The budding relationship between CAHA and P.F. Chang`s adds to

VOLUME 5
ISSUE 4
From Kids to Coyotes, the Desert’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline Hockey
December 2009
The budding relationship
between CAHA and P.F.
Chang’s adds to Arizona’s
already-bright future on ice
ArizonaRubber.com
ArizonaRubber.com
3
Phoenix Coyotes players were hard at work last month
creating their very own holiday cards,
which are being auctioned off for
charity throughout the
holiday season
(see story on
opposite page).
Photo/Phoenix Coyotes
Arizona Rubber Magazine is published by:
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Postmaster: send address changes to:
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Visit our Web site at: www.ArizonaRubber.com
Arizona Rubber Magazine is a production of:
From left, Del Perina (Jr. Coyotes Squirt Minor), Conor Clancey (P.F. Chang’s U18
AAA), Mike DeAngelis (CAHA director, P.F. Chang’s U18 AAA coach), Nathan
Kundla (P.F. Chang’s U18 AAA), Mykaela Panowyk (Jr. Coyotes Pee Wee A)
publisher: Brian McDonough
editor: Brett Fera
director of new media: Ryan Casey
designer: Julie Wilson
cover photo: Dave Getz
EDITOR’S COLUMN:
Holidays bring out our charitable best
W
ith the holiday season in full swing - I hope those Thanksgiving leftthe year.
overs didn’t slow all you ice-goers down too much - I ask you faithful
Up the 101, the P.F. Chang’s program holds similar winter toy drives in
readers to forgive me for sounding like a broken record this month.
conjunction with the Bradley C. Downing III Memorial Foundation.
It was in this here spot in our November issue that I reminded readDowning, a former DYHA and University of Arizona player, was just 18
ers about the community service contest that Arizona Rubber and Warrior
when he was killed in a car accident back in 2000. Through the foundation
Hockey are sponsoring.
and with the help of the P.F. Chang’s family, Downing’s
The “Win a Cover With Kyle” contest asks you, the local
mother and stepfather - P.F. Chang’s administrator
hockey player, coach or parent, to share with us stories,
Kathy Smith and assistant coach Brian “Shadow”
photos and more from your ventures away from the ice,
Smith - helped gather 2,000 toys for donation last year
showcasing your team and the ways it gives back to the
alone.
local community.
And in other service efforts, Mission Arizona (which
Your submissions will be judged, and the winning
also historically participates in the Bradley C. Downing
group will be featured on a future cover of Arizona RubIII Memorial Foundation Toy Drive) recently participated
ber alongside Phoenix Coyotes prospect Kyle Turris (see
in the “Walk Now for Autism Speaks” event in Novemdetails on Page 25).
ber, along with the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in
I bring it up again this month after a few recent converOctober.
sations with some dedicated local hockey enthusiasts conAnd not to be forgotten, the Arizona Hockey Union,
vinced me to remind our readers about all the great things
Phoenix Polar Bears, Arizona Heat and the Junior A
the local hockey scene does for the community we live in.
Polar Bears joined forced to participate in the American
Frank Wright is the founder of the Hacker Hockey
Cancer Society’s “Making Strides for Breast Cancer”
Club (see story on Page 17) and he and his ever-growing
walk, raising more than $5,000 in the process (see story
crew of committed players - pushing 1,000 members strong
on Page 11).
Fera
now - is back at it again this holiday season, working together
In all, those are just a few of the many, many local service
under the club’s off-ice altar-ego, “Icemen That Care.”
efforts the Arizona amateur hockey community - not to mention
)RUPHGDVDQRQSURÀWDUPRI++&DERXWHLJKW\HDUVDJRWKH´,FHPHQµ
those by Phoenix Coyotes Charities - has participated in this year. If your
have collected thousands of toys for needy families, on top of the club’s laun- team’s efforts weren’t recognized, don’t forget to enter our contest!
dry list of supported charities and programs during the other 11 months of
Happy holidays! See you in 2010! B
Reach Brett Fera at [email protected]
4
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SummitHockey.com
Coyotes get creative for the holiday season
By Ryan Casey
and the Czech phrase, “Veselé Vánoce v¹em,”
which translates to “Merry Christmas to all.”
rmed with crayons, Sarah Finecey apThe card sold for $175. Finecey texted Vrbata
proached the Phoenix Coyotes’ locker room.
the news, and he then bragged about it to his
The team’s director of community relateammates at dinner that night.
tions and fan development, Finecey had
After some convincing from his wife,
hatched a plan to have each player design a
Stephanie, to take part, defenseman Jim
holiday card that would then be duplicated
Vandermeer worked his dog’s paw prints
and sold for charity.
into his design.
She knew it was going to be a tough sell.
Goaltending coach Sean Burke worked
“They all said, ‘I’m not an artist,’ ‘I can’t
the Coyotes’ logo into his card, while Scottie
draw,’ and stuff like that,” Finecey said.
Upshall’sKDVDVWLFNÀJXUHRQLFHVNDWHV
“And not because they don’t want to be chariPeter Mueller used a smiling sun wearing
table, but it’s kind of embarrassing.”
glasses on his card, looking over a snowman.
Slowly, after some initial convincing,
The cards will be sold in four packs and
FDUGVVWDUWHGWRÁRZLQ
are available via the team’s Web site, Coy“I think the thought right off the bat is
otes.NHL.com, as well as Auction.NHL.com.
not very exciting, because they’re grown
Set One includes Yandle, Martin
men and I’m handing them crayons to color
Hanzal, Taylor Pyatt, Petr Prucha and
with, but they really got into it and ended up
Paul Bissonnette; Set Two consists of Vrenjoying it,” Finecey said.
bata, Mueller Sami Lepisto, Jason LaBarStill, it took some prying to get defensebera and Lauri Korpikoski.
man Keith Yandle to turn his over - and not
Among Set Three are Vandermeer, Burke,
because he didn’t want participate.
Upshall, Daniel Winnik and Matthew
The Coyotes’ Sami Lepisto, left, and Lauri Korpikoski work on their holiday
“You know,” Finecey said, “they’re tough cards, which are being sold to benefit Coyotes Charities. Photo/Phoenix Coyotes
Lombardi.
guys in front of their friends: ‘This is stuBroadcaster Tyson Nash, Ilya Bryzgapid,’ ‘This is …’ whatever. He complained and
work had gone into promoting the items yet - and
lov, Kurt Sauer, Shane Doan and head coach
complained and complained. You know, ‘I can’t
everything was grabbed up.
Dave Tippett make up Set Four.
draw.’”
At that game, Finecey had framed forward
7KHFDUGVZLOOEHQHÀW&R\RWHV&KDULWLHVZKLFK
Eventually, she gave in, and told Yandle to
Radim Vrbata’s card as a way to draw people
VXSSRUWVQRQSURÀWRUJDQL]DWLRQV´WKDWSURPRWH
DXWRJUDSKWKHFDUGDVDZD\RIÀQLVKLQJLW
in, with plans of auctioning it off at the end of the healthcare, education, cultural arts and sports-re“And he looked up,” Finecey said, “and said,
night.
lated programs for children.” This season, Coyotes
‘I’m. Not. Done. Yet.’”
“It became a bidding war,” Finecey said of the
Charities will make donations to 40 different
Yandle’s card features a snowman, candy cane
card, which features a snowman, Christmas tree
organizations. B
A
and a hockey stick covered by falling snow.
:KHQWKHFDUGVZHUHÀUVWSXWRXWIRUVDOHDWD
mid-November home game at Jobing.com Arena,
a line quickly gathered - even though literally no
ArizonaRubber.com
5
Pipeline to Promise
P.F. Chang’s, CAHA architecting one of Arizona’s ideal youth hockey experiences
By Brett Fera
P
rior to the start of the 2009-10 season, the
leadership of the P.F. Chang’s Tier I hockey
SURJUDPKDGDVRPHZKDWGLIÀFXOWGHFLVLRQWR
make.
A year after introducing a U14 squad to their
already competitive lineup of AAA programs, the
organization’s coaches and administrators chose
QRWWRÀHOGWKH%DQWDPWHDPWKLVVHDVRQXQGHU
the P.F. Chang’s banner. Instead, the group cut
back to its usual complement of U16 and U18
Midget programs, both at the Tier I, AAA level.
Mike DeAngelis, head coach of the P.F.
Chang’s U18 team, admits that on the surface
the decision might have looked to outsiders
like a sign of weakness. But in reality, DeAngelis contends the move was actually more a
symbol of strength.
“We want our players playing where they
should be. It’s so important that they develop
at the right level, but we plan on having that
(Bantam) level return next season to AAA,” he
notes, adding that forcing the young group up
to such a high level of competition might have
done more harm than good as they continue to
grow together and improve as hockey players.
No, instead, this season, a unique opportunity allowed the P.F. Chang’s crew to utilize
an increasingly advantageous partnership
- one with the Coyotes Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) - that’s been in place in recent
years.
The partnership, in a nutshell, allows the
P.F. Chang’s “organization” to register its
players with USA Hockey under the banner
of the CAHA “association.” Both groups call
North Scottsdale’s Ice Den home, so the coalition has been practical and feasible.
And in this season’s case, U14 players who
might have played for P.F. Chang’s would
instead disperse to two CAHA Bantam teams,
giving those players a better opportunity for
growth over the next year.
It’s not much of a secret as to how CAHA and
P.F. Chang’s became linked as one - well, almost
as one. DeAngelis, in addition to the coaching
post he’s held with the top P.F. Chang’s unit,
simultaneously sits as director of youth hockey
for CAHA - a position he’s held for more than
ÀYH\HDUVQRZ
“I see the vision of making a true feeder system all the way up, and Chang’s is the conduit
all the way to the top for those CAHA players,”
DeAngelis said.
Thanks to the hard work and sales pitch of
Kathy Smith, program administrator for P.F.
Chang’s, the Rocky Mountain District Tier I
championships will be held in Arizona for the
ÀUVWWLPHQH[WVSULQJ
A Midget 16, Midget 18, Bantam and likely
Pee Wee tournament would be hosted by CAHA
and P.F. Chang’s, with the “host” program(s)
sending U18 and U16 Tier I teams, and probably
a CAHA Pee Wee team, into competition.
“That’s a big one,” DeAngelis said of what
could be deemed a big boost for AAA hockey in
the state. “Colorado’s best, Texas’ best, Utah’s
best at all those levels - that is so big.”
6
Helping Each Other
To understand the importance of the existing
(and future) P.F. Chang’s and CAHA partnership,
DeAngelis goes back to a story he’s told many
times already this season.
Nathan Kundla is a key contributor this year
for the P.F. Chang’s U18 team, but he wasn’t
on last year’s U16 Tier I team. Kundla doesn’t
shy away from the fact that he didn’t make the
roster a year ago, and instead settled for playing
for CAHA coach Dennis LeClair’s U16 Midget
team, serving as one of the team’s on-ice captains.
enough business cards.
Don’t laugh. It’s a valid concern, he said, adding that he tends to go through them like water.
“People are constantly asking about our players, so that’s important,” he said. “Our name
NHHSVÁRDWLQJDURXQGWKHQDWLRQDOUDQNV:KHQ
we were in Detroit (recently), I was absolutely
ÁRRUHGZLWKWKHQXPEHURISHRSOHZKRZHUH
WKHUHZKRVHMRELWZDVWRÀQGSOD\HUV
“I talked to people from the NHL - the Toronto Maple Leafs - all the way to the North
American League, the USHL, BCHL and other
Canadian junior leagues. There was by far more
scouts there than parents.”
As the quality of talent in Arizona gets
better and better each year, DeAngelis is clear
about his goals of continuing to create a CAHA
pipeline to the P.F. Chang’s teams.
That’s not to say, however, that up-andcoming players from other organizations would
be shut out.
“We want to take the best committed playHUVZKRDUHWKHULJKWÀWDQGXQGHUVWDQGRXU
program’s goals,” said DeAngelis.
But the end game, he explains, is to create a
program where younger kids at the Mini-Mite
level can’t wait to grow up and become AAA
players - an idea that’s critical to creating a
family atmosphere that best fosters development.
$QGWKHQRQFHWKHSOD\HUVDUHÀQLVKHGZLWK
U18 Tier I hockey, they can go the route of so
many players before them.
“I came up the exact way these kids are
coming up. I came up through (British Columbia) juniors to U.S. college and then to pro,”
said DeAngelis. “This is a way to get them
there.”
A True Team Effort
Mike DeAngelis, who serves as CAHA’s director of youth hockey
and P.F. Chang’s U18 head coach, credits a number of people for
making both programs such a success. Photo/A-ZPhoto.com
DeAngelis said he loves that story because
Kundla’s development proves that not everyone
is ready for that highest level at the same time.
Kundla’s extra year playing for LeClair’s team
was the perfect tool to help him make those
last steps towards DeAngelis’ 2009-10 U18 P.F.
Chang’s team.
“We’ve got a lot of great hockey coming up
in this facility,” DeAngelis says of the Ice Den,
ranked year-after-year as one of the top facilities of its kind of the United States. “And some
of the players who have come in to tryout for the
Chang’s teams and maybe didn’t quite make it,
they’re going into the CAHA teams for further
development and possible promotion eventually.
“So it certainly has helped CAHA to a lot of degrees, having that option, and it’s helped Chang’s,
too.”
Blueprint for Success
On a recent P.F. Chang’s road trip to Los
Angeles, something troubled DeAngelis as he left
the Valley. The coach wasn’t sure he’d brought
DeAngelis acknowledges that he might be
in the center of the efforts to bridge the two
SURJUDPVEXWKH·VWKHÀUVWRQHWRRIIHUFUHGLW
to those who helped make both CAHA and the
P.F. Chang’s programs among the best in the
state, if not the entire Southwest.
“The true players in the CAHA-Chang’s union
is Jim Johnson with much support from (P.F.
Chang’s coach) Brendan Shaw,” DeAngelis
said.
Johnson, the former NHL defenseman who is
a current P.F. Chang’s director, created the P.F.
Chang’s program a few short years ago before
leaving in the offseason to take a job as an assistant coach with the American Hockey League’s
1RUIRON$GPLUDOVWKH$$$DIÀOLDWHRIWKH1+/·V
Tampa Bay Lightning.
DeAngelis also sites the work of others like
Jason Wright and “Shadow” Smith, coaches
with P.F. Chang’s who have ties to the CAHA
program as well, and Kathy Smith, the extraordinary P.F. Chang’s administrator.
“It’s more than just one person; it’s the entire
group,” he said, adding that he’s afraid he might
be leaving people out that deserve recognition. “I
think it needs mentioning that the CAHA board,
Justin Maloof and Mike O’Hearn (president
of Coyotes Ice, which operates the Ice Den), have
always been supportive.” B
THE HOCKEY MOM:
No outgrowing the sport for these boys
S
ince moving to the Valley over
six years ago, I have had the
privilege of getting to know many
wonderful people in the hockey
community.
My primary involvement has
been that of volunteering in the
youth hockey scene - a great way
to get to know my son’s teammates
and their parents.
I have also had the opportunity
over the past few years to get to
know some of the adult hockey
players in the Valley. No, I’m not
talking current or retired pros (although you guys are the best!), but
those guys who played the sport
recreationally at any given level
since childhood.
I met some of the adult players
through my son’s hockey, but also
became involved in The Tanner
Catalano Foundation, a movement to raise funds to expose kids
to our beloved sport through the
Tanner’s Kids program.
After losing their friend and
teammate in a car accident, these
gentlemen found
to compete at
a wonderful way
various levels,
in which to apthese players
propriately honor
have plenty of optheir buddy:
tions throughout
putting kids on
the day and night
the ice who have
to hit the ice.
never had the
Although I do
great hockey exnot play hockey, I
perience.
can see the huge
I knew one or
KHDOWKEHQHÀWVDV
two of the gentlewell as the need
men before I
to get out of the
came on board,
house and just
but can now call
have some wella group of them
deserved hang
Wilson
my friends. They truly are a great
time with the buds. Heck, I need
and VERY FUN crew of guys who
that, too!
show up late-night to the rink and
I appreciate that fact that these
are ready to compete for bragging
men (and women) come from all
rights (which are occasionally acwalks of life, but continually join
companied by a frosty postgame
together to enjoy the game and do
adult beverage).
some career networking as well.
It’s incredible to see what a
In many conversations away from
strong adult hockey presence there WKHULQN,LQHYLWDEO\ÀQGVRPHis in the Valley. With associations
one who either plays or knows an
and organizations providing the
adult who does.
opportunity for adults to continue
When it comes down to it,
many of these individuals give
much more than the time on the
ice; they volunteer in our community to bring kids to the ice to
teach not only hockey skills, but
DOVROHDGHUVKLSFRQÀGHQFHDQG
perseverance - three very important life skills.
My hope for my own son is that
he, too, continues to play the game
throughout his life. Can’t think of
a better way to stay in shape, have
big fun and grow as a person.
I want to personally thank
these men. It’s been a pleasure
getting to know you and I love
that you treat me like one of the
guys. I wouldn’t have it any other
way. You are good people! Never
outgrow lacing up the skates. And
thank you for giving of your valuable time and talents. The entire
FRPPXQLW\EHQHÀWVIURP\RXU
VHOÁHVVQHVVB
For more information on The
Tanner Catalano Foundation and
the Tanner’s Kids Program, please
visit TannersKids.com.
Julie Wilson is a local freelance graphic designer and writer. She can be contacted at [email protected].
ArizonaRubber.com
7
th
2010 DIVISIONS AND DATES
Mane of the Month
Sean Bunting
of CAHA’s
Squirt A Team
Sean wins a
FREE composite
stick, compliments of
Warrior Hockey!
To enter, send a photo of your hockey hair
to [email protected]
8
8 – 2002)
June 30 – July 3 Future Stars (199
4 – 1997)
July 7 – July 10 Prep School (199
3)
199
–
2
(199
Juniors
More Graduates Making Waves
November bodes well for college, NHL prospects
N
ovember was a good month for a handful of Arizona-groomed
players, as two made commitments to Division I programs while
NHL Central Scouting recognized two others.
On the college front, a pair of graduates from the P.F. Chang’s
program locked down commitments, as forward Joey Holka will
make his way to St. Cloud State University (WCHA) for the 2011-12
season and defenseman Taylor Boldt, from Colorado, will head to
Dartmouth College (ECAC) next
year.
Holka, from Phoenix, is playing this season in the BCHL with
the Penticton Vees, while Boldt
is patrolling the blue line for the
USHL’s Indiana Ice.
As for the NHL draft prospects, Paradise Valley native
Luke Moffatt, a forward for the
U.S. National Program’s Under-18 Team, was ranked as the
13th-best available skater in the
USHL, according to NHL Central
Scouting’s preliminary rankings.
Moffatt will attend the University of Michigan (CCHA) next
season.
Joey Holka
Also on the list is Scottsdale’s
J.T. Barnett, another former P.F. Chang’s player currently with
the WHL’s Vancouver Giants. The forward is listed as the 19th-best
available skater in his league.
What’s more, Phoenix’s Duncan McKellar, yet another Chang’s
alum, was named the NAHL West Division Player of the Week for
the week ending Nov. 9 after scoring two goals and assisting on four
more in two wins for the Wenatchee (Wash.) Wild. B
Arizona Sundogs
Local standout Nesdill growing up fast
By Todd Etshman
A
rizona Sundogs defenseman and Scottsdale native
Mike Nesdill thinks it won’t
be long before more Phoenixarea youth hockey graduates
join him, Dusty Collins and
David Spina in the pro ranks.
“The level of competition is
higher and there are more opportunities for players to get noticed now,” Nesdill said of Arizona’s
budding hockey scene.
Growing up, Nesdill, 25, played for DYHA.
Collins, a Gilbert product who now plays for the
AHL’s Manitoba Moose, and Tempe’s Spina, a
member of the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage,
also played much of their youth hockey with the
Oceanside Arena-based association.
From there, Nesdill played for USA Hockey’s
National Team Development Program (NTDP) Collins and Spina also played for the NTDP - and
then for Lincoln (Neb.) Stars in the United States
Hockey League. He was recruited by Bowling
Green State University and played four years in
the CCHA with the Falcons.
The second-year pro credits his dad, a Phoenix
men’s league player, for sparking his interest in
the game at an early age.
“I remember watching my dad play when I was
2,” said Nesdill. “I wanted to do what he did.”
And he’s quick to credit his parents for helping
him succeed every step of the way.
“There were only two rinks in town when I was
JURZLQJXSµKHUHFDOOHG´,WWRRNDORWRIVDFULÀFH
Sundogs defenseman Mike Nesdill, who’s in his second pro
season, played his youth hockey at DYHA. Photo/Matt Santos
money and transportation to keep playing. If it
wasn’t for them (his mom and dad), I wouldn’t be
where I am now.”
ArizonaSundogs.com
Which isn’t to say his career is complete. It’s
every player’s dream to get to the NHL, but to do
that it inevitably involves a call-up to the AHL
ÀUVWDQGVXFFHVVDWWKDWOHYHO
Nesdill said he never really got a chance to
show what he could do last year in 46 ECHL
games - a majority of them with the Mississippi
Sea Wolves. He also got cut from the Colorado
Eagles of the CHL in training camp before landing a spot on the Sundogs’ blue line.
“I have to keep playing hard and see what happens. I need to get better at doing things quicker,” he said of his development. “I like to think I
can play a well-rounded game. I don’t want to be
one-dimensional.”
Watching and learning from veterans such as
40-year-old Sundogs captain and fellow defenseman Chris Bartolone has helped him progress.
“It’s awesome watching Barts play,” Nesdill
said. “I just watch players like that and try to do
what they do.”
$QGZLWKWKH6XQGRJVÀJKWLQJWRJHWRXWRIWKH
league’s Southern Conference cellar heading into
December, Nesdill believes the toughest opponent
Arizona has faced this season is itself.
“I think we’re better than the teams that we’ve
faced so far,” he said. “We have a great team and
ZHKDYHWHUULÀFSOD\HUVEXWZHEHDWRXUVHOYHV
We need to lock in and stay focused and committed for a full 60 minutes. So far, we haven’t done
that enough.” B
ArizonaRubber.com
9
Phoenix Polar Bears Junior A
Dietrich, O’Connor a solid tandem in goal
By Matt Mackinder
S
uccessful hockey teams,
most say, are built from
the goal line out.
The Phoenix Polar
Bears have a history of
success, especially with their
goaltenders, and are looking
for more of the same this season with Casey
O’Connor and Kyle Dietrich.
If ever there was a case of total opposites,
O’Connor and Dietrich are the prototype.
“Both O’Connor and Dietrich are great
young goalies with a big future,” said Polar
Bears head coach Harry Mahood. “O’Connor
has a throwback style and an assertive personality that shows in his play. Dietrich is a more
conventional goalie with a lot of patience.”
Either way it’s sliced, the Polar Bears continue to ride their goaltending duo to win after
win.
In another show of opposites, O’Connor
and Dietrich, from Cave Creek, both wound up
with the Polar Bears from different situations.
“O’Connor was recruited through our relationship with (the North American Hockey
League’s) Topeka (RoadRunners), who have big
plans for him next year,” Mahood explained.
“Dietrich is a great kid who grew up in the
Polar Bear family.”
Heading into Thanksgiving weekend,
O’Connor, from Bloomington, Minn., had seen
the bulk of the playing time and was 6-4-1
with a 2.34 goals-against average and a .926
save percentage. Dietrich was 3-2-1 with a
3.61 GAA and a .835 save percentage.
O’Connor was selected by Topeka last May
in the NAHL Entry Draft out of Bloomington
Jefferson High School. On draft day, Topeka
coach Scott Langer noted that O’Connor “has
been a winner everywhere he’s gone.”
He was named the top goalie in the state
of Minnesota, winning the Frank Brimsek
Award, and also played on the Team Minnesota squad that won the Chicago Showcase,
allowing just one goal in four games.
O’Connor was undefeated in 22 straight
games a year ago and at one point had a GAA
of under 1.50. He was a member of the AllState First Team as well.
Still, numbers are only part of the equation
when looking at seeing how far a player can
go in hockey. Both players are excellent student and hope that’s part of hockey at the next
level.
“Both young men have the ability to play
college hockey and I know both are highly com-
mitted to that goal,” added Mahood. “O’Connor
and Dietrich are every bit as good as guys
we’ve had here before, like Colby Robinson,
Ryan Anderson, Mike Wojtyla, Aaron
Quinton and Alex Brownlee.”
Mahood added that he’s comfortable using
a goalie rotation, as he has the past number of
years, with O’Connor and Dietrich.
“The name of this game is development,”
noted Mahood, who has helped move countless
players onto the NCAA ranks. “If kids are going to play college hockey, they have to play.”
And if success comes from the nets out,
the Polar Bears have a double threat to throw
at the opposition and they’ll put it to the test
again this month at the Western States Hockey League’s Shootout showcase, which will be
held from Dec. 17- 20 in Las Vegas.
Last year, more than 30 NCAA college/university scouts were in attendance and numerous players were recruited by these schools
and are currently playing NCAA hockey. The
WSHL anticipates exceeding last year’s scout
total.
Phoenix went 4-0 at the showcase last year,
beating Tulsa, San Antonio, Texas and El Paso
along the way by a combined score of 20-5. El
Paso was the only team to score more than one
goal against the Polar Bears. B
PhoenixPolarBears.com
HOODY HOCKEY:
What other choice is there?
T
he “Making Strides Against
Breast Cancer” (MSABC) walk
last month was most certainly
the biggest game of the season for
the Phoenix Polar Bears’ Junior A
team.
For the eighth straight year, we
rallied our hockey family within
the community and courted over
200 walkers while raising nearly
$10,000 for the American Cancer
Society’s MSABC initiative in Phoenix. In addition, the Polar Bears
wore customized MSABC jerseys
for 12 games culminating in an
online auction that ended earlier
this month.
All hockey players would agree
that there’s really nothing more
sacred to them than their mother,
wife, sister, grandmother, motherin-law, girlfriend or aunt. Taking
care of our girls is a time-honored
tradition and one we never take
lightly, no matter the situation.
In 2003, my mother-in-law,
Helen Langager, was diagnosed
with breast cancer. She became one
of my life heroes
strength to beat
through her persuch a disease?”
sonal attack on
In typical
the disease withHelen fashion, she
standing surgery,
downplayed her
radiation and checourage and said,
motherapy, and
“Well, what other
she has beaten the
choice is there?”
illness with six
What an
years of canceranswer. I’m truly
free checkups.
convinced that
What was
being anything
amazing to me
other than strong,
about Helen
FRQÀGHQWDQG
was her courcourageous never
age. I don’t recall
crossed her mind.
a depressing or
I went to pracMahood
demoralizing statement or moment
tice that day and, prior to taking
during the entire process that led
the ice with our team, I gathered
me to believe she was worried,
our players together and shared
fearful or the least bit concerned - a with them Helen’s resolve, because
resolve that was formed 80 years
I’m convinced if she had chosen to
earlier growing up conservatively
be an athlete, she would have been
WKURXJKGLIÀFXOWWLPHVLQ&HQWUDO
an Olympic gold medalist.
Minnesota.
I’ll never forget Max Mobley,
I asked Helen one day in Februwho was 17 at the time, jumping up
ary of 2004: “Where did a conserva- out of his seat and saying, “Boys,
tive Norwegian gal gather all her
what we do is for fun and we’re
lucky to have the opportunity to
play hockey. Let’s not disrespect
anyone or Hoody’s mother-in-law
by not giving our most sincere and
dedicated effort on the ice for the
rest of the season.”
I remember later that season
I invited a friend of mine, Terry
Lee, who was closely involved with
Lance Armstrong’s race team and
the Livestrong Foundation, to address our team and share Lance’s
story and his own personal insight
on overcoming adversity and becoming a champion.
Terry’s talk was impressive and
our players hung on every word.
He gifted all the players the Lance
Armstrong book, “It’s Not About
the Bike,” and of course a yellow
Livestrong bracelet.
Last summer, I saw Max and
he was still sporting his Livestrong
bracelet after four years. I asked
Mobs, “How were you able to preserve the band all these years?”
Mobs replied, “What other choice
is there?” B
Harry Mahood is the head coach and general manager of the Phoenix Polar Bears’ Junior A team.
10
Arizona Hockey Union . Arizona Heat . Phoenix Polar Bears
Polar Family Goes Pink for Worthy Cause
Organization raises over $5K for breast cancer awareness
By Brett Fera
W
ho says real men can’t
wear pink?
For a dozen games over the
last two months, you wouldn’t
even dare tell that to the members
of the Phoenix Polar Bears’ Junior A team; you know, those
lightning-fast, hard-hitting,
tough guys with the sticks.
All kidding aside, the Polar
Bears’ temporary color switch
- the team shed its traditional
uniforms for a pink and black ensemble - was actually intended
to showcase the softer side of
what the hockey community
can do when it comes together
for a cause. In this case, it was
WKHÀJKWDJDLQVWEUHDVWFDQFHU
where pink is the widely known symbolic
battle cry.
On the heels of October’s designation as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many
members of the Polar family joined together on
Nov. 7 for the American Cancer Society’s annual
“Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” walk
held at Tempe Beach Park.
This year, for the eighth time, head coach and
general manager Harry Mahood’s Junior A
team took part in the walk.
In all, more than 200 players, coaches, family
members and friends of the Polar Bears’ Junior
A team, the Phoenix Polar Bears, Arizona Heat
community is the perfect
group for an effort like beating breast cancer which has,
in some form, touched most
everyone’s life.
“The great thing about
hockey families is that
they tend to come together
LQWRXJKWLPHVDQGÀJKW
those battles together,” said
Cooper. “For most of us,
hockey is a sport we begin
with our kids when they’re
4 or 5, and, as you continue
through the years - often
with the same organization
\RXVSHQGDVLJQLÀFDQW
amount of time with the
same group of kids and their
families and you form strong
bonds.
“When something like
breast cancer affects one
family, everybody feels it,”
she added.
Cooper said that participating in events like the
Cancer Walk offers many
EHQHÀWVWRWKHNLGVDVZHOO
as the community. It also
gives the perfect opportunity for the older athletes
playing on the Polar Bears’
Junior A team to set a good
example for the younger,
Taylor Moorman, a member of Arizona Hockey Union’s U15 95 team, and his mother, Jae
Jae, a cancer survivor, walked at last month’s “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer”
event.
more impressionable travel
players.
“The junior
boys lined up at
the end of the
walk and gave
all the younger
NLGVDKLJKÀYH
DVWKH\ÀQished,” she said.
“That was a big
deal for many of
them.”
And the
camaraderie on
display amongst
the players
throughout the
day couldn’t be
matched.
“After the
walk, there was
a great moment
Bantam A players from the Phoenix Polar Bears sport their “I wear Pink and I’m a Hockey Player. You
when several of
got a problem with that?” T-shirts which were sold as a fundraiser.
our players - of
and the Arizona Hockey Union youth travel asdifferent ages - were up on the stage dancing tosociations joined together for a cause that has hit
gether, laughing and really having a great time,”
home to so many involved with the Polar family.
said Cooper. “The kids had a lot of fun and knowShasti Cooper, one of the organizers of the
ing they were a part of making a difference to an
Polar Bears’ efforts this year, said that the hockey important cause really added to the excitement of
the day.”
The festivities ended with Mahood’s junior
team debuting the new pink jerseys, designed by
Christen Cavanaugh, in the second of a threeJDPHVHULHVZLWKWKH%DNHUVÀHOG-U&RQGRUV
Cooper noted that it was entertaining to see
the brawny hockey players - a number of them
over 6-feet tall and 200-plus pounds - sporting
WKHLUSLQNJDUEIRUWKHÀUVWWLPH
“Several of the boys had pink laces in their
skates and pink tape on their sticks,” she said.
“They believed in the cause whole-heartedly.”
For Cooper, the event couldn’t have gone much
better.
“It was an amazing day; the weather was
beautiful, spirits were high, but most importantly, these young athletes - from Mites through juniors - were coming together as a team to make a
difference in their community.”
In all, the Polar community, under the banner of the Phoenix Polar Bears, chartered $5,120
through the walk, which is traditionally between
WKUHHDQGÀYHPLOHVLQOHQJWK7KH3RODU%HDUV·
total was the ninth largest of any group participating at the Tempe walk, which in all raised
more than $400,000 for breast cancer research.
In addition to the funds raised through
the walk, the Polar Bears also planned to add
thousands more to that total as they auctioned
off each of the jerseys worn by the 26 members
of the Polar Bears’ Junior A team for those 12
games in November and early December. B
ArizonaHockeyUnion.com . AZHeatHockey.com . PhoenixPolarBearsHockey.com
ArizonaRubber.com
11
P.F. Chang’s Tier 1 Hockey Program
By Brett Fera
F
or Max Vallis, it’s an
opportunity for one last
go-round at the Midget AAA
level - a chance to hone
his skills even further and
become a shoe-in for a junior
hockey opportunity come next
season.
For P.F. Chang’s U18 head coach
Mike DeAngelis, the 5-foot-8, 160-pound Vallis
serves as the perfect on-ice leader for a team
mixed with inexperienced youngsters and seasoned veterans.
“Last year, I was one of the young players and I was from out of state (San Jose), so I
looked up to our captain, Mike Adamowicz,”
said Vallis, the lone player selected to wear a
captain’s “C” for the U18 this season. “We’ve got
every age group on our team, so I try to lead and
help them as much as I can and show them the
same effort every time I go on the ice.”
Vallis, who graduated high school last year,
spent much of the offseason seeing if he could
ODWFKRQZLWKDMXQLRUWHDPVSHFLÀFDOO\3HQWLFton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League.
It was there the 18-year-old realized he actually had a choice to make when looking at the
2009-10 season.
“I was up in Penticton for almost a month,”
KHVDLG´,GHÀQLWHO\ORRNHGDWLWDVD
decision between playing with a team
where every once in a while I’d get to
dress and sit in the stands the
rest of the time, or where
I could come back
down here and play
and work everyday
and become a better hockey player.
“And playing for
this (P.F. Chang’s) is
just awesome,” he said.
“I’ve never played for a
better organization.”
Added DeAngelis: “He’s
doing everything right.
The colleges now want the
20-year-old freshman, and
they want their guys to
have already taken some
classes and be on their
way. He’s on his
way.”
Vallis and
alternate captain Simeon
McKinley
are the elder
statesmen
of sorts
on the U18 Chang’s team. Both have already
graduated high school, and both, DeAngelis
VDLGKDYHDÀUPJUDVSRIZKDWWRH[SHFWIURP
competing against some of the best in the
country in the Tier I Elite League.
“Like Max, (McKinley) has been there
and seen it,” DeAngelis said. “He continues to grow this year. He’s getting
bigger and stronger and faster. That’s
a big thing about him - he’s one of our
PRVWSK\VLFDOO\ÀWJX\Vµ
Cody Bisbing and Ed McGovern
also serve as alternate captains. Both
DUHMXVWDQGLQWKHLUÀUVWIXOO\HDU
with the U18 team, and both allow the
leadership on DeAngelis’ team form a
solid balance between older veterans
and wise-beyond-their-years newcomers.
“Cody is another guy who just gives
maximum effort in practice and is a
SRVLWLYHLQÁXHQFHRQVRPHRIWKHQHZ
guys,” DeAngelis said. “Eddie is a
younger player, but he really
plays a lot of minutes for us
and is one of the hardestworking guys we have
in practice.” B
CHALK TALK:
Now’s the time to evaluate progress
H
opefully, most skaters took
some needed time away
from the rink over the summer to
recharge their batteries, because
there’s certainly a better flow
to the season when players are
rested and ready when the season begins.
Now is the time of year when
the reality of the length of the
season starts to sink in for most
kids. Christmas is on the horizon, but we all know there are
still months of important hockey
left to be played.
With that said, it’s also the
perfect time for every coach to
conduct a midseason check-up to
see how their team is progressing, on and off the ice.
A coach has a number office duties and concerns prior to
jumping on the ice, but evaluating kids with player meetings
is never a bad idea. I think we
should all revisit our team rules
and policies to be able to better
project to the
tivities in which
kids our secondto excel. Indihalf expectavidually, young
tions. We all
players may
have set goals
measure success
for the season in
a little differently
regards to practhan coaches or
tices and game
parents, but we
performance,
have the ability
and this is the
to chart their detime to evaluate
velopment from a
those objectives
different angle.
to gauge if we’re
Good coaches
on track.
look for small
The key to all
clues that help
this self-reflecshow them that
De Angelis
tion really revolves around the
the kids are excited and having
concept of how each player feels
fun. Everyday I ask myself how
about their personal improvemy players can enjoy the process
ment, because I’m a firm believer while completing the tasks I’ve
that progress is the basis for
outlined for them.
their continued long-term interThere’s no simple formula,
est in our game.
however. What is does take is
There are plenty of sports
some preparation and willingness
kids will have fun playing, but
to learn from your past mistakes
most understand that hockey is
and experiences.
one of the most challenging acAt the beginning of the sea-
Mike DeAngelis is CAHA’s director of youth hockey.
12
son, it’s a tall order to get everyone on the same page or agree to
team systems, policies and rules.
Now that we’re at the midpoint
of the season, do you feel that
you’ve made some traction in getting your message across? If not,
this would be the time to consider a different direction because
there’s so much time left in the
season to right the ship.
As coaches, I think we’ve all
found out that our best ally is
a certain core of players - those
who are willing to help you bring
all these diverse personalities
together to have a positive experience as a team. How are they
projecting the club’s success?
It’ll always be a work-in-progress for the head coach to find
synergy within the dynamics of
a team, but taking time to evaluate the progress you’ve made will
only help in the success of your
season or in refining your game
plan for next year. B
Coyotes Amateur Hockey Association
Desert Youth Hockey Association
Mite B’s continue to
progress, have fun
Squirt A’s showing marked
improvement
By Brian McDonough
By Brian McDonough
F
A
or a team that wasn’t formed until late-September, the
Jr. Coyotes’ Mite B squad is slowly but surely acclimating to the world of travel hockey.
Perhaps its biggest win of the season game came last
month, when the Mites blanked VOSHA, 5-0. In the triumph,
goaltender Hunter MitchellSLFNHGXSKLVÀUVWVKXWRXWRIWKHVHDVRQ
“Not only was it a great win, but the kids learned that hard work pays
off,” said head coach John Winchell, who is joined behind the bench by Jim
Hertle and Scott Fowler. “We’ve been preaching that the winner of the game
LVDOZD\VWKHWHDPWKDWZRUNVWKHKDUGHVWDQG,·PFRQÀGHQWWKH\·OOWDNHWKDWOHVson to heart moving forward.”
The Mites have also been participating in a number of activities together away
from the rink, thanks to the tireless efforts of team manager Michelle Fowler.
“She’s done an amazing job,” said Winchell.
And with that the kids are developing great friendships, with many of them
now going by nicknames given by their teammates, including forwards Josh
Brown (J-Bro), Josh Doan (Donut), Cabot Fowler (Flower), Marek Hertle
(Turtle) and Crew Lombardi (Chewy); defensemen Kyle Aucoin (Quarter),
Mitch Gorham (Ham) and Jimmy Scappaticci (Spaghetti); and Mitchell
(Goalie).
Forwards Emma Conner, Will Josephson, Coleton Panowyk and Jackson Winchell are also playing an important role on the team, as are defensemen
Jared Hutchison, Logan McAvoy and Red Savage.
“They’re forming great relationships off the ice, which any player knows will
translate into better chemistry on it,” said Winchell. B
CoyotesIce.com
fter a handful of tightly contested battles in Sonoran League play and a few one-goal losses at
October’s Silver Stick regional tournament in Dallas,
WKHSXFNZDVÀQDOO\VWDUWLQJWRERXQFHWKH3KRHQL[
Firebirds’ Squirt A team’s way heading into December.
The Squirts came away with a few big wins last month,
including a spirited victory over the Nevada Jr. Storm and backto-back tight triumphs against the cross-town rival Inside Edge Runners.
“It only took a few weeks for the boys to come together and begin
playing as a cohesive group,” said co-head coach Charles Miscio, who is
joined behind the bench by Blake Parker. “I couldn’t be more proud of
our locker room, the friendships being built and our on-ice efforts. These
guys are playing with some serious heart.”
And with all hands in the middle, contributions are coming from the
entire lineup.
“We continue to coach team play,” said Miscio. “Individual statistics
are never discussed amongst the boys. When the puck goes in the net,
there are a lot of events that happen prior to a good pass or a good shot
that leads to a goal.”
7KH6TXLUWVDUHDOVREHQHÀWLQJIURPWKHLQVWUXFWLRQRIWKHLUWZRDVVLVtant coaches: Tim Watters, who played 14 years in the NHL, and former
Northern Arizona University player Keith Pazul.
“Every year I say I’m not sure if we’ll ever match the team chemistry
of our teams from the previous years, and once again I’m wrong,” said
Miscio. B
DYHA.org
ArizonaRubber.com
13
5
CAHA’s Pee Wee 98 team gets ready to hit the ice for a
game in California last month. Photo/Debby Cruz
Chase Gillaspie of Arizona Hockey Union’s
U12 team lays a nice hit on his opponent.
Photo/Dave Getz/A-ZPhoto.com
Steve Correia cracks a smile while officiating a recent
youth game.
Thomas Ferrier of DYHA’s 16AA team hustles towards the
action during a recent tournament. Photo/Dave Getz/A-ZPhoto.com
The Sun Devils’ Clay Taylor comes up with a big save during
ASU’s matchup with Colorado State at Oceanside Arena last
month. Photo/Dave Getz/A-ZPhoto.com
Goaltender Nathan Chaon of CAHA’s 16AA team stays in
focus during a recent tournament. Photo/Dave Getz/A-ZPhoto.com
Over 200 people in the Phoenix Polar Bears family participated in last month’s “Making Strides Against
Breast Cancer² walk in Tempe. See more on the event on Page 11.
Arizona State’s Matt Mackey celebrates a
goal against Colorado State at Oceanside
Arena last month. Photo/Dave Getz/A-ZPhoto.com
Kidkaster Carson Ferrall, an 11-year-old from Sun City, gets behind
the mic with Phoenix Coyotes broadcasters Tyson Nash, left, and
Todd Walsh. Photo/Fox Sports Arizona
Submit your favorite hockey photos at ArizonaRubber.com!
14
ArizonaRubber.com
15
16
Hacker Much More Than Just Hockey
Local club puts plenty of emphasis on community service, networking
By Brett Fera
N
o “league” here. Not really a group of
“teams,” either. Just one club - singular and as much hockey as one can shake a stick at.
That’s exactly what Frank Wright envisioned the Hacker Hockey Club to be when he
founded it more than a decade
ago. The purpose: Give
regular Joes who love
the game a chance
to play when
they can - supplementing
local leagues
and associations,
and hey,
why not
help grow
the game
in Arizona at
the same
time?
“I buy
ice time from
area rinks at
times that usually sit empty and
post the time slots
and rink locations on
our Web site, HackerHockeyClub.com,” Wright said.
“My goal is to help the rinks sell dead ice
time so hockey stays and grows in the Valley,
and build a fraternity of like-minded guys that
play together and help each other when the
chips are down,” he added, noting that building
a bond between people just looking for some time
with the game they love is motivation enough for
helping the endeavor grow over the years.
“Most of our members use this Hacker ice
time as additional ice time along with the
leagues in town, which we support.”
Now more than 1,000-members strong,
Wright’s brainchild is much more than a group
of hockey nuts looking for ice time - so much
more.
In addition to the club itself, which, as
Wright puts it, “is a web-based club where guys
sign up online much like you’d book a car rental
or airline ticket,” Hacker’s loyal following also
makes up “Networking With The Stars” and
“Icemen That Care.”
“It’s a very active group of over 50 business
people within the club that share business leads
together using a combination of a monthly-leads
meeting, Web advertising and e-mail blasts
to our membership,” Wright said of
the “Networking With The Stars”
group, which has been operating strong for seven years now
through the Hacker Hockey
Club umbrella.
As for “Icemen That
Care,” Wright said that
with people latching
onto Hacker at such a
rapid pace, a desire to
give back to the community led to Wright’s
registering the “Icemen
That Care” moniker as
DQRQSURÀWRUJDQL]Dtion.
“We help those kids
and adults who can’t afford to pay to play hockey,”
KHVDLG´'XULQJWKLVGLIÀFXOW
economy, we’ve helped hun-
tradition for “Icemen That Care,” with the annual Turkey Cup festivities helping serve as the
kickoff for the donation drive.
“The Turkey Cup originated in 1999, when a
number of the club’s members found that their
wives preferred they be out of the house during
the Thanksgiving holiday meal preparation,”
Wright said. “The players decided to organize
some charity hockey games to keep themselves
EXV\DQGWRFRQWULEXWHWRORFDOQRQSURÀWRUJDQLzations.”
Anyone who participates in the Turkey Cup
is required to give brand-new toys to play in
each game. From the Wednesday before Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve, bins are set up at
local rinks.
“The toys are then collected and delivered
by Santa’s sleigh and taken down to the Santa
emergency stores to be donated to the homeless
and less fortunate families,” Wright said.
And on top of all that, Wright notes, there’s
some pretty darn good hockey being played, too.
Hacker’s following has even grown to attract
attention from the NHL ranks, with the likes of
former pros Jeremy Roenick, Bob Essensa,
Claude Lemieux, Greg Adams and dozens
more ex-NHLers skating from time to time
through Hacker.
Even former athletes from other sports - like
former Major League Baseball Cy Young Award
GUHGVRIKRFNH\SOD\HUVJHWRQWKHLFH)RUÀYH
years we introduced street hockey to ‘at-hope’
kids in Mesa and South Phoenix as well.”
From fundraisers to golf tournaments, holiGD\WR\GULYHVWRSROLFHEHQHÀWV:ULJKWVDLGWKH
Hacker community, through Icemen That Care,
will continue to give back as long as it exists.
The holiday toy drives have become an annual
winner Bob Welch – have taken to the ice in a
Hacker-sponsored outing.
“At times we do have ‘teams,’ and at times
we’ve traveled to Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal
and Toronto for tournaments,” he said. “But
mostly it’s a different group of guys at every
Hacker game, as it suits their schedule. They
just pay as they play.” B
ArizonaRubber.com
17
Inside Edge Runners
Pee Wee B’s Continue to Earn High Marks
14 team members are recognized for their efforts in the classroom
By Brian McDonough
A
fter stealing headlines early in the season by taking
second-place in its division at
the Sonoran Labor Day tournament, the Inside Edge Runners’ Pee Wee B team earned
some well deserved recognition
again recently - this time in the classroom.
Fourteen member of the squad made the honor
UROORUWKHSULQFLSDO·VOLVWIRUWKHÀUVWTXDUWHURI
2009 - the most by any team in the organization.
“We’re all very proud of these kids and know
that they’ll grow up as well-rounded people who
strive to be their best, no matter what they do,”
said team manager Tish Hummell. “They
should be very proud of themselves.”
Among those Pee Wees who earned high
marks academically were: Matt Briody, Jessica Conlon, Brett Charron, Cody Durrer,
Brandon Hummell, Hanna Joralmon, Kylie
Kramer, Dylan Mattfeldt, Nico McCrossan,
David Nelson, Nick Portik, Joey Sorensen,
Chase Sutton and Thomas Wayne.
“I’m very proud of our young athletes and their
academic achievements,” praised Dave Masten,
board president of the Runners organization.
“We, as a hockey family, will always recognize
and reinforce the value of a good education. I’m a
ÀUPEHOLHYHUWKDWHGXFDWLRQFRPHVÀUVWµ
In coach Tim Durrer’s eyes, a player’s perIRUPDQFHLQWKHFODVVURRPLVDUHÁHFWLRQRQKRZ
they’ll contribute in game situations.
“How can we expect you to do your job on the
ice with your teammates when you can’t do your
job at home and school?” said Durrer. “If you’re
not disciplined enough to get your schoolwork
done, you’re not going to be disciplined enough to
focus on your position on the ice.”
Both the coaching staff and the parents made
it clear to the players at the beginning of the
season that they’ll be held accountable for their
performances in the classroom, says Hummell.
The players understand that, when their
grades slide, they, along with their teammates,
will suffer the consequences, which can - and
have included - not being able to practice and,
even worse, play.
“This group of kids is very loyal to each other
and, over time, each has learned that they’re not
only accountable to their coaches, parents and
themselves, but to their teammates,” said Hummell. “The coaching staff and parents have a
mutual agreement about the educational needs
of the kids and practice effective communication
when an issue arises. By sticking together, the
kids have a clear understanding of how important
education is.”
And they’re also learning the importance
of giving back to their community. Recently,
the team participated in a charitable event at
Surprise’s West Valley Bible Church, which is
organized to help the less fortunate.
The Pee Wees bagged and uncrated food, organized and assisted at the food stations and helped
push carts while the family members “shopped”
for items they would use in their meals in the
coming days and weeks.
“The effort, dedication and interest the kids
showed was incredible and they all left with a
new or renewed understanding of how tough life
can be,” said Hummell. “It’s a lesson learned off
the ice that, in the big picture, is more important
than a hockey game.”
For Masten and the rest of the Runners orJDQL]DWLRQVFRULQJELJRIIWKHLFHVSHFLÀFDOO\LQ
school - trumps all.
“Hockey is a wonderful sport and many young
players dream of playing in the NHL, but, as we
all know, the reality of that happening is slim,”
he said.
“My belief, as a father, is that the value and
importance of a good education is key to the
foundation and success of our children. Currently,
I not only have my own two young children to be
concerned about, but also the other 148 kids in
our organization.” B
Honor Role or Principal’s
List - First Quarter 2009
Mite A
Justin Carrier, David Mosienko, Owen Gabriel, Joel Tesemer,
Brett Scott, Brendan Flanagan, Caden Proefrock, Arun
Cibrario
Squirt A
Jordan Behm, Kevin Bird, Daniel Chambers, Hunter Cook, Kyle
DeCoster, Declan George, Ruskin Griffith, Cameron Judge,
Jake Lamberty, Zach Mattson, Michael McCosh, Michael
Schroeder, Craig Tracey
Squirt B
Niko Rodriguez, Daniel Mack, Hunter Thompson, Ben Brockway, Megan Brodfuerher
Pee Wee A
Hunter Whitney, Hunter Mason, Trevor Checketts, Dakota Gottlieb, Alex Sprague, Jacob Kerns, Michael Sefcik, Trey Newton
Pee Wee B
Matt Briody, Jessica Conlon, Brett Charron, Cody Durrer, Brandon Hummell, Hanna Joralmon, Kylie Kramer, Dylan Mattfeldt,
Nico McCrossan, David Nelson, Nick Portik, Joey Sorensen,
Chase Sutton, Thomas Wayne
Bantam A
Nick Mancuso, MacKenzie Lyons, Carson Bruns, Joey Mascaro
Bantam B
Chase Newton, Cole Pribble, Mickey Horn, Martin Theisen,
Hayden Peterson, Isaac Lee
U16
John Wright, Trey Kerns, Brayton Van Gotum, Alden Armstrong
U16AA
David Deadman, Erik Gatson, Donovan Mattfeldt, Robbie
Downing, Mitchell Lyons, Lucas Lomax, Taylor Parot,
Connor Darr
2010 ARIZONA
CACTUS CUP
Stake Your Claim To the Arizona Cactus Cup!
Great Hockey Experience in Beautiful Arizona!
lans continue for an exciting Martin Luther King Weekend of hockey here in the
Valley. The Inside Edge Runners Tournament
Committee is busy preparing for the inaugural Arizona Cactus Cup, which kicks off the
evening of Friday, January 15, 2010 and runs
through Monday, January 18, 2010.
A USA Hockey-sanctioned tournament,
the Arizona Cactus Cup will feature A/B, as
well as AA divisions from Mite to U18, and
is being offered to teams throughout the U.S.
DQG&DQDGD7KHFRPPLWWHHKRSHVWRÀHOGD
very competitive tournament and is encouraging local teams to participate as well. Come
MRLQXVIRUDIXQÀOOHGKRFNH\ZHHNHQG
Interested teams can register for the
Arizona Cactus Cup via IERunners.com or
AZCactusCup.com. Registrations will be accepted until December 15, 2009.
For more information, visit AZCactusCup.
com or e-mail the tournament directors at [email protected] or [email protected].
P
With its exploits in the classroom, the IE Runners’ Pee Wee B team helped prove that education is a top priority for the entire
organization.
IERunners.com
18
Mission Arizona
Dedicated coaches stress development
By Matt Mackinder
T
he players on the ice get
the majority of attention for the Mission Arizona
program, but the coaches also
deserve a lot of credit for the
thankless work they do.
The half-dozen teams’ coaches,
according to Mission Arizona coach-in-chief
Jeremy Goltz, bring out passion and emotion in
all the players.
“When the ‘Red Army’ goes to work, all I ask of
RXUVWDIILVIRUHIÀFLHQF\DQGWKDWWKHFRPSHWLWLRQ
always brings out the fun and emotion in players old and young,” said Goltz. “We have so much
experience on our staff and I’m not really sure it
can be matched.”
“Old dogs,” as Goltz calls them, like Evan
Gavrilles, Glenn Karlson, Hank Taylor, Jeff
Eades, Steve Sutton, Doug Cannon, Kevin
Bernsdorf and Larry Gibson bring a ton of
experience running and managing the six Mission
teams.
“These guys really have a pulse on things and
,IHHOYHU\FRQÀGHQWDERXWRXUWHDPVDQGWKHNLGV
themselves,” Goltz said. “I tell our guys to focus on
the on-ice stuff - that’s why they’re there.
“These seasons are marathons and not sprints,
and it’s hard to keep the pace going for 7-8 months.
All you can do is your best to lessen the window of
ORVWPRPHQWXPDQGÀQGZD\VWRJHWLWEDFNµ
With the season encompassing roughly three
quarters of the year - and even more with offseason training and recruiting - coaches are counted
on to be the people players can lean on for hockey
advice and also for life lessons.
Mission Arizona coach-in-chief Jeremy Goltz likes the experience and enthusiasm of his program’s coaches.
“Whether it’s in practice or in the room, I’ve
experienced guys who have been through the grind
of these seasons - they get it,” said Goltz. “I’m
excited to have such a veteran core. All our teams
will reach our goal of being better teams, players,
teammates and kids by the end of the season.”
Goltz, who likes his teams to play challenging
schedules, added that the goals his program sets at
MissionArizonaIce.org
the beginning of each season are ones that can be
accomplished by the players as they progress.
“What can’t be argued is how much growth our
players and teams always make by February and
March when the playdowns role around,” he said.
“We’re always right in the mix when it counts and
I expect nothing less this season.”
In looking at each of the six Mission squads,
Goltz has every reason to believe that all of them
will be in their respective championship games
come February and March.
“Both Pee Wee teams are moving in a great
direction and should compete for A and B Sonoran
titles,” noted Goltz. “The Bantams look to be gaining some steam backed by the “A-Train,” (goaltender) Anthony Cuirro.
“The 16 Red team has grown so much; I can’t
even believe it. It’ll be there when it’s all said and
done as it hits another stretch of AAA games.
“We’ve combined our 18 practices (White and
Red) and are able to run college-type drills and
keep the pace up for conditioning and competition.
They’ve really been effective over the last month.”
And for Goltz, February and March can’t get
here soon enough.
“We have a lot of great things going on and a lot
of things to look forward to in the coming months,”
he said. “It’s just exciting to watch these players
get better and better every time they touch the
ice.” B
Hockey serious business
for ASU, ACHA
By Brian McDonough
J
eremy Goltz has made it clear time and time again:
If there’s one thing the Arizona State University
head coach never wants to hear, it’s that his program
plays “club” hockey.
“I hate it because of the negative connotation it brings
with it,” said Goltz. “The only difference between the caliber
and structure of this league compared to NCAA programs is that it’s
not funded by the university.”
Instead, the Sun Devils program competes in the American Collegiate
Hockey Association (ACHA), which formed in 1991-92 with 15 programs from
around the country.
7RGD\WKH$&+$ERDVWVÀYHGLYLVLRQVPHQ·V'LYLVLRQ,,,,DQG,,,DQG
women’s Division I and II - with over 400 teams from across the nation representing 49 states.
“The reality is, we’ll service about 70 percent of players looking for a place
to play college hockey each and every year,” said ACHA commissioner Brian
Moran. “Not bad considering our humble beginnings nearly 20 years ago.”
$QG*ROW]KDVVHHQWKHOHDJXHHYROYHÀUVWKDQG+HSOD\HGIRXUVHDVRQVDW
WKH8QLYHUVLW\RI$UL]RQDIURPDQGKLVWHDPÀQLVKHGWRSIRXULQWKH
country every year (they lost in the championship game in 1990).
From there, he served as an assistant coach with the Ice Cats from 1995(YHU\RQHRIWKRVHWHDPVTXDOLÀHGIRUWKHQDWLRQDOWRXUQDPHQW
“This league is an alternative avenue for quality, committed hockey players to get an education,” said Goltz.
“With the ACHA, your choices aren’t limited,” Moran added. B
Tickets: Students $5 . Adults-$7 . Under 12 $4
Season tickets also available
Arizona State University
SunDevilHockey.com
ArizonaRubber.com
19
2009-10 Arizona Alumni
Send additions/deletions/corrections to [email protected]
PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY
American Hockey League
Dusty Collins (Gilbert) - Manitoba Moose
Dave Spina (Mesa) - San Antonio Rampage
Central Hockey League
Mike Nesdill (Phoenix) - Arizona Sundogs
Southern Professional Hockey League
Taylor Hustead (Scottsdale) - Pensacola Ice Flyers
JUNIOR HOCKEY
Atlantic Junior Hockey League
Shane Gleason (Phoenix) – Philadelphia Junior Flyers
Ben Oskroba (Tempe) – Walpole Express
British Columbia Junior Hockey League
Joey Holka (Phoenix) - Penticton Vees
COLLEGE HOCKEY
Central Junior Hockey League
Trevor Wilson (Phoenix) – Smiths Falls Bears
Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference
Jeremy Langlois (Tempe) - Quinnipiac University
Max Mobley (Glendale) - St. Lawrence University
Eastern Junior Hockey League
Michael Colantone (Cave Creek) – Jersey Hitmen
Steven Edgeworth (Phoenix) – Jersey Hitmen
Eric Ferber (Scottsdale) – Bridgewater Bandits
Chris Walker (Phoenix) – Philadelphia Revolution
Division I - Men
Atlantic Hockey
Jon Bobb (Chandler) - Army
Matt Grogan (Gilbert) - University of Connecticut
Hockey East
Kyle Beattie (Avondale) - University of Maine
Phil Samuelsson (Scottsdale) - Boston College
Dave Strathman (Tempe) - Northeastern University
Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Andrew Hamburg (Phoenix) - Colorado College
Division III - Men
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association
Sam Eccles (Mesa) - St. Norbert College
Division I - Women
Hockey East
Erin Wentes (Scottsdale) - University of Vermont
Division III - Women
ECAC East
Kristen Gresko (Phoenix) - Southern Maine
ECAC West
Sydney Williams (Phoenix) - Chatham University
Greater Metro Ontario Hockey League
Danny Fazio (Peoria) - Innisfil Lakers
North American Hockey League
Preston Dekker (Phoenix) – Motor City Metal Jackets
Mike Kreig (Phoenix) – Alexandria Blizzard
Duncan McKellar (Phoenix) – Wenatchee Wild
Billy Mulligan (Chandler) – Janesville Jets
Jordan Young (Cave Creek) – Wenatchee Wild
Northern Pacific Hockey League
Shawn Hunter (Cave Creek) – Yellowstone Quake
Tyler Marek (Phoenix) – Missoula Maulers
Barry Parker (Scottsdale) – Missoula Maulers
Sean Sanford (Ahwatukee) – Missoula Maulers
James Takacs (Buckeye) – Butte Roughriders
Eric Watters (Phoenix) – Eugene Generals
United States Hockey League
Aaron Ave (Chandler) – Omaha Lancers
Richie Coyne (Cave Creek) – Sioux Falls Stampede
Anthony Hamburg (Phoenix) – Omaha Lancers
Danny Heath (Glendale) – Des Moines Buccaneers
Colten St. Clair (Gilbert) – Fargo Force
U.S. National Team Development Program
Zac Larraza (Scottsdale) – Under-17 Team
Luke Moffatt (Paradise Valley) – Under-18 Team
Western Hockey League
J.T. Barnett (Scottsdale) – Vancouver Giants
Cody Castro (Peoria) – Lethbridge Hurricanes
Kyle Verdino (Phoenix) – Kelowna Rockets
Western States Hockey League
D.J. Benjamin (Peoria) Phoenix Polar Bears
Chance Berman (Phoenix) - Phoenix Polar Bears
Tyler Brown (Mesa) – Arizona Redhawks
Anthony Cullen (Phoenix) – Boulder Jr. Bison
Mike DeStefino (Scottsdale) – Arizona Redhawks
Kyle Dietrich (Phoenix) - Phoenix Polar Bears
James Dyer (Phoenix) – Arizona Redhawks
Vinny Eck (Chandler) - Phoenix Polar Bears
Chris Gartner (Anthem) – Arizona Redhawks
Ryan Greenspan (Chandler) – Arizona Redhawks
Nate Johnson (Chandler) - Phoenix Polar Bears
Dylan McDonald (Anthem) – Arizona Redhawks
Bryan McFarland (Scottsdale) – Arizona Redhawks
Gage Mitchell (Scottsdale) - Phoenix Polar Bears
Brandon Parrone (Peoria) – Arizona Redhawks
Evan Smith (Phoenix) – Arizona Redhawks
Cody Stocker (Cave Creek) - Phoenix Polar Bears
Adam Surber (Mesa) – Arizona Redhawks
Wade Weisgerber (Surprise) – Arizona Redhawks
THE WHYTE STUFF:
Youngsters don’t need mixed messages
I
t’s usually around this time of
year when I start hearing a lot
of coaches and parents discussing
their team’s situations and how
the players are progressing.
Some parents are tickled to
death with their child’s season,
whereas others are completely
frustrated.
One of the biggest misconceptions when listening to these conversations, however, is that many
players just don’t have that desire
or drive to play the game as hard
as they can.
What most parents - and some
coaches - don’t realize is that some
players can very easily become frozen during a game because they’re
not able to make a decision.
Without getting into the varying personalities, there’s a practical issue these kids face: They
so want to impress those around
them, they all want to win, and
they don’t want to let their teammates, coaches and parents down.
All those emoInstead of
tions during the
making presumpgame can easily
tuous comments
cause hesitation
like that, consider
and, for those
another option:
who have never
Approach this as a
played this sport,
player who needs
that can be miswork on building
construed as lack
his or her self-esof effort.
teem so that they
When a play
EHFRPHFRQÀGHQW
is taking shape
with making a
and a player has
decision and OK
to decide whether
with making misto engage or not,
takes.
that decision has
7KRVHZKRÀQG
Whyte
to be instantaneous. If a player
success are the ones who are willhesitates for even just a second, it
ing to make mistakes and do what
can lead to the play not ever devel- they can to redeem themselves
oping or that player getting beat.
once they’ve made them.
I can’t tell how many times I’ve
One of the more common reaheard people say how little Johnny sons young players have this hesiwas “just standing around the
tation is because they’re receiving
whole game,” or that “he didn’t
mixed messages. More times than
even look like he wanted to be
not, one of the parents is coaching
there,” or “I don’t think that kid
their child in the car, at home, and
even wants to play hockey.”
sometimes even from the stands.
Imagine the confusion the poor
player must be feeling: “I’m supposed to listen to my coach and be
the third man high, but my mom
(or dad) keeps telling me to crash
the net.”
Nobody likes having two bosses
at their day job, especially when
they’re not on the same page.
Parents who think it’s OK to
“help” their child by telling them
what to do without the coach’s
knowledge is undermining - plain
and simple.
Tell your child to eat right,
get rest, work hard and have
fun. Support your child by staying positive and reinforcing that
whatever the coach says is how it
goes.
A parent must put their trust
in the team and the coaches running the team. Anything else
becomes counterproductive, frustrates your child, and ultimately
prevents them from ever truly
reaching their potential. B
Sean Whyte is the director of hockey operations and coach-in-chief at DYHA.
20
North American Hockey League
Dekker humming along in Motor City
By Matt Mackinder
T
he North American Hockey
League (NAHL) has always had a solid reputation for
moving players onto the collegiate and professional ranks.
P Preston Dekker did his
homework in deciding to play in the NAHL and
hopes one day soon he too will be able to make the
jump.
Dekker, a 19-year-old forward from Phoenix,
couldn’t be happier playing in the league with the
Detroit-area Motor City Metal Jackets - the team
that drafted him last May.
“It’s a great accomplishment to play in the
NAHL,” Dekker said. “It’s a great league that gives
kids the opportunity to move to the next level. Kids
from all over the country play in this league and
I’m fortunate to be one of them.”
He would also be jubilant if his dream of playing college hockey comes to fruition during his
seasoning in Michigan.
“I think that playing for the Metal Jackets will
help me move to the next level,” boasted Dekker,
who had a goal and two assists through 14 games
this season. “It’s always been my dream to play
college hockey and I think that playing in a wellVFRXWHGOHDJXHOLNHWKH1$+/ZLOOGHÀQLWHO\JLYH
PHWKHRSSRUWXQLW\WRIXOÀOOWKDWGUHDPµ
Coming to the Metal Jackets was an easy decision once Dekker studied the situation.
“I knew that Motor City was getting new
ownership and a new coaching staff and
that it was going to be a rebuilding season,”
Dekker said. “The team is doing much
better this year because of the new
changes.”
After moving to Arizona when he
was 10, Dekker played two years
of Squirts at DYHA before skating
three seasons with VOSHA where he
was a member of the Mustangs’ Bantam AA national championship team.
He had previously played for teams
in Oklahoma, where he was born,
Missouri and New York. But Arizona,
as Dekker puts it, “is where I really
started to take hockey seriously.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pounder said
that Arizona is on the upswing when
it comes to developing players and
establishing itself as a place to be seen
by scouts.
Dekker is the perfect example.
“I always hear people saying,
‘There’s ice in Arizona?’ or ‘There’s
actually hockey in Arizona?’ I’m sure
most of the hockey players from Arizona have
heard that as well,” said Dekker, who played
three years at Northwood Prep School in Lake
Placid prior to beginning his junior
career.
“It almost makes you want to work
harder and prove to people that there
are good hockey players from Arizona. It always feels good proving
people wrong and it’s given me
the drive to make me a better player.
“I think that Arizona
KRFNH\LVGHÀQLWHO\JURZing and could one day
be a hockey hotbed. The
key to a player’s success
in Arizona is the coaching
they get at a young age. You
see more and more players from
Arizona establishing themselves
in junior, college and pro levels
of hockey.”
And if all goes according to plan, Dekker
could be next on that
growing list. B
NAHL.com
amburg
Andrew H
Phoenix
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Colorado Colle
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ArizonaRubber.com
21
Inline Hockey
Young Dragons Forge New Identity in AIHL
With its rebuilding process complete, hopes are high again in Phoenix
Devils go undefeated
in California
T
he Arizona State University roller
hockey program was nothing short
of dominant last month after posting
an undefeated tournament weekend in
Irvine, Calif.
The Division I squad went 5-0 on the
weekend, outscoring its opponents, 3712. Missing only freshman forward Will
Heinze, the Sun Devils looked unstoppable with nearly their full roster in
tact.
ASU beat UNLV and UC-Santa Barbara - two teams ranked ahead of it going into the tournament - by a combined
score of 16-2. The Devils also took sole
possession of first place in the region
with a 6-3 victory over top-ranked Long
Beach State.
ASU also beat Saddleback College,
handing the nation’s top-ranked junior
college team its first loss.
On the weekend, sophomores Tyler
Koressel and Stephen Sperry led the
team in scoring with 17 and 13 points,
respectively.
The Division II Devils also went 5-0
at the Irvine tournament. On the weekend, sophomore Luke Shaw led ASU
in assists with eight while freshman
standout Jeff Stern posted a team-high
11 goals.
“This was definitely the best weekend in program history,” said D-II team
captain Jimmy Woods. “Both teams
are starting to get some recognition for
our success.”
In the following week’s IRC National
Poll, both Sun Devil teams ranked
seventh in the nation in their respective
divisions.
The Irvine tournament was the end
of the fall semester for the D-II team,
while the D-I squad wrapped up the semester with a home tournament earlier
this month at Rollerplex. B
- Alex Dodt
22
By Alex Dodt
netminder. In front of him will be defensemen
Dan Center and K.C. Barter and forward John
he last two seasons, the American Inline HockDeGroote. Also returning and providing needed
ey League’s Phoenix Dragons have been models
veteran experience is forward Brian Geisler.
RIFRQVLVWHQF\PDNLQJLWWRWKHGLYLVLRQÀQDOV
“We have more youth than anything, but I
ERWK\HDUVZKLOHZLQQLQJLQDQGÀQLVKLQJ
think we have the right mix,” said Dave Marrunner-up in 2009.
morstein. “These younger guys who are moving
This year, the Dragons are changing as quickup have played with the older guys their whole
ly as the teams around them.
FDUHHUV7KLVLVMXVWWKHLUÀUVWWLPHWRJHWKHUDW
3KRHQL[·VRSSRQHQWLQWKHGLYLVLRQÀQDOVWKH
this level.”
past two seasons, the Tucson Desperados, have
7RÀOORXWWKHURVWHUDQGFRPSOHWHWKHULJKW
been replaced down south by a new franchise, the balance of youth and experience, Marmorstein
Tucson Slayers. Two teams from Colorado - the
has brought in Mike Sarter and Brian Phillips.
Rocky Mountain Talons and the Mile High May6DUWHUÀJXUHVWRPDNHDQLPPHGLDWHLPSDFWDV
hem - have joined the Southwest Division, which
he was a top defenseman two years ago for the
expands the circuit to an all-time high six teams.
Arizona Strike.
Back at Castle Sports Club, home of the
While key veteran additions will balance out
Southwest Division’s longest-running and most
the roster, Dave Marmorstein knows much of the
successful franDragons’ success
chise, the Dragons
lies in the develare undergoing
opment of their
a facelift of their
young stars.
own.
“We’ll have a
“We’re coming
very young team,
off a rebuilding
but these kids
year after our
are experienced
national chamat high levels,”
pionship season
he said. “If our
in 2008,” said
young players
Dragons coach
can develop and
and owner Dave
score goals at this
Marmorstein.
level, we’ll be a
“The rebuilding is
very competitive
complete this year
team.”
Greg Era, left, offers guidance to his Dragons minor team during a
with our longtime Coach
And with top
timeout last season. The entire organization is expected to be a force in the
minor league play- AIHL’s Southwest Division this year.
stars like Huffers moving up.”
man and David
Heading the youth movement in the organizaMarmorstein becoming old enough to join the pro
tion are the additions of A.J. Huffman and Dateam, there’ll naturally be holes left at the minor
vid Marmorstein to the pro team. For the past
level.
two seasons, Huffman and Marmorstein have
But the Dragons aren’t content with a rebuildERWKUDQNHGDPRQJWKHWRSÀYHVFRUHUVQDWLRQDOO\ ing season for a minor team that’s won the Southfor a dominant Dragons minor team.
west Division title two years in a row and made it
Joining Huffman are two more 18-year-old
WRWKH:HVWHUQ&RQIHUHQFHÀQDOODVWVHDVRQ7KLV
prospects in Marcus Esparza and Brian Puryear, Phoenix’s minor team will be a combination
cell, who will join the returning core of Dragons
of last year’s two minor league teams.
with an average age of 21.
In charge of keeping Phoenix in power in the
“This year, we’re going to need to be a possesminor division will be 1992-born stars Allie Era,
sion team,” said Dave Marmorstein. “We have
a member of the U.S. National Women’s Team,
a lot of young talent, but we’re not a team that
and Trevor Needle.
relies on one superstar. We’ll need contributions
Both players will get a taste of the elite level
from everyone.”
as Dave Marmorstein plans on having them make
The core of the team will once again be deappearances with the top team this season.
fenseman and captain Danny Marmorstein, a
Their focus, however, will be to keep the
member of the U.S. National Team last summer.
Dragons’ minor team on the top of the Southwest
Returning with him are four players ages 18-20,
Division heap.
all of whom proved last season they’re ready to
“We still have some younger guys and a solid
compete at the elite level.
talent base,” said Dragons coach Greg Era. “With
Eric Hernandez returns between the pipes
the two teams mixed together, we’ll have a strong
for his second season as the Dragons’ starting
group.” B
T
Inline Hockey
Needle Continues to Climb the Ranks
The YMCA beginner has evolved into one of Arizona’s elite players
By Alex Dodt
to something,” said Needle. “I became a solid AA
player all because of his practices and coaching.”
t’s certainly not typical for a kid to begin playFrom Needle’s start at the Castle in 12U
ing roller hockey at the YMCA and progress all through his time with the Dragons’ minor team,
the way to the top tier of the game.
Era has seen everything he has to offer. While
But, in Trevor Needle’s case, there were no
Needle is smooth with the puck and smart with
bases skipped on his way to becoming an elite
his decisions, Era believes skating is his biggest
player in the Arizona ranks.
attribute.
He started in beginner leagues at the YMCA
“Everyone knows Trevor is one of the hardestbefore making his way to the Castle Sports Club
working players around,” said Era, “but he’s also
where he began playing in the recreational house
quick; no matter what the score is, he skates hard
leagues. From there, he worked his way onto
and beats opponents to the puck.”
Castle’s travel teams starting in 12B, moving the
Needle has been near the top of the 1992 talnext year to 12A, reaching the AA level in 14-and- ent pool in Arizona for a few years, having played
XQGHUDQGJHWWLQJKLVÀUVW$$$H[SHULHQFHLQ
with the best of his age in AAA tournaments
16-and-under.
around the country. He pushed expectations even
“What stuck out about Trevor was his dedicahigher last summer, though, when he played
tion,” said Dave Marmorstein, who has seen
16AAA and 18AAA at the AAU Jr. Olympic
1HHGOH·VSURJUHVVLRQIURPWKHÀUVWWLPHKHVNDWHG Games and was named an All-American in both
at the Castle. “He
divisions.
always wanted to come
“I really stepped it
to the rink, he always
up last year,” Needle
wanted to play, and
said of his performance.
he even loved to help
“It’s tough to get those
out around the rink. It
awards and it made me
showed on the rink befeel ready to play at a
cause he played hard no
higher level this year.”
matter the situation.”
That enhanced
Needle also played
competition will come
high school hockey,
this year for Needle as
spent two seasons
he does double-duty
playing for the Phoenix
for the Dragons. With
Dragons’ minor league
the loss of top scorer
team, and this year will
A.J. Huffman, he will
complete his journey
be expected to lead
ZKHQKHSOD\VKLVÀUVW
the way for a Dragons
game for the Dragons’
minor team that made
pro team.
it to the conference
Needle still has a
ÀQDOVODVWVHDVRQ:LWK
hard time believing that
HYHQPRUHFRQÀGHQFH
dream is about to be reNeedle is ready to acalized and says it won’t
cept the challenge.
really hit him until he
“It’ll be a little hard
ÀUVWVWHSVRQWRWKHULQN
losing so many guys,”
in the pro division.
he said. “I’m looking
Trevor Needle has made all the right moves on his way to
“I tried basketball,
forward to the leaderbecoming a standout on the roller hockey floor.
soccer, everything when
ship role, though. I
I was younger and I
like the pressure; it’s a
wasn’t good at anything,” he said. “I picked up
personal adrenaline rush.”
hockey and got decent at it so I stuck with it. But
While his focus will be carrying a heavy load
,GHÀQLWHO\QHYHUGUHDPHGDERXWJRLQJWKLVIDURU for the minor team, Needle will also be called up
even thought that I could.”
to contribute to the pro team as well.
Needle cites two coaches, Greg Era and
Easing the transition will be a sense of familDanny MarmorsteinDVKDYLQJWKHPRVWLQÁXiarity. Along with longtime coach Danny Marence on his development.
morstein, Needle’s teammates on the pro team
Needle and Marmorstein will be teammates
include many former teammates on youth travel
on the Dragons’ pro team this season. He credits
teams.
Marmorstein with bringing his game to the AAA
“That’s the main thing about playing at the
level. Era, however, laid the foundation for where pro level this year, I know most of the guys and
Needle is today.
how they play,” Needle said. “I’m a tad nervous,
“Greg pretty much made me go from nothing
but I know I’m ready.” B
I
IHAAZ continues to
take shape
A
fter the recent folding of the Arizona Inline Hockey Association
(AIHA), the rumor mill has brought
some unreliable information to the surface regarding the newly formed Inline
Hockey Association of Arizona (IHAAZ).
“People are hearing that we’re only
allowing certain teams in and totally
false things of that sort,” said IHAAZ
president Jim Curley. “That’s obviously not true. We want everyone to know
we support any youth team that wants
to enter our tournament series.”
While trying to ensure accurate
information about the new tournament
series is communicated properly to the
inline community, the IHAAZ is also
working to grow the sport across the
state.
Last month, the IHAAZ struck a
partnership with the Barney Family
Sports Complex in Queen Creek to host
a preseason tournament this month.
The IHAAZ plans to get involved in
marketing and growing youth hockey at
the BFSC.
“It’s important to get new rinks involved and Barney’s was a no-brainer,”
said Curley. “It’s a new, state-of-theart facility in an unserved market with
no hockey. It’s important to get youth
hockey going there.”
The IHAAZ will also offer a $200
discount to state finals for any team
that participates in all five qualifying
tournaments.
“That idea goes back to why we
formed in the first place,” Curley
added. “We need to support each other
and we want to reward teams that do
just that.”
The first-ever IHAAZ regular-season
tournament is schedule for Jan. 8-10,
2010 at Rollerplex in Peoria.
For more information on the IHAAZ,
visit IHAAZ.org. B
- Alex Dodt
ArizonaRubber.com
23
VOSHA Lady Coyotes
Tournament season in
high gear for girls
By Brian McDonough
T
he entire VOSHA Lady Coyotes program continues to
PDNHVLJQLÀFDQWVWULGHVDQGQRZKHUHZDVWKDWPRUH
evident than last month’s showing at the Bauer International Invite in Rochester, N.Y.
At the showcase, VOSHA skated toe-to-toe against some of
the top prep school programs in the country, including the North American
Hockey Academy and the National Sports Academy (NSA).
One of the weekend’s highlights came when the program’s U16 team knocked
off NSA, 3-2, with Katie McGovern (two goals) and Nicki Clover (goal) supplying the offense.
“That was a big win for the girls,” said coach Jen Lipman, who attended
NSA in 2002. “It helped them believe that they can compete with any team out
there, and playing against my alma mater and winning against my old prep
school coach was great.”
And the schedule doesn’t get any easier, as the Lady Coyotes head back east
over the holidays for the Connecticut Polar Bears Tournament, one of the largest
and highly scouted festivals of the season.
“This is a great event and should open a lot of doors for the girls as far as
exposure,” said head coach Gayle Shalloo. “For college and prep school recruiters, this is a must-attend tournament and we really need to be at our best.”
The Lady Coyotes also garnered recognition from the Arizona High School
Hockey Association recently, as Shalloo was named October’s Coach of the
Month in the JV division, with Corrine Rivard copping Goalie of the Month
honors.
“That’s a well-deserved accomplishment for Corrine,” praised Shalloo. B
LadyCoyotesHockey.com
AWAY FROM THE RUBBER:
Here’s to eliminating hits to the head
A
sk any hockey fan and they’ll
tell you: Checking is a special
part of the game and one that
makes the sport so exciting.
Unfortunately, we’re often
seeing players carted off the ice
on a stretcher as a result of dangerous body checks and collisions,
and at times those hits were
avoidable or intentional.
Even with modern protective
equipment, the head is still an
extremely vulnerable area of the
body, with injuries possibly being
catastrophic. Recent media attention given to concussions has
made players, parents, coaches
and officials more cognizant of
how dangerous blows to the head
area can be, whether they’re accidental or intentional.
Several years ago, hockey
recognized the severity of injuries
resulting from the dangerous act
of checking a player with their
back turned and the checking
from behind penalty became a
point of emphasis with more se-
vere implications
contact sport,
for the infraction.
with many levels
USA Hockey
allowing bodyand Hockey
checking within
Canada also
set parameters.
implemented the
At those where
use of the stop
bodychecking is
sign logo on the
permitted, it’s
back of players’
strictly defined.
jerseys throughUSA Hockey
out the amateur
recognizes a legal
ranks, because
body check as
the associations
being done “only
wanted to elimiwith the trunk
nate head and
of the body (hips
spine injuries
and shoulders)
Bahn
and were prepared to take all the and must be above the opponent’s
steps necessary to do so.
knees and below the neck.”
Contact to the head area is
In recent years, in an effort to
another issue hockey is now
curb the amount of injuries as a
starting to recognize, whether it
result of contact to the head, both
be from a legal body check to a
USA Hockey and Hockey Canada
player with their head down or
have implemented specific penalfrom dangerous and unnecessary
ties for such actions.
blows to the head, such as followUSA Hockey states that a
ing through on a check with arms penalty shall be assessed to
to the head.
“any player who intentionally
Hockey has always been a
or recklessly contacts a player
to the head.” Hockey Canada’s
checking to the head penalty
“shall be assessed to any player
who checks an opponent to the
head area in any manner,” and
goes even further in stating
that “checking to the head
could also be the result of an
open-ice hit, with or without
the fouled player’s head being
down.”
In very simple and clear
terms, regardless if the player
has the puck or their head down,
there can be no contact to the
player’s head, whether from
the initial contact or the follow
through action of the arms.
Don’t get me wrong: There
are few things more exciting
than watching a good, clean
body check in the open ice; it can
energize a team and the crowd.
However, it’s critical to realize
that the intent of a good body
check is to separate the opponent
from the puck, not the player
from consciousness. B
Mike Bahn is the Coyotes’ strength and conditioning coordinator.
24
ArizonaRubber.com
25
BTM/Arizona
Rubber Test
Team Mission
of the Month
Test Team Member:
Matt Jones
Team: Arizona Hockey
Union 96AA
Product: M11 Helmet
by Cascade
OVERVIEW: When I first picked up the
M11 helmet, it was hard not to notice how
light it was. I was also glad to see that it
looked nothing like the old Cascade helmet. I especially liked the additional 20
air holes throughout the top and side. The
helmet also had a different style of padding
that looked a lot more comfortable than
other helmets I’ve seen.
PROTECTION/PERFORMANCE:7KHÀUVW
time I wore the helmet some of my teammates
helped me test it. It worked very well and
stayed snug on my head no matter how hard
I was hit! During my test period, I was able
to wear it at the Bauer Invite tournament in
Chicago, too, and it performed very well. ProWHFWLRQLVRQHRIWKHÀUVWWKLQJV\RXORRNIRULQ
a helmet, and the M11 delivered.
FIT/ADJUSTABILITY: The M11 fit my
head perfectly. It has what’s called a
“Mono 90” shell design that allows air to
flow through and around the helmet. It also
has the “Seven” technology (a material that
replaces the hard foams in most helmets)
that absorbs impact to reduce concussions.
No matter what size your head is, the helmet has a contour and ratchet system that
adjusts and takes away pressure points.
The helmet fit very snug on my head just
like a beanie or a hat would.
WEAR: All of the padding stayed in place during the test, and although the ratchet system
loosened up a bit after a couple of hard-hitting
games in Chicago, I was able to readjust it
without much of a problem. The plastic shell
of the helmet hasn’t had any cracks or problems either; it seems to be as well built as the
stuff on the inside.
BREAK-IN/COMFORT: The M11 took a
little time getting used to, but after wearing it a few times I was hooked; the comfort
was unbelievable. A lot of helmets give you
some pressure points when they’re new,
but the M11 fit perfect the first time I put
it on.
SUMMARY: I have to admit I was a little
concerned by how light the M11 was, and that
PD\EH&DVFDGHKDGVDFULÀFHGSDGGLQJIRU
weight, but I was proven wrong. The helmet
is very durable and comfortable to wear.
Cascade claims the M11 is the safest helmet
for protection against concussions, which
means they’ve worked hard to not only make
a comfortable helmet, but also one that keeps
you safe. I would recommend it to any player
that’s looking for protection, comfort and
durability. B
The Test Team is still accepting applications for the 2009-10 season! Those applicants
with the BEST sample reviews will be chosen. To apply, visit BehindTheMask.com and be
FHUWDLQWRÀOORXWDQGDQVZHU$//RIWKHTXHVWLRQVDVNHGRQWKHDSSOLFDWLRQ
OneHockey tourney in a league of its own
M
ore than 200 teams; 3,400-plus participants;
13 countries and dozens upon dozens of regions from the United States and Canada represented.
No, this is no longer simply a tournament; it’s
quickly becoming an event of epic amateur hockey
proportion.
Sebastien Fortier - the OneHockey founder
and president with more than decade of pro hockey experience throughout North America - admits
that even he didn’t expect OneHockey’s showcase
event to be this big this soon.
Not that it surprises him, however.
“OneHockey is in its own league,” he said of
the event’s growth year after year. “Actually,
we’re not going to be calling it a tournament
anymore; we’re going to be calling ourselves a real
event. It’s more than just a tournament.”
)RUWLHUDQG&RÀUVWLQWURGXFHGWKHLGHDRIWKH
2QH+RFNH\WRXUQDPHQWMXVWÀYHVKRUW\HDUVDJR
when a handful of teams participated in the inaugural event in Fortier’s hometown just outside of
Montreal.
Now, with the Summer 2010 showcase fast apSURDFKLQJ)RUWLHULVFRQÀGHQWLQSURFODLPLQJWKH
OneHockey festival as the premier summer AAA
event of its kind.
“We’ve reached a lot of the best players, and
with the success we’ve had it looks like this year
we’re going to be reaching even more of the best
26
from everywhere in North America,” Fortier
added.
Aston, Pa., just a quick 15-minute jaunt from
historic Philadelphia, currently serves as the
summer home for OneHockey, giving participants, Fortier notes, the perfect destination for
With top competition from around the globe and plenty of
scouting exposure, OneHockey has quickly established itself as
one of the most prestigious summer tournaments.
players, parents, coaches and scouts - notably
from the junior and college ranks - to enjoy great
hockey and some of the most historical tourist
sites the United States’ eastern seaboard has to
offer.
Fortier said that OneHockey has succeeded at
offering competitive hockey players - ages 8-18
participating at various levels - the ultimate in
high-level competition at a great value. ParticipaWLRQLQFOXGHVDWOHDVWÀYHURXQGURELQJDPHVSOXV
playoffs for top teams) and a nine-piece uniform
set, including jersey, pants, socks, off-ice apparel
and more.
“The cost can be as low as $295 per player for
everything,” he said, “and on top of that you get to
play in the best-organized tournament in North
America. That’s a heck of a package for a small
amount of money.”
Nearly three-dozen former NHL players have
served as OneHockey coaches, and, in recent
years, the tournament has helped participants
land opportunities to play with junior hockey
programs in the QMJHL, WHL, BCHL, NAHL,
USHL and AJHL, and with top college programs
at the Division I NCAA level.
“We’re hoping to bring at least one team
from each division from Arizona and California
to OneHockey,” said Fortier. “We already have
some commitments, but if you have a really solid
hockey team, a very good team, contact us and
we’ll talk to you and see if you can qualify or not.
We want to keep growing with the best players
and teams.”
Teams and individuals alike are encouraged to
visit OneHockey.com for tournament information,
including location details, dates, and how to apply
for the Summer 2010 event. B
ArizonaRubber.com
28