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2004-2005 Record
Varsity Record:  29-1-0
JV Record: 24-4-2

Back-to-back Crowns, Des Moines Capitals win JV State

By Ron Byrd
March 22, 2005

The Des Moines Jr. Varsity Capitals repeated as Iowa High School Hockey League State Champions last week at Buccaneer Arena with a 5-3 win over the Quad City Blues to give the Capitals a clean sweep by winning both the regular season and State tournament titles. The JV Capitals entered the State tournament as the number one seed and won their first game over Lincoln, NE 8-0 in a game that was dominated by Des Moines.
Things got tougher for the defending State champions as 4th seed; Mason City had won the previous meeting two weeks prior to the State event. Des Moines jumped out in front 1-0 in the first period on a Bryan Traeger goal, Bobby Noyce assist, for the lone goal of the first period. The Mohawks tied the game in the second period on a power-play goal that stood until late in the third period before the Capitals sealed the fate of Mason City. Jon Schaeffer scored the game winning goal on a Ross Johnson assist. Tyler Tunning was in net for the win stopping 16 shots.
The Championship game with Quad City was back and forth as both teams had a season record against each other 1-1-1. The Capitals got on the board first when Rice and Schaeffer hooked up on the teams first power-play goal followed by Noyce and Ross Johnson's power-play goal in the second period. The Caps second goal however was a much needed as Quad City had moved out in front 2-1 during the first period.
Brady Johnson got the Capitals back out in front 3-2 at the 13:05 mark on an assist from Robbie Anderegg.
The only goal of the second period came from Rice on a power-play goal with Noyce, Schaeffer picking up the assist. Quad City closed the gap at the 6:52 mark and the pressure was on as the Blues put on a full-ice press and pulled their goalie looking for the tie. The last Capital goal came under pressure while Traeger was under triple coverage and got the shot off before being checked, but hit the open net, to seal the deal.
The Capitals put up 37 shots on the game with Quad City attempting 28-shots. Tunning was in net for the Championship with Alex Brewington getting net time for the Lincoln game.

Capitals Repeat as State Champions

By Ron Byrd
March 13, 2005

After wining the Iowa High School Hockey League regular season title last week at Cedar Rapids the Des Moines Capitals had one task left on their schedule, defend their State Championship title in Kansas City the following week.

The Capitals put together one of their best season in franchise history with a season record of 29-1 and kept its State Champions title with a 4-2 win over the Des Moines Oak Leafs. The Capitals entered the State Tournament as the number one seed and wasted no time in proving their ranking as they demolished host Kansas City Outlaws (also members of the IHSHL) 6-2 before running into previous State Champions Sioux City Metro, who the Capitals had to come from behind to win 3-2.

Sioux City jumped out in front 2-0 in the second period before Zach Davis scored on a Zach Piper, Charlie Wigger assist and tied the game in the third period on a defensive power-play goal from Marc Lorence, with assist from Derek Elliott and Bret Ferguson. The winning goal came moments later with Mike Giles getting an unassisted netter for the win.

The Championship game was a match-up between both Des Moines hockey teams as the Oak Leafs advanced to the title match with wins over Ames 4-1 and a 5-1 slugging of Mason City, the #2 seed in the field.

The first two periods of the title match up belonged to the Capitals who jumped out to a 4-0 lead while holding the Oak Leafs to only 3-shots on net until the last period. The 3rd period was all Oak Leafs as they opened play with a unassisted, short-handed goal from Brian Spring who also scored moments later for the only Oak Leafs scores of the game. Spring also was rewarded after the game was over when he picked up the MVP Tournament award for his weekend performance.

Scoring for the Capitals to open the title tilt, was Charlie Wigger (Johnston) who scored on a Piper and Robbie Anderegg assist, followed by Josh Henss’ goal to open the 2nd period on a Ames Cross (Urbandale) hook up.

Derek Elliott notched the State Championship goal in the 2nd period as he scored at the 11:06 mark on a Max Holmes assist and Ames Cross picked up the insurance marker two-minutes later on a Henss, Holmes assist.

For the Capitals it was their second straight IHSHL Championship title and the once again will look to repeat next season, after they will graduate 9-senior this spring.

The Capitals placed 7-players on the IHSHL All-Star team as Steven Erbstein (goalie), Derek Elliott, Brett Ferguson, Mike Giles, Nate Jacobs, Rian Moe, and Marc Lorence were all selected to the East team.

The Des Moines Oak Leafs netted 7-players on the All-Star team with Brendan France, Derek Hansen (Johnston), Joseph Harcharik (Johnston), Brian Spring, Tyler Carter, Alexander Gillaspie and Joshua Marean were members of the West All-Star team.

Capitals Hold Off Omaha 4-3
By Ron Byrd
February 7, 2004

The Des Moines Capitals hockey team held off the Omaha Jr. Lances 4-3 last week at Buccaneer Arena for their second win of the season over the Lancers, holding onto their 1st place ranking in the Iowa High School Hockey League.
Bobby Noyce scored the Capitals first goal just, :55 seconds into the game on an assist from Nate Dewhurst and Patrick Falvey. The Capitals pushed the lead to 2-0 later in the first period when Nate Jacobs scored a power-play goal on a hookup with Bret Ferguson for the last score of the first period.
In the second period, Omaha got on the board on a Jake Dillon goal as the Jr. Lancers scored on their first power play of the period. The 2-1 score stood into the third period before Superman, Derek Elliott got the game winning goal on a set up from Matt Johnson and Ferguson. Omaha added the last goal of the game from Andy Oddo, but the Capitals held on for the win.
Steven Erbstein was in net for the Capitals and went 14-16 on the night.
In the Jr. Varsity game, the Capitals who are also rated 1st in the IHSHL JV division shut-out the Jr. Lancers 3-0.
The night belonged to Patrick Rice as he scored the first two goals and picked up the assist on the last goal of the game.
Scoreless until the second period, Rice scored on a assist from Charlie Wigger and Scott Byrd, both from Johnston, and Dewhurst who skated both Jr. and Varsity picked up the assist on the Rice second goal.
The last goal for the Capitals belonged to Justin Nisser of Urbandale who with Rice and Brian Traeger closed the door on any Lancer thoughts of a comeback.
Tyler Tunning was in net for the JV game and was perfect with 23-saves for the shutout.
The Capitals play at home on Tuesday night against cross town rival, the Des Moines Oak Leafs for their final meeting of the regular season.

Capitals Bounce Quad Cities and Sioux City
By Ron Byrd
January 31, 2005

The Des Moines Capitals (20-1-0-0) hockey team picked up two wins last weekend in the Iowa High School Hockey League, with a 6-0 win over the Quad Cities Blues (3-17-0-1) and a 4-1 win over the Metros of Sioux City (10-9-0-2).

Des Moines was on the road at the Quad Cities last Friday and started off slow after coming off a two-week break and found themselves scoreless with the Blues heading into the second period. The Blues tested the 1st place team in the State before Mike Giles got the game winning goal at the 9:33 mark on an assist from Bret Ferguson and Derek Elliott.

The Capitals added two more second period goals from Patrick Falvey on a Nate Dewhurst hook up, followed by Josh Henss from Ames Cross. In the third period, it was all Capitols as the Quad City Blues were out paced as Des Moines lit up the scoreboard.

First to score was the trio of Ferguson, from Nate Jacobs and Marc Lorence, followed by Jacobs on his unassisted defensive goal. The last score came from Ferguson with Charlie Wigger picking up the assist.

On Sunday, the Metros came calling at Buccaneer Arena and after getting blown away the previous two nights 7-1, 8-2 in other IHSHL action, the Capitals found the Metros had new blood in their veins and held the Caps scores less until the 3rd period. The Metros matched the Capitals, stride and scored their first goal at the 1:01 mark inside the 3rd period. With the Metro’s goal, a line was drawn on the ice and that was all the Capitals needed to turn the tide.

The Defending State Champions went to work as good teams know how to get the job done and Co-Captain Ferguson tied the game on an assist from Giles and Co-Captain Lorence :46 seconds, and took the wind out of the upset minded Metros.

The Capitals had gone 10-periods without a power-play and saw their first one in the second period, but were unable to get a shot off , but the Ferguson goal came while on their second power-play in 12-periods of hockey.

The game winning goal went to the D-unit, Jacobs who punched his shot in from Cross. At the 13:22 mark, Henss forced Sioux City to cough up the puck, broke loses for a one-on-one, missed the net, caught his own rebound and scored his unassisted goal.

The Metro’s pulled their goalie in an attempt to cut the lead, but the last Capital goal came on an open netter from Giles as he got the shot off before getting drilled into the boards.

Steven Erbstein stood in net all weekend for the Capitals and went 33/34 and moved his record to 19-1.

In the Jr. Varsity action, the Capitals split over the weekend as they were handed their second loss of the season at the Quad Cities 1-0 and won 3-1 over Sioux City. Quad City entered the game ranked 3rd in the state and scored the lone goal of the game in the second period. The Capitals out shot the Blues 32-24, but were unable to put points on the board.

Against Sioux City, the Metros scored first in the opening period but the Johnson & Johnson duo of, Brady and Ross tied the game at the 11:18 mark on the Brady goal. To start the second period, Justin Nisser got the game winning goal from Patrick Rice and Justin Atha, followed by Ross Jennings picking up the last Capital goal, unassisted at the 3:09 mark in the second.

Alex Brewing was in net for the Metros game and went 13/14 while Tyler Tuning was in net at the Quad Cities game and went 23/24.

Des Moines Capitals Win Slugfest 7-1
By Ron Byrd
January 17, 2004

The Des Moines Capitals hockey team traveled to Ames and Lincoln last weekend and picked up 3-wins and retained their top spot in the Iowa High school Hockey League by beating Ames 5-1, Lincoln 4-3 in OT followed by the 7-1 pounding on Sunday at the Ice Box in Lincoln.

It was one of the ugliest games of the year as the Capitals were hit with 22-penalties in two games at Lincoln, saw three Capitals players hit with game ejections, never saw one power-play in 6-periods of hockey and following the Jr. Varsity game on Sunday saw both teams get into an altercation as the Capitals were skating off the ice at the conclusion of the game. Lincoln was also hit with time in the box with 8-penalties and picked up two-power play goals for the weekend but pushed the Capitals to their limits at times in trying to knock off the league leaders.

The first meeting on Saturday saw the Capitals playing smart hockey as they had to come from behind to force overtime on a Mike Giles goal with: 40 seconds left in regulation. Before the Giles goal, Co-Captain, Marc “Balboa” Lorence had enough of Lincolns Eric Klotz and round-one began. Both players were hit with 5:00 majors, tossed and: 03 second later, Giles dropped in the tying goal. Good teams find ways to get the job done and the Capitals controlled the OT, before Derek Elliott got the game winning goal at the 4:10 mark.

The Capitals got scoring from Brett Ferguson in the first period on a Giles assist and then went scoreless until the 3rd quarter before Ferguson punched in an unassisted goal late in the third. Nate Jacobs and Ferguson set up the tying goal for Giles and it was Ferguson again on the game winning assist as Lincoln couldn’t handle the Capitals Co-Captain.

Sunday, security was present for the Capitals/Stars 7 AM start but wasn’t needed as the Capitals were on a mission with something to prove.

Lincoln scored 2-minutes into the game on their power-play goal and the rest of the game belonged to the Capitals. In the first period, Patrick Falvey tied the game on a Bobby Noyce assist, followed by Bryan Traeger’s goal with Zack Piper picking up the assist. The next two goals belonged to the D-Unit as Jacobs scored back-to-back, unassisted goals and the route was on.

In the third period, as the first line was giving way to the underclassmen, the period belonged to Ames Cross who scored an unassisted goal and drilled a back-handed shot that was set up by Falvey and Josh Henss. Henss added his own goal on a Max Holmes assist but rounds 2 and 3 got off before time expired. At 11:19 into the second period, Lincoln was hit with a roughing call, Elliot got a 2&10, and in the other corner, Matt Johnson was pushed and then tossed with a 5:00 major after both players went toe-to-toe.

In the 3rd period, with 8:24 left to play, this time Piper and Lincoln’s Steve Luichino locked horns and both were sent to the locker room and no knock out was scored. Steven Erbstein was in net for the Capitals and went 50-54 for the Lincoln round.

Friday night, the Capitals owned the Flyers of Ames with the 5-1 margin as Ferguson was the first to score on a Giles assist followed by Noyce who took a Robbie Anderegg pass. The last goal of the first period was from, Dewhurst who scored unassisted. In the second period, Henss got the lone Capital goal from Lorence, and Rian Moe scored for the Capitals in the 3rd with Falvey getting the assist. Erbstein went 10-11 on the night.

For the Jr. Varsity starting with Ames the Caps won 9-1 with Patrick Rice scoring first from Justin Nisser and Traeger, followed by Anderegg who scored from Scott Byrd. Still in the first period, Mark LePera scored unassisted, followed by Byrd from Justin Atha. Brady Johnson scored the last goal of the first period on a hook up with Byrd. Byrd got things rolling in the 2nd period from Kevin Herink and Nisser, and Herink set up Traeger for the next Capital goal. The last two goals belonged to Jonathan Bunting who scored first on a power play goal from Ross Johnson and his last one was unassisted.

At Lincoln, the JV Caps won 4-1 and 5-0 for their second shutout of the weekend. Dewhurst scored first from Traeger followed by Atha who scored an unassisted power-play goal. Rice and Johnson hooked up on the next power-play goal, followed by Bunting who scored the last goal of game one, unassisted.

On Sunday, Brady Johnson scored first unassisted, followed by Ross Johnson with Dewhurst and Noyce getting the assist. Dewhurst scored the next two goals with Noyce picking up one assist, and the last goal came from John Schaeffer who took a Nisser pass and scored on a breakaway.

Alex Brewing was in net for the Ames and 2nd Lincoln game and posted two shutouts for the weekend. Tyler Tunning minded net in the first Lincoln game and went 11-12. The Capitals are off this weekend and then will be on the road at the Quad Cities and then home on Sunday.

Capitals Escape 4-3 in OT

By Ron Byrd
January 9, 2004

Iowa High Schools Hockey league’s 6th place team, Sioux City Metros, pushed the league leading Des Moines Capitals into overtime before falling 4-3 on a Nate Jacobs (Waukee) goal, 4:58 minutes into the extra period last weekend at Buccaneer Arena.

The Capitals were coming off a 6-0 Friday night win over the Waterloo Warriors and fell behind early Saturday as the stubborn Metros jumped out to a 1-0 lead to open the second period of play. Moments later at the 7:03 mark, Derek Elliott tied the game on a Brett Ferguson, Mike Giles assist (Valley) and the Capitals took their first lead at the 8:03 mark on a Josh Henss (Dowling) goal that was set up by Rian Moe of Valley.

The Metros wasted no time and evened it up as time was running out in the second period at 2-2, and moved out in front again, just :08 seconds into the third period that stood until late in the third.

The scoring machine of Elliott, Ferguson and Giles sent the game into over time as they hooked up again with Giles punching his shot at 4:22 into the third. Both teams were evenly matched on the night with the Metros having 31-shots on goal for the night and the Capitals had 32-shots on net with Jacobs taking the, game winning, 32-second shot that was set up by Co-Captains, Ferguson and Marc Lorence of Ankeny.

At Waterloo, the Capitals were too much for the Warriors as Des Moines led from puck drop to buzzer. All of the Capitals goals came on even-strength shots with Giles, Elliott and Jacobs netting the first goal, followed by Ames Cross, (Urbandale) on a Max Holmes (Dowling) and Matt Johnson (Ankeny) assist.

The next three goals belonged to Mr. Excitement with a puck and stick as Elliott, who is the IHSHL second leading scorer, posted another Hat-Trick for the season. Elliott got the last goal of the 1st period, the only goal in the 2nd period and the first in the 3rd period. Giles and Ferguson set up the first goal, Ferguson and Lorence set up the second goal and Giles and Lorence gave Elliott the third hook up.

Zach Piper added the last Capital goal on a Johnson assist for the 6-0 win. Steven Erbstein was in net for both games and went 41-44 for the weekend with the shut-out in Waterloo. The Caps spent 28-minutes in the box for the weekend while their opponents were sidelined 14-minutes.

The JV Capitals picked up two more wins on the weekend with a 4-2 score in both games. At Waterloo, Jonathan Bunting got the first Capital goal on a Nate Dewhurst assist; both from Johnston, followed by Ross Jennings (Johnston) on a Bryan Traeger assist (Valley). Patrick Rice (Valley) scored next with Dewhurst on the set up, and Marc LePera scored an, unassisted goal in the third for the final Caps score. Alex Brewington (Dowling) attended net and posted 20-save on the night.

Against Sioux City, the Metros jumped out in front first but Rice evened the game for the Capitals on a Ross Johnson (Valley) and Dewhurst assist, followed by Johnson getting his first goal of the game and the assist went to Bobby Noyce (Valley) and Bunting. Rice got the game winning goal late in the second period on a hook up with Bunting and Cody Verhuel (Johnston) assist.

Sioux City added one goal in the third before Dewhurst scored the last goal of the game, unassisted. Tyler Tunning was in net for the Caps and posted 22-saves. The Capitals will be on the road this weekend at Ames and a double-header at Lincoln.

DES MOINES REGISTER
December 24, 2004

Nate Dewhurst used a second chance to rebound against an in-town rival.

The Des Moines Capitals freshman racked up almost 90 minutes of playing time Thursday, suiting up for both the Capitals' junior varsity and varsity hockey teams.  Full Des Moines Register Story >>

Round Two, Capitals 5 Oak Leafs 3
By Ron Byrd
December 24, 2004

It was No. 1 versus No. 2 in the Iowa High schools hockey league’s game last weekend at Buccaneer arena when the Des Moines Capitals (13-1-0-0-) edged cross-town rival, Des Moines Oak Leafs (11-3-0-1) 5-3, to retain the top spot in the league with 26-points. Both the varsity and jr. varsity teams entered the game 1 and 2 in the league standings as only 1-point separated both teams, and each left the game still holding the 1 and 2 spots while the Capitals moved 3 points ahead, and the Oak Leafs didn’t loose any ground to 3rd place Omaha.

The Capitals jumped on the scoreboard first in the opening period behind back-to-back, Derek Elliot (Valley) goals that came minutes apart. At the 7:30 mark, Elliott took a Mike Giles (Valley) pass from Nate Jacobs (Waukee) and scored his first power-play goal on a 6-4 man advantage and got his second power-play goal at the 8:31 mark and this time it was Brett Ferguson (Valley) and Marc Lorence (Ankeny) getting the assist on the 6-5 man advantage.

The Oak Leafs evened things up on the next two goals that span two-periods with Joseph Harcharik (Johnston) teaming up with Brian Spring (Dowling) with :09 second left in the first, followed by Craig McCormick (Ankeny) scoring an, unassisted defensive goal to open the second period.

With both teams being locked at two’s on the scoreboard, Nate Dewhurst (Johnston) pushed the Caps back out in front on an even-strength goal from Bobby Noyce (Valley) and Patrick Falvey (Dowling) who has the hottest line for the Capitals in the month of December. The Oak Leafs wasted no time resting on their heels and bounced right back to even it up before the final break.

Tyler Du Bay scored the Leafs second defensive goal on a Brenden France assist - both from Valley - to bring the game to 3-3 on the scoreboard and with both teams needing overtime to settle their previous meeting, many wondered if the game was headed the same direction again as neither team could put the other away.

The Capitals scored at the 1:14 mark into the third period and it was Dewhurst once again hitting the back of the net as he and Falvey hooked up again, on what became later the winning goal. Ferguson added his power-play goal late in the third period on an Elliott, Lorence assist for the insurance marker.

The Oak Leafs took over the last of the third period and pushed hard at trying to tie the game while taking a 6-4 man advantage in the finals minutes, but Capital goalie, Steven Erbstein (Valley) shut down the net as the Leafs were on the hunt.

Tim Thomas was in net for the Leafs and shut down 19-Capitals shots, while Erbstein stopped 18-Oak Leafs attempts. The Capitals were hit with 12-penalty minutes while the Oak Leafs had 22-minutes in the box.

In the Jr. Varsity tilt, the 6-previous, regular season games have all ended in ties and the 7th meeting would be the tie-breaker. The Capitals (11-1-2) JV team stopped the Oak Leafs (9-3-3) 3-0 to hold onto the top spot on the league.

Both teams were held scoreless in the opening round, before Patrick Rice (Valley) scored first in the second period, on a Ross Johnson (Valley) and Justin Nisser (Urbandale) assist, followed by a Jon Schaeffer (Roosevelt) goal with Noyce getting the assist. The Capitals last goal game in the third period with Nisser punching one in as Johnson picked up his second assist of the game. Tyler Tunning was in net for the Capitals and picked up his 4-shutout of the season with Jordan Buenting in net for the Oak Leafs and was making his second start since coming back from knee surgery. The Caps out shot the Leafs 34-25.

Capitals Roll Along at 11-0

By Ron Byrd
December 12, 2004

The Des Moines Capitals high school hockey team rolled to 5-1wins over the Kansas City Jr. Outlaws (3-9) last Friday and a Waterloo Warriors (6-5) on Saturday. The Caps traveled to Kansas City and dominated the Outlaws and won the season series 3-0 with the win. The Jr. Varsity team (8-1-2) had a tougher time with the Outlaws (7-2-3) and escaped with a 2-1 win and a 2-0-1 season record against their competitors from the south.

On Saturday the Varsity Capitals jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Waterloo during the first period on an Ames Cross (Urbandale) goal with Josh Henss (Dowling) getting the assist. Derek Elliot (Valley) got the game winning goal at the 3:41 mark on an assist from Nate Jacobs (Waukee) and Mike Giles (Valley).

Waterloo scored to open the second period but never got close to the net for the rest of the game as the Capitals out shot the Warriors 46-8 on the night. Elliott and Giles hooked up again in the second period as Elliott scored at the 13:07 mark.

It took only 75-second later for the hats to come flying from the rafters as Elliot got his second hat-trick of the season as Giles put up the assist giving him his second play-maker award for the year.

In the final period, Marc Lorence (Ankeny) and Giles both picked up assist as they set up Bret Ferguson for his goal, seconds inside the period. Steven Erbstein was in net for the Capitals and remains the leagues hottest goalie with an 11-0 record and a .922 percentage, save record. The Capitals were hit with 38-minutes in the penalty box, while
Waterloo spent 20-minutes from the sideline.

The JV Capitals moved into sole possession of second place in the Iowa High School Hockey League, 2-points behind league leading rival, Des Moines Oak Leafs with their 7-2 win over Waterloo.

Bobby Noyce, (Valley) scored a power-play goal to open the scoring fest as he slapped in an assist from Lee Marean of Valley. Noyce added an assist on the next Capital goal as he set up Jonathan Bunting (Johnson) at the 8:01 first period mark. With time running out in the first period, Waterloo got on the board, but Marc Le Pera got the game winning goal to open the second period as Ross Jennings caused a Waterloo turnover and set up the shot.

Ross Johnson (Valley) added the Capitals second power-play goal in the second period as Noyce and Marean picked up the assist. Le Pera and Jennings opened the third period scoring drive followed by Justin Atha (Waukee) who scored on a Cody Verhuel (Johnston) assist.

The last Capital goal came from Noyce who scored unassisted. Alex Brewington was in net and the Caps out shot the Warriors, 34-16. Both teams are at home this Friday against Mason City and then on the road to Ames.

Capitals Move to 9-0 on the Season
By Ron Byrd
December 5, 2004

            The Des Moines Capitals hockey team held its grip on first place - of the Iowa High School hockey league - by pushing its season record to 9-0 with wins over Lincoln and Mason City last week at Buccaneer Arena.

Capitals Edge Oak Leafs in OT

By Ron Byrd
December 1, 2004

          Something’s in life are a certain, the sun rising each day, the tides rolling in and out, and when the Capitals and Oak Leafs step on the ice, fans are always sitting on the edge of their seats.

          Last week at the annual Iowa High School hockey games – Turkey Cup – where the Des Moines Capitals and Oak Leafs face off each year before the holiday, once again overtime was needed to determine the winner, goals were in question, a goalie was left to battle a 4 on 1, and over 2,200 fans got to see the game of the year.

          The traveling Turkey Cup was returned to Buccaneer Arena by the Oak Leafs after winning last year 5-2 and the battle line was drawn.   The Capitals got things rolling in the first period at the 6:18 mark when Mike Giles (Valley) scored off of a Josh Henss (Dowling) pass for the 1-0 lead that stood into the second period. 

          In the second period, Patrick Falvey pushed the Capitals lead to 2-0 on an Oak Leaf turnover and broke away for an unassisted goal that came moments before a frenzy was set off that took a 6-minute delay to sort things out. 

          While the Capitals were on a power-play run, the Oak Leafs goalie, Tim Thomas (Valley) deflected a Brett Ferguson (Valley) shot that was rebounded by Nate Jacobs (Waukee) that hit the back of the nets crossbar and bounced out.  The goal light came on and the Capitals began their celebration of a 3-0 lead.  The head official waved the goal off and the attentive Oak Leafs set sail to the opposite end of the ice and Capitals goalie, Steven Erbstein (Valley) was left all alone and surrounded by 4 Oak Leafs players that took turns drilling his pads.  Zach Corsbie finally scored on the defenseless goalie and the Oak Leafs changed the scoreboard to 2-1 as the Capitals finally saw what was happening on the other end of the ice, but arrived too late.

          Capitals players and fans were in a state of confusion, while Oak Leafs fans were singing from the rafters as momentum was in the house wearing blue and green.  Officials, coaches, players and fans held multiple conversations and when all was said and done, a two-goal swing had set back the Capitals.  Corsbie short-handed goal was followed 25-seconds later as the Capitals - who were still in shock - turned the puck over and this time, it was Brian Spring (Dowling) on the loose and found the corner of the net for the 2-2 tie. 

          Both teams were scoreless in the final period and overtime was needed to determine the winner, while the Turkey Cup and an undefeated record were on the line for the visiting Capitals.

          Overtime belonged to the Capitals who controlled the puck for most of the period and Derek Elliot became the hero once again as he pushed the puck in for the game winner at the 5:32 mark and keeping the Capitals record spotless at 7-0

          In the JV game, once again, overtime was needed to determine the Turkey Cup winner as both teams skated to a 4-4 tie in regulation.  In the Iowa High School Hockey League, overtimes are not allowed for JV games but for the Turkey Cup and bragging rights, OT games are completed in a 5 on 5, shootout.  The Leafs entered the game in first place and undefeated at 6-0, while the Capitals brought a 4-1-1.

          In regulation for the Oak Leafs, goals were scored by Troy DuBay (Johnston) and Ryan Brandt (Valley).  For the Capitals, goals came from Darren Helm (Roosevelt), Patrick Rice (Valley), Cody Verhuel (Johnston) and Robbie Anderegg (Dowling).  It all came down to the shootout and the Capitals missed their first three attempts, while the Oak Leafs scored on their 3^rd-try as Josh Twin (Johnston) slipped his shot in and the only OT, Oak Leaf score.

          For the Capitals, Lee Marean (Valley) tied the Twin goal on his shot, and Ross Johnson (Valley) got the game winner through the five-hole as he was the last shooter.

          The Capitals record moved to 4-1-2 and the Oak Leafs remain in first place and still undefeated at 6-0-1.  Alex Brewington was in net for the Capitals JV team.

Des Moines Capitals Improve to 6-0

By Ron Byrd
October 21, 2004

            The Des Moines Capitals hockey team improved their season record to 6-0 with road wins over rival Omaha Jr. Lancers 2-1 and stopping the Metros of Sioux City 4-1 last weekend.  For the second weekend in a row, the Capitals fell behind and marched back for the win as the Jr. Lancers scored their first goal with: 03 left in the first period.

            After the period break, the Capitals charged back onto the ice with a bigger step in their stride and took control of the game for good.  Derek Elliott (Valley) scored the tying goal at the 10:12 mark in the second period from a Patrick Falvey (Dowling) and Rian Moe (Valley) assist, moments before the game winning goal was launched.

            At the 10:46 mark, Nate Jacobs (Waukee) scored a power-play – game winning - goal from Brett Ferguson (Valley) and the Capitals held on during the third period for the 2-1 win.  Steven Erbstein (Valley) stood in net for the Capitals and stopped 15/16 shots for the night.

            Sunday, the Capitals traveled to Sioux City and took control early when Falvey scored off of a Mike Giles (Valley) and Elliott assist, before the Metros tied the game before heading into the break. 

            The second period became the Elliott-Giles show as both hooked up for net scores with each taking a goal and an assist and giving the Capitals a 3-1 lead as time expired in the second period.  In the final period, Sioux City scored a power-play goal with 1:13 left in the game to pull to 3-2 and the Metros pulled their goalie for the extra man advantage, but to no avail.  The dynamic-duo of Giles and Elliott struck again as Giles hit an empty netter and Elliott picked up his first play-maker of the season following his hat-trick game the pervious weekend. 

            Erbstein picked up the win in net with 16-saves for the game.  Erbstein remains the leagues hottest goalie as the Capitals have only allowed 7-goals followed by Mason City who has only given up 8-goals.  The Jr. Lancers have allowed 9-goals on the season with two of those coming from the Capitals.  The Capitals remained tied for first place in the Iowa High School Hockey League with Mason City, who also moved to a 6-0 season record with wins over Waterloo and Quad Cities.  For the weekend, the Capitals out-shot their opponents 51-34.

            The Capitals Jr. Varsity team also posted wins for the weekend by beating the Jr. Lancers 5-1 and Sioux City 3-2.  In the Jr. Lancers game, Nate Dewhurst (Johnston) scored the games first goal as he posted an, unassisted shot at the 7:18 mark.  Omaha tied the game moments later before Darren Helm (Roosevelt) scored the game winner from Bryan Traeger (Valley).  Ross Jennings (Johnston) added another goal from Zach Davis (Ankeny) and Cody Verhuel (Johnston), followed by a Charlie Wigger (Johnston) goal in the third period from Scott Byrd (Johnston) and Helm assist.  Davis added the last goal of the game with Traeger picking up another assist.  Alex Brewington (Dowling) attended net with 15-saves for the game.

            The JV Capitals jumped out to a 3-0 lead over the Metros and held on for the 3-2 win.  Marc Le Pera (Dowling) scored first for the Capitals on a Kevin Herink (Johnston) assist, followed by Dewhurst and Brady Johnson (Johnston) hooking up for the second goal.  Johnson picked up the game winning goal off of a Dewhurst and Verhuel assist late in the second period.  Tyler Tunning (Dowling) - who moved to W. Des Moines from Sioux City last year - was making his home debut while in net for the Capitals after growing up playing for the Metros.  Tunning went 14/16 while in net.  The Capitals will return home on December, 4^th against Lincoln before facing Mason City on December 5^th.  Games times are 6:30pm and 11:00 am respectively.   

Des Moines Capitals Remain Undefeated

By Ron Byrd
October 13, 2004

            The Des Moines Capitals varsity hockey team pushed their record to 4-0 with back-to-back wins over the Blues of the Quad Cities this past weekend with a 6-1 win on Saturday and 4-3 edging on Sunday.

            The Capitals hockey team is made up of local area high school prep players who got things rolling on Saturday when Derek Elliot of Valley tied the game at the 12:05 mark in the first period, on an Brett Ferguson of Valley and Marc Lorence of Ankeny assist.  In net for the Capitals was Steve Erbstein from Waukee who posted back-to-back shut-outs while in net the previous week against Kansas City and entered the Blues game leading the league in saves. 

            Elliot scored moments later at the 14:08 mark off of a Mark Duffy of Norwalk assist that proved to be the game winner.  In the second period, the Capitals picked up an insurance goal from Matt Johnson of Ankeny who scored the defensive goal from the blue line and got their second goal of the period from defensive player, Nate Jacobs of Valley with an assist going to Valleys, Mike Giles. 

            The Capitals added two goals in the third period with Patrick Falvey of Dowling getting his first goal of the game and Elliot picked up the final goal on a Giles assist for his first hat-trick of the season. 

            On Sunday, the Blues and Capitals started with a different line up and it was a, tale of two cities as for the first time of the season, the Capitals had to come from behind to win.  While dominating their first three games of the season, the Capitals got their first test of the season while demonstrating that they could keep their poise as the Capitals are the defending Iowa High School League State Champions, and Quad Cites was gunning for the players from Des Moines.

            Lorence scored the first goal of the game at the 6:21 mark on a Ferguson and Giles assist.  Two minutes into the second quarter, Elliott got the tying goal from Giles and Ferguson after the Blues has gone ahead 2-1.  With two minutes left in the second period, Elliot struck again with lighting speed on a breakaway that left the Blues net minder looking for help.

            In the start of the final period, Bobby Noyce of Valley got the game winning goal from Nate Dewhurst of Johnston and Brian Traeger of Valley for the win.  Quad Cites scored their last goal for the game with five-second left in the game.  The Capitals out-shot the Blues 99-37 on the weekend.

            In the Jr. Varsity game, the Capitals improved their record to 2-1-1 when they tied the Blues on Saturday 2-2 and demolished Quad Cites on Sunday 6-0 with the win.

            On Saturday the Capitals fell behind in the first period 1-0 before Scott Byrd of Johnston tied the game on a Ross Jennings of Johnston and Justin Nisser of Urbandale assist. The Blues answered back in the second period to take the lead and the Capitals tied the game in the third period on a Dewhurst unassisted goal.

            Sunday the Capitals scored at the 7:38 mark in the first period on a power-play goal from Lee Marean of Valley with the assist going to Ames Cross of Urbandale who was playing in his first game of the season after coming of the injured reserve list.  Byrd added another goal in the first period from Nisser and Neil McGarvey of Dowling assist, followed by Jennings drilling the net from Nisser and Byrd.

            The JV Capitals got goals in the second period from Cross on a power-play goal with the assist going to Charlie Wigger, (Johnston) and Dewhurst.  Wigger added the last goal of the game in the third period when he netted a power-play goal from Duffy and Robbie Anderegg of Dowling.  Tyler Tunning was in net for the Saturday game followed by Alex Brewington who attended net on Sunday.  Both are from Dowling.

            The Capitals will be on the road this weekend with games at Omaha and Sioux City before returning home to play, cross-town arch rival, Des Moines Oak Leafs for the annual Turkey Cup on Tuesday Nov. 23^rd at the Buccaneer Arena.  Game time is 6:00 pm for the Turkey Cup which will be televised by Mediacom on Channel 22.   

Web Page Snips

November 23, 2004

WDM Valley Junior Goalie Erbstein snuffs Leafs in 3 of 4 periods.  After turning away 29 shots including a Derek Hansen OT breakaway, Erbstein put the Leafs at bay until classmate Derek Elliott scored the winning goal with 5:36 remaining in OT.