2026 Season Underway

Invaders 14  Bear Claw 2

The Invaders kicked off the 2026 XHL season with an impressive new look to go along with a 14-2 win over the Bear Claw last night.   Jake and Noah took their talents to the Colonials this season opening up the door for Clint to add a few new faces along with a new look to the Invaders.  We did not get to see the new guy (Gearhart) due to an illness.  Some other teams were missing guys last night due to illness as well.  The Bear Claw are simply looking for more players after some unfortunate circumstances for players who were originally going to play but had to back out.  Kaden is one of the very few who could return this season and for the first half of the last nights game, it looked like he may single handedly give the team a realistic chance to win.  Adam and Braxton are going to skate out for the bear claw as much as they can this season and they got a goal from Braxton early in the 2^nd period to close the gap to 3-2.  Denny filled in and set Jaron Buffone up for their first goal to tie the game at 1 midway through the first period.   Kaden’s magic eventually ran out and the Invaders slowly pulled away midway through the 2^nd period.  A 3-2 lead eventually stretched into an 8-2 lead going into the 3^rd period and it got worse in the 3^rd period.  Andy was not able to play in last week’s tournament due to an injury but appears to be doing just fine now after scoring 6 goals last night.  Brandon Reiter had 2 first period goals while Jason Stamler had a first period goal as well.  Stamler would go on to add another goal in the game and Laken had a couple as well.  The Invaders will take on the Eagles next week while the Bear Claw will take on the Yeti.  Peach said he should be available to play some in February to try to help them round out a roster.  Jeremy Sawey and Mark Chesley are going to try to fill in for them as much as they can starting next week.  If you are looking for a lesson in jersey designing, see Clint.  

Colonials 6  Yeti 3

Signs pointed towards a larger margin of win for the Colonials when this game first started.  For 2 seasons, the colonials have played ironman many times, but they had a full bench last night, while illness kept 3 yeti players from attending last night.  Adam and Braxton had just played a full game skating out for the bear claw, but despite all that, the outcome of this game was in doubt up until the last minute or two.    Adam continues to play well in net, just like he has since the league started before some current xhl players were even born.  Zach Foradori and Dave Jewell bring 2 way talent to the team which appears ready to keep up with the leagues better teams throughout the season despite losing Zach Smith, Cody Schuckers and Derik Day from a season ago.  New Colonial member, Noah, set Phil Mace up for the only goal of the first period.  Both teams had opportunities to score in the first period but both goalies (Adam and Match) made their share of good saves.  This was John Matchock’s first game in net since the season ended last spring.  The colonials opened up a little bigger lead in the 2^nd period thanks to 3 goals from Jay Edmiston.  Dave Jewell temporarily closed the gap to 2-1 but Edmiston scored the next 2 goals to give the colonials a 3 goal lead.  The league’s youngest player, Matt Jewell, scored the 2^nd goal for the Yeti to close the gap to 4-2 but Noah would later go on to score a goal in the 3^rd period to give the Colonials a 5-2 lead.   Late in the 3^rd period, Zach Foradori scored for the Yeti to close the deficit to 5-3 but that’s as close as they would get.  The teams may be going in opposite directions going forward.  Bob informed his teammates that he may have to miss some considerable time due to arm and elbow discomfort that’s been lingering more and more since the fall league.  John Matchock will be missing a couple games in net which will give Brian Anderson a chance to see what he is made of, or unmade of in net.  Jeff Wehner, RJ and Rossi were all missing for the Yeti last night due to illness but they are all expected back next week when they take on the bear claw.

Eagles 12  Venom 3

The Eagles and Colonials must have gotten their illnesses out of the way before Christmas.   Like the Colonials, the Eagles had their full team last night.  Tyler Waltman, Troy Gaydosh and Garrett Britton were out of action for the Venom.  While not ill, Troy Gaydosh may have gotten ill after attending the Steeler game last night.  The Eagles opened up a 5-1 at the end of the first period and stretched it to 8-2 by the end of the 2^nd period.  It was a well balanced scoring and passing attack for the Eagles.  Boyd, Larry, Denny and Eric Llewellyn each had at least 2 goals.   Clay Halpin made his XHL return after a decade absence.  He hasn’t been seen in the XHL since the Maniax championship run in the early 2010s.   He did not get tested as much as he probably wanted too, but he is expected to get tested more when they take on the Invaders next week.  Cody Haag had 2 goals for the Venom last night while Andrew Britton added the other.   The Venom will take on the Colonials in the opening game next week. 

Tony Conforto (Venom)

1. Your first XHL game in net last night. How do you think it went for you? I was very happy that I blocked/saved way more than I let in. I had a lot of fun in the game

 2. You were missing Walt and Troy last night. How do you think the team did considering the circumstances? I think we were definitely missing having the offensive firepower that they bring. As a result our defense got worn out from having the puck in our zone 95 percent of the night

3. Cody Haag continues to play good hockey. What did you observe from him and the team overall? Cody is Johnny on the spot most of the time. He finds a way to shoot the puck and have it on net from wherever he is. His skating is improving and his positive outlook is contagious

4. Eagles are one of the leagues better teams. What kind of game were you expecting going into it? From our history of week one games as the former walkers, I was hoping not to have a second period mercy rule. I was happy that we kept it competitive for the first two periods.

5. Colonials next week. What kind of game do you expect? (There is a chance Bob will not be available and Match can’t make it which means Brian will be goalying) I am expecting a fun game … especially if we can get our full team there. Having fresh subs would be a welcome change

Eric Llewellyn (Eagles)

1. You got a game in last night and a tournament in last week. Do you think you have adjusted to Reynoldsville style of hockey again? Yeah its a little tighter but I dont mind that because im old and I dont have to skate as far to play well on both ends. Im just struggling keeping my shots down with the ball.

2. You got the win last night, but more importantly, what good things did you see from the team last night? It looked like everyone was fresh and had good legs. It will be 2 or 3 games before we know what were doing right and what were doing wrong. We were just focused on getting shots and trying to defend well

3. Henry could not play much last season but still a big loss for you guys. What expectations do you guys have for Clay considering he has not played much hockey in recent years? Clay hasnt played a ton recently but hes no stranger to the game. I just expect him to be there and go hard and try to get better each and every game. Identify what can be better and work on it.

4. Denny replaces Clontz this season. What do you think Denny’s presence can bring to the team? Hes fast with a good shot and we could use some more firepower up front. Hes also won back to back cups with the core of this Eagles team over in Brockway so… were getting all that chemistry as well.

5. Another lousy playoff showing from the Steelers. Chances are slim that Tomlin will get fired or resign, but if he does, what unemployed former head coach or current coordinator do you think should be considered as a potential successor? Im in complete shock right now with the breaking news. I have no idea where they go from here. One of the biggest days in the history of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Jay Edmiston (Colonials)

1. 6-3 win over the Yeti last night. What can you say about the overall effort in the win? Real happy with the team effort last night. It’s always interesting to get that first game of the season out of the way, but I thought we put forward a good team effort and got our season off to a good start.

2. You accounted for 3 second period goals. What do you think the team did better in the 2nd period than in the first period? I don’t know if we did anything different or better, just think it took a little time to get everyone gelling. We have some new, very talented, faces on the team and sometimes it takes a few shifts to figure everyone out. Fortunately, we put it together quickly and were able play some good hockey.

3. What can you say about the overall play of Match (the goalie) last night? He was solid all night. I thought our D played well in front of him, but when we needed him to step up with a big save, he delivered all night. You need that from your tendy if you’re going to have success.

4. You played a few games with the little guy in the draft league. He accounted for one of their goals last night. What did you observe in watching him play last night? He looks better every time I see him out there. Definitely putting in the work. I’m excited to see what he’s going to bring in the future.

5. Bob announced to the team that he may not be able to play for a while. Do you think the team can remain competitive if he has to miss any considerable time? Losing Bob is obviously a huge blow. He’s a stalwart on the blue line (I mean, we don’t really have lines, but as a D-man you get what I’m saying) and losing anyone of his caliber is a never something you want to go through. I think we’ve got a great group though and can rally around this. The boys will come together and keep this thing running. Hopefully we’ll get Bob for a playoff run and take it home from there.

The Reiter Perspective:

1. You got a tournament and a regular season game in now. You think you are starting to get back in shape at all?  The tournament really tired me out. Hadn’t played since the Randy. I felt better this week in a regular game with subs, so I feel I am getting there.

 2. You lost Jake and Noah, but now have Zach on your side. How do you compare what you had last year to what you have this year? Jake and Noah are great players but so is Zach. Haven’t been on a team with him before that I recall so it’s nice for everyone to change things up from time to time.

3. How do you think you guys all did last night considering some of you really haven’t played as a unit before? I think we did great. I thought we made plays and kept their goalie busy with good scoring opportunities.

4. What was it like being a part of last years undefeated championship knights team? It’s a nice accomplishment but nothing any of us talked about or were focused on. Maybe some luck involved as well but it’s a fun thing to have been a part of.

5. What do you remember from the Punishers (they were the only other undefeated xhl team)? They were loaded in comparison to the rest of the league at the time. There was no mercy rule and stats were kept so there were some big scores. If our team could score a few goals and hold them to 20 or less, I felt that was an accomplishment.

6. You also played on the Randy Carlson championship team. What can you describe about that experience (if you can remember any of it)? . Yes I remember it. I got there late, right after a rumble went down. I was the young gun on the team and I faired pretty well that day. We worked well as team and it just happened to be our day.

7. Eagles next week. They have given you guys some good competitive games in the past. Are you expecting that this time around considering their team is very similar to the last couple seasons?  Yes I would always expect a competitive game with the Eagles. It will be a good test for our team.

 8. NFL had some pretty exciting games over the weekend. Which game surprised you the most?  . I didn’t get to see all of them, but the Rams just getting it done at the end of the game was surprising. I think Jacksonville maybe should have tried to eat a little more clock at the end

 9. Another disappointing playoff loss for the steelers. How would you describe their season overall? Disappointing.

10. Are you one of those guys who thinks Tomlin needs fired ?   . Tomlin has stepped down and I think that is the right call. I like Tomlin but sometimes change is needed, just like we have seen with the Penguins.