Another JRFlyer is headed to Collegiate Hockey. Goaltender George Blinick has recently committed to play hockey for Wesleyan University in Connecticut. Blinick is from Lawrenceville, New Jersey and a 95’ birth year. Blinick spent one season with the JRFlyers but didn’t begin the year with the team. He was attending Babson College in Massachusetts, but says that is wasn’t a good fit for him academically. After deciding to come back and play Junior Hockey, he was part the cross town rival Little Flyers. It was a trade in mid-October that brought Blinick to the JRFlyers, where he’d finish out his Junior Hockey career. It didn’t take long for Blinick to become the #1 goalie for the club. He finished the year strong and learned as much as he could along the way. “The most important thing I learned was to not take anything for granted and to be grateful for the time and opportunities that I earned. Playing hockey is a gift in many ways, and as the season progressed it became very clear that the more I enjoyed the process, the better I played and the better the experience was,” said Blinick.

Coach Domish is happy for Blinick as he takes the next step to College Hockey and gave his thoughts about his goalie: “George is a real competitor on the ice. It doesn’t matter if its practice or a game, he is always looking to make every save. He can be very tough on himself at practice when somebody scores as his competitive nature is always going. He will bring them (Wesleyan) a great 2nd man in net that will push the starter every day. He will make the starter better or take his job. George is a great team player and all the boys love to play for him. He is a true leader and has a way to get the team ready before and during every game. He was our most emotional leader.”

Now, it’s off to Wesleyan to start a whole new journey and he's excited for the future. “I can't wait to play again for the school. Juniors have a tendency to be very individualistic, but college hockey is all about school pride and the honor of donning the schools uniform, logo and going out to battle hard for something bigger than yourself.  My goal is to be a great teammate, but of course play well in any and every opportunity that I might earn. I want to make my teammates and myself better on a daily basis,” he said. While at Wesleyan, Blinick will study Pre-Engineering and Physics.

As his Junior Hockey career comes to an end, Blinick wanted to give his appreciation to all who were part of it: “I want to thank the boys for welcoming me midway through the season. They are all my brothers and will be for the rest of my life. I will always be there for them if need be and I hope they all achieve what they want out of this great game.  I want to thank Jerry (Domish) for being a good coach, and emphasizing the importance of mental toughness. Big thanks to Ben (Weston) for helping to keep the team loose and improving the defensemen in front of me; he has a great coaching career ahead of him.  Finally, huge thanks to Tony (Rafo) he was my mentor, my friend, and my rock during the season. He helped develop me into a more confident puck handler, improved my understanding of the game situationally, and most importantly, made me a better person.  I'd also like to than Dan Kocotas for his work in the gym, and the entire JR Flyers organization for providing me with a home and a place for me to pursue my dreams.”

Congratulations George on a successful Junior Career. Thank you for your hard work and competitiveness over the course of the season. On behalf of the entire JRFlyers Organization, we wish you the best of luck, and continued success.

By: Joe Sindoni

Staff Writer

Play-By-Play Announcer