4/15/99
 
                                          Mandes is The Man, but he's only 13

Steve Mandes of Buckingham, Pennsylvania and the Valley Forge Minutemen Pee Wees is only 13 years old, but there's already a buzz about him. 

While leading his team to a 6-0 tournament record and a national championship last week in Laurel, Maryland, Mandes, a 5'7" right wing with speed, hands, and an 85 mph shot, was on the ice for all of his team's 18 goals. 

He had a goal (10) or an assist (6) on 16 of them. 

What happened on the other two? Well, Mandes was on the ice, but didn't figure in the scoring. His linemates did, though.C/LW Chad Kolarik, the 13-year-old younger brother of top Div. I prospect Tyler Kolarik (Deerfield Academy), had one, to finish the tournament with a 4-6-10 line. Center Paul Worthington, also 13, had the other. Worthington was 2-4-6 for the
week. 

Here's Mandes' breakdown: 

On Wednesday, he had two goals, two assists in a 5-1 win over the Alaska All-Stars. 
 
Thursday morning, Mandes had one goal and two assists in a 3-1 win over the Inland Empire (Pacific Northwest) 
 
That evening, he scored all four of his team's goals in a 4-2 win over the Merrimack Valley (Mass.) Warriors. 
 
On Friday, Mandes scored both his team's goals in a 2-0 win over the Cleveland Barons. 
Saturday was an off day. 
 
On Sunday morning, in a playoff semi-final against the Washington Little Caps, Mandes was kept off the board -- trade him!! -- as his linemates teamed up for the only goal necessary in a 1-0 win. 
 
Later in the day, in the finals, Mandes had one goal, one assist in a 3-1 win over Detroit Honeybaked.