Episode 11: Go-Karts, Shutouts and Standouts

Emily

Alright, ready to dive in and welcome back PT !! First up on our player features—Jake Mancino! I love this stuff; getting to know what makes these kids tick. Jake’s answer for dream job? Classic—wants to play in the NHL. And for superpower, PT, I mean, come on, he wants to FLY. I totally get it. No more traffic! Just soar to the rink.

PT

Thanks Emily, nice to be back! Yeah, Jake’s got it figured out. Fly right over rush hour, never late to practice again. Actually, I think that’s my dream superpower too, if I’m honest. He said Fiji is where he’d go if he could pick anywhere, favorite show’s Outer Banks, and warms up to "Spotless" by Zach Bryan. Not bad taste either—always brings some good tunes to the room.

Emily

He’s even got his on-ice identity down—models his game after Matthew Knies, really leans into that physical style. And no surprise, physicality is his big strength, which totally showed up in the games this weekend. It’s pretty fun watching him bounce guys around the boards—sorry, I just love that stuff.

PT

Oh, Jake never shies away from contact. Kid’s got that old-school compete. Now, up next, Jayden Challenger. I gotta say, another NHL dreamer here—these guys all got the right vision.

Emily

Yup, and if he could pick a superpower, Jayden’s all about teleportation. And seriously, who wouldn’t want to just zap to early practice? Especially when it’s, like, minus fifteen outside. Same, Jayden, same.

PT

Fiji again—must be a trend on this team. And I gotta say, NBA 2K26 for favorite game—these kids keep me feeling old. His warm-up jam is "Keep Steady" by SosoCamo. I can’t keep up with what’s cool anymore.

Emily

He wants to play like Connor McDavid—speed, skill, attacking open ice. His big strengths: speed, IQ, grit, and his release. The kid gets moving, he’s just gone. And honestly, we mention Jayden so much in the game stuff—it’s literally every recap at this point.

Emily

Oh! Before we move on, since we’re talking warmup songs—my own rec league days, okay, ya gotta respect a classic: "Eye of the Tiger." Not original, I know, but man, it gets you going every single time. Wonder if any of these guys would go for something that old-school? Maybe not, I might be dating myself a bit there.

PT

Now, Em, it wasn’t just hockey all weekend. Saturday, the boys traded their sticks for the steering wheel over at K1 Speed for some go-karting action. It was chaos—in the best way.

Emily

PT, those kids turn absolutely wild the second you mention "race." Helmets flying everywhere, debates about who had the best racing line, who’s got the fastest lap. I heard somebody even tried to draft off the coach, which—uh, probably not in the rules but hey, I respect the creativity.

PT

There was no shortage of friendly chirping either. I swear, half the time was arguing who actually finished first—some of 'em spun out more than they’d probably admit, and those kids, the ones who spun the most, would not stop going on about it. Like “Yeah, but you saw me recover, right?” The drama!

Emily

Honestly, those are my favorite kinds of team events. Actually, story time—my old soccer team, we did this bowling night once, and, I kid you not, it was way more competitive than it had any right to be. Half the team was deadly serious, the other half just wanted to see who could throw the slowest ball. Long story short, we still talk about that night every time anyone mentions bowling. Bonding is just—it sticks with you.

PT

Exactly, it’s not just what happens on the ice. Laughs, a little trash talk, nobody worried about systems or forechecks—just pure fun. These kinds of days really do matter. The team leaves closer, more trusting, and you can see it translate back in the locker room. Honestly, I think the go-karting did as much for their chemistry as anything this week.

Emily

Oh for sure. You get to see a totally different side of everyone. Like, who knew some of these guys were so serious about racing lines? Next up: Marlboros F1 team, maybe?

Emily

Okay, switching gears back to hockey—let’s talk about those games! First up: Markham. The Marlies take it 3-0 after a huge first period. They scored all three goals in that opening frame—Nadeau, Challenger, and Lamming all on the board. Sixteen shots, just relentless out of the gate, felt like they controlled every inch of ice.

PT

Yeah, Challenger was everywhere—seven shots, a goal to boot. Hanson was buzzing too—put up nine attempts. Mancino and Birch kept things physical, and Ryan picked up two assists from the blue line, just like we’d worked on in practice. Longo with a faceoff clinic at seventy-one percent—him and Coach Wayne were grinding faceoffs all week in practice, so that was great to see work out.

Emily

Special teams were just locked in—penalty kill was perfect, power play got plenty of chances, it was a full-squad effort. And Lucas, just rock solid in net for the shutout. Not much else you can ask for, right?

PT

Nope, not at all. Then they followed it up with another 3-0—this time over North York. Challenger again with the opener, Mancino adds another, and Hanson makes it three. Three different goal scorers, all threatening the whole game.

Emily

But the real story? Total team structure. It was so disciplined—clean shifts, big forecheck, and everyone buying in hard. And, PT, you know Lynk loved snatching a shutout against his old team. Made some massive stops out there, real clutch.

PT

Absolutely. Challenger puts up three points—a goal, two assists. Mancino, perfect—scored both his chances, six for six shooting. Hanson firing off eight on net again. The D? Just unreal—Zettas, Leung, Ryan, Kalantzakos, Birch, all in the mix. PK went four-for-four, goalie with another shutout.

Emily

Big shoutout to the unsung heroes too—Heine, Duke, Hutch, George—they keep laying out to block shots, just relentless, always stirring up chaos for the other team’s D. That’s what really sets this group apart—you can just see how much they’ve bought in for each other since, honestly, even before Detroit. The trust is next level. Super fun watching them play together.

PT

Two shutouts, total domination, and the team chemistry is off the charts—just like we talked about last episode. Can’t really draw it up much better than that!

Emily

Alright, I’m fired up just talking about it, but that’s a wrap on this week’s episode! Thanks for hanging with us on This Week in Blue & White. PT, always a pleasure.

PT

Always a good time, Em. We’ll catch everyone next week—go Marlies!

Emily

Bye everyone!