(Walpole, MA) -- Thanks to a tremendous record of 38-4-0, the Walpole Express Jr. B team won the prestigious Terry Scott Cup, which is awarded to the team with the best regular-season record in the MJHL.

“We achieved success with a group of young men who brought to the Express organization solid skills and a willingness to embrace what I was teaching them,” said Walpole Express GM/Coach Tony Dalessio. “Due to some unexpected changes in the roster, we had to make adjustments as the season progressed. Our team pulled together and the guys worked very hard to reach their goals.”

This prestigious award is testament to the dedication and flexibility the team showed during the course of the season. “At the outset, we set goals and worked daily to meet them. To do so, we had to overcome the loss of two key players, which forced us to completely reinvent our style of play,” Dalessio said. “We lost Chris Comprosky and Georgiy Gurianov, when they were called up to the A team in December and January. Then, we temporarily lost Matt Bletzer to injury. These personnel changes forced us to play a different game, and compelled everyone to step up to try to replace what those guys had provided to the team. With two top goaltenders supporting us, we learned to out-play teams in our own zone. It made us a much stronger team.”

Speaking of goalies, both Zach Andrews and Joe Gladnick had stellar seasons and were among the top five in every goaltending category in the league. Other players who stood out include Will Harrop, who had a breakthrough season. “Not only was he our captain and one of our top forwards, but he truly learned how to play the game, something that will help him immensely next season,” Dalessio said.

Bletzer, who battled injuries for much of the year, still managed to put up strong offensive numbers and was the go-to guy down the stretch, according to Dalessio. Joobin Mozaffarimehr became the team’s top defenseman, really stepping up his game when the team lost Comprosky. A number of other players showed strong improvement throughout the season, according to Dalessio, including JP Kascsak, Kevin Hanlon, John Sheehan, Jide Idowu, Don Coyle, Dan Bufis, Jordan John and Jason Methot.

This season’s results clearly demonstrate that improvement. In fact, the B’s won 12 more games this season than last and clinched the Express’ first-ever divisional title. “I am so proud of this team and the accomplishments we’ve achieved,” Dalessio said. “Both Coach Mark Kumpel and I want to build a program that places our teams atop the league’s standings and this season shows that we’re on our way.

At this year’s national championships, the B’s went 1-2, beating the Jacksonville Ice Dogs but losing to the Tri-State Selects and the NH Monarchs. “Beating Jacksonville was a nice bit of revenge for us after they beat us for the Keegan Cup a few weeks prior,” Dalessio said. “Though nationals didn’t go as we had planned, our guys gave everything they had left after an exhausting regular season. They still battled valiantly to the end and for that I am extremely proud. I know that they would go through a wall for me and for their teammates, win or lose, and that’s all I’ve ever asked.”