when the
Pirates first came into existence. The club was formed to serve primarily as a
training ground for young hockey players with hopes of continuing in the sport
after elementary school, first-year coach Paul Eyerman of Wright Township
said. Some of the young icers continue to don the blades for the Crestwood
Middle School team after their Pee Wee experience. And some skaters may even
take to the ice for the varsity Crestwood Comets down the road. The Pirates
are a perfect mesh of athletes coming from various parts of Northeastern
Pennsylvania, Mountaintop, Dallas, Shavertown, Trucksville, Tunkhannock,
Wyoming, Clarks Summit and Lakeville included. Three players on the squad are
from the Mountaintop area. William McLaughlin, 11, is from Fairview Township,
while Dan Armellino, 11, and Leah Eyerman, 12, are both from Wright Township.
“They are from different areas, but the common bond here is hockey,” Eyerman
said. The Pee Wee squad participates in an independent league with teams such
as Valley Forge and Scranton Prep to name a few. The emphasis on skill
development supersedes all other aspects of the league, such as crowning a
champion. “We simply work on good, hard hockey, and team play is extremely
important,” Eyerman said. No playoffs or championship games are played. The
Pirates and other teams participate in a long and tough 40-game season that
begins in November and culminates in March with the only bragging rights going
to the leader atop the standings. But bragging is infrequent in a league that
stresses fair play. “The emphasis here is on good sportsmanship,” Eyerman
said. The Pirates are 10-10-1 at the halfway point in the season. Their
biggest rival has turned out to be Valley Forge, whom they are 1-1-1 against
in the season series so far. That tie may be broken when the two rivals rumble
in the rink Saturday at Valley Forge. In March, competition comes more to the
forefront as the team will prepare to skate in two tournaments, one at which
they will play host. The Pocono Pirate family spirit is most evident at such
tourneys. During the regular season, parents may join the children and coaches
for lunch or dinner after a game at a local diner. In March, appetites will be
satisfied on the road as the parents and players will join Eyerman and his
assistant coach, John Drury, on a family outing of sorts, to Southeastern
Philadelphia to compete against three or four teams there. That trip has
become a fun time for everyone involved, Eyerman said, explaining that the
group books about eight hotel rooms for the weekend. The players compete
against themselves in what is called hall hockey. They play on their knees and
use a ball instead of a puck while trying to score on makeshift goals set up
at each end of the hall. They have a blast, Eyerman said. The hotel fun is
sandwiched in between the two games the team may play in the Philly
tournament. On March 10 and 11, the team will play host at the Pocono Pirate
Tournament. Teams from New York and Southeastern Pennsylvania will compete in
the two-day event at the Ice Box in Pittston.