HOCKEY TOWN MAGAZINE, Spring 2012 by Vic Rodriguez

I N S I D E : T R AV E L H O C K E Y T R YO U T S O N L O N G I S L A N D Issue 01 | May 2012

Â&#x201C; FREE

HOCKEY IS FOR

EVERYONE

L.I. Blues&L.I. Roughriders

AROUND HOCKEY TOWN Massapequa Wins NYS Championship

ROAD MAP TO THE NHL What Every Young Hockey Player Should Read

Hockey

E C N E L O Is it just part I V of the game?

Plus: Coaches clipboard with the Ferraro Brothers, Improve your hockey skills cover final.indd 1

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A Letter From the Editor Dear Hockey Friends & Family,

Editor In Chief

Hockey Town Magazine is a monthly, free distribution magazine that is dedicated to covering hockey on Long Island and the surrounding areas.

Victor Michael Rodriguez Executive Editor Benjamin Horney

Here at Hockey Town, we are committed to being Long Island’s resource for everything hockey. Through well developed, thoroughly researched articles, our aim is to help the local hockey community in any way we can. We strive to have a positive influence on youth hockey players and parents and the adult hockey athlete through our coverage of local teams and events. Each month we will feature segments from player spotlights, adult or youth hockey games, and great feature articles like “Road Map to the NHL”.

Art Director Catalin Ciolca

And that’s just the beginning. When you open up our magazine, you will find that our local youth and adult hockey community is just as important as the professional leagues.

VP Sales & Marketing Kevin McCrone

We encourage readers to send in story ideas, or information about events that you think we should cover. We are Long Island’s hockey resource. We are your hockey resource. We are Hockey Town Magazine. Victor M. Rodriguez

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Around Hockey Town own n

Current events in Long Island nd Hockey

Road Map to the NHL

The path some players took to make the NHL

Hockey Violence – Checking & Fighting ng

Is violence an inherent part of the game?

Director of Photography Dana L. Harris III

Staff Writer Victor Emanuel Staff Writer Carolyn Lhotta Hockey Town Magazine, LLC Editorial Ofﬁces Hicksville, New York Published by Century Publishing Company, Post Falls, Idaho 83854

Our May Issue 6

Senior Designer Gabriela Tache

Inside the Igloo

Game Coverage of Local Hockey Teams

Ferraro Brothers Coaches Clipboard

Improve Performance-Game Day Preparations

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Power Play-ers Stars of the Month

Player Spotlights from Around Long Island

Hockey is for Everyone

Playing opportunities for all Physical Abilities

On cover: Justin Rodriguez, Photo by: Dana L. Harris III

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TOWN OF OYSTER BAY

FAMILY SKATE NIGHT By: Benjamin Horney

ormer New York Ranger Pete Stemkowski was on hand at the Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center at Bethpage Community Parks on Tuesday, March 22, to honor Oyster Bay’s youth hockey players. “On behalf of the New York Rangers, I want to congratulate all the young boys and girls in the Oyster Bay hockey program,” he said to the crowd. “Job well done.”

The 68-year-old former NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup champion proceeded to walk out onto the ice to hand out certificates and hats to each youth hockey player, commemorating a successful season. Stemkowski also had some encouraging words for the kids, many of whom dream of following in his footsteps, hoping to one day play in the NHL. “If you like playing hockey, stick with it,”

he said. “I certainly did. I had a dream to play in the NHL when I was a little boy, and it came true.” Stemkowski is most well known as a Ranger for his overtime heroics in the 1971 semifinals against the Chicago Black Hawks. Stemkowski scored game-winning goals during the sudden death overtimes in games one and six, although the Rangers ultimately lost the series in seven games. Photo by: Irwin Mendlinger

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Suffolk County Hockey League Skills Competition

TRAVEL

HOCKEY TRYOUTS By: Victor Emanuel

t the start of spring each hockey season, you will find postings on websites across Long Island and all surrounding areas for Travel Hockey Tryouts. Many teams actually invite players to come down to their “Brush-Up” or “Shape-Up” clinics to get in shape for their tryouts for the team. These clinics serve many purposes; it familiarizes the player with the coaches style, type of drills and it also helps them understand the level of competition. Most travel organizations held their tryouts between the final week of

March through the end of April. Travel Hockey on Long Island is a fairly substantial commitment that both parents and their youth hockey athlete will have to make (financially and time-wise). Usually by May 1, all travel organizations have their teams established and their rosters posted. If you are considering travel hockey for your child, please read our article in the June issue of Hockey Town Magazine: “Is Your Child Ready for Travel Hockey?”

The Suffolk County Hockey League held their Annual All Star Game on April 20th at the Rinx in Hauppauge. Following the game, they held a skills competition shootout which was won by Eastern All Star Anthony Collins. As the final skater in the shootout elimination, Collins was awarded a new graphite hockey stick for his performance. The goaltender voted the MVP of the night was Jason Sommeso. Sommeso also won a new graphite stick for his performance. The event was sponsored by Cozzi Sports.

SCHL Skills Competition, Photo by: Mario Vasquez

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HOCKEY

E C N E L O I V CHECKING & FIGHTING By: Benjamin Horney

SA Hockey recently instituted a rule change eliminating body checking in the 12 and under leagues, after 88 percent of hockey administrators from around the country agreed at last year’s USA Hockey Annual Congress. According to an e-mail informing parents of the rule change, the institution of this rule took place for three reasons: To ensure player safety, to allow players an additional two years to develop skills like skating, passing and puck control and to allow players two more years of non-checking body contact in games, while being able to practice the skill of checking in practice. What all of this means is that up until this year, body checking was allowed in leagues in which the players were 12 and under, which begs the question:

Is violence an inherent part of the game of hockey? When you strip the sport down to its most basic ideals, it certainly seems that way. Athletes stand on sharpened ice skates and use a big stick to try and shoot a rubber puck into a goal. In certain situations, it’s within the rules to smash your opponent into the boards to try and claim possession of the puck. According to 61-year-old Lenard Kotylo, a member of the Society for International Hockey Research, violence has indeed been a part of hockey since the game’s genesis way back in 1875 in Montreal - partly due to the sport of lacrosse.

Lacrosse, Kotylo says, was extremely popular throughout the United States and Canada back then, and was actually far more vicious than hockey. As hockey took over, he says, it assumed the role of the popular, violent sport. “When hockey began around 1875 it continued to manifest that sort of violence,” he says. “It’s almost like the

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violence and fighting appeals as part of human nature.”

tensive medical research and knowledge of today.

But hang on; we’re talking 137 years ago here. Before the NHL dolled out contracts in the millions of dollars to stars like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. Before the concussions of superstars led to lost games and income for franchises. Before the ex-

Surely the violence has dwindled, right? To find out if the barbaric nature of the sport is still alive in today’s up-and-comers, we went straight to the source: today’s up-and-comers. All 20 local youth hockey players

asked, with ages ranging from 11 to 23, agreed that violence is a necessary part of the game. Of 15 parents, 11 shared that sentiment, while four were weary of its place in the game. Even Michael Ouimet, 23, who once suffered a concussion from a cheap hit during a club hockey game, agrees that violence in the game isn’t goMAY 2012

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ing away, nor should it. Ouimet, who played in the Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference All Star Game in 2009 at The Rinx in Hauppauge, says that just like any contact sport, some violence is bound to occur, especially in hockey where the rules allow it. “There’s a physical aspect to the game and it serves multiple purposes,” he says. “Not only does it make an already difﬁcult game more demanding and entertaining, but it serves as a means of protection for more skilled players.” It’s a small sample size for sure, but once again it begs the question: is violence inherently a part of hockey? And when does the thirst for violence begin? Chris Peters, who runs the blog www. unitedstatesofhockey.com, says that violence starts very early on, and that it’s not just the kids who crave to hit. “I’ve seen it [violence] at pretty much every level of youth hockey,” Peters, who also used to work in media and public relations for USA Hockey, says. “I’d go to a pee wee hockey game and the parents would be yelling ‘hit ‘em, hit ‘em! They’re screaming this at 11 and 12 year olds.” So maybe violence is inherent in hockey; it’s an intense, emotional game, and contact is unavoidable. But what is it that’s making parents yearn for their children to be enforcers at such

e? According to Peters, it’s an early age? th game iis played l d partly due to h how the at the professional level. The parents and coaches, he says, must not get caught up in the violent aspect of the game for the kids’ sakes. “Obviously ﬁghting is a part of the game at the NHL level,” Peters says, “but it’s up to the parents and coaches to tell their kids not to focus on the violent aspects of the game at this age. In the NHL, it’s not going to go away, so parents and coaches need to teach kids the right way to play the game.” Skills, Peters says, should be kids’ focus, and not learning how to be an enforcer. In fact, Peters believes that focusing on skills at the youth level should be more important than even winning. “People need to focus on the basics of skill development,” Peters says.

that fighting might occur. And even though he doesn’t condone violence, especially at the youth level, Kotylo admits that fighting and checking can have a purpose in the game besides being mindless violence. “If you get rid of fighting, the drawback is that you’re still going to have aggressive tactics no matter what” he says. “Other things, like high sticks, elbows, spears and tripping will manifest themselves as being a means of aggression. To have the outlet of fighting probably improves the game in some respects. It’s the abuse of that privilege that has detracted from the game.” So USA Hockey has taken out body checking in the 12 and under leagues. However, it seems that regardless of the level, some semblance of violence is bound to occur. But it’s also unclear whether that is because some sem-

It’s all about getting better, having fun and learning to play the game the right way. Once you take care of that, the rest of it will take care of itself. Another reason that people get so caught up in the violence, Kotylo says, is the slippery slope that the rules of the game itself create. “The rules say that if you ﬁght there will be this penalty,” Kotylo says, “so it’s presumed right from the beginning

blance of violence has always existed in the basic rules of the game. This leads us to the question: Is violence an inherent part of the hockey? Looks like we’re back where we started.

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NICK MANGONE - 11th Grade

Massapequa HS Varsity Ice Hockey

Photo by: Robert Cummings

Forward Nick Magnone scored the winning goal in overtime in the semi final game and the winning goal in the final game of the AAU NYS Club School Hockey Large School Championships in Amherst NY on March 4th. Nick collected 26 goals and 14 assists during the 2011-12 season for the Massapequa Chiefs.

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The road to the NHL isn’t found on Mapquest. It’s littered with roadblocks and is rarely nicely paved. And then there’s the traffic: for between 600 and 700 active roster spots in the NHL, there were 1,285 youths registered with USA Hockey on Long Island alone last year. And 40,360 in New York State overall. And 500,579 in the United States. Not to mention all the players from Canada and Europe who are vying for spots in the league as well.

How’s that for a traffic jam? Still, the dream of playing in the NHL is not for naught. Each month, Hockey Town will bring you the story of one of the guys who made it. We’ll trace the steps they took; from the day they tried on their first pair of skates to the day they stepped on the ice as a member of the NHL, and everything in between.

wasn’t the smoothest stick handler, fastest skater or hardest shooter, early on, Webb - who would go on to rack up 532 penalty minutes in 321 NHL games - showed the instincts of an enforcer.

you get into that high school age there’s a lot more distractions. It’s an important time in your life where you really have to make those decisions that are hard to make.”

Their road map to the NHL.

By: Benjamin Horney

Steve Webb 12-year-old Steve Webb wrote down his goal: to play in the NHL. Nine years later, he suited up for his first game as a New York Islander. But, Webb explains, it took more than scribbling some words on a piece of paper to reach the apex of hockey. Webb played his first league hockey at eight years old, but as a “late starter” to skating, the Peterborough, Ontario native was a step behind before his journey had even begun. “I definitely wasn’t the first selected for pond hockey teams,” he says, “I was a little late to the game, a late bloomer.” With his late start as a youngster contributing to a lack of touch hockey skills, Webb needed to find other advantages on the ice. While he

“I was very good at knowing where the contact was going to be on the ice, so I used that as an asset,” he says. But what truly separated Webb from other players was his desire to achieve that boyhood dream. In fact, he says, true determination is often the difference between a great youth hockey player and a future professional. “As a teenager there’s so many fun things going on that you don’t want to miss out on,” he says. “It’s very easy for a kid to really work on skating when he’s 10 years old, 12 years old. But once

Webb’s commitment, as well as his desire to continue learning, was unyielding. For most teenagers, rigorous winters of league play turn to sunshine-filled summers spent outdoors. Many hockey players, Webb explains, work out and train during the summers because they have to. But, Webb says, there’s a difference between have to and want to.

For Webb, training and improving wasn’t a chore. It was his life. “You have to love the game, you have to have a passion. You have to have the drive,” he says. “You have to really seriously want it, because you’re going to come across so many adverse situations that will deter you and take you down a different road.” And at 16-years-old, Webb faced one of those adverse situations that for many would have been a dream decimator. He was the only member of his regional team that was not invited to a selection camp. But Webb maintains that his non-inclusion actually did quite the opposite. It fueled his desire to succeed. “I didn’t take the interstate to get to the NHL,” he says. “I had to take side roads, detours. But those bumps allowed me to progress.” That summer he began working at Canadian

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Chris Ferraro As Chris Ferraro sat in the Madison Square Garden locker room, surrounded by the real-life heroes like Wayne Gretzky, Mike Richter and Mark Messier, it finally hit him. All his hard work had paid off, and his dream had come true. He had made the NHL. He was a New York Ranger.

Hockey Enterprises (CHE), which offers hockey tournaments, schools and camps for adults and youths. There, Webb grew into the hockey player who would go on to play eight seasons in the NHL. “I was learning every day, I was getting advice every day,” he says. “I was very fortunate in my surroundings, people who really cared for my best interests.” At CHE, Webb met NHL scouts, and worked with other high-end hockey players who were on the track to playing professional hockey. “I started really growing,” he says. “I was around the right people, learning from them on a daily basis, all day long.” Webb says that recognizing his surroundings while at CHE was one of the most important steps to his development as a player. Improving as a player, he stresses, isn’t just about playing hockey.

According to Webb, hockey isn’t a sport. It’s a lifestyle. “To get the results you’re looking for there’s a responsibility. There’s a lot that goes into being an athlete,” he says. “I was observatory around players and coaches. Watching guys practice at 7 in the morning. How they worked out, their eating habits, what their life was like. You have to have a vision of what you’re going to accomplish.”

Just 11 months after he was left out of the selection camp, Webb was selected 21st overall in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) draft. He played in the OHL for three seasons, as a member of the Windsor Spitfires and the Peterborough Petes. In 1994, at 19-years-old, The Buffalo Sabres selected Webb with the 176th overall pick in the NHL draft. In 1996, at 21 years and 252 days old, Webb laced up his skates and stepped on the ice as a member of the NHL’s New York Islanders. His 12-year-old self couldn’t have been happier. 16 years after he reached the pinnacle, Webb’s life still revolves around hockey. He retired after eight seasons in the NHL, and founded the W20 Foundation in 2007, which started with yet another written goal, stated on its website, W20foundation.org. “To promote social responsibility and community giveback through athletes in North America. It’s our mission to be an invaluable resource to all athletes, their parents, sports organizations and communities at large. We are here to assist athletes in learning life skills through participation in community giveback that in turn will increase their self-confidence, promote responsibility, independence and overall help them build strong character.” 25 years later, his goal is a little wordier, but carries the same tone: to help kids reach their dreams the way he reached his. “There’s kids from Long Island playing everywhere that are great examples of making the right decisions at a young age,” he says. “I’m all about helping them actually go after it.”

But, Chris says, that moment didn’t happen by chance or because it was his dream. It happened because he dedicated his life to hockey at a young age. It happened because he made sacrifices.

It happened because of the time he put towards his goal. “Everyone has the dream,” he says, “but the ones who make it are the ones who really chase it. There are a lot of good hockey players. What separates the ones that make it is dedication.” Chris Ferraro and his twin brother Peter were born in Port Jefferson, Long Island in 1973. The brothers began playing hockey at the age of six. It was the perfect time for two future Long Island superstars to be born - by the time they turned seven, the Islanders had won the first of what would become four consecutive Stanley Cups. “Early on, our parents would have signings at their store (sports retail outlet Plaza Surf and Sports) with all the stars from the Islanders,” Chris says. “Hockey was creating a huge buzz on Long Island so it was something we took a liking to early on.” According to Chris, the boys’ father played a huge role in their development. Once a poor pickle factory worker, Peter Ferraro Sr. built the successful Plaza Surf and Sports from the ground up; if anyone knows about hard work and dedication, Chris says, it’s him.

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“He pushed us,” Chris says, “I’m not afraid to admit it, he worked us hard.” That’s an understatement. Every day, the boys’ wake up call was at six in the morning for a four-mile run or rollerblading session. Next up was an hour and a half of exercises, like push-ups, sit-ups and jump rope. At that point it would be time for school. When they got home, after completing all their homework and cleaning the house, the boys would weight train or rollerblade for an hour. Then they would practice skills like shooting and passing for four or five hours. Finally, sleep. “My brother and I were not seen because we worked extremely hard.” off behind the scenes,” Chris says. By age nine, the boys were playing in an elite league in Philadelphia. By age 12 they were members of the Rye Rangers, a travel team started by their father that played in tournaments across the United States and Canada. By age 16 they were playing for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL).

and Peter were selected for the bronze medalwinning World Junior Championship team, which featured NHL superstars like “Ziggy” Palfy, Eric Lindros and Scott Niedermayer. Peter led the team in scoring, with Chris a close second. After that tournament, Peter and Chris were told they would be third and fourth round picks, respectively, in the 1992 NHL draft. Unexpectedly, The Rangers took Peter in the first round. As the second and third rounds passed, Chris was still on the board. “I was like, ‘what is going on here?’” he remembers thinking as the fourth round began. “It wasn’t like Peter was three rounds better than me” he chuckles. In the fourth round, the Rangers made a draft day deal for the Edmonton Oilers’ pick – and with the 85th pick in the draft they selected Chris. It was a major relief for Chris, and also meant that he wouldn’t have to part ways with his brother. “Now I could breath,” he says. “It was an exciting day; two Long Island guys drafted by the New York Rangers.” However, being drafted didn’t

They achieved such rapid success because their father pushed them to train on their own, both on and off the ice. “Our dad gave us structure, responsibility,” Chris says. “We knew our roles every single day.” As they moved up in the hockey world, the results of their efforts were staggering. Chris led the USHL in scoring as a rookie. Both Chris

mean that the brothers’ story was over and the credits could roll. They still had work to do. “You’re just property [when you’re drafted],” Chris says, “Getting drafted just gets your foot in the door. It’s another starting point. Now you have lots of work to do to earn a position.”

The year after they were drafted, the brothers played college hockey at the University of Maine, leading the Black Bears to a 42-1-2 record and the NCAA Division I Championship. In 1994 they played for the USA men’s hockey team at the Olympic Winter Games in Norway. But even when Chris led Rangers’ training camp in scoring before the 1995-96 season, he still couldn’t crack the roster. “The team is filled with hall of fame players,” Chris says. “They just won the Stanley Cup in ‘94. You look at that lineup and you just say ‘there’s no room.’” On October 16, 1995, Peter was finally called up, but Chris was not. Later that season though, during the Ferraro’s Easter dinner, Chris finally got the call. He would be playing against the Florida Panthers the next day. “I didn’t sleep all night,” he says. On April 8, 1996, Chris played his first NHL game. He scored a goal, too - assisted by his brother. “It was the greatest feeling in the world,” he says. “If my career ended right there I would be happy,” he says. His career wasn’t quite over, however. He went on to play parts of six seasons with the Rangers, Penguins, Oilers, Islanders and Capitals. It was a long, difficult journey that required many sacrifices. Was it worth it? “Without question it paid off”, Chris says. Chris and Peter now run Elite Hockey Camp on Long Island to promote the development of youth hockey players, some of whom might follow in the Ferraro’s footsteps and one day represent Long Island in the NHL. They also run the Jennifer Ferraro Foundation, which was established in memory of Chris’ wife, who died in 2002 after a year-long battle with Gastric Cancer. The foundation works closely with Stony Brook, as well as the New York Rangers and the Garden of Dreams Foundation. “Through the process, she [Jennifer] just wanted to help others,” Chris says. “We just want to help others.” 21 MAY 2012

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Massapequa Chiefs Win

NY State Club School Hockey Championship By: Tom Kiernan

or the third straight year the Massapequa Chiefs Ice Hockey team qualified for the New York State Club School Hockey (NYSCSH) Championship. Their dream to win the “States” fell short the previous two years but this year would be different. The Chiefs finished the regular season with 14 wins, 6 losses and a tie. They defeated the Syosset Braves 8-7 on February 28th to claim the Town of Oyster Bay Championships but were still considered under dogs playing over 400 miles away in Amherst, NY. The first game against Western New York powerhouse St. Francis ended in a 2-2 tie. Although the Chiefs were leading most of the game, the tie was not a disappointment because the team realized that their goalie Dana DeMartino – the only female in the tournament – had just set the stage for a historical run by the Chiefs. With a tremendous level of confidence in their goalie and defense, the Chiefs went on to beat St. Joseph’s by a score of 5-3. They then followed that win with a victory over Hutch Tech 7-2 which gave them the first seed in the tournament playoffs. The Chiefs dedicated their season this year to former player and Coach Edward J. Fulford who died tragically last summer. Each player wears Eddie’s initials on their jersey in his honor. In the semi-final round of the playoffs, the Chiefs

once again faced off against St. Francis. Massapequa controlled the game with a 2-0 lead, but lost that lead after St. Francis scored 3 straight unanswered goals following a series of penalties. Late in the third period, defensemen Jake Zimmerman fired from the point and scored to tie the game at 3. That goal sent the game into sudden death overtime. Overtime would not last long. Tenacious forward Nicky Mangone fired a wrist shot along the ice to beat the St. Francis goalie five-hole and send the Chiefs to the finals. The Chiefs’ opponent in the finals would be Lancaster who earlier in the day had sent home the Syosset Braves in their semi-final match. Striking first and scoring early in the game from a shot off the face off, Lancaster took a quick 1-0 lead. But that would be their only goal of the game as DeMartino (27 shots/26 saves) and the Chiefs’ defense locked the door for the remainder of the contest. Later in the first period Chiefs’ forward James Jiritano fired a laser to tie the game at 1. The game winning goal by Nicky Mangone would come off a rebound from a slap shot by Chiefs defenseman and Captain Christopher Kiernan. Midway through the third period forward Bobby Oldmixon buried a pass from Nicky Mangone to seal the win and give the Chiefs their first New York State Championship with a final score of 3-1.

FDNY King of the Ice By: Benjamin Horney

On Saturday, April 14, the Nassau Coliseum hosted a double header of hockey: the 17th annual FDNY King of the Ice tournament championship, and the 39th annual FDNY vs. NYPD game. The winner of the King of the Ice championship was Engine 280/Ladder 152, defeating Engine 299/ Ladder 152 by a score of 3 to 2. In the day’s main event, in front of roughly 13,000 fans, the FDNY beat the NYPD, also by a score of 3-2. The King of the Ice tournament features teams from fire departments across all five boroughs, and is run each year by Captain Patrick Cleary of Engine 59 in Harlem and Captain John Fortunato, now retired, but formerly of Ladder 154. This year’s tournament began March 26, and featured 104 teams, which was then whittled down to 26 teams for a 3-day playoffs. Jesse Loughlin was named MVP of the championship, leading E280/L132 with two goals and an assist, despite solid overall goaltending from E 299/L152’s Mike DiMeo. With overtime looming late, Todd Mackey scored the game-winning goal with just 1:15 to play. “People are surprised at the level of play,” Captain Cleary said. “17-years ago we had athletes. Now we have hockey players.”

Photo by: Robert Cummings

The FDNY vs. NYPD game features the best of the best. “A-teams” from both the FDNY and NYPD compete each year for city pride. With their victory Saturday, the FDNY has now won 22 of 39 games. This year’s MVP was John Sullivan, of Engine 53, with the winning goal scored by Mike Agilato of Ladder 163. “It was a very entertaining day, really tremendous hockey” Captain Cleary said. “It’s come a long way.”

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Suﬀolk County

Hockey League Men’s All-Star Game By: Vic Rodriguez

ach year, the Suffolk County Hockey League (SCHL) plays an All-Star game during their Spring Super Season at The Rinx in Hauppauge. Teams are chosen by player nominations from every player on each of the teams in the league, with each team having at least one offensive and one defensive representative. Goaltenders are chosen by their save percentages. That’s right, SCHL tracks all player and game stats, conveniently located on their website, bringing a true hockey experience to the league. SCHL invites the top 4 goalies, with one substitute, to play. While it is an

honor to be selected by your team, this isn’t a popularity contest: it’s a competitive All-Star game. It’s about the skills of the players representing their teams. The game is fast, and this year’s game, sponsored by Cozzi Sports, was nothing short of a nail biter. In the locker room before the game, players from both the Eastern stars and Western stars discussed how great it was to play alongside some of their rivals. “It’s nice to talk with some of the guys and see who they are off the ice,” said SCHL Founder and President Michael Governara. “You get to see a different side of them.”

Upon entering the ice for the pregame skate-around, the air had an electric feel to it. It was obvious from the start that this game was different from a regular season affair. Rock-nRoll pumped from the arena speakers and the stands were packed with screaming family, friends and regular season teammates. Everyone there was ready to cheer on their SCHL all-stars. The East took control at the drop of the puck. Early in the first period, Richard Mink scored the first goal of the game - assisted by Dino Isgro - to put the East up 1-0. Shortly after, Chris Collins - assisted by Eddie Bellacera - gave the East a 2-0 lead to c close out the period. F From the start, the crowd involved th themselves in the action, screaming a and cheering for their all-stars on the ic ice; Governara only added fuel to the fire in the stands, giving away t-shirts a and hats to the enthusiastic crowd w who were hungry for even more acti tion. And there was much more action to come.

Photo by: Mario Vasquez

T The second period got off to a fast st start, with Steve Noto scoring to inc crease the East’s lead to 3-0 - assiste ed by Larry Rumpf (a local radiation th therapist) and Mike Pugh (a constructi tion worker for 5 Star Plumbing and H Heating). Then Chris Collins scored h his second goal of the game, this time

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on an assist from Anthony Collins, to reach blowout territory of 4-0.

shouted onlooker Diana Spinola from the stands.

Crowd members began to heckle Governara:

But the momentum shift didn’t last long. The East answered on a goal by Anthony Collins - assisted by Eddie Bellacera - to put them back up by two. They struck again, when Dino Isgro scored on an assist from Larry Rumpf. Leading the contest 6-3, it looked like the East had ﬁnally put the game away. But West Forward Anthony Derise wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Derise, who played travel hockey with the Rinx travel organization as a youth, showed his comfort level with the facility when he scored his second goal of the game, assisted by second-year All-Star Jay Padilla and 43-year-old electrician Anthony Santoro. That goal was followed up by another less than a minute later by Padilla - assisted by Danny Lawless and Santoro.

“This is a blowout! These teams are uneven!” they shouted. But Governara assured the skeptical fans that the teams were indeed evenly matched, and that the West wasn’t out of the game just yet. With 1:44 remaining in the second period, Governara’s words began to ring true, when 25-year-old LIRR worker Anthony Derise - who is in his first year with the SCHL - scored a goal on a one-timer, putting the West on the board, and cutting the deficit to 4-1 going into the final period. With the crowd rejuvenated and captivated, Governara continued his NHLlike giveaways in the stands, preparing everybody for what would become an epic third period. Just 49 seconds in, the West struck again on an Ian Witsotsky goal -assisted by James Kelly. Less than a minute later, United States Postal Service Employee and second year SCHL player Christian Csabon cut the lead to 4-3, on a goal off another James Kelly assist. It appeared that the West had shifted the momentum and were poised to take control of the game. “Looks like they’re finally warmed up,”

With the final period winding down and the East leading 6-5, the crowd rose to their feet, where they would remain for the rest of the contest. With just five minutes to play, Mike Dilgen scored his first goal of the night - assisted by Eddie Bellacera - to put the East up 7-5. But with just over two

minutes to go, Marshall Sarcoa ﬁred a goal - assisted by Anthony Santoro cutting the lead back to one goal. And then, after avoiding the blowout, after scratching and clawing back from a previous four-goal deﬁcit, the West completed their comeback, tying the game at 7 on a Chris Walker goal - assisted by Witsoktsky and Saroca. Cue sudden death overtime. “I can’t believe they came all the way back,” yelled Frank Louis from the stands, who attended the game with his girlfriend. “I really thought this was going to be a blowout by the end of the second period.” Everyone else in the crowd felt the same way. But Governara had been proven right. These teams were evenly matched. Only a few minutes into overtime, West Forward James Kelly shocked the East, delivering the winning knockout punch, scoring on a pass from Christian Csabon. It was a storybook ending for a West team who had been on the verge of being embarrassed by their Eastern rivals.

With such an up-and-down, back and forth battle, you can’t help but wonder what might happen next year at the SCHL All-Star game.

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Chris & Peter

FERRARO L

ike many young hockey players, Chris Ferraro decided that he wanted to play in the NHL before he reached double digits in age. And just like many young hockey players, he remembers the exact moment he made that decision. “It’s as clear as yesterday,” he says. “I was nine years old, down in the basement ﬂipping through a magazine. Wayne Gretzky was on the cover. I’m looking at all these all-stars in the magazine and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to play in the NHL.’ 22 years later, Chris found himself staring at Gretzky again, except this time it wasn’t on the cover of a magazine. Chris, now a member of the New York Rangers, was sitting across from Gretzky in the Madison Square Garden locker room. They were teammates, playing in the NHL.

Chris and Peter Ferraro are the perfect role models for aspiring, young hockey players on Long Island. Through hard work and intense dedication, the Port Jefferson-born twins achieved every youth hockey players’ wildest dream: to play in the NHL. Both Chris and Peter were drafted by the Rangers in the 1992 NHL draft, and played parts of six NHL seasons. Chris played for the Rangers, Islanders, Penguins, Oilers and Capitals. Peter played for the Rangers, Penguins, Bruins and Capitals.

When they were growing up, resources for hockey players on Long Island were scarce. Today, Long Island boasts numerous rinks and leagues, and the number of youth hockey players grows every year. Chris stresses that the route towards becoming a great hockey player is through a continuing commitment to training, both on and off the ice. “We learned at a very young age that

hard work pays off,” Chris says. “Our day was full from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., but we loved it. The rewards were great.” In an effort to help improve your game as a hockey athlete, each month in Hockey Town Magazine, Chris and Peter Ferraro will take their real life experiences that brought them to the highest levels of hockey, and pass them on to you in their monthly Coaches Clipboard.

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GAME DAY PREPARATIONS

In this issue:

Depending on the time of day the game is makes a difference on how to prepare.

For Example, if you are playing a 7:00 am Game:

5:15 am 5:30 am 6:00 am – 6:15 am -

Wake up

6:35 am 6:55 am -

Get Dressed for Game

7:00 am -

Game Begins

Breakfast 2-3 eggs (Protein), Oatmeal (Carbohydrate), Juice and Water (Fluids) Arrive at Facility 20 minute Dynamic Warm up - Quick feet exercises, short sprints, short shuttle runs, plyometrics, jump rope. Be sure to work up a little sweat to activate nervous system and get blood ﬂowing. NO STATIC STRETCHING. This should be done after the game as a cool down when the body is warm for ﬂexibility.

On Ice/Rink Warm Up - Stops and starts, tight turns, sprints, stick handle, get the feel of the ice or rink, the puck/ball, and your feet. Only get 2-3 minutes so needs to be very short, quick, and intense.

Preparation is different if you are playing a 7:00 pm Game:

8:15 am 8:30 am 9:15 am 10:00 am

Wake Up Breakfast 2-3 eggs (Protein), Oatmeal (Carbohydrate), Juice and Water (Fluids) Dynamic Warm up - Quick feet exercises, short sprints, short shuttle runs, plyometrics, jump rope. Be sure to work up a little sweat to activate nervous system and get blood ﬂowing. NO STATIC STRETCHING. This should be done after the game as a cool down when the body is warm for ﬂexibility. - 30-45 minute Morning Warm up Skate or Practice; If No Skate 30 - 45 minute Morning Warm up Run, Short Sprints, Agility Drills, Racquetball, Tennis, Basketball.

12:00 pm 1:30 pm 3:30 pm 4:30 pm 6:00 pm 6:15 pm 6:35 pm 6:55 pm 7:00 pm -

Large Lunch to Fuel body for Evening Game - Pasta, Grilled Chicken, Vegetables, Bread, Water. Afternoon Nap Wake Up Light Snack - Bagel, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Water Arrive at Facility Dynamic Warm up #2 - Quick feet exercises, short sprints, short shuttle runs, plyometrics, jump rope. Be sure to work up a little sweat to activate nervous system and get blood ﬂowing. NO STATIC STRETCHING. Again, this should be done after the game as a cool down when the body is warm for ﬂexibility. Get Dressed for game On Ice/Rink Warm Up - Stops and starts, tight turns, sprints, stick handle, get the feel of the ice or rink, the puck/ball, and your feet. Only get 2-3 minutes so needs to be very short, quick, and intense.

Game Begins

On days off from games or practice with your team, it’s your responsibility to enroll in an intense off-ice training program a minimum of 3 days a week. This program should be geared toward hockey speciﬁc exercises that include weights, sprints, agility, plyometrics, rollerblading, slide board, skating treadmill. You should also focus on skill development training that includes stick handling, passing, and shooting exercises. 27 MAY 2012

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HOCKEY IS FOR EVERY☺NE By: Benjamin Horney

14 years ago, the NHL developed the “Hockey is for Everyone” initiative. According to NHL.com, its purpose is to, “provide support and unique programming to non-proﬁt youth hockey organizations across North America that are committed to offering children of

all backgrounds opportunities to play hockey.” To put it a little more simply, the program is intended to give youths the opportunity to play team hockey, regardless of their ﬁnancial circum-

stances or physical and/or mental disabilities. This month, Hockey Town followed two local teams that exemplify the “Hockey is for Everyone” slogan: The Long Island Blues and the Long Island Roughriders.

The Blues... When Neil Robbins and Mike and Laura Russo founded the Long Island Blues in 2004, the team had just eight players. Today they have about 50. The team, which is comprised of players with disabilities such as autism, Down syndrome, ADHD and ADD, plays regular ice hockey. For the players, however, it’s about more than just playing hockey. It’s about being a member of a team. It’s about learning and competing. It’s about having teammates and friends. “Hockey is the event that’s happening,” Robbins, Blues’ vice president, says, “but it’s not what they’re doing.” The Blues, an American Special Hockey Association (ASHA) team, play other ASHA teams all over the east coast - like the Albany Cougars, New Jersey Daredevils and New York Raptors. Their season runs from the end of September into April. Above all else, the Blues are a place for kids with disabilities to be a part of something and to feel normal. “When they walk through the doors in Bethpage, they belong,” Laura, Blues’ treasurer says.

“It gives them the sense of being part of a community,” Robbins adds, “because they’re doing what anybody else would be doing. It’s not that they necessarily want to be a hockey player, but they want to be a part of something.” “For one day a week they can come and be part of a team and, you know, they’re not different,” Mike, Blues’ president, says. The Blues are a non-proﬁt organization supported entirely by tuition and fundraising. No one who coaches or helps with the team gets paid a dime. Still, many high school kids and travel hockey players volunteer their time to help work with the kids during practice, held once a week on Sundays. In fact, the high volume of volunteers has actually led the team to begin setting up a

volunteer schedule for next season, which will work on a “first come first serve” basis. “I can’t tell you how wonderful the kids of Long Island are,” Laura says, of the volunteers. “They’re so enthusiastic.” Practice is where the volunteers shine. Because of the range of disabilities of the players, everyone develops skills at a different pace. A typical practice has the players separated onto two sides of the ice: one side is for those still learning how to skate, and the other side is for those who are more developed as hockey players. Each volunteer is assigned a specific task, such as helping certain players learning to skate or setting up drills. “It’s a sea of orange with their

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jerseys,” Laura says, “but every child has an individual need.”

that direction, the puck was on the opposite side of the ice.

“Most kids really do get it,” Robbins says, “they just might comprehend it a little slower than an average kid.”

“He couldn’t keep up with the play,” Robbins says.

For a job that doesn’t pay, running the Blues can be a headache. Between fundraising, recruiting new players and setting up events, Robbins says, it can become very time consuming. But Robbins and the Russo’s agree that the headaches are worth it because of the special moments that being a part of the Blues allows them to witness. Like the time that Raymond Cardoza, a player with Down syndrome, scored his first goal. “He was a snow angel hockey player,” Robbins says. “He wanted nothing to do with hockey. He would just make snow angels on the ice. It really aggravated his dad.” But then one day Raymond came to the rink and had decided he was going to play in the game. “So there’s Raymond skating,” Robbins says, “It was the first time I had ever seen him actually skating.” At first though, Raymond struggled. He wasn’t quick enough to keep pace with the flow of the game. The puck would go one way and by the time Raymond began skating in

Finally, Raymond got really frustrated. But instead of giving up on playing the game and reverting back to playing snow angel hockey, he simply planted himself in front of the goalie. He wanted to score a goal. A few minutes later, someone took a shot, and Raymond strategically stuck his stick out. The puck hit Raymond’s stick and ricocheted into the net. He raised his stick in triumph. “We all fell down and started crying,” Robbins says. “It was the greatest feeling. Raymond scored a goal, and he knew he scored a goal. It was awesome. It was an incredible moment for Raymond and his family. Moments like that make you believe these things can happen.” Another Blues’ player is Mike and Laura’s 15-year-old son, Nicholas, who has Down syndrome and some autistic tendencies. Because of sensory issues, when he ﬁrst started playing, Nicholas didn’t even want to put his equipment on. “We would wrestle him,” Laura says. But once they got him to wear the hockey equipment, Laura says, Nicholas started having fun.

“We’ve come really far,” Laura says. “It’s breaking down barriers as far as the issues these kids have.” “It’s a network for families to get together,” Mike says. “You have 50 families who are all in the same boat.”

The Blues are also about more than just the players themselves - it is about the families of the players, too. Siblings with a disabled brother or sister meet other siblings who are growing up under the same circumstances. Parents share what medications they use, doctor information and advice. “It has brought a lot of families together” Mike says, “Everybody’s in the same playing ﬁeld. A support system.” “Everybody’s there for each other,” Laura agrees. All together, the Blues have become an outlet for players and families to feel like a part of a whole. Players get the chance to be an athlete and teammate. Families have an outlet for discussion and advice. But make no mistake: the Blues aren’t merely one big support group. They’re a hockey team. “ “We’ve watched kids grow from learning to skate to actually playing hockey,” Laura says. “Our goal is ultimately for them to be hockey players.” “ “When you watch the games you’re like ‘wow,’” Mike says, “You’d be surprised what a high level of hockey these kids can play.”

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The Roughriders... Bryan Blomquist took over as president and head coach of the Long Island Roughriders in 1996 - two years after the team’s inception - when his son Brett, who has down syndrome, saw the team and expressed a desire to play. The Roughriders play sled hockey, which is played exactly the same as regular ice hockey with a few exceptions. The biggest difference you might notice is that the players sit on customized sleds instead of standing, as their disabilities make it difﬁcult, and sometimes impossible, for them to play regular ice hockey. Sled hockey is for mentally and/ or physically disabled people, with disabilities ranging from amputees to down syndrome and autism. One player on the Roughriders is deaf. “Anything that makes it so they can’t play regular hockey,” Blomquist says. Players’ sit on their sleds, which have two skates attached to the underside, and propel themselves using two sticks, each less than half the length of a regular hockey stick. Despite their disabilities, Blomquist, a retired cop, treats the Roughriders no differently than he would an ablebodied team. “I don’t feel sorry for these kids,” he says, “Come down and watch them. Come down and play with them. Come down and see these kids when they get off the ice.” As a matter of fact, the team improves almost every year. At ﬁrst, Blomquist says, the Roughriders whose players’ ages range from 11 to 55 - would lose every tournament, losing each game by 12 or 13 goals. But soon they started winning tournaments and trophies. In 2003, they won a bronze medal in a tournament in Toronto. In 2006, they won two consecutive games against Nassau

Community College’s able-bodied men’s hockey team. In 2007 they won the Canadian O’Keefe Cup in Ottawa. Between coaching and fundraising, Blomquist spends between 60 and 80 hours a week volunteering for the Roughriders. “It really is a labor of love,” he says. “It’s just worth it.” The team plays everywhere, from Florida to Albany to Ottawa. And in order to continue improving upon their already impressive trophy collection, Blomquist - who never played a minute of hockey in his life - makes sure that the team gets as much as possible out of their practices, held once a week. They start practice with the same shooting and passing drills that an NHL team might do. If the players aren’t focused, sometimes Blomquist lays down the law. “If I feel like being feisty, if you miss a pass, take a lap,” he says. Practice ends with an hour of intense, hard-fought scrimmage.

immediately fell in love with the idea. “It’s amazing,” Michell says, “It’s not like he can go out there and just run around with the other kids in the neighborhood. Now he’s out there. He’s got teammates.” The mantra of the Roughriders is that it’s not a matter of that they can’t do it; they just do it a little differently. Their season starts in September and ends in July. Throughout the year though, they mix in games against other sled hockey teams with games against able-bodied hockey teams who play against the Roughriders on sleds. They play high schools, businesses, bars and the New York City Fire and Police Departments. And once a year they play the West Point varsity hockey team. Another one of their annual games is against players’ able-bodied family members and friends. Once you get down to their level, Michell explains, you realize the meaning behind the mantra. “I used to yell at Kevin: ‘Come on, come on! Keep moving, keep pushing!’ And he’s yelling at me: ‘Dad, I’m trying!’ Michell says.

Scrimmage is Kevin Michell Jr.’s favorite part of practice. Michell Jr. is 11-years old, has cerebral palsy and uses a walker. Truth be told, hockey’s not even his sport.

That was before Michell’s ﬁrst foray.

“He’s the biggest wrestling fan you’ll ever meet in your life,” his dad, also Kevin Michell (no Jr.), says.

Blomquist doesn’t treat his team like children; he treats them like a hockey team. Still, he understands how important the Roughriders are to the players’ lives.

In fact, Michell Jr. is ﬁnally old enough to try out for the school wrestling team next year, and he plans on doing so. But with his favorite sport not an option three years ago, the Michell’s searched for other outlets to allow their son to be a part of a team. They discovered the Roughriders on the Internet and

“Five minutes in I was done,” he says of his ﬁrst time on a sled, “my arms were just jello.”

“I don’t care what BOCES program they’re in. I don’t care if they’re making $45,000 a year doing computer work. They don’t get what they get here in their work place or school,” he says. “These kids all back each other up. We’re a team.”

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