Let's Play Hockey April 2017 issue

INSIDE: LPH’s Annual Summer Hockey Guide Pages 15-21

JAILLET WINS MIKE RICHTER AWARD

Volume XLV • Number 27 • Issue 1214

April 20, 2017

www.letsplayhockey.com

University of Denver junior goale Tanner Jaillet backstopped the Pioneers to their eighth NCAA Championship

By David H. Hendrickson USCHO.com

Let’s Play Hockey photo by Mike Thill

CHICAGO — In front of an enthusiastic throng of family, friends and fans packed into Kitty O’Sheas inside the Chicago Hilton, Denver goaltender Tanner Jaillet was announced the winner of the Mike Richter Award on Friday, April 7.

The award, given annually to the top Division I netminder, marked the third major award earned by a member of the Pioneers, following coach Jim Montgomery’s selection as the Spencer T. Penrose Coach of the Year and Pioneers’ defenseman Will Butcher’s winning of the Hobey Baker Award.

“This guy stands as an exceptional player in my eyes,” Richter said. “Consistency is the mark of a champion and in 27 of the games this guy played, he held the other team to two or less goals. That’s called giving your team a chance to win.”

Jaillet certainly did that. He compiled a

Denver’s Tanner Jaillet posted a 28-5-4 record, a 1.82 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in 2016-17.

28-5-4 record and backstopped the Pioneers to the top defensive ranking in the

country, 1.82 goals against per game.

Unlike those goaltenders who spent con-

siderable time in youth hockey playing outside the crease, Jaillet was instantly attracted to the position and moved to it exclusively as soon as he could.

“I don’t know what it was,” he said.

“Maybe it was the gear and the helmets, I don’t know. All I remember is that I wanted to be a goaltender.”

He idolized Patrick Roy, especially enjoying the Colorado Avalanche goalie going toeto-toe with New Jersey netminder Martin Brodeur.

Jaillet was somewhat of a natural, but though he was very good, he wasn’t selected for every team he desired. There were times teammates moved on to loftier teams and left him behind. Those setbacks fueled his drive to improve.

“I always had the love for the game, but if you see your friends that you played with go to the next level and you stay back, it makes you push harder so you can get better and Continued on page 7

Synergy was the winner at the Women’s World Championship

By Jack Blatherwick Let’s Play Hockey Columnist

Photo: USA Hockey

It’s a different game – USA versus Canada women’s hockey. Other than the fierce competition, it’s nothing like an NHL playoff game. And why should it be? The rules are different. There’s no body checking, so games are won by skating, passing, creative playmaking and committed defense.

Oh, and shooting. The Canadians know that detail well. Not that they have better shots – maybe they do, I don’t know – but they are very good at getting quality shots off, even if they create fewer chances in the game. They are very skillful, and their objective is to get the puck moving toward the net as fast as they can. On the other hand, the Americans’ puck-control style features passing, regrouping and patience to produce better shooting angles.

Combining relentless puck control with creative passing at high speed was the winning formula for Team USA.

If an attack is defended well by the Canadians, the Americans often pass back to the defense, regroup and swing back deep to attack with speed through the neutral

zone. There are hundreds of passes per game – long passes, short ones and some very deceptive. A fan of the men’s game might call some passes “risky,” but the

American coaches answer that question with better execution from practice repetitions. Imagine how they’ll execute after practicing together for six months before the Olympic Games next February. For this tournament, they had only one practice before competition.

Is this philosophy more artistic than practical? The men’s game has devolved to a defense-first mentality – even when we have the puck – because the physical nature makes puck control more difficult. Hundreds of passes might lead to turnovers, and the fear of that possibility has led to dump-and-chase hockey. “Get the puck deep. Give it to the other D. Pound on them with an aggressive (physical) forecheck and hope they turn it over.”

But in the women’s game, the forecheck Continued on page 6

INSIDE KIM MCCULLOUGH

DA VE SCHWARTZ DAVE

PETE WAGGONER

GIRLS’ & WOMEN’S HOCKEY

So, how did it go?

UND announces plan to cut women’s hockey

Making a difference

Champions crowned at Stick it to Cancer tourney

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April 20, 2017

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So, how did it go?

By Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS

Let’s Play Hockey photo by Nick Wosika

The end of the hockey season is a time for reflection. We finally get a moment to step back and think about how the year went overall. This is a hard thing to do when you’re in the midst of running around to practices, games and tournaments while squeezing in extra skills’ sessions and workouts. Whether it ends with raising the championship trophy overhead or with a shootout loss in the playoffs, it’s important to stand back and ask yourself, “How did it go?”

Coaches, parents and players are going to answer this question very differently. If you’re a coach, you might look at the stats first. Not just where you finished overall, but the special team percentages, your goalie stats down the stretch and your ratio of goals for versus goals against.

As a parent, you might simply be asking, “Did my daughter get better? Is she faster now than she was seven months ago?

Stronger? More skilled? A smarter hockey player? Has she become a better teammate and a more confident person overall?”

If you’re a player, you might be answering the “how did it go?” question in a completely different way. A big part of your experience might be about how many new friends you made. Or it might be about whether or not you met the specific goals that you set for yourself in the fall. Did you score the goals you thought you’d score? Did you get the assists you thought you’d get? How did your plus-minus look? How about your save percentage as a goalie?

Ultimately, at the end of the season, we’re looking at the final outcomes of the season.

And this is a really important thing to assess.

But we can’t simply judge the success of the season based on the numbers and final outcomes.

As you look forward to tryouts and to next season, you need to start planning to ask yourself the “how is it going?” question during the season, and not just at the end.

When you ask that question every month or so, you start to evaluate success based on the process you are going through instead of just the final outcome.

For example, as a coach I might ask myself in October how well I’ve taught the basic skills and concepts we need to execute our preferred breakouts. As a

Both during and after the season, it’s important to ask yourself, “How did it go?”

parent, you might be asking yourself in November whether your daughter might benefit from doing some extra stickhandling or shooting on her own to keep up with her teammates or to get an edge on her opponents. As a player, you might be asking yourself in December whether you have been doing those mental focusing tasks that your coach taught you back in September on a consistent basis, or whether you need to get your mental game in order in time for the playoff push.

I also believe it is critically important to ask the “how did it go?” question after every practice and games for both players and coaches. Back when I was playing college hockey and in the pro league, before each game I used to write down three things I wanted to focus on. I might write something like, “receive passes with feet moving,” “get shots off quick,” or “sacrifice body in defensive zone.”

After every game, I would take a few minutes to go back to that list and evaluate how it went. Did I accomplish the three things I set out to do before the puck dropped? If I did, awesome. If there was something unique that I did before the game or that happened during the game that helped me achieve those goals, I would make a note of it.

If I didn’t reach my goals, no problem. Was

there something that prevented me from reaching them? Was there something different in my pre-game routine that might have thrown me off mentally? Did something unexpected happen out on the ice that made reaching my goals a little more difficult?

Assessing the reasons why you may or may not have reached your goals might just be the most important piece of goal-setting and goal-getting. If you never evaluate how

you’re doing along the way, you’re making reaching your final destination that much harder. You need to map out your course and be able to figure out where you are on the path at all times. If you get off course, how will you fix it? If you’re ahead of schedule, do you continue to speed up or slow it down?

There is a saying in sports that says success is never final and failure is never fatal. You must never get too high and you must never get too low. Tracking your daily goal setting and goal getting is what helps you stay the course no matter what happens.

So after you’re done asking yourself, “How did it go?” this season, start planning how you’re going to answer that question every single step along the way next year.

For a step-by-step guide on how to set and get your goals for next season, visit http:// tot a l fe m a l e h o ckey. c o m / p ro d u c t s / mental_performance_plus. Coach Kim McCullough is an expert in the development of aspiring female hockey players on and off the ice. She is a former NCAA Division I captain at Dartmouth and played in the National Women’s Hockey League for six years. She is the Director & Founder of Total Female Hockey and currently coaches at Ryerson University and with the TorontoLeaside Wildcats of the Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).

3 Minnesotans named to 2017 U.S. Men’s National Team USA Hockey has announced an initial roster of 18 players – including three Minnesota natives – that will represent the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship May 5-21 in Cologne, Germany, and Paris, France.

The Minnesotans named to the team are forwards Nick Bjugstad (Blaine/Florida Panthers), Anders Lee (Edina/N.Y. Islanders) and Brock Nelson (Warroad/N.Y. Islanders).

J.T. Compher (Colorado Avalanche), Noah Hanifin (Carolina Hurricanes) and Connor Murphy (Arizona Coyotes) return to the U.S.

Men’s National Team after helping last year’s squad – the youngest in the tournament – finish fourth in the 2016 IIHF Men’s World Championship. Five players helped guide Team USA to a bronze medal at the 2015 world championship, including Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings), Lee, Murphy and Nelson.

Among the 18 players named to the 2017 U.S. Men’s National Team, 16 have skated for a U.S. National Team and have combined to win 28 medals in IIHF World Championship play.

Our PPar ar tner artner tnerss

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LET’S PLAY HOCKEY (LPH) is a newspaper devoted to covering all levels of hockey. LPH is published 29 times per year — once monthly in June, July, August and September; three times in October; and weekly November through April. Deadlines for news and camera-ready advertising are Mondays preceding each issue. Advertisements to be typeset must be in LPH office by the preceding Friday. All editorial copy, advertisements and photos remain the property of LET’S PLAY HOCKEY. LPH reserves the right to edit submitted stories and letters to the editor for length, grammar, punctuation and clarity.

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Inside Minnesota Hockey www.minnesotahockey.org Minnesota Hockey, an affiliate of USA Hockey, is the governing body of youth and amateur hockey in Minnesota and the premier developer of hockey players in the state.

With over 67,000 registered players and coaches, it is the largest state governing body for amateur hockey in the United States.

Minnesota Hockey hosts two conferences for board members Minnesota Hockey invites board members and player development leaders from youth hockey associations throughout Minnesota to two events at the Marriott Minneapolis West in St. Louis Park this spring. A High Performance Hockey Director Conference (HDC) will be held on April 22-23 and the second annual Association Leader Excellence Conference (ALEC) is set for May 5-6.

Each of these events will provide participants with opportunities to learn best practices and network with youth hockey leaders at the local, state and national levels.

The Hockey Director Conference is designed for coaches, hockey directors and board members focused on player development. Topics of the conference will progress from the scientific foundation of player development to the application of those principles to common programs and challenges within community hockey associations. Attendees may be eligible to receive USA Hockey CEP certification credit.

For a list of speakers or to register for the HDC, go to www.minnesotahockey.org/hdc.

The Association Leader Excellence Conference is intended to provide train-

ing, support and resources to all youth hockey association board members. The conference will feature several enhancements based on feedback from last year’s participants, including new sessions on girls’ hockey, best practices for the Mite/ 8U level and much more.

“Running a hockey association or managing a key aspect of a hockey association is not an easy task, and it’s remarkable what our volunteers accomplish every year,” said Glen Andresen, Minnesota Hockey Executive Director. “It’s vital to continue to support our volunteers every way we can, and

give them the best possible knowledge and insight to make a huge impact at their local hockey association.”

To register for the ALEC, go to www.minnesotahockey.org/leaders.

Participants traveling more than 100 miles will be offered a subsidy to assist in covering travel and lodging expenses. Minnesota Hockey will also supply a continental breakfast and lunch during each event.

For hotel reservations, call 952-544-4400 and request the group rate for the appropriate event.

Minnesota Hockey opens registration for Tier 1 Leagues Minnesota Hockey has opened registration for the CCM Minnesota Hockey High Performance Tier 1 15 (2002 birth year) and 14U (2003 & 2004 birth years) Fall Leagues. Mayo Clinic will be the presenting sponsor of the Leagues this season.

Teams will be made up of players from Minnesota Hockey Districts and will begin the tryout process this summer with games being played on weekends beginning in August and running through late September. In keeping with the Tier 1 framework established in 2016, all Tier 1 competition in Minnesota will conclude in October to allow for players to return to their association or high school teams.

Minnesota Hockey’s Tier 1 structure was established in 2016 to enhance Minnesota’s community-based association and high school model by bringing together the most talented 14 and 15 year olds from all over Minnesota for highly competitive League play and playoffs.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with the

success of the Tier 1 Leagues in their first year of existence in 2016,” said Dave Margenau, President of Minnesota Hockey.

“The League had the proper amount of development and competitive games, and the addition of the Mayo Clinic’s training program will only make the program stronger.”

Plans are for the Youth 14U and Youth 15 classifications to increase to nine teams: Loons (District 2), Walleye (District 3), Polars (District 5), Lakers (District 6), Moose (District 8), Green Giants (District 10), Grey Ducks (Districts 4/9), Voyageurs (Districts 11/12) and Blue Ox (District 15/16). Districts 11, 12, 15 & 16 will once again combine into Team North this season.

The Girls 14U League is expected to once again have six teams: Loons (District 2), Lakers (District 6), Green Giants (District 10), Polars (Districts 3/5), Moose (Districts 4/8/9) and Blue Ox (Districts 11/12/15/ 16). The Girls 15 League will once again have four teams formed equally based on evaluations and will not be sending a team

to the National Championships.

As part of the CCM Minnesota Hockey High Performance program’s commitment to long-term development, there will be 18 on-ice skill development practices and eight off-ice training sessions, in addition to the 12 League games and three League playoff games. Training will include Tier 1 player clinics as well as dryland education and nutritional information provided by the experts at Mayo clinic.

Known worldwide for its work in the field, Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine offers technologically advanced training systems and specialized equipment to maximize athletic performance. Its state-of-the-art facilities in Minneapolis and Rochester are designed to serve the needs of individuals of all ages and abilities.

“The format of this League will really allow players to continue to develop their abilities on and off the ice, and will be a great lead-up to the association season,” said CCM Minnesota Hockey High Perfor-

mance director, Mike Macmillan. “The importance of practice and skill development can’t be overlooked, so we wanted to ensure that was a part of this program.”

“We are excited to work with Minnesota Hockey and the Fall Tier 1 League,” said Michael Stuart, M.D., co-director of Mayo Clinic Sports Medicine. “The organization is committed to offering opportunities for youth athletes to develop to their fullest potential. We look forward to helping them achieve that goal.”

Four regular season competition weekends will begin August 25–27 and will include host sites around the state, including AMSOIL Arena and Essentia Health Heritage Center in Duluth, Herb Brooks National Sports Center in St. Cloud, Sanford Center in Bemidji, Ridder and Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis and Fogerty Arena in Blaine.

The Youth 14 and Youth 15 regular seasons will conclude with a National Festival that will include Tier 1 teams from around the country.

Strength training tips for young athletes By: Touchpoint Media Ottawa Senators’ strength coach Chris Schwarz recently revealed severe concerns regarding youth athlete development. As we dive into offseason training, one part of the Ottawa Citizen article stuck out: Hockey players lift fewer weights than they did, part of the game’s evolution toward speed and skill and away from brawn.

For 10 years, Schwarz has been saying that hockey players would soon look less like football players and more like tennis players. That day is here.

Hockey is about speed, skill, explosiveness and overall athleticism. That fact should be taken into account when your young athlete starts strength training during the offseason.

We caught up with USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program strength and conditioning coach Darryl Nelson to guide families through the spring and summer.

6U/8U: FFor or the YYoungst oungst er oungster erss As 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds mature, just encouraging them to play and be active is big. These kids will naturally get stronger.

Encourage games with running and multidirectional movement. Hop scotch, crab walk and jumping jacks are complementary exercises. Tag, tug of war and relay races add fun, excitement and competition to the mix – all critical to development.

10U/12U: More Formal Exercises Nelson recommends a twice-weekly strength training program for the 10U/12U ages, focusing on chin-ups, pull-ups, singleleg squats, overhead kettlebell presses and Olympic-style lifts from the hang position (only if they have a coach or trainer who can teach them proper technique).

“A good program will be centered on correcting posture, developing power and explosiveness, and emphasize single-extremity training,” Nelson said. “This will have maximal carryover to athletics.”

14U/16U: Ramping Up Intensity At 14U/16U, Nelson recommends an offseason training plan that includes three to four 90-minute workouts each week, which are more comprehensive in nature.

This means their focus should be on

proportion and balance, rather than building huge biceps.

Although a chiseled appearance might impress their friends at the pool, it can lead to pain, injury and poor performance down the road.

“When just select muscle groups and movements are trained, an imbalance oc-

curs,” Nelson said. “The result of this is what we call ‘lifetime patient syndrome’ – where a person is always in pain. Being proportional in size, strength and mobility across all parts of the body is the best way to maintain health and reduce the chance of injury.”

Continued on page 2 7 27

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April 20, 2017

Let’s Play Hockey

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Jack Blatherwick continued from page 1 can’t be physical – only aggressive. Getting body position on the puck is the objective, and it should be taught at every level of hockey. Robb Stauber (head coach) and Brett Strot (associate coach) believe it’s not productive to give the puck to the opponent if you don’t have to. The rules’ difference requires coaches to think outside the box – or settle for average results.

Their philosophy worked well for two wins against Canada in this latest tournament – something American teams under other coaches have done before, winning eight of the last 10 World Championships. However, the Canadians won the last four of five Olympic gold medals, so preparation by both teams will be intense in the next 10 months.

Discussions are certainly in order to plan

offensive styles of play to win at the men’s college, professional and even high school levels. However, there should be no youth team that fails to encourage passing, playmaking offense – no matter how many turnovers might result. Young players have to experiment – have to fail often – in order to build playmaking skills.

It’s common for the best player on a youth team to carry the puck the length of the ice

and score. However, sometime in the future he/she will need to learn the interdependence game – that by passing to a teammate and breaking to open ice, he/she is more effective.

The net result of the Americans’ style of play is SYNERGY – the whole becomes greater than the sum of the parts – and it looked like gold at the Women’s World Championship.

WCHA players make their mark at the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship

By Andy Rabinowitz

Photo: USA Hockey

It seemed like the usual ho-hum at this year’s IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship on March 31-April 7 at the USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich.

Team USA beat Team Canada 3-2 in overtime to take yet another gold medal. Finland won 8-0 over Germany for its 12th bronze medal.

The difference this year was that seven of the eight teams, with Russia being the exception, had at least one player from the Western Collegiate Athletic Conference (WCHA). The United States and Finland led the way with six and five, respectively.

The players all agreed that their experiences in the WCHA honed their skills for international competition, and just like playing internationally, one can never take a game off, or a period for that matter.

For the first two games, how the teams performed each period of each game reflected on whether they won or lost. The U.S. was on all the way from the start, beating Canada 2-0 the first night, and then shellacking Russia 7-0 the next.

Russia beat Finland 2-1 with Finnish defenseman Mira Huhta, a University of North Dakota product and now playing at home for Espoo, getting the assist on their lone goal.

The next night, Canada and Finland were knotted at 3-3 late in the third period, when Finland scored the winning goal with less than two minutes remaining.

“That shows you how fast things can change at this level,” Huhta said. “Sarah Potomak, a Minnesota Golden Gopher and I went at it, but it was so fast I couldn’t think about it.”

During this tournament, rivals became teammates, and teammates became rivals.

On April 3, Canada had to win against Russia by at least two goals in order to reach the semifinals. The team and their fans were ready. To show how much womens’ hockey has grown, most of the Canadian fans were wearing jerseys with names of women’s players on the back. Canada’s sports network, TSN, beamed the game back home to Canada.

In the first period, Canada scored enough points to earn a spot in the semis with four goals to Russia’s none. Potomak and Wisconsin Badger Emily Clark scored one goal each, as they played on the same line together.

In the second period, Canada swarmed the Russian net. Even when shorthanded, they killed all their penalties, and won 8-0.

After the game, Potomak stated, “Just like the WCHA, everybody you play is going to be good. You must keep up your speed, especially when we wanted to win it for our country.”

It also helped to have North Dakota’s Hallie Krzaniak on defense, whom Potomak played with on Canada’s under20 team.

“We play a lot alike,” Clark said. “We played against one another in high school.

The other night, our shots didn’t go in the

Forty-six players from WCHA schools, including former Gophers Amanda Kessel and Gigi Marvin, competed at the 2017 IIHF Women’s World Championship.

net against Finland when it counted, but today they went in.”

Later that night, Finland had the first shot at taking the lead in their game against the U.S., when Susana Tapani – who also played at North Dakota and now plays for Luklo Roma – pulled the puck up ice and scored at 4:46 of the first period, only for Team USA to tie it up 1-1 at 12:04.

Finland hurt itself even more in the second period when their star goalie Noora Raty, who played at Minnesota, ran up double minor penalties. She later blamed herself for the loss.

Tapani and Anna Kilponen – who was also encouraged to come to UND from her older teammates – scored to put Finland up 3-2 at the end of two periods. The Finns had come to play.

Even so, the Americans were too dominant, going ahead with goals from Minnesota’s very own Hannah Brandt, and Jocelyne Lamroureaux-Davidson to win 53, putting both the U.S. and Canada into semifinal slots.

Brandt was elated. “Scoring that goal helped team captain Meghan Duggan and myself jell on the same line. We’ve been kind of cold until this point” U.S head coach Robb Stauber pointed out, “We saw the opportunity. We just had to go for it.”

Raty was much more on her game the next day in the quarterfinals as her team posted a 4-0 shutout of Sweden, who featured Maria Lindh and Michelle Lowenheim from the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Tapani assited on the third goal.

Sweden had a chance to score in the second period, but Finland’s Michelle Karvinen from UND cleared the puck out of the slot more than once and helped to kill penalties. Raty was rarely challenged as Tapani score the last goal to make it 4-0.

“We’ve all played a lot together,” Tapani said. “So we know how the other players execute their moves, and it was pretty easy not to give them too many shots. So far we’ve been good about killing penalties.”

Russia and Germany had a rather lackluster quarterfinal with Marie Delarbe scoring the winning tally for Germany. The team featured Minnesota State’s Anna Fiegert, and college teammate Lena Duesterhoeft.

Winning goaltender Jennifer Harss played at UMD and played with the men in a Ger-

man Division 3 team.

Delarbe started off at UMD, but she and the coach had trouble getting along, so she transferred to Hockey East’s Merrimack College, where she still plays, and feels that other conferences are getting ready to catch up with the WCHA. In a relegation game,UMD teammates Lara Stalder of Switzerland and her Czech counterpart Katerina Mrazova were named players of the game, a contest won by the Czechs 4-2 With a mosltly Canadian partisan crowd in the semifinals, Canada came out aggressively, hemming in Finland right from the start. Despite Finland’s own attempts to break out, Potomak put Canada ahead 1-0 at 17:35 of the first period. They outshot Finland 11-3.

Canada scored three more goals in the second and third periods, including a clincher from Clark to shut out Finland 4-0 “We gave them the payback,” Potomak

said. “It was easy to get pumped up for this game. We were ready to go.”

The U.S. was on its game again in the semifinals, clobbering Germany 11-0. Jocelyne’s sister Monique had her own “hat trick” of two assists and a goal.

Head coach Robb Stauber said, “By the end of the second period, we had a good idea how well we were playing.”

“We didn’t play as hard as we should have,” stated Harss. “But it was great to play the world’s best team. A loss puts us together, and a chance to win a medal.”

Lee Stecklein said, “Germany has to work on different systems to succeed at this level.”

“By the high standard we set for ourselves, we’re getting the results we want,” Stauber said. “We have four lines that can produce, but on any given night any team can win.”

Sure enough, the U.S won the gold, Canada took the silver and Finland the bronze. None of the WCHA stallwarts figured in any of the scoring for the U.S., Canada or Finland in the medal round.

The WCHA was a big winner in impact as individual players had on many of the games.

There’s much speculation who will take the gold medal next year in Korea, but if at least as many WCHA participants, or maybe more than this year make their respective Olympic rosters, the WCHA will come out as big winners again.

10 Minnesotans invited to U.S. Women’s National Team Camp Forty-two players – including 10 Minnesota natives – have been invited to the 2017 U.S. Women’s National Team Selection Camp from April 30-May 4 at Florida Hospital Center Ice in the Tampa suburb of Wesley Chapel.

The Minnesotans invited to the camp are goaltenders Shelby Amsley-Benzie (Warroad) and Maddie Rooney (Andover), defensemen Sidney Morin (Minnetonka) and Lee Stecklein (Roseville), and forwards Stephanie Anderson (North St. Paul), Hannah Brandt (Vadnais Heights), Dani Cameranesi (Plymouth), Gigi Marvin (Warroad), Kelly Pannk (Plymouth) and Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior).

The camp, which will consist of daily practices, off-ice testing, and three intrasquad scrimmages, will be used to determine the U.S. Women’s National Team roster that will train together and participate in various competitions in the build-up to the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea.

USA Hockey will unveil the players

selected to the U.S. Women’s National Team at the conclusion of the camp on May 5. The team will remain in Tampa for additional training through May 8.

The 42 players represent 18 different states. Minnesota leads the way with 10 representatives followed by Massachusetts with six, Wisconsin with four and New York with three, while Alaska, California, Illinois, Michigan, and North Dakota have two.

Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont all have one representative.

NOTES: Reagan Carey (Colorado Springs, Colo.), USA Hockey’s director of women’s hockey and general manager of the 2017 U.S. Women’s National Team, will oversee the camp ... The selection camp roster includes 14 members of the silver medalwinning 2014 U.S. Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team and all 23 players who helped the 2017 U.S. Women’s National Team earn a gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championship in Plymouth, Mich.

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April 20, 2017

7

Mike Richter Award continued from page 1 play with them,” he said. “You just set a level of work ethic and dedication.”

No matter what, he hated to sit, which was often his lot since teams he played for stuck with goalie rotations.

But he kept at it and eventually he was being recruited to play at a number of schools. Ironically, his choice came down to the two schools that played on Saturday night for the national championship, Denver and Minnesota Duluth.

“It’s pretty ironic, two awesome programs,” he said, leaving it at that, the title match presumably too close on the horizon to add more.

The summer before his freshman season, he arrived on the Denver campus and skated with a few of his new teammates. What he saw was eye-opening.

“I thought, Holy smokes, these guys are good,” he said. “They can shoot the puck.

“So I was a little nervous, but I got an opportunity to play some games and just played the best I could. I had a great team in front of me, and it just went on from there.”

He earned more than 50 percent of the playing time, an achievement for a freshman, but just like when he was a kid, he

Mike Richter presented the 2017 Mike Richter Award to Tanner Jaillet on April 7 in Chicago.

hated to sit.

“You see your teammates out there working and trying to win a game, so it’s hard because you feel like you’re not really contributing,” Jaillet said. “But I’ve learned that’s not the case. You can be communicating, helping them, and building them up positively.

“You still contribute to the team even

when you’re not playing, but it’s definitely a lot more fun being in the net, making saves.”

Which is something he’s continued to do more and more of each year, modeling his game after Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender Carey Price.

“I’ve watched him a lot,” Jaillet said. “I see how he approaches the game, how calm he is, how focused he is. Obviously,

he’s a lot better at it than I am, but that’s the approach I have. Just try to be calm and show that composure for your teammates so when they look back there they see that you’re on your game, you’re focused, nothing rattles you and they can just play.”

Which all led to Friday evening, surrounding by a sea of supporters, including his parents, Gwen and Mike, and his sister, Nicole, not to mention a hearty representation of other relatives and friends from Red Deer, Alberta.

“My family is everything,” he said. “I wouldn’t be playing hockey without them.

They’ve given me every opportunity to succeed and to play hockey. I owe them everything.”

The next night, the Denver Pioneers, loaded down with all the individual honors of Frozen Four week, added one more piece of hardware.

As a kid, Jaillet, like any other young goaltender, dreamed of making the big save late in the third period of a championship game. He did exactly that on Saturday night in Chicago, and no one should be surprised.

This article appeared on USCHO.com on April 7, 2017 and is reprinted with permission.

Denver’s Will Butcher wins 2017 Hobey Baker Award The Hobey Baker Memorial Award announced on April 7 that the 2017 recipient of college hockey’s top individual prize is Will Butcher from the University of Denver.

The announcement came during the NCAA Frozen Four championship in a ceremony held at the Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier in Chicago and aired nationally on NHL Network.

As team captain in his senior season, Butcher helped guide his Denver Pioneers to the national championship as the topranked team in the nation. Butcher’s stellar performance as the premier defenseman in the nation led to a host of postseason awards, including the NCHC Player of the Year, Offensive Defenseman of the Year and for the second straight season, First Team all-conference. He was also honored by the American Hockey Coaches Association as a West First Team All-American.

Butcher becomes just the sixth defenseman in the 37-year history of the Hobey to be named a winner. He was the first blueliner to be nominated as one of three Hobey hat trick finalists in eight years, last achieved when Matt Gilroy of Boston University won the award in 2009. Butcher

2017 Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher (left) was second in the nation in scoring by a defenseman this season.

joins fellow University of Denver defenseman Matt Carle (2006) to win the Hobey, becoming just the second Pioneer to be named college hockey’s top player.

On the season, Butcher scored seven goals, dished out 30 assists and his 37 points were second in the nation by a defenseman. The two-time All-American is equally efficient at both ends of the rink.

His plus-minus of plus 27 was tied for sixth

Denver edges UMD to win eighth national championship

For the second straight season, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) is home to the NCAA national champions as overall No. 1 seed Denver won the 2017 NCAA title with a thrilling, 3-2 victory over fellow NCHC foe and overall No. 2 seed Minnesota Duluth in the first ever all-NCHC national championship game. The Pioneers earned their eighth NCAA crown in program history behind sophomore forward Jarid Lukosevicius’ hat trick, all in the second period.

The Bulldogs outshot Denver, 40-28, but Jaillet compiled a season-high 38 saves to preserve the win and earn Frozen Four All-Tournament Team honors. Lukosevicius was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Four after his hat trick, while sophomore forward Troy Terry and senior defenseman and Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher also joined him as Pioneers on the All-Tournament Team. Minnesota Duluth sophomore defenseman Neal Pionk and Alex Iafallo rounded out the All-Tournament Team.

overall in the nation.

Hobey Baker was the legendary Princeton (1914) hockey player known as America’s greatest amateur athlete one hundred years ago. He redefined how the game was played with his coast-to-coast dashes in an

era when hockey was contested with seven players and no forward passes. Baker, a member of the U.S. Army’s Air Corp, died testing a repaired aircraft at the end of World War I after he had completed his military service. The Hobey Baker Award criteria includes: displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements. Butcher was selected from a group of ten finalists by a 27-member selection committee and online fan balloting.

A draft pick of the Colorado Avalanche (5th round, 2013), Butcher has already completed his bachelor’s degree in business, and is an all-academic performer in the classroom. He was a finalist for the nationally recognized Senior CLASS award.

Butcher, a native of Sun Prairie, Wis., and an avid muskie fisherman, spends volunteer time with Hockey Saves, assisting military personel in learning and playing the game of hockey.

Minnesotans help Pioneers capture NCAA title

Minnesota natives Blake Hillman (Elk River) and Matt VanVoorhis (Edina) – both defensemen – helped the Denver Pioneers capture the 2017 NCAA Championship on April 8 in Chicago. In the 3-2 win over Minnesota Duluth, Hillman assisted on DU’s game-opening goal.

8

April 20, 2017

Video game I've spent the most time on

Gavin McNeil Apple Valley Squirt C

Will Ingemann Wayzata PeeWee AA

Easton Kurtt Chaska/Chanhassen Mini-Mite West Gold

NHL 17

NHL Legacy Edition

Minecraft

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Favorite ice cr eam flavor cream

Favorite player in the NHL

Rollerblading

Mint

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Vanilla

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Young fan puts off major surgery to follow UMD to Frozen Four

By Matt Wellens Duluth News Tribune The 2017 NCAA Frozen Four was a new experience for almost everyone on the Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey roster, but thanks to the program’s 2011 NCAA title run, much of the Bulldogs’ staff and fan base had been through it before.

That’s especially true for 13-year-old Bulldogs’ fan Sam Anderson of Hermantown.

He was one of the more experienced fans you could have run into in Chicago. The Duluth Marshall seventh-grader is a Frozen Four veteran. The Windy City was his eighth trip to the NCAA hockey season’s biggest event.

This year’s Frozen Four was extra special for Sam, and not just because his Bulldogs were there. The United Center is home to his favorite NHL team, the Chicago Blackhawks, and home to his favorite professional hockey player, Patrick Kane.

Sam also is scheduled to undergo surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., within a week of Saturday’s championship game that he hoped to see his Bulldogs win.

Sam was born with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a hereditary condition that creates polyps in the colon. Eventually, those polyps can become cancerous.

After hundreds of polyps were discovered in Sam last May, his doctors decided it was best to remove his colon and rectum sooner rather than later. Doctors wanted to do the procedure last October, or possibly during Christmas break.

Sam asked if the surgery could be delayed until after the Frozen Four. The Bulldogs were coming off back-to-back trips to regional finals, and Sam had a hunch his favorite college hockey team could be playing at the home of his favorite professional team.

After receiving the OK from Sam’s three surgeons, surgery was scheduled for April 2017 — after the Frozen Four.

“First thing I told them, ‘April, after the Frozen Four, please. Please, I want to go to the Frozen Four,’” Sam said. “I thought maybe based on how we made it to the regional final and lost two years in a row, I thought it could happen. It’s also in Chicago and I want to go to that. I remember thinking right away, ‘I don’t want to miss hockey.

I don’t want to miss anything important. I don’t want to miss the Frozen Four.’”

Sam’s first Frozen Four with his family was in Boston in 2004 when he was less than a year old. He’s since been back to Boston, to Tampa, Fla., twice and to St. Paul, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. Sam said he

Sam Anderson, 13, of Hermantown put off treatment for familial adenomatous polyposis, a type of colorectal cancer, until after he traveled to watch the Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey team compete at the Frozen Four in Chicago.

Photo: Clint Austin/caustin@duluthnews.com

was a fan of Boston because of the seafood and Tampa for the warm weather.

No matter where the Frozen Four is, Sam said one of his favorite things to do is interact with all the fans that come from across the country, whether their school is playing or not.

“I remember the Frozen Four in 2011, there were Maine fans, there were Minnesota fans,” Sam said of the year UMD won its lone title. “I think there was even a Western Michigan fan or two. It’s fans from all over.”

“Sometimes we see what’s the farthest away team we can find.”

Bulldogs fan from before birth Sam’s parents, Chris and Nicole, are big Bulldogs’ fans, so much so that when Nicole was pregnant with Sam, she would hold a radio tuned to KDAL to her womb so their future son could listen to Bulldogs’ games.

Within a month of his birth, Sam attended his first Bulldogs’ game at the DECC against St. Cloud State.

Sam plays hockey in Hermantown. He’s a goalie, so naturally some of his favorite Bulldogs over the years have been goalies such as Isaac Reichmuth, Alex Stalock, Kenny Reiter, Alex Fons and Matt McNeely.

Other favorites include forwards Adam Krause, Joe Basaraba and Kyle Osterberg, and defenseman Wade Bergman and Chad Huttel.

Now Sam is a big fan of freshman goalie Hunter Miska, and how could a young goalie not be! Sam was in Fargo at the West Regional, watching Miska make unbelievable save after unbelievable save against Ohio

State and Boston University to get the team to Chicago.

Sam said Miska’s paddle save against the Buckeyes in overtime was his favorite of the weekend. What Sam didn’t like was that both wins had to come in overtime.

From the perspective of a goalie, Sam said that’s a lot of pressure with the season on the line.

“It’s not cool to watch, we go into overtime and we have close games a lot,” Sam said. “When we were listening to coach (Scott) Sandelin do the press conference after a game in the regional, he was talking about for some reason, don’t know why, everyone on the team likes to be in those tight games.”

Sam is ‘Mom-strong’ The regional round is usually a “guys weekend” for Sam and his father, Chris. But this time, they decided Mom could come along.

She proved to be the good-luck charm the Bulldogs needed to break their short-lived regional final curse.

Nicole, 49, has experienced a significant amount of luck since her 20’s when she was diagnosed with cancer. A simple eye exam revealed she had been born with three different conditions — Gardner syn-

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drome, neurofibromatosis and FAP — which were causing the cancer.

Sam could have inherited all three conditions, but he ended up with only FAP from his mother.

“As his mother, who has walked on this journey, this has been a very anxious year for me,” said Nicole, who has had her colon and rectum removed. “It makes me nervous that we waited, but now I’m thankful that we did. If he would have missed the NCHC Frozen Faceoff or if he would have missed regionals, I felt like he would have felt punished for having what he had. I’m thankful to God that Chris was supportive of Sam and the doctors agreed we could wait.”

The Andersons learned they were pregnant with Sam while Nicole was being treated for cancer in her uterus and cervix.

It was a surprise because doctors told them Nicole would never be able to conceive.

And if by some miracle she did become pregnant, Nicole said she was told she’d miscarry.

Sam was born on a Thursday in October in the Twin Cities, right before the Bulldogs were scheduled to play Minnesota at Mariucci Arena. UMD swept that series, won five of six against the Gophers that year and advanced to the Frozen Four in Boston.

“I looked at the kid and I said, ‘I lived through a 21-game losing streak against Minnesota, you might as well quit right now as a Bulldog fan because it’s not going to get any better than this,’” Chris said.

Sam said his mother is an inspiration and role model. He’s aware that he wasn’t even supposed to be born and that if doctors had not caught his mother’s conditions when they did, she may not be alive today.

“God has a lot in store for you,” Sam said.

“She wasn’t supposed to live past 40. You never know what’s going to happen. She could be gone tomorrow. I could be gone tomorrow. (Dad) could be gone tomorrow.”

Despite everything he is facing, Sam keeps a positive attitude. He said he doesn’t fear his upcoming surgery. He knows it’s for the better, just like the occasional overtime playoff game for his Bulldogs.

This article appeared in the April 1, 2017 edition of the Duluth News Tribune and is reprinted with permission.

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Tough decision comes with a fight University of North Dakota women’s hockey players vow to fight back in the face of their program getting cut

By Dave Schwartz Let’s Play Hockey Contributor

Let’s Play Hockey photo by Mike Thill

Tough decisions are never easy, and more often than not, come with a fight. The University of North Dakota recently found this out when it cut the women’s hockey program, along with both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs.

“It’s been difficult,” said Peter Johnson, Interim Vice President for University Public Affairs. “All of these decisions have been very difficult.”

The day was March 30. The University of North Dakota women’s hockey team had a practice that day, but there were already rumors that had started to swirl, according to Annelise Rice, a freshman from Excelsior, Minn., about a possible cut of the women’s hockey program. But it seemed highly unlikely to them.

“They (coaches) said at practice, ‘We have recruits on campus and they are letting us do official visits today,’ so everything seemed fine,” Rice said. “When we got on the ice, all of a sudden we saw all of the seniors gathering which seemed a little unusual. Then we figured out on our last drill that something was wrong.”

It was then that she and her teammates found out that their team had been cut.

“Shock, just absolute shock,” Rice said.

“I couldn’t imagine that they could ever cut us considering that we are one of the stronger teams in the league.”

The reason for the cut was money, according to the school. The Governor of North Dakota, Doug Burgum, had recommended a 20-percent cut in higher education funding. Between that and cuts made last year as well, Johnson said the school had lost almost $53 million from their budget. So the University had almost every entity come

Facing a major budget shortfall, the University of North Dakota announced it is cutting the women’s hockey program.

up with a plan to reduce its budget by 12 percent.

“We all had to find ways of adjusting our state appropriated portions of our budget by 12 percent,” Johnson said. “Athletics had the same task. After looking at a lot of things – conference affiliation, Title IX, which sports are doing however well – I mean there is a whole matrix of things that they looked at.”

It should be noted, according to Johnson, that the school will honor the scholarships of the current athletes if they choose to stay at the school. Some will transfer if they can, others will wait to see how this fight goes before deciding their future.

The team obviously doesn’t agree with the decision. Rice claims they were told that it was strictly about finances and nothing more. But the “why” was easier to understand then the “how.” How people outside of the program found out it was being cut

before those inside the program.

“Actually, I had some texts on my phone asking about what happened,” Rice recalled of that day. “Before I even knew, my friends knew.”

It’s a gaffe that the university has been transparent about.

“I think there is definitely regret about that,” Johnson said. “Unfortunately, when you make these kind of decisions, there are a lot of folks that you have to work with, including the leagues and other folks that you have to work with to get to that point.

Our intention had been to visit with those students face-to-face and that that would be the first time that anybody outside the folks that had to know, would know. So, the fact that it got leaked was very troublesome to us.”

Equally troublesome to the women on the team was the fact that they weren’t given a chance to save the program. To not only try

and save their own hockey careers, but the careers of others in both the present and the future.

“We’re fighting this because we realize that this is a lot bigger deal than people may realize,” Rice said. “If they are allowed to cut us just like we are nothing, then it’s kind of setting a precedent for other teams.

We also realize how much of an impact we have on younger girls that come to watch us and they are not going to have this anymore.”

They’ve started social media campaigns using the hashtag #NeverEndTheFight. They even asked people to call University President Mark Kennedy – which worked to the point that he had to shut off his phone. Still, the University says it’s impossible for the team to raise enough money to get the program back based on its size and operating costs.

“To make that program sustainable at it’s current level would take an endowment of $60 million,” Johnson said. “Our last major fundraising effort for our entire University over a multiyear period (much of which was in pledges) raised $324 million. So we’re talking about 20 percent of the entire total that was raised in a multiyear fundraising effort.”

Still, impossible as it seems, this group of hockey players want a shot at scoring their ultimate goal.

“Really, we just want a fighting chance,” Rice said. “I think the way that they ended it was so disrespectful that really noone deserves that. I’ve never seen so many girls so distraught. Also, the coaches and everyone else that works with us – I think all that we want is a chance to save our program.”

A battle that may seem uphill, but one that these women refuse to back down from.

NCAA announces Frozen Four sites through 2022 The NCAA has announced sites for the 2019-2022 NCAA Men’s and Women’s Frozen Fours, the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Men’s Hockey Regionals, and the 2020 and 2022 men’s Division III championships.

Division I Men 2018 East Regional (March 23-25) Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Conn.

Host: Fairfield Northeast Regional (March 23-25) DCU Center, Worcester, Mass.

Host: Holy Cross

Frozen Four (April 5-7) Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minn.

Host: Minnesota 2019 East Regional (March 29-31) Dunkin’ Donuts Arena, Providence, R.I. Host: Brown Northeast Regional (March 29-31) SNHU Arena, Manchester, N.H. Host: New Hampshire Midwest Regional (March 29-31) PPL Center, Allentown, Pa. Host: Penn State

Midwest Regional (March 23-25) PPL Center, Allentown, Pa. Host: Penn State

West Regional (March 29-31) Scheels Center, Fargo, N.D. Host: North Dakota

West Regional (March 23-25) Premier Center, Sioux Falls, S.D. Host: North Dakota

Frozen Four (April 11-13)

KeyBank Center, Buffalo, N.Y. Hosts: Canisius, Niagara 2020 Frozen Four (April 9-11) Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Mich.

Host: Michigan State 2021 Frozen Four (April 8-10) PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pa. Host: Robert Morris 2022 Frozen Four (April 7-9) TD Garden, Boston, Mass.

Host: Boston University

Division I Women 2019 Frozen Four (March 22-24) TD Bank Sports Center, Hamden, Conn.

Host: Quinnipiac

Oldtimers Hockey Banquet set for May 2 The Oldtimers Hockey Association will hold their 31st Annual Spring Banquet on Tuesday, May 2 at the Envision Event Center (formerly the Prom Center) in Oakdale, Minn. Two outstanding hockey personalities will be honored.

John Bartz, of the St. Paul Hockey Officials Association and the Minnesota State High School League will be roasted and toasted.

John has been a high school and college hockey official for over 32 years in the state of Minnesota. He has been part of the Minnesota State Boys High School Hockey Tournament for the past 41 consecutive years. He retired from the Minnesota State High School League in 2001 as an associate director where he administered the boys’ and girls’ hockey John Bartz

tournaments in addition to other State High School League events.

Mike Foley Will Receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Mike was a long-time coach at St. Paul Academy and an assistant to Herb Brooks at the University of Minnesota.

Dick “The Polish Eagle” Jonckowski will emcee the program.

2020 Frozen Four (March 20-22) Agganis Arena, Boston, Mass.

Host: Boston University 2021 Frozen Four (March 19-21) Erie Insurance Arena, Erie, Pa. Hosts: Mercyhurst, Erie Sports Commission 2022 Frozen Four (March 18-20) Pegula Ice Arena, University Park, Pa. Host: Penn State

Division III Men 2020 championship (March 27-28) HarborCenter, Buffalo, N.Y. Host: Buffalo State, SUNYAC 2022 championship (March 25-26) Olympic Center Herb Brooks Arena, Lake Placid, N.Y. Host: Plattsburgh State

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NAHL.com

INSIDE THE NAHL 2017 NAHL Robertson Cup tickets on sale now Tickets for the 2017 North American Hockey League (NAHL) Robertson Cup National Championship, which will be played at the Essentia Health Duluth Heritage Center in Duluth, Minn., from May 11-14, are on sale now.

Tournament passes can now be purchased online at https://squareup.com/ store/north-american-hockey-league-2.

Tournament Passes can also be purchased ahead of time at the Duluth Heritage Sports Center: 120 N 30th Ave W, Duluth, MN 55806 or by calling (218) 464-1711; ext. 106 For more information on the event, please visit www.robertsoncup.com The four NAHL divisional playoff champions will advance to the Robertson Cup Championship. Once the four NAHL Divisional Playoff Champions are determined, clubs will be seeded 1-4 based upon their finish in the NAHL regular-season standings. The game schedule will be as follows: The No. 1 seed will face the No. 4 seed in a best-of-three series. The No. 2 seed will face the No. 3 seed in a best-of-three series. The two series’ winners will advance onto a one-game championship to determine the Robertson Cup National Champion.

The Robertson Cup is awarded to the national playoff champion of the NAHL. The oldest junior hockey trophy in the United States, the Robertson Cup is named in honor of Chuck Robertson, a pioneer of junior hockey in the NAHL and youth hockey in the state of Michigan. Robertson was the owner of the Paddock Pools Saints when they won a record seven straight championships from 1976-83.

One of the things the NAHL does better than any other junior league is seeing their players earn an NCAA opportunity while play-

ing in the NAHL. To date, over 180 NAHL players have already made NCAA commitments during the 2016-17 season. The NAHL’s Robertson Cup Championship will play a big role in that success, with dozens of players earning an NCAA opportunity following their participation in the event.

Built in 2008, the Essentia Health Duluth Heritage Center serves as the home of Duluth’s High School Hockey, the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association and the Dave Goldberg family branch of the Boys and Girls Club of the Northland. The Center is a tribute to the rich hockey tradition in the area with numerous displays of Duluth's hockey history. The facility has two ice rinks (Sill and Seitz Arenas). The Robertson Cup Championship will be held in Sill Arena, which accommodates up to 1,800 spectators.

The event will be held in cooperation with the 2017 NAHL Future Prospects Combine. Entering its fourth year in 2017, the Combine will accept applications from all players with birth years from 2001-04. The players will be introduced to and provided with a weekend that involves the 'NAHL Experience,' which will consist of competitive hockey, education of the future levels of hockey, academic preparation for NCAA hockey and exposure to professional, college and junior scouts. Players can register for the combine at http://nahlfp.com/fpc/ events/1617/duluth/.

The Holiday Inn & Suites Duluth Downtown is the official host hotel of the 2017 NAHL Robertson Cup. The hotel will host teams, staff, fans and scouts, as well as serve as host to the 2017 Robertson Cup Luncheon. Rooms can be booked at the special Robertson Cup Rate of $125 per night. Reservations can be made by calling (218) 722-1202.

NAHL Final Regular Season Standings & Stats Central Division Team GP y Minot 60 x MN Wilderness 60 x Brookings 60 x Aberdeen 60 Bismarck 60 Austin 60

W 38 32 30 29 28 24

L 18 22 25 24 30 27

OTL 4 4 4 3 1 4

SOL 0 2 1 4 1 5

PTS 80 70 65 65 58 57

GF 192 188 192 184 187 185

GA 156 179 193 185 209 202

DIFF 36 9 -1 -1 -22 -17

PCT 0.667 0.583 0.542 0.542 0.483 0.475

PIM 1137 892 973 1119 1301 1048

East Division z Aston x Johnstown x New Jersey x W-B/Scranton Northeast

60 60 60 60 60

46 40 34 30 4

11 16 22 25 53

2 3 1 1 3

1 1 3 4 0

95 84 72 65 11

214 209 225 193 116

106 148 190 190 305

108 61 35 3 -189

0.792 0.700 0.600 0.542 0.092

1003 1611 1286 971 1609

Midwest Division y Janesville 60 x Fairbanks 60 x MN Magicians 60 x Coulee Region 60 Springfield 60 Kenai River 60

42 33 31 31 27 12

13 24 22 27 28 46

1 2 4 2 4 2

4 1 3 0 1 0

89 69 69 64 59 26

224 185 180 220 174 121

153 165 169 220 189 233

71 20 11 0 -15 -112

0.742 0.575 0.575 0.533 0.492 0.217

1059 974 691 920 717 1255

0.750 0.633 0.608 0.542 0.508 0.450 0.392

1171 1126 1290 1672 1683 917 1322

South Division y Lone Star 60 44 x Shreveport 60 35 x Corpus Christi 60 32 x Wichita Falls 60 29 Odessa 60 26 Amarillo 60 22 Topeka 60 21 x - clinched playoff berth

Leading Scorers PLAYER Chase Thudium George Mika Nick Bruce Caleb Schroer

TEAM ODA AMA JHT COU

14 2 0 19 3 3 19 4 5 24 5 2 25 6 3 28 8 2 34 4 1 y - clinched division

P F F F F

GP 59 60 60 59

90 190 135 55 76 189 151 38 73 183 155 28 65 187 203 -16 61 183 200 -17 54 173 206 -33 47 176 228 -52 z - regular season champion

G 27 30 27 26

A 43 39 40 41

PTS 70 69 67 67

2016-17 NAHL College Commitments Aberdeen Wings Andy Carroll Tucker DeYoung* Carson Dimoff Kevin Fitzgerald Trystan Isenhour Nicholas Jenny Logan Jenuwine Shawn Knowlton Matt Ladd Gage Mackie Josh Passolt* Gavin Payne* Andrew Sinard Joey Strada

Minnesota State Army St. Lawrence St. Cloud State Colorado College Robert Morris Western Michigan Air Force Colorado College Arizona State Western Michigan RPI Miami Arizona State

Amarillo Bulls Brandon Bussi Charlie Combs* Steven Ipri Bobby Kaiser* George Mika Coale Norris* Charlie Singerhouse Jeff Solow

St. Lawrence Bemidji State Mercyhurst Massachusetts Massachusetts Ferris State UW-River Falls Merrimack

Aston Rebels Evan Bell* Drew Blackmun Dom Garcia Dallas Gerads * Gvido Jansons Brennan Kapcheck Dustin Manz Shane McMahan Mareks Mitens Ryan Solomon Jensen Zerban

Merrimack Northeastern Arizona State Minnesota State Arizona State American Int’l Lake Superior State Minnesota State Lake Superior State Northeastern Air Force

Austin Bruins AJ Drobot Tanner DuFault Jake Kucharski Justin Misiak Dan Petrick Austin Rueschhoff* Jan Stefka

Maine St. John’s Providence Michigan Tech Northeastern Western Michigan American Int’l

Bismarck Bobcats Matthew Barry Tobias Fladeby Nick McKeeby Matej Murin Cameron Smith Will Ulrich Mitchell Walinski

Holy Cross American Int’l Western Michigan American Int’l Dartmouth Air Force Niagara

Brookings Blizzard Paul Cotter Chase Gamelin Jake Gwillim* Brandon Kruse

Alex Falconer Shane Kuzmeski Cale List Steven Quagliata Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup Isaac Theisen

Air Force Clarkson UMass Lowell UW-Stevens Point Maine Air Force

Fairbanks Ice Dogs Robert Blueger Julius Marva Aaron McPheters

Lake Superior State Alaska-Anchorage Alaska-Anchorage

Janesville Jets Joey Abate Chris Dodero Colin Felix Jack Gates Kip Hoffman Adrian Holesinsky Michael Maloney Jakov Novak Cole Paskus Derek Schaedig Zach Solow* Carson Vance* Blake Wareham

Wisconsin American Int’l Massachusetts Colorado College Alaska-Anchorage Maine Brown Bentley UMass Lowell Harvard Northeastern Western Michigan Canisius

Johnstown Tomahawks Nick Bruce Filips Buncis Dalton Hunter Adam Pilewicz Zac Robbins* Hayden Rowan

RIT Arizona State Mercyhurst Penn State Connecticut Yale

Kenai River Brown Bears Lucas Carroll UW-Stout Magnus Lindhe* Marian Jonathan Marzec UW-Stout Lone Star Brahmas Justin Addamo Alec Calvaruso Drake Glover Pete Kessel Simon Loof Max Prawdzik John Zimmerman

Robert Morris Colorado College Alaska Anchorage Holy Cross Merrimack Boston University Army

Minnesota Magicians Travis Brown Pierce Crawford* Hunter Lellig Vitaliy Novytskyy*

Michigan Tech Notre Dame Minnesota Duluth American Int’l

Minnesota Wilderness Ashton Calder Bradley Johnson* Luke Kania Western Michigan Nicholas Olczyk Lake Superior State Tristan Rostagno Aurora Tyler Vold Bowling Green Michael Zuffante

Corpus Christi Ice Rays David Baskerville Nathan Bryer Cam Burggrabe Jake Durflinger * Cody Fleckenstein Logan Gestro Mason Krueger Dryden McKay* Tomas Vomacka

Canisius Mercyhurst Northern Michigan Denver Army Canisius Army Holy Cross Connecticut

Coulee Region Chill Brad Arvanitis Jackson Charlesworth* Billy Duma

Massachusetts Northern Michigan Air Force

Lake Superior State Bemidji State Brown Colorado College Michigan Tech Bemidji State Bentley

Minot Minotauros Alex Adams Eric Dop Tyler Jeanson Reid Stefanson

Air Force Bowling Green Colgate UMass Lowell

New Jersey Titans Nicholas Boyagian Todd Goehring Jordan Kaplan Will Riedel Oskar Stromberg

Sacred Heart Sacred Heart Sacred Heart Lake Superior State American Int’l

Northeast Generals Matt Demelis

Northeastern

Anthony Mangano Devin Pierce Kohei Sato Cameron Smith Joe Vingi Tim Weinstein

Elmira Elmira New Hampshire Dartmouth Suffolk Trinity

Odessa Jackalopes Jaden Anderson Jon Flakne Jake Levin Ryan MacKellar Connor Wood Levin Wunder Cooper Zech Zach Zech

Lake Superior State Colorado College Air Force UW-Stevens Point Alabama-Huntsville Alabama-Huntsville Alaska UW-Stevens Point

Shreveport Mudbugs Croix Evingson Kyle Kawamura Dyllan Lubbesmeyer Eriks Zohovs

UMass Lowell Maine Robert Morris UMass Lowell

Springfield Jr. Blues Aiden Beck Matthew Cassidy Jason Dhooghe * Fletcher Fineman Jordan Greenfield-Flemon Ryan Leibold Matt Long Grant Meyer * Garrett Nieto D.J. Petruzzelli Luke Picek Brian Rigali * Mike Robinson Jack Summers

Canisius Quinnipiac Wisconsin Union Norwich Army Canisius Canisius Lake Superior State Quinnipiac Aurora Connecticut New Hampshire Brown

Topeka RoadRunners Marshall Bowery John DeRoche Max Harper Brent Hill Michael Latorella Luka Maver * Quinn Preston * Brendan Rons Marcus Russell Trevor Zins*

Air Force Quinnipiac Air Force Maine Ohio State American Int’l Ohio State Michigan Tech Michigan Tech UMass Lowell

Wichita Falls Wildcats Austin Albrecht Jeff Baum* Jonathan Bendorf Kevin Charyszyn* Jared Dempsey Seamus Donohue Evan Moyse Aleksi Poikola Garrett Van Wyhe* CJ Walker

Massachusetts Providence RPI Clarkson Army Michigan Tech Ohio State Michigan Tech Army Minnesota State

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights Joe Campolieto Union Dorian Dawson Brown Paul DeNaples Penn State Jacob Hamacher* RIT Zach Satalino* Lawrence Grant Valentine Miami * NAHL Alumni Robbie Beydoun* Colin Burston* Dakota Raabe* Tyler Rockwell

Michigan Tech Brown Michigan Michigan Tech

Lubbesmeyer commits to Robert Morris The Shreveport Mudbugs announced that goaltender Dyllan Lubbesmeyer has committed to play NCAA Division I college hockey at Robert Morris University this fall.

Lubbesmeyer becomes the first goaltender in NAHL Mudbugs’ history to make a Division I college commitment.

“We congratulate Dyllan on his commitment to RMU,” Head Coach Karlis Zirnis said.

“Dyllan is a competitive goaltender and a very mature young man who has provided terrific leadership for our team with both solid play and a great attitude. His calm demeanor and inner drive have meant a lot to our program. We know these qualities will translate when Dyllan starts the next chapter of his life and playing career.”

The 20-year-old Lubbesmeyer has been part of a goalie tandem that is the backbone of a Mudbugs’ team that posted the second-best goals against average in the South division. His 2.31 goals against average and .922 save percentage both ranked in the top 10 of the NAHL, a league with a reputation for developing solid Division I collegiate and future professional goaltenders.

The Burnsville, Minn., native posted a record of 18-7-3-1 and had the fifth-fewest regulation losses among all league goaltenders who have started in 20 or more games this season. He was one of six Mudbugs’ players to compete in the 2017 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament in Plymouth, Mich.

Lubbesmeyer began the 2016-17 campaign with the Minnesota Wilderness before joining the Bugs in early October. Prior to that he had a very successful run at his hometown Burnsville High School, where, following his senior year in 2015, Lubbesmeyer captured the prestigious Frank Brimsek award as the top goaltender in the state of Minnesota.

Located in Pittsburgh, Robert Morris University plays in the Atlantic Hockey Conference. Lubbesmeyer joins a program that has finished no lower than fifth place in Atlantic Hockey in each of the last five seasons. Eight players on the Colonials’ 20162017 roster played their junior hockey in the NAHL.

12

April 20, 2017

Let’s Play Hockey

www.letsplayhockey.com

The netminder’s minder Bob Mason has been the Minnesota Wild goalie coach for 15 seasons

By Dave Schwartz Let’s Play Hockey Contributor

a consistently good relationship with them has been the key to Mason’s longevity with the Wild and the NHL. In his 15-year career In professional sports, there is shelf life in Minnesota, he’s coached three All-Stars on coaches.

(Niklas Backstrom, Dwayne Roloson and And then there is Bob Mason.

Devan Dubnyk – twice.) In 2013-14, under “I mean, I have coached longer than I have Mason’s instruction, Josh Harding led the played now,” Mason laughed as we spoke league in goals-against average and save after a recent percentage. practice. “I had The last two never really even seasons, planned on Dubnyk has put coaching.” up the finest Oh the irony. statistics of his Mason is the career. It’s not a anomaly, the outcoincidence lier, the one shutthat Mason is out performance the common in a season of 20 thread – and losses (if you it’s his laid-back would like to use nature and dea goalie analsire to mold his ogy). He has been teaching to the goalie coach each player for the Minnethat’s made sota Wild since him successful.

2002. It’s a ten“I have alure that has ways kind of spanned 15 seaworked with sons and four their game,” head coaches.

Mason said. “I “I guess I’ve mean, they are Bob Mason’s tenure as the Wild goalie coach has included four head coaches and three All-Stars. been fortunate to pretty good to Photo: Minnesota Wild/Bruce/Kluckhohn have some pretty get to this level. good goaltenders here to work with,” Ma- It’s more of a little bit of positioning and son said. “That’s been a consistent thing technique. If some guy is not good with the here and that’s probably part of it. Bruce technique, then we don’t use it. If you like a (Boudreau) came in and he had the green different one, that’s fine, but we have to do light to get a different guy if he wanted to, it well. You get to know the personality, and he just thought Dubnyk was pretty con- you’ve got to be able to motivate them.” sistent and a good performer and he told His years of experience as a coach has me, ‘I gotta keep you on here.’” helped figure out how to do that. But it was Having those consistent goaltenders and his playing career in high school, college and

a professional career that spanned 12 years all over the U.S. and at different levels that has helped him the most when dealing with guys.

“I just go through the coaches I had and what worked for me,” Mason said. “I had guys who would smother you way too much.

There’s a fine line there: Do you want to overcoach? Or do you want to coach. You don’t want to overcoach. I didn’t like being overcoached ever and I think a lot of these guys don’t. Sometimes you have to get in their face, but rarely. They just have to trust what you say.”

Never has that been more evident than the last month of the regular season with Dubnyk who, after a stellar start, faced some adversity in net. Mason was quick to point

Update Granite City wins NA3HL Silver Cup Mac Berglove made 35 saves to lead the Granite City Lumberjacks to a 2-1 win over the Metro Jets on April 2 at Canlan Ice Sports in Romeoville, Ill., to capture the 2017 NA3HL Silver Cup Championship. The win is Granite City’s third Silver Cup title in the past six seasons.

The first period got off to a fast pace with both goalies making some big saves early. The first big chance of the game yielded the game’s first goal. The Lumberjacks were whistled for a head contact minor penalty and Metro took advantage with a shot from the point by Robby Flannery, which was redirected in front by Evan Newel putting the Jets ahead 1-0. The rest of the way was great goaltending by the Jets’ Andrew Kormos and the Lumberjacks’ Mac Berglove, who both faced 13 shots in the opening period.

The Lumberjacks turned the tables on the Jets early in the second and came out with the momentum. A slashing penalty on the Jets netted the first power play of the night for the Lumberjacks and Granite City took immediate advantage as Ryan

Smith scored on the power play to make the score 1-1 with assists to Owen Sikich and Braden Altena. Less than a minute later, Granite City struck again as Matthew Moran scored on a deflection with an assist to Eric Moser to make the score 2-1. Berglove would make the lead stand for the Lumberjacks as he stopped all 14 of the shots that Metro sent his way in the period.

The final period was all Berglove, as he again shutdown every chance the Jets threw at him, making nine saves in the final frame to help the Lumberjacks bring home the title. For the Jets, it capped an incredible season, which saw them post the only undefeated regular season record in NA3HL history and make it to the Championship Game for a season consecutive season.

NA3HL Silver Cup All-Tournament Team F: Matthew Moran, Granite City Lumberjacks F: Louis Boudon, Metro Jets F: Braden Altena, Granite City Lumberjacks D: Robby Flannery, Metro Jets D: Hunter Ruschmeyer, Yellowstone Quake D: Mac Berglove, Granite City Lumberjacks MVP: Mac Berglove, Granite City Lumberjacks

out that the mistakes and miscues weren’t reserved just to Dubnyk, but he believes in both his goalie and in the guys in front of him to get it worked out.

“You’ve got to trust what you’re doing,” Mason said. “He’s been through it, he’s been on the hot season before when he was a starter in Edmonton. We can kind of look and go back and see how to get out of those things, but you just keep working. He doesn’t have to change a lot, he just has to get back to making that right save at that right time.”

It’s something Mason has had an uncanny ability to get his netminders to do – regardless of the personality, the head coach or the season. It’s longevity that is as rare as the consistent success Bob Mason has enjoyed.

NA3HL.COM @NA3HL NA3HL

Leading Scorers • Regular Season PLAYER TEAM P Martins Vitolins LGB F Oskar Lindberg LGB F Conor Landrigan BNG F Dominik Bogdziul BNG F Ryan Reifler BNG F Brandon Corey RCY F Tyler Uravage BNG F

GP 46 46 45 42 47 47 44

G 53 52 52 43 36 61 30

A 110 97 70 76 64 33 62

PTS 163 149 122 119 100 94 92

Defenseman Scoring • Regular Season PLAYER TEAM P Danny O’Donnell GFL D Ricky Regala LGB D Austin Azzinnaro MIS D Conor Cunningham NAS D Jacob Peterson TEX D Connor Busch MNE D

GP 47 46 44 46 47 33

G 20 14 9 13 15 13

A 46 47 47 37 32 33

PTS 66 61 56 50 47 46

Save Percentage • Regular Season PLAYER TEAM GPI Andrew Kormos MET 23 Kyler Ayers GFL 18 Salvatore Lauretta BNG 26 Steven Schmitt BNG 21 Jake Gwillim MET 21

MINS 1359 996 1531 1232 1196

W-L-OTL-SOL 23-0-0-0 15-0-1-0 26-0-0-0 18-1-0-1 21-0-0-0

GAA 0.93 1.33 1.72 1.85 1.35

SV% .959 .945 .941 .936 .935

Goals-Against Average • Regular Season PLAYER TEAM GPI Andrew Kormos MET 23 Kyler Ayers GFL 18 Jake Gwillim MET 21 Salvatore Lauretta BNG 26 Tyler Myers TEX 31 * bold indicates Minnesota native

MINS W-L-OTL-SOL SV% 1359 23-0-0-0 .959 996 15-0-1-0 .945 1196 21-0-0-0 .935 1531 26-0-0-0 .941 1837 24-5-1-0 .932 * More stats on NA3HL.com

GAA 0.93 1.33 1.35 1.72 1.83

13

April 20, 2017

www.letsplayhockey.com

AAU JUNIOR HOCKEY Insider AAUICEHOCKEY.ORG • WSHL.POINTSTREAKSITES.COM

Wichita captures 2017 Thorne Cup

Peter Cicmanec scored three goals to lead the Wichita Jr. Thunder to a 43 win over the Idaho Jr. Steelheads in the 2017 Thorne Cup championship game.

It is the first ever Western States Hockey League championship for Wichita – and interrupted Idaho’s attempt at a three-peat.

Idaho’s Jonathan Karlsson scored the only goal of the first period, but the Jr. Thunder scored three unanswered goals in the second to take a 31 lead. Cicmanec’s first two goals were sandwiched around a tally by veteran blue liner Alex Smith.

Lance Herning got the Jr. Steelheads within a goal at 6:28 of the third period, but Wichita’s Erik Spath made some key saves to protect the Jr. Thunder lead.

Cicmanec’s third goal came with 8:42 left on the clock and gave Wichita some breathing room that they would end up needing.

Idaho’s Rei Kikuchi scored with just over six minutes left in the game to get the Jr. Steelheads back within a goal but Spath, who made 14 of his 35 saves in the final frame, would not allow another puck to get past him and the Jr. Thunder had an historic victory for their franchise.

Sergei Pysarenko made 25 saves for Idaho – 12 of them in the second period.

Wichita Jr. Thunder Valenia Flyers Wichita Jr. Thunder Colorado Junior Eagles Idaho Junior Steelheads Ogden Mustangs Ogden Mustangs Wichita Jr. Thunder

The Phoenix Knights announced the hiring of Colten St. Clair as the team’s new head coach and general manager. St. Clair spent the 2016-17 season as an assistant coach with the Knights.

“To be named the head coach is a huge honor and very humbling,” St. Clair said. “I am a young coach, but I strive to move players to the next level and want to make the players better.”

Born and raised in Gilbert, Ariz., St. Clair has an impressive hockey resume at the age of 24. He played more than 150 games with the USHL’s Fargo Force over three seasons before heading to the University of North Dakota to play collegiately. During his days at UND, St. Clair was part of three Frozen Four teams and won an NCAA Championship.

As a first-year head coach, St. Clair is tasked with taking his success on the ice and turning it into success behind the bench, but he’s up for the challenge.

“I played for lots of great coaches,” St. Clair said. “I plan on taking the different styles of those coaches, creating a style for myself and turn it into something that works best for the organization.”

Phoenix will turn to St. Clair to bring back the organization’s strong winning tradition.

“I want players that will come in and help turn this into a winning program again, and in order for that to happen, these players are going to have to strive to become better players and move onto the next level,” St. Clair said. “If they want to play at the next level, they will get treated that way. The players will get a good taste of USHL and NCAA play style when they come and play for the Knights.”

One way that St. Clair will turn the Knights back into a winning program is his work ethic. It’s the same work ethic that caught

the eyes of NHL scouts during his playing days at Fargo and University of North Dakota.

“Work ethic is something that can get you places in life and in hockey,” St. Clair said.

“You can teach skill, but not every kid is willing to put in the work. If you’re willing to work, you can achieve anything. Not every player plays his best every game, but it’s the guys that come to the rink every day and the gym in the summer that help a team succeed. If you strive to be the best, all you have to do is work for it and everything else will fall into place.”

Arizona Hockey Club President Stacy Shupe said, “We believe Colten will have the ability to attract players to the program as we continue the rebuilding efforts that began last season. He has experience in the top-most elite levels, the USHL and NCAA D-I, where many of our players aspire to reach. We believe that experience will translate to strong coaching for our players.”

St. Clair will also join the AHU youth skills’ coaching roster.

St. Clair has a clear vision of what fans can expect from his team in the 2017-18 season.

“Look for a very disciplined, fast moving, hard-nosed team pushing the pace every shift making plays,” St. Clair said. “We will be relentless and hard to play against. I will run strict systems, but allow players to be creative and use their hockey sense. If a kid is highly skilled, why not let them use it?

Everybody will come in and be expected to want to get better day-in and day-out. That’s what creates not just a team, but a family.

These guys will be going into battle with each other, so being a family in the locker room is going to be key.”

2016-17 WSHL Final Standings

2016-17 WSHL Finals All-Stars Zachary Balodis Joakim Blomgren Peter Cicmanec* Carter Dahl John Deroche Austin Dittenhafer Dick Franckich Oskar Gullstrom

Colten St. Clair named new Phoenix Knights coach

Lance Herning Kyle Hoffman Kirill Markevich Jack McClelland Simon Sefcik Eric Spath Matus Spodniak *MVP Award

Idaho Junior Steelheads Idaho Junior Steelheads Long Beach Bombers Wichita Jr. Thunder Wichita Jr. Thunder Wichita Jr. Thunder Ogden Mustangs

Western Division Team GP Long Beach 52 Valencia 52 Ontario 52 Las Vegas 52 Fresno 52 San Diego 52 Phoenix 49 Arizona 52

W 46 40 33 25 25 24 7 1

L 5 9 17 22 22 25 42 49

OTL 1 3 2 5 5 3 0 2

PTS 93 83 68 55 55 51 14 4

GF 365 262 250 264 224 189 96 62

GA 115 127 161 203 237 213 350 449

DIFF 250 135 89 61 -13 -24 -254 -387

PIM 871 807 943 765 1084 832 725 799

HOME 25-1-0 24-2-0 17-5-1 14-9-3 14-9-3 13-13-0 3-23-0 1-24-1

AWAY 21-4-1 16-7-3 16-12-1 11-13-2 11-13-2 11-12-3 4-19-0 0-25-1

Northwest Division Team GP Idaho 52 So. Oregon 52 Butte 52 Vancouver 52 Lake Tahoe 52 Bellingham 52 Seattle 52

W 43 33 32 18 15 15 12

L 5 15 18 27 33 36 36

OTL 4 4 2 7 4 1 4

PTS 90 70 66 43 34 31 28

GF 273 205 262 189 174 122 146

GA 99 142 194 248 307 221 277

DIFF 174 63 68 -59 -133 -99 -131

PIM 910 1193 1126 1150 1441 885 1285

HOME 22-5-1 24-6-3 17-9-0 9-11-6 10-13-3 8-16-0 4-13-4

AWAY 21-0-3 9-9-1 15-9-2 9-16-1 5-20-1 7-20-1 8-23-0

Mountain Division Team W Ogden 52 Colorado 52 Utah 52 Casper 52 Cheyenne 52 Superior 52

L 42 38 30 29 17 15

OTL 7 11 18 17 32 31

SOL 3 3 4 6 3 6

PTS 87 79 64 64 37 36

PCT 267 213 222 182 212 144

GF 98 120 173 164 267 212

GA 169 93 49 18 -55 -68

PIM 746 925 706 1010 1029 656

HOME 21-4-1 16-6-3 13-10-3 16-8-3 7-17-1 9-13-3

AWAY 21-3-2 22-5-0 17-8-1 13-9-3 10-15-2 6-18-3

Mid-Western Division Team W El Paso 52 Oklahoma City 52 Wichita 52 Springfield 52 Tulsa 52 Dallas 52

L 38 37 35 36 13 10

OTL 12 14 13 15 38 37

SOL 2 1 4 1 1 5

PTS 78 75 74 73 27 25

PCT 322 276 293 263 166 134

GF 134 145 175 178 337 303

GA 188 131 118 85 -171 -169

PIM 1315 1075 1008 867 939 746

HOME 19-6-1 18-8-0 19-5-2 20-6-0 10-16-0 7-18-1

AWAY 19-6-1 19-6-1 16-8-2 16-9-1 3-22-1 3-19-4

14

April 20, 2017

Let’s Play Hockey

Finding the right pair of skates

www.letsplayhockey.com

UPDATE USPHL.com @USPHL USPHL

Wisconsin Muskies set for inaugural USPHL Premier season

By Andy Ness As we enter the offseason, I have seen many skaters who are in need of a different pair of skates due to a variety of reasons.

Most skates are either broken down after the season or starting to get too small for growing skaters. Spring is usually the biggest time for buying new skates as typically all the new models become available for retail.

Buying the proper fitting skate for every skater is essential. When ready to buy new skates, fit, type of skate, stiffness of a boot and sharpening are some things to consider.

This is the most important piece of equipment a skater can have. Parents may be able to cut costs on some other equipment, but make sure to invest in a good pair of skates. There are so many choices out there, so here are some things to consider.

First, and possibly most important, is getting the proper fit to a skate. A general rule of thumb is that the skate will fit one and a half or two sizes smaller than a standard shoe size. The skater’s skate should have a snug fit that will limit heel movement or general foot movement in the boot.

Too many younger skaters are, “swimming in their skates” because their parents want the skater to “grow into them.” Doing this only hinders the skater. Poor fitting skates contribute to a lot of skaters becoming “ankle skaters” or limiting them in their ability to do basic skating skills such as stopping and doing power turns. Older skaters can choose skates that fit tighter in the heel or tighter in the toe box depending on the shape of the skater’s foot.

Ask someone who has skate knowledge at your local sporting goods store which boot would be the best fit for your foot. Each skate is different and the best skate for you may not be what your buddy wears but what is best for your foot.

Another thing to consider is the stiffness of the boot. This is something that is important to understand and it could go either way. We see a lot of younger skaters that are in really flimsy skates. This again hurts in ankle support and limits the skater’s ability to execute basic skills. A younger skater needs a supportive boot that is fitted properly. With that being said, the way skates are made now (especially adult skates), they are almost too stiff for some skaters.

Consider this situation. We have many skaters who are around the age of 12 and are in adult skate sizes but still buy the top end, stiffest skate on the market. Many of these skaters may not even weigh 100 pounds but are in skates that 215-pound NHL skaters wear. This is a reason why most of these kids will not be able to get proper ankle flex or really ever break in their skates because they are way too stiff.

Being in a skate too stiff would be like being in a ski boot in which the skater will have limited flexibility. For this situation, the skater should consider getting a lower end model (that will still be a good skate) to help give them the ability to have some flex in their ankle. Again, it may not be the most

expensive skate on the market that will be the best skate for the individual.

As parents bring skates to get sharpened, it may tend to get confusing. A new pair of skates should be rockered (also called contouring or profiling) to help take some of the blade off the toe and heel. When you buy skates, they come with a standard radius, so this helps give the blade some “shape.”

Once this is done, the skater should decide at what hollow to get their skates sharpened. The hollow is the upside down U shape of the blade, separating the inside and outside edges. The deeper this is, the more skate will “cut” into the ice. The shallower the hollow, the more the skate will “slide” across the ice. A pretty standard hollow is half-inch. As you move closer to an inch, the shallower the hollow gets.

A goalie would use a very shallow hollow because he/she needs to slide side to side.

Most of the pros that I skate with have a relatively shallow hollow because you are able to get more of a glide and become a little more efficient. Again, this is a personal preference in which a skater can determine on their own what they like best.

Remember to ask a lot of questions when buying your next pair of skates. Skates are expensive these days, so it is important to have as much knowledge on each and every brand that is out there. Also, the right skate for you or your child may not be the right skate for someone else, so be selective. Good luck.

Andy Ness is the head skating and skill coach for the Minnesota Wild. He has also been an assistant skating instructor for the New Jersey Devils, the University of Minnesota men’s and women’s hockey teams and the U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey Team.

There’s been a huge buzz around Northwest Wisconsin in recent weeks with rumors of the Spooner Civic Center reopening. With that came excitement of hockey being back in town. Official word of its reopening came last week as Dennis Canfield announced plans to open the arena the end of this summer.

On April 13, he unveiled the community's newest addition: the Wisconsin Muskies.

The Muskies will play this fall as members of the USPHL Premier league and play teams from not only across the Midwest, but also as far away as the East Coast.

The team will be coached by Canfield who is no stranger to the USPHL where he guided the Forest Lake Lakers to a Division Title and the USPHL National finals two seasons ago.

“I am very excited to bring hockey back to Spooner and Northwest Wisconsin, Canfield said. “This area has a proud hockey tradition and the community loves its hometown team. We will be a hard working, blue collar club just like the good people of this region and a source of com-

munity pride. The club will have some of the finest facilities in the country to call home; something which is a great recruiting tool according to the coach. Our players will have a state-of-the-art locker room, unlimited access to practice ice and a gym that is fully equipped and in-house. It’s a facility that is perfect for development.”

The USPHL is one of the finest player development models in the country. NHL Stars including the Minnesota Wild’s Charlie Coyle and Buffalo Sabres’ Jack Eichel are among many of the aspiring players who came through this league. The fans will certainly enjoy knowing they are potentially watching future NHL stars night in and night out.

Why the Muskies? “This region offers some of the finest fishing and wildlife in the country. We wanted to capture the spirit of the region and its people and what better way than to call ourselves the Muskies and don the faithful colors of the beloved Green Bay Packers,” Canfield said.

For more information, please email info@wisconsinmuskies.com.

Summer

HOCKEY GUIDE

Includes a comprehensiv e list of...

SUMMER HOCKEY LEAGUES CLINICS CAMPS TRYOUTS Plus more!

Let’s Play Hockey is you r No. 1 source fo r hockey news!

Take your game to the next level!

Summer Hockey Guide Take your game to the next level wih these great camps and clinics!

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Heartland Hockey Camps Location: Deerwood, Minnesota Levels: All Levels; Boys & Girls & Adults Description: Heartland offers a wide variety of fun-filled waterfront activities and world class hockey instruction from U.S. Olympian and former NHL player Steve Jensen.

Special features: Heartland Hockey is a very special place on earth situated on an 80-acre campus in a beautiful & scenic setting, in the heart of Minnesotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vacation land. It is the only self-contained, privately owned hockey camp in the world. As a result of this exclusive environment, all of our camp clientele enjoy an atmosphere that is void of distractions and disturbances. This type of tranquil surrounding enhances each camperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concentration level and also intensifies the level of everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awareness & appreciation for the wonderful wide variety of fun-filled recreational activities & world-class hockey instruction.

Sessions/dates: Visit www.heartlandhockey.com Phone: 800-945-7465 Email: steve@heartlandhockey.com Website: www.heartlandhockey.com

REWARD YOURSELF THIS SUMMER with our VONFGRHTÄ&#x161; VKFG UCRKGÄ&#x203A;X OH HTN Ä&#x201A;Ä&#x161;Ä&#x161;GF VCÄ&#x203A;GRHRONÄ&#x203A; activities & world class hockey instruction.

Complete Player Hockey Development Location: Faribault, MN (Shattuck-St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) Address: 1000 Shumway Ave., Faribault, MN 55021 Levels: Skill Development Camp â&#x20AC;&#x201C; birth years 20002005; Pre-season training camp â&#x20AC;&#x201C; birth years 2000-2003.

Description: CPHD is a boarding camp hosted on the campus of Shattuck-St. Maryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. We expect players to be pushed hard and take their game to the next level. The on and off ice sessions are designed to be demanding and to get players out of their comfort zone. Players will be grouped by age and skill level.

Special Features: Transportation to and from the airport is provided if necessary.

An on-staff nurse is available throughout the week, along with an athletic trainer.

Sessions: Skill Development Camp â&#x20AC;&#x201C; July 2-July 8; Pre-Season Training Camp August 6-12. Day and Overnight Camp.

Phone: 952-220-8424 E-mail: completeplayerhockey@gmail.com Website: www.completeplayerhockey.net

SoNo Ice House Location: Norwalk, Connecticut Description: Â&#x2021; 7UDLQ /LNH D 3UR ² $OO 'D\ &DPS KRXUV RI RQ LFH RII LFH WUDLQLQJ Ă RRU KRFNH\ &ODVV URRP

Â&#x2021; %DWWOH $WWDFN ZLWK 7RPDV] 3LDWHN 0DUYLQ Minkler Â&#x2021; (ULF /LQG 3RZHU 6NDWLQJ Â&#x2021; &KULV *HUZLJ :RUNKRUVH &DPSV Â&#x2021; 'HYLQ (GJHUWRQ ² 3RVLWLRQDO 6NLOOV &DPSV Â&#x2021; $IWHU WKH 5XVK ² 2IIHQVLYH DQG 'HIHQVH 7DFWLFV Camp â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Minkler & Piatek Â&#x2021; 'DQLHOOH :DUG 6NLOO 'HYHORSPHQW ² *LUOV &DPSV Â&#x2021; %RRW &DPS ZLWK 0DUYLQ 0LQNOHU Â&#x2021; )XWXUH 2LOHUV /LWWOH 2LOHUV ² %HJLQQHU &DPSV Â&#x2021; +RFNH\ ZLWK -DPLH 7URSVD Â&#x2021; 3OXV 0RUH 6KRRWLQJ &DPSV 'DQJOH &DPSV *RDOWHQGLQJ &DPSV 6PDOO Group Camps Â&#x2021; $OO $JHV ² 0LWHV ² 0LGJHWV Levels: AAA, AA, House Level, Beginners & Learn to Skate Dates: Weekly Camps Starting June 12th â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 1st Website: www.SoNoHockey.com Phone: 203-956-0255 E-Mail: Marvin@SoNoIceHouse.com

LumberYard Summer Camps

Location: Stillwater, MN Address: 1650 Washington Ave. Levels: Mites â&#x20AC;&#x201C; College; Boys & Girls Description: Hockey Golf Camp, Advanced Passing Camp, Finish Your Check, Dynamics, Light The Lamp, Power Skating, Stickhandling Club, Girls Only Goal Scoring, Learn To Play Hockey, Squirt Camp, PeeWee Camp, 3-on-3 Days, D-Man Camp, College/Junior.

Sessions/Dates: Day Camp.

Phone: 651-439-2011 Email: info@lumberyardsports.com Website: www.lumberyardsports.com

Roseville Girls Hockey Camp Contact: Craig Rosenthal E-mail: Craigrosie21@yahoo.com Sessions: 6/1-7/27

Yuro SK8 Location: Minnesota Description: Documented and proven professional hockey WUDLQLQJ <XUR 6N 6\VWHPV DQG 6NLOO 'HYHORSPHQW SXVKHV WKH HQYHORSH RI KRFNH\ WUDLQLQJ (VWDEOLVKHG LQ <XUR 6N has collaborated and mentored under some of the best hockey skills coaches in the world. Yuro has transformed hockey skills training in to cutting edge and proven systems approach. Yuro has trained mites, squirts, peewees, bantams, high school, varsity, junior hockey and proIHVVLRQDO KRFNH\ SOD\HUV WKURXJKRXW WKH ZRUOG 2QFH \RX WU\ <XUR \RX ZLOO TXLFNO\ UHDOL]H why hockey players return and are the players that rise above the rest on the rink.

E-mail: \XUR#\XUR VN FRP Website: ZZZ <XUR 6N FRP

ALL-ACCESS SUMMER CAMP CARD FEATURED INSTRUCTORS ERIC LIND JAMIE TROPSA *NEW CHRIS GERWIG

TOMASZ PIATEK MARVIN MINKLER DEVIN EDGERTON

DANIELLE WARD

No excuses, train and work on your game at one low price and ALL ACCESS to everything SoNo has to offer! ŕ Ž(SS (JJLZZ [V HU` :V5V :\TTLY /VJRL` *HTWZ *Any Weekly, Daily or Weekend Camps

ŕ Ž(SS (JJLZZ [V :V5V :\TTLY 3LHN\L 5,> ŕ Ž(SS (JJLZZ :RH[L :OHYWLUPUN! 1\UL [O :LW[ Z[ ŕ Ž(SS (JJLZZ 3\UJO! 6UL -YLL 3\UJO 7LY +H` ŕ Ž(SS (JJLZZ .`T 7HZZ! :V5VÂťZ ([OSL[PJ ,KNL Check Calendar at www.sonoicehouse.com for workout times

ŕ Ž(SS (JJLZZ *\Z[VT 1LYZL` ^P[O 7SH`LY 5HTL HUK 5\TILY ŕ Ž:PISPUN +PZJV\U[ (]HPSHISL

203.956.0255 www.SoNoIceHouse.com Marvin@SoNoIceHouse.com Maide@SoNoIceHouse.com

LET’S PLAY HOCKEY’S

PREMIER LEAGUE

SHOWCASE OF MINNESOTA’S TOP 2003, 2004, 2005 BORN ATHLETES

BOYS & GIRLS

ONLINE SCORING, STATS, UPDATES

for questions - info@lphpremierleague.com

letsplayhockey.com

COVER ALL THE ANGLES... and deny the opposition!

GOALIES! Join the ever-growing number of NHL Goaltenders who are using our training tools to deny their opposition!

2 Options for Camp!

THE DEFLECTOR For repositioning work

Day Camp Elementary School Aged Kids.

THE PRO-ANGLE

(boys and girls mixed): 10 hours of ice, swimming at the YMCA, math lessons, team building, crafts, snacks provided, outdoor sports, end of the week Camp BBQ! July 31st - Aug 4th and/or Aug 7th - 11th, 8am - 4:30pm M-Th, 8am - noon on Friday

For spatial recognition and positional play

TIP ‘N SCREEN For deflection and screen work

Helping Goalies Cover All The Angles!

TESTIMONIALS “This is a must have!”

-Rick St Croix, goalie coach of the Winnipeg Jets “My goalies love it!”

-Mitch Korn, goalie coach of the Washington Capitals “Your products are amazing!”

-Steve Briere, goalie coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs “Goaltenders’ BFF products are a revolutionary set of goalie training tools that was so needed within the scope of training and self improvement on the ice. I cannot say enough good things about these products because they fill every need that a goalie training program would address.”

-Carlo Di Rienzo, GTA Goalie Academy

218-444-9977 www.goaltendersbff.com

Hometown Hockey Summer Camps Andover Community Center

“These products are awesome elite training aids for goalies of all skill levels!”

-Eric Travers, Goaltender Development Coach for Belfry Hockey

Intensive Camp Middle School Aged Kids.

Intensive Camp (separate boys and girls sessions): 13.5 hours of ice, dryland training, strength and conditioning, swimming, shooting/stick handling, etc Aug 14th - 18th, 8am - 4:30pm M-Th, 8am - noon on Friday

For more information visit our website at: www.hometownhockeymn.com or email laura@hometownhockeymn.com

Carroll Goalie School

Minnesota Made Hockey

Locations: %ODLQH (DJDQ (GLQD 5LFKÂżHOG Address: PO Box 23028, Minneapolis, MN 55423 Levels: %R\V JLUOV DJHV )RXU OHYHOV ,QWUR WR *RDOWHQGLQJ ,QWHUPHGLDWH 6NLOOV $GYDQFHG 6NLOOV DQG 7U\RXW 7XQH XS Description: This is 23rd \HDU &*6 KDV KHOSHG JRDOLHV RI DOO DELOLWLHV WDNH WKHLU JDPH WR QHZ OHYHOV E\ EXLOGLQJ LQGLYLGXDO VNLOOV WHFKQLTXHV DWKOHWLFLVP FRQVLVWHQF\ DQG VHOI FRQÂżGHQFH Special features: 6NLOO GHYHORSPHQW VHVVLRQV KHOG RQ )ULGD\ QLJKWV 6DWXUGD\V DQG 6XQGD\V 3URJUDPV GLUHFWHG E\ (GLQD +LJK 6FKRRO DQG 0LQQHVRWD 6WDWH 0DQNDWR 8QLYHUVLW\ +DOO RI )DPH JRDOLH 6WHYH &DUUROO +HÂśV D 86$ +RFNH\ /HYHO FHUWLÂżHG FRDFK ZKR WUDLQV JRDOLHV DW WKH \RXWK KLJK VFKRRO DQG FROOHJH OHYHOV 3DUWLFLSDQWV UHFHLYH IUHH MHUVH\ VSHFLDO JLYHDZD\V 6SRQVRUHG E\ %ULDQÂśV &XVWRP 6SRUWV Sessions: 'D\ FDPS 6HVVLRQV KHOG RQ ZHHNHQGV LQ -XQH -XO\ $XJXVW 6HSWHPEHU Phone: 612-703-2449 Email: LQIR#FDUUROOJV FRP Website: ZZZ FDUUROOJV FRP

Super Rink Youth Hockey Development Location: 6FKZDQ 6XSHU 5LQN Blaine, MN Address: WK $YH 1( Blaine, MN Ages: ² \HDUV ROG WZR SURJUDPV

Levels: ,QWUR 0LWHV $JHV IRU \RXQJ VNDWHUV WKDW KDYH QR KRFNH\ H[SHULHQFH DQG ZDQW WR OHDUQ WKH EDVLFV RI KRFNH\ 5RRNLHV 6PDOO $UHD *DPHV DJHV IRU VNDWHUV with a little hockey experience and want to expand on their basic skills.

Description: Get your young skaters out on the ice and having fun with hockey at the 6FKZDQ 6XSHU 5LQN 2XU LQWURGXFWRU\ SURJUDPV LQWURGXFH \RXQJ SOD\HUV WR WKH IXQGDmentals of the game in a low-pressure environment. How to hold a stick, how to shoot, how to skate with a puck and more are all covered. Young players will need to know basic ice skating skills.

Sessions 3URJUDPV UXQ TXDUWHUO\ HDFK VHVVLRQ LV ZHHNV ORQJ 6XPPHU VHVVLRQV VWDUW June 6.

Contact: Kristi King Phone: Email: kking@superrink.org Website: nscsports.org/hockeydev

Location: Minnesota Made Ice &HQWHU %XVK /DNH 5RDG (GLQD 01 Description: Individual hockey skill training in all areas necessary to master the sport â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Skating, Stickhandling, Scoring/Dekeing, Checking, Passing/Shooting, Speed/Agility, Puck Protection, Goaltending. Comprehensive summer clinics are supported by school year before school clinics, Invicta Hockey Institute, Choice Winter Hockey, Spring Checking, Schools Out Clinics, AAA Summer teams and year-round tournaments. Check out all training opportunities online Special Details: Minnesota Made Hockey is for all athletes desiring to improve their skills and make a higher level Levels: 5RRNLHV WKURXJK 1&$$ DWKOHWHV Dates: <HDU 5RXQG 7UDLQLQJ Website: www.minnesotamadehockey.com Contact:

2017

CARROLL GOALIE SCHOOL Improves skills, conďŹ dence, consistency and game performance.

Four programs: Intro to Goaltending, Intermediate Skills, Tryout Tune-up, Advanced Skills.

Weekend ice hours Boys, girls, ages 6-15

/carrollgs

@carrollgs

REGISTER ONLINE

carrollgs.com 612-703-2449

Hometown Hockey Summer Camps

Would you like to list your camp, clinic, league or tryout in our On-Line Summer Hockey Guide?

7KLV JXLGH ZLOO EH LQFOXGHG LQ RXU :HHNO\ ( PDLO 'LJHVW and also posted on our social media . SOXV IROORZHUV

&RQWDFW 5DFKDHO .HOO\ DW rachael.kelly18@yahoo.com or Bryan at bryan@letsplayhockey.com to get your camp/clinic/league/tryout listed!

A N NUA L

Four Twin Cities locations (Blaine, Eagan, Edina, RichďŹ eld)

Hockey and Sons Skills Camp

You can still Advertise in our Summer Hockey Guide

RD

SUCCESS BETWEEN THE PIPES

Location: Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN Levels: All levels â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ages 5-15; Boys & Girls Description: This camp offers the unique opportunity for fathers and sons to bond over the game of hockey. They participate in on-ice sessions, dry land, and lectures together.

Special Features: Fathers and sons share a dorm room and spend four nights together.

They eat meals together in the campus cafeteria.

The camp is a great time to connect, not only with your son, but with other participants as well.

Sessions: July 5-9, July 22-26, July 26-30.

Phone: 608-798-1030 Email: info@hockeyandsons.com

Location: Andover Community Center Levels: (OHPHQWDU\ $JHG NLGV ER\V *LUOV 0LGGOH 6FKRRO $JHG NLGV %R\V *LUOV

Description: Day Camp is a mix of boys and girls for elementary aged kids.

There will be 10 hours of ice, swimming at the YMCA, math lessons, team building, crafts, snacks, outdoor sports, and an end of the week camp BBQ. The intensive camp will have boys and girls in separate sessions and include 13.5 hours of ice, dryland training, strength and conditioning, swimming, shooting, stickhandling, etc.

Sessions/Dates: (OHPHQWDU\ 'D\ &DPS -XO\ $XJ DQG RU $XJ D P S P 0 7K D P QRRQ RQ )ULGD\ ,QWHQVLYH &DPS $XJ D P S P 0 7K D P noon on Friday.

Email: laura@hometownhockeymn.com Website: www.homnetownhockeymn.com

23

DRIVE DETERMINATION HEART

2017 Boys Hockey Camps SESSION 1: July 9 - 15 SESSION 2: July 16 - 22 SESSION 3: July 23 - 29 SESSION 4: July 30 - August 5

TOURNAMENT CAMP: BIRTH YEARS 01/02 & 03/04 ELITE CAMP: BIRTH YEARS 05/06 BOARDING: $1099 DAY: $925 GOALIE: $699

2017 Girls Hockey Camp June 25 - July 1 AGES 11- 18 BIRTH YEARS 1999 TO 2006 BOARDING: $889 DAY: $699 GOALIE: $549

QUESTIONS? CONTACT: Christian Bragnalo Phone: (507) 333-1712 Email: christian.bragnalo@s-sm.org

Mary Hart, Registration Phone: (507) 333-1693 Email: mary.hart@s-sm.org

S P O N S O R E D BY

Brianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Custom Sports

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Play Hockeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Summer Hockey Guide 2017 Janosz Goaltending Location: /DV 9HJDV %XIIDOR 5RFKHVWHU 6\UDFXVH Address: 3 2 %R[ 6SULQJ %URRN 1< Levels: Youth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Adult; Boys& Girls Description: 1+/ $+/ *RDOLH &RDFK %RE -DQRV] brings over 20 years experience coaching goaltenders from youth through pro.

Special Features: Video analysis, classroom sessions, off-ice training, 3-to-1 coach to goalie ratio.

Phone: Email: LQIR#EREMDQRV] FRP Website: ZZZ EREMDQRV] FRP

Os Hockey Training Location: 0HWUR ORFDWLRQV )RJDUW\ %ORRPLQJWRQ %ODNH 63$ Address: 32 %R[ /H[LQJWRQ $YH 5RVHYLOOH 01 Levels: 8 WKURXJK &ROOHJH *LUOV Description: Os Hockey Training is the premier training program for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s female hockey player. Dedicated to developing better skilled, conditioned, hockey-smart athletes.

Special Features: Our on-ice staff includes ONLY female Division I and U.S. National team players, a majority of which currently play professional hockey for the Minnesota Whitecaps.

Phone: Email: admin@oshockey.org

Website: www.oshockey.com

Planet Hockey Resident Camps

Location: Breckenridge, CO & Jay Peak, VT Address: =LUFRQ :D\ 6XSHULRU &2 Levels: 6SHFLDOL]HG 6HVVLRQV IRU 6TXLUW WKUX +LJK 6FKRRO 3OXV 3DUHQW &KLOG 6HVVLRQ DJHV

Description: GD\ UHVLGHQW KRFNH\ RXWGRRU DGYHQWXUH FDPS 7RS 5HVRUW ORGJLQJ DQG PHDOV &RPSOHWH WRWDO player development on-ice camp plus outdoor adventure camp. Power skating, puck control, scoring, passing, team play, small games drills, body contact & puck protection, dryland circuit training, lectures, videos, consulting, free jersey, expert instructional & outdoor adventure staff, fun, our 20th year!

Special Features :KLWH ZDWHU UDIWLQJ PRXQWDLQ ELNLQJ KLNLQJ SDLQW JXQ ZDUV hot springs, water park, golf outing, swimming, & much more. Parents are invited to attend. Family vacation and hockey camp. Discounted resort rates for families.

Players and coaches attend from throughout the world.

Sessions: %UHFNHQULGJH &RORUDGR -XQH DQG -XQH -XO\ 7UDLQ DW IW -D\ 3HDN 9HUPRQW -XO\ Phone: RU

E-mail: info@planethockey.com Website: www.planethockey.com

Tradition Hockey Location: %ODLQH )RJDUW\ $UHQD RU 5RVHYLOOH $UHQD Levels: Mites and 1st year Squirts ages 5-9 Description: 7KLV FDPS LV DQ ZHHN 6XPPHU 0LWH 6TXLUW WUDLQLQJ SURJUDP IRU 0LWHV DQG Ã&#x20AC;UVW \HDU 6TXLUWV DJHV 3OD\HUV FDQ FKRRVH EHWZHHQ WZR ORFDWLRQV )RJHUW\ $UHQD LQ %ODLQH DQG 5RVHYLOOH $UHQD (DFK ORFDWLRQ meets twice a week for 1 hour on-ice, and 1 hour dry land per day. Focus of the on LFH VHVVLRQV VNDWLQJ VWLFN KDQGOLQJ SDVVLQJ DQG VKRRWLQJ 3OD\HUV ZLOO EH FKDOOHQJHG DQG SXVKHG RXWVLGH WKHLU FRPIRUW ]RQHV LQ D IXQ DQG HQHUJHWLF HQYLURQPHQW On-ice sessions will include drills/exercises as a large group followed by smaller JURXSV VWDWLRQV DQG Ã&#x20AC;QLVK ZLWK D JDPH 'U\ODQG WUDLQLQJ ZLOO FRQVLVW RI ERWK KRFNH\ VSHFLÃ&#x20AC;F H[HUFLVHV DQG IXQ JDPHV GHVLJQHG WR EXLOG JRRG DWKOHWLF KDELWV Special features: Instruction led by Marty Sertich, 2001 Mr. Hockey award winner, and 2005 Hobey Baker award winner Sessions: -XQH $XJXVW Phone: E-mail: traditionhockey@gmail.com Website: www.traditionhockey.org

MITES & SQUIRTS TRAINING CAMP 8 Weeks of Training!

June 12-August 17 Fogarty Arena in Blaine or Roseville Arena Ages 5-9

Each location meets twice a week for 1 hour on-ice, and 1 hour dry land per day

Contact Marty at 651-307-4124 and traditionhockey@ gmail.com

www.traditionhockey.org

LEAD INSTRUCTOR Marty Sertich

2001 Mr. Hockey, 2005 Hobey Baker Winner Emphasis on skating, stick handling, passing and shooting.

Players will be challenged and pushed outside of their comfort zone in a fun and energetic environment.

On-ice sessions include drills/exercises as a large group followed by smaller groups/stations and finish with a game.

Dryland training will consist of both hockey ZWLJPÃ&#x201E;J L_LYJPZLZ and fun games designed to build good athletic habits.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Play Hockeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Summer Hockey Guide 2017 Stauberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Goalcrease â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Grand Rapids Goalie Camp Location: ,5$ &LYLF &HQWHU *UDQG 5DSLGV 01 Address: 420 North Pokegama Ave. Levels: Squirt/10U; Boys & Girls Description: This camp is four full days of goalie-speFLĂ&#x20AC;F WUDLQLQJ Special features: 7KLV FDPS RIIHUV RYHU KRXUV RI RQ ice instruction, dryland training every day, classroom and video sessions that focus on the mental part of the position.

Sessions: July 29-Aug. 1 Phone:

E-mail: danderson@ci.grand-rapids.mn.us Website: www.grandrapidshockeycamp.com

Goalcrease Angles and Tactics Camp Location: Eden Prairie Community Center Levels: 2nd year squirts-1st yr bantams. Co-ed Description: The Angles and Tactics Camp features competitive drills for goalies to improve on rebounds, screens, deflections, post play, breakaways and rushes.

Special Features: Full-time Professional Goalcrease Instructors with special guest instructors too.

Sessions: July 10-14, 11:15-12:45 Phone: 952-942-7001 E-mail: jhall@goalcrease.com Website: www.goalcrease.com

Goalcrease 1-on-1 training and Open Clinics Location: Goalcrease Training Rink and Equipment Center Address: 7401 Washington Ave S Edina, MN 55439 Levels: Goalies of all ages and abilities Description: Open Clinics are 1 Hour pay as you go, small group sessions. 3 goalies max. Age/skill specific grouping.

1-on-1 sessions for the most personalized and detailed training available.

Special Features: Real-ice goalie training rink. Professional instructors. Flexible online scheduling.

Sessions: available year-round, 6-7 days/week.

Phone: 952-942-7001 E-mail: jhall@goalcrease.com Website: www.goalcrease.com

Planet Hockey Skills Training Camps Location: ORFDWLRQV WKURXJKRXW WKH 86 (XURSH 9LVLW www.planethockey.com for complete details. US Locations GLIIHUHQW VWDWHV LQFOXGLQJ 01 :, ,/ ,$ 0, ,1 Address: =LUFRQ :D\ 6XSHULRU &2 Levels: 0DOH IHPDOHV $JHV ² *URXSHG E\ DJH DQG ability level.

Description: 7KH PRVW &203/(7( KRFNH\ VNLOOV FDPS available. Our 23rd \HDU KRXUV SHU ZHHN $OO FDPSV LQFOXGH VSHFLDOL]HG RQ RII LFH SURJUDPV VNDWLQJ stickhandling, scoring for house & travel players. Sessions for all levels & positions. Male/female/adult. Power skating, puck control, scoring, passing, team play, small games drills, body contact & puck protection, VFULPPDJHV GU\ODQG FLUFXLW WUDLQLQJ OHFWXUHV DZDUGV Ă&#x20AC;OPV YLGHRV IUHH MHUVH\ H[SHUW FHUWLĂ&#x20AC;HG LQWHUQDWLRQDO VWDII Special Features: 6NLOOV WHVWLQJ LQGLYLGXDO SOD\HU SURĂ&#x20AC;OH HYDOXDWLRQ LQQRYDWLYH instructional syllabus, bungie cords, sports radar guns, resistance training, scrimmages, new (XURSHDQ FROOHJH SUHS GULOOV ´7RWDO SOD\HU GHYHORSPHQWÂľ KLJK WHPSR GULOOV Ă&#x20AC;QDO GD\ game, STX Player of the Camp award, guaranteed improvement!

Sessions/Programs: 86$ 6NLOOV &DPSV 5HVLGHQW 6XSHU6NLOOV $GYHQWXUH &DPSV &2 97 (XURSHDQ <RXWK +RFNH\ 6XPPLW 'HQPDUN DQG 2NWREHUIHVW $GXOW +RFNH\ &ODVVLF *HUPDQ\ www.planethockey.com Phone: RU

E-mail: info@planethockey.com Website: www.planethockey.com

Planet Hockey European Hockey Summit 20th Annual International Planet Hockey Camp & Tournament European Hockey Tournament & Hockey Camp for skilled players Location: Esbjerg, DENMARK. 509 Zircon Way Address: 509 Zircon Way, Superior, CO 80027 Levels/Divisions: Squirt (06/07), Peewee (04/05), Bantam (02/03), Midget (99/00/01).

Description: World-class coaching, training and hockey experience. 5 day hockey academy/camp, plus 3 day tournament. On ice training with European players & coaching, mixed bench games, Tournament, classroom sessions, dryland training, skills competition and more!

Special Features: Players stay with host Danish EIK hockey families, perfect balance of top quality hockey, cultural experiences (castles, beaches and sight-seeing), parent activities, hotel for parents, coaches education program & much more! Seeking skilled teams, individual players, quality coaches and great hockey families. All teams almost full! Visit www.planethockey. com for information or call Planet Hockey.

Phone: RU

E-mail: info@planethockey.com Website: www.planethockey.com

Minnesota Girls Hockey Camps Location: 5LGGHU $UHQD DW WKH 8QLYHUVLW\ RI 0LQQHVRWD Address: WK 6W 6( 0LQQHDSROLV 01 Levels: Girls U10 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; High School Description: The young girls camps focus on skill development and the high school camp is designed for players interested in eventually playing college hockey.

Special Features: Hosted by 4-time National Champion Gopher Head Coach Brad Frost.

Sessions: U10 Camp is June 12-16; U12 Camp is June 12-15, U15/JV Camp is June 19-23, High School Varsity Camp is June 19-23.

Phone: 651-306-1452 E-mail: frobrad@gmail.com Website: www.minnesotagirlshockeycamps.com

Planet Hockey European ADULT Hockey Summit Location: Fussen, Germany & Munich, Germany.

Address: =LUFRQ :D\ 6XSHULRU &2 Levels/Divisions: &R HG 'LYLVLRQV 'LYLVLRQ -XQLRU &ROOHJH 3UR _ 'LYLVLRQ \HDUV H[S _ 'LYLVLRQ \UV H[S

Special Features: *DPHV DJDLQVW WHDPV IURP 'XEDL 6ZLW]HUODQG 8NUDLQH 5XVVLD *HUPDQ\ 6LQJDSRUH 5RPDQLD 6ORYDNLD )LQODQG 6SDLQ ,WDO\ DQG &]HFK 5HSXEOLF 3OD\ LQ D *HUPDQ professional arena. Custom sublimated team jersey & socks.

Save $200 prior to March 31. PLUS Bavarian welcome party, 1HXVFKZDQVWHLQ &DVWOH 7RXU 5DUH KRXU 2NWREHUIHVW EHHUKDOO WLFNHW 0XQLFK %DYDULDQ KRWHO )Â VVHQ *HUPDQ\ $OO PHDOV except lunch, Airport transfers, Visit Austria, Pub crawls, Bavarian go-go girls & Party bus.

Visit www.planethockey.com for information or call Planet Hockey.

Phone: RU

E-mail: info@planethockey.com Website: www.planethockey.com

July 29 - August 1, 2017

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22

April 20, 2017

Let’s Play Hockey

www.letsplayhockey.com

Officially Speaking: End-of-season mailbag Never fear, faithful readers and foes, OS hasn’t forgotten your letters and comments.

Dear OS: OS OK, I’m not going to let you bait me.

All I’m saying is that your analysis of the intentional offsides rule for a shot on goal is seriously flawed. As a schoolteacher in the U.P., I wish you would get your facts straight before publishing inaccurate information.

OS OS: You surprise me. I mean, I’d assume a U.P. guy knows more about hockey than a desert retiree whose claim to fame is a beer league doubleheader at the Veteran’s Coliseum in Phoenix. But as a public service, it’s time to take you to school. So teach yourself page 297 of the USA Hockey rulebook. Look at Situation 42. “Puck shot on goal by attacking player in the attacking zone (non-intentional situation).” Got that?

If Colorado Springs states that an offsides shot on goal is not an automatic intentional offsides, then what side of the lake are you on to claim the opposite? Or maybe USA Hockey rules don’t apply in the U.P.

Mark Lichtenfeld

Dear OS: OS I saw you last February in Chicago doing my kid’s high school game at Vernon Hills. Now, I don’t know how they teach reffing in the desert, but up here, a guy’s allowed to finish his check. So how do you come off assessing a two-and-10 boarding on our defenseman who cleanly checks an opponent after the player dishes off the puck?

OS OS: This must be a joke, right? Like Coach’s Candid Camera. But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Look here, I remember that play and your linebacker … err … defenseman, smoked the opponent into the boards at least three seconds after the opponent passed the puck up ice. You say you’re from Chicago? OK, at Chicago intersections, they used to give a three-second yellow before the automatic camera assessed a ticket for failing to stop on a red.

Now, in the game you are referring to, the offender creamed the opponent three sec-

onds after the player released the puck. What, I’m supposed to give your kid more time than Mayor Emanuel?

a close contest, just like in the real world of business, any edge is the key to success.

Got that? I didn’t think so.

Dear OS: OS Some of us adult league players question whether you are really a registered official, let alone a 27-year registered guy. Prove it.

OS OS: Check the past 27 years of my bank statements. That’s basically three months’ rent to USA Hockey.

Dear OS: OS I’m pretty sure I’m the neighbor down the street you referred to a couple of weeks ago. I’m still here in the North Shore, and the way I see it, reffing in the Chicago suburbs is much better since you left. I don’t care how you spin this, I just want the public to know it and I dare you to print this.

OS OS: I can’t help it if all the good refs followed me out of town.

Dear OS: OS Why do you keep on harping about centers keeping their sticks in the white? I think there are more important rules to concentrate on. Thoughts?

OS OS: You obviously are not a referee, and definitely not a parent. See, the stick-in-the-white thing is a barometer for a child’s success in society. I’ve explained this dozens of times before, and as a public service, I’m going to review this, again. As a referee, I conduct an average of 15-20 faceoffs per kids’ game. This means my first perception of a team is the center’s knowledge of the rules. Specifically, Face-off Rule 613(a). So, when I see a center place his stick perfectly in the white part of the faceoff dot, I know that player has been wellcoached. And being a human being, I automatically give that player additional credibility for conducting his or herself with dignity and professionalism, which could only help that player over the course of the game, and definitely will not hurt that player. So in

Dear OS OS: Thank you for this column. I’m a veteran official and my fellow referees and I think exactly the same way about the issues that you write about. Obviously, we can’t beef because we will be blackballed, so thank you for your courage and your interest in the welfare of your fellow referees.

OS OS: You guys are exactly what this column is for. OS is here to expose the gritty truth about amateur hockey officiating. But don’t thank me. I encourage you to thank the publisher and editor of Let’s Play Hockey for allowing me the privilege to air these concerns to the national hockey community. I get letters like yours from all over the country, and it’s this kind of correspondence that keeps the column fresh. Have a great summer.

Questions and comments can be sent to editor@letsplayhockey.com, via Twitter @OSpeaking or through the Let’s Play Hockey Facebook page.

The Hockey Doc: FCL injuries Question: I got checked on the inside of my leg and felt a pop on the outside of my knee. I was told that I have a partial tear of my lateral collateral ligament. How long will this take to heal, and what can I do to get back to playing hockey sooner?

Answer: The type of A injury that you have is an injury to the fibular collateral ligament (FCL) on the outside of your knee, also known as the lateral collateral ligament.

These types of injuries are much less common than medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries, because most on-ice contact injuries happen when you are hit on the outside of your knee rather than the inside.

The ligaments are usually damaged on the opposite side of where you were hit because your knee buckles away from the impact and stretches or tears the ligaments on the other side.

The FCL is a very important structure to prevent the knee from feeling unstable when putting side-ways stress on your leg.

This is especially true in hockey players who put more weight on the inside part of their knees when skating, which causes the outside to have more stress on it. If the FCL is torn, the knee joint can gap open on the outside and make it very difficult for any type of push-off or striding activities on the injured side. This is especially true in hockey players because most are bowlegged.

The biggest concern in FCL injury is that

Dr. Rob L Prade

when it is completely torn, it usually does not heal. This is in contrast to the MCL, on the inside of the knee, which almost always heals. If the FCL is only partially torn, it may heal with proper treatment in about 6-8 weeks. Therefore, it is very important to determine if there is a complete tear by using a good clinical exam, MRI scans, and stress x-rays. If there is a complete tear, a surgical reconstruction is recommended and the post-surgery off-ice recovery time is about 4-5 months.

In your case, where there appears to be only a partial tear, it is important to give the ligament some time to heal before putting significant stress on it, or it could heal in an elongated position and you could have ongoing instability problems. We usually recommend that athletes be braced for 2-3 weeks with no significant twisting, turning, or pivoting activities to minimize ligament stretching while it heals. To maintain your endurance prior to going back to any on-ice activities, you may bike with increasing resistance for the first 2-3 weeks while wearing a hinged brace – this inline activity will place little sideways stress on the knee that could stretch the ligament.

For high level athletes with a partial tear, we usually recommend the use of a custom made medial compartment unloader brace. Even though it is called a “medial” brace because it is used to relieve compression on the inside of the knee, it is also effective for FCL injuries because it relieves stretching on the outside of the knee. Using this type of brace for the first 6-8 weeks after partial tears protects the FCL injury

The Let’s Play Hockey Expo is set for March 9-10, 2018 at the St. Paul RiverCentre.

from going on to a complete tear. While it is possible that a well-fitted hinged knee brace may be effective, we believe that the use of the medial unloader brace significantly minimizes the risk of re-injury.

About 1-2 weeks after the injury, we usually recommend that you can return to onice activities with the use of the medial unloader brace. For athletes that choose to return to on-ice activities prior to this time, the medial unloader brace is essential to minimize your chance of re-injury. We recommend that athletes use this brace for a minimum of 3 months, or until the end of the current season, to reduce their chance

of re-injury or a complete tear.

Robert F. LaPrade, M.D., Ph.D. is a complex knee surgeon at The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado. He is very active in research for the prevention and treatment of ice hockey injuries. Dr. LaPrade is also the Chief Medical Research Officer at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute. Formerly, he was the team physician for the University of Minnesota men’s hockey team and a professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the U of M. If you have a question for the Hockey Doc, e-mail it to editor@letsplayhockey.com.

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23

April 20, 2017

Let’s Play Hockey

Making a difference 11-year-old Calvin Vachon rallies his hockey team and raises thousands for cancer research

Calvin Vachon of the Los Angeles Jr. Kings has a goal of raising $30,000 to fight cancer this year.

By Pete Waggoner Let’s Play Hockey

“It feels awesome that an 11-year-old can do much more,” Calvin said of being a part of the effort. “It’s really easy. All you have to do is find a charity you like and help them out.”

Calvin hopes his story will inspire other hockey players, communities and clubs around the country to step up and duplicate efforts for a noble cause.

“You have to work on it and do everything you can to make a difference,” Calvin said.

24 Minnesotans listed on final NHL Central Scouting Rankings

Let’s Play Hockey photo by Nick Wosika

Eleven-year-old Calvin Vachon and his Los Angeles Jr. Kings’ team have experienced a lot of success on the ice, including winning the California State Championship and being ranked 15th in the nation. Calvin is the grandson of NHL Hall of Famer Rogie Vachon, and like his grandfather, is a goaltender. However, it’s off the ice that the Jr. Kings have experienced their greatest success, led by Calvin.

On Feb. 16, 2016, Calvin lost his grandmother to an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma and he was devastated by the loss. After talking to a few of his buddies on his team, Calvin learned that a teammate lost his grandmother to pancreatic cancer and another lost his grandpa to cancer as well. They decided as a team to get involved with the Tour de Pier in the Los Angeles area to raise money to fight cancer as the Jr. Kings Fights Cancer group last year.

“It felt really good fighting cancer with my team and I didn’t realize so many people went down the same road as I did,” Calvin said.

With 35 members, Calvin led his team to victory by raising more than $15,000 for the Tour de Pier in 2016. From Calvin’s point of view, last year was just a starting point for his team. They have set a goal to double their fundraising efforts to $30,000 this year when the 5th Annual Tour de Pier fundraiser is held on May 21 at Manhattan Beach.

The event is a stationary cycling fundraiser that features 350 bikes. It takes one of the hottest indoor fitness activities and brings it outside to a large entertainment environment on the beach. The event includes live music and celebrities participating, including KISS member Paul Stanley, athletes and Olympians.

Prior to the Jr. Kings’ involvement with the Tour de Pier, Calvin landed a hockey commercial with Honda right around the time his grandmother had her illness and passed away. Checks began to come in for Calvin’s work, and his parents, Nick and Renee, wanted to see their son keep some of his money and put some away for school.

“We told him he could keep some of the money and put some away for school and then he had to give back and do something with it,” Nick said. “He chose to give a good portion of what he made from this commercial to the Uncle Kory Foundation (a charity to raise awareness and funds to support brain cancer research).”

Certainly, that was a mature decision for such a young person and it made his parents proud.

“For us as parents, we were proud and it was without even asking, it was unpro-

voked,” Nick said.

Calvin has a firm example from Renee, the executive director of the Uncle Kory Foundation (UKF) and someone who plays a big part in organizing the event. Calvin was able to link his grandmother’s battle with cancer to the work his mother did with UKF. The Tour de Pier became a reality and began to take shape after Calvin rallied his team to action.

“My biggest inspiration is PK Subban because he does so much,” Calvin said. He once donated $10 million to a children’s hospital in Montreal and he is an all-around great guy.”

The team effort extended not only to Calvin’s Jr. Kings’ team but to the entire organization. It required fundraising efforts and plenty of marketing at Jr. Kings’ events and a joint effort at the Staples Center promoting the Tour de Pier with UKF. “Parents showed unbelievable support in getting their kids involved,” Nick said. “We had pretty much our whole team and were able to start getting other kids from teams within our program to come out for that day.

Since then, our club has partnered with the Uncle Kory Foundation and tried to help them raise as much money as possible for this event. It’s been a really cool experience for everybody and it was amazing to see how much support everybody had, not only for the day, but the Kory Foundation and helping raise money.”

“I rode for an hour, but the whole entire event is five hours because there are five different sessions,” Calvin said. “I was a little tired, but it was not like a race. You don’t have to win it all. You just kind of want to have fun with your friends. It’s just for a good time and not to see who can do the best.”

“When he decided one day that he wanted to put money toward this foundation, we kind of looked at each other and said wow, it was such a proud moment for us to see how much he cared and he took it in,” Nick said. “As a family, it was something that we look back on and it makes us proud of the situation. Calvin is a very caring kid, he’s a great teammate and he gets along with everybody, and this is right up his alley as far as his personality and just trying to give back and doing what he can to help.”

Three different foundations benefit from the Tour de Pier. The Uncle Kory Foundation, the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer that raises money for pancreatic cancer research, and the Cancer Support Community Redondo Beach that delivers free support for people and families dealing with cancer. The event at Manhattan Beach raised $1 million and there is plenty of room to grow.

“We want to try to build great hockey players and we want to try to put kids at the next level if they have the talent, drive and

passion, but we also more importantly want to create great people and teach them that hockey is a small part of life,” Nick said.

“When bigger things like this happen, you find a way to get together, and in this case it’s your teammates, and you do whatever you can to support. It’s gone a long way. The kids are very close and they spend the whole day down at the event riding and having fun.

It’s a high-energy situation with live music and a lot of excitement for a good cause.”

The hope is to grow the event to multiple locations.

“It definitely is something that can take place in other markets,” Nick said. “They would like to grow this if possible or have small satellite events that coincide with this event on the same day. That’s a big goal that they envision and hopefully, that’s not too far away as they could really use help with the fundraising.”

Eden Prairie senior center Casey Mittelstadt

Twenty-four Minnesota natives have been listed on NHL Central Scouting’s Final Rankings for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

The list includes 12 players who played high school hockey in Minnesota during the 2016-17 season, eight in the USHL (including three with the U.S. National Team Development Program), two in the NCHC, one in Hockey East and one in the WHL. Eden Prairie High School center Casey Mittelstadt leads the Minnesotans on the list at No. 3 on the North American Skaters North American Skaters # Player 3 Casey Mittelstadt 13 Ryan Poehling 24 Grant Mismash 40 Scott Reedy 51 Mikey Anderson 67 Dylan Samberg 79 Nate Knoepke 88 Robbie Stucker 97 Isaac Johnson 99 Clayton Phillips 103 Austin Pratt 111 Matt Anderson 119 Nick Leivermann 121 Noah Cates 131 Sam Huff 138 Nick Swaney 156 Jack Ahcan 158 Keaton Pehrson 159 Benton Maass 161 Micah Miller 163 Noah Ganske

rankings, followed by St. Cloud State center Ryan Poehling (Lakeville) at No. 13 and U.S. Under-18 Team left wing Grant Mismash (Edina) at No. 24.

Boston University goalie Jake Oettinger (Lakeville) is No. 1 on the North American Goalies’ rankings, followed by Tri-City (USHL) netminder Dayton Rasmussen (Eden Prairie) at No. 6 and Holy Family Catholic HS goalie Jared Moe (New Prague) at No. 26.

The 2017 NHL Entry Draft takes place June 23-24 in Chicago.

Pos. C C LW C D D D D LW D RW D D LW LW RW D D D RW D

2016-17 Team (League) Eden Prairie HS (MSHSL) St. Cloud State (NCHC) U.S. Under-18 Team (USHL) U.S. Under-18 Team (USHL) Waterloo (USHL) Hermantown HS (MSHSL) U.S. Under-18 Team (USHL) St. Thomas Academy (MSHSL) Des Moines (USHL) Fargo (USHL) Red Deer (WHL) Holy Family Catholic HS (MSHSL) Eden Prairie HS (MSHSL) Stillwater Area HS (MSHSL) Maple Grove HS (MSHSL) Waterloo (USHL) St. Cloud State (NCHC) Lakeville North HS (MSHSL) Elk River HS (MSHSL) Grand Rapids HS (MSHSL) Bloomington Jefferson HS (MSHSL)

Hometown Eden Prairie Lakeville Edina Prior Lake Roseville Hermantown Farmington St. Paul Andover Edina Lakeville Shakopee Eden Prairie Stillwater Maple Grove Lakeville Savage Lakeville Elk River Grand Rapids Bloomington

College Minnesota St. Cloud State North Dakota Minnesota UMD UMD Minnesota Colorado Coll.

North American Goalies # Player Pos. 1 Jake Oettinger G 6 Dayton Rasmussen G 26 Jared Moe G

2016-17 Team (League) Boston University (HE) Tri-City (USHL) Holy Family Catholic HS (MSHSL)

Hometown Lakeville Eden Prairie New Prague

College Boston Univ.

Denver

Minnesota UMD Notre Dame UMD Minnesota UMD St. Cloud State Michigan Tech New Hampshire St. Cloud State

24

April 20, 2017

Let’s Play Hockey

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Champions crowned at 19th Stick it to Cancer hockey tournament Annual tournament at Schwan Super Rink raises funds to benefit breast cancer research

The tone of the conversations at the 19th annual Stick it to Cancer hockey tournament at the Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, April 79, varied from passionate laughter to equally passionate tears. That’s the way it is at the one hockey tournament each year when hockey isn’t necessarily the most important thing on players’ minds.

The mission of the all-female Stick it to Cancer tournament is to raise funds, and awareness, to fight breast cancer. And for many players, coaches and fans, it’s a personal fight.

There’s former Gopher player R.J. Anderson, who gave an emotional tribute at the Opening Ceremony to his mother Jody Anderson, who lost her fight with breast cancer in 2000, and was the inspiration for the creation of the tournament.

Or coach Chris Dorff, who lost his wife a year ago, after she fought breast cancer for 13 years. Dorff coached two teams, winning the 19U title with one. Dorff, who has been coaching Stick it teams for years, says, “I’ll keep coaching these girls as long as they want to keep playing.”

Or Lori Jo Geshel, a breast cancer survivor, who played in the tournament four years after her original diagnosis. Her team, the Keweenaw Bay Battle Axes, drove seven hours from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan.

Tournament director Kristi King, a high school coach at Centennial High School when she’s not running events at the Super Rink, thinks about one statistic when she stands up in her team’s locker room.

“One in eight women will contract breast

cancer at some point in their lives,” says King. “That means two players on every team.”

Several years ago, tournament organizers started naming the competition divisions after family and friends of players who had passed away from cancer. The tournament now also honors cancer survivors. Honorees are nominated by participants in the tournament.

Fifty-eight teams played in this all-female tournament, with both youth and adult divisions offered. Teams came from Minnesota, California, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Here is the roster of champions: Women’s B1, the Jody Anderson Division: Treasured Chest, Twin Cities.

Women’s B2, the Sue Schmidt Division: Team Wolf Pack, Twin Cities.

Women’s B3, the Kayleen Larson Division: Team Awesome, Arden Hills, Min. Women’s C1, the Lori Jo “Flash” Geshel Division: Lady Black Stars, San Mateo, Calif.

Women’s C2, the Diane Koenig Division: Divas, North Mankato, Minn.

Women’s C3 American, the Sarah Till Division: Lawrence University, Appleton, Wis. Women’s C3 National, the Heidi Wells Division: Dekey Girls, Prior Lake, Minn.

Women’s Collegiate, the Brittney Bobrowski Division: Hamline University, St. Paul.

Girls’ 19U, the Lori Dorff Division: Olson Fish Company Elks, Minneapolis.

Women’s B1 Champions: Treasured Chest

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Girls’ 16U, the Sara Connell Division: Premier Prep, Twin Cities.

Girls 14U, the Mama Ruthie Division: Gentry Academy, Twin Cities.

Girls’ 12U, the Cindy Koerner Division: Top Dog Hockey, Shakopee, Minn.

Over the nearly two decades the tournament has been held, a total of $763,000 has been donated to breast cancer research. For most of those years, the beneficiary has been the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota, and this year’s donation will go to the same organization. Tournament organizers are still collecting donations, so a fundraising total for this year’s event won’t be announced for a month or two.

“Hockey’s a very competitive sport,” says tournament director Kristina King. “When you play hockey, your goal is to win the championship, to win the game. A tournament like this ties in a greater purpose, and gives people a bigger perspective on life.

“It’s rewarding to see people come together for a cause. They’re still playing a competitive sport, but the most important aspect isn’t winning the game, it’s helping people raise money, or to honor people who have passed away.”

Another unique aspect to the tournament is that the referees and supporting officials

work for free, essentially donating their fees to increase the cancer donation.

This year’s tournament offered several new features: • Open Public Skate, with all proceeds donated to the Masonic Cancer Center.

• Opening Ceremony, featuring a parade of teams, and compelling speeches by Dr. Douglas Yee, Director of the Masonic Cancer Center and R.J. Anderson, son of tournament inspiration Jody Anderson.

• A Celebrity Game featuring former or current Division I and III college players from St. Cloud State, Bemidji State, Minnesota State, Minnesota, Union, Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Penn State, New Hampshire, Harvard, Dartmouth, Minnesota Duluth, Wisconsin, Lindenwood, St. Anselm and Vermont.

One of the players scheduled to play in the celebrity game was Hannah Brandt, a Gopher alum who won the gold medal for the USA Women’s National Team at the World Hockey Championship in Plymouth, Mich., the night before. Getting up early Saturday morning, Brandt had every intention of playing until she discovered that Delta Airlines had cancelled her early flight from Detroit to Minneapolis, the lingering result of severe storms in Atlanta, their main hub, two days earlier.

Brandt sent her regrets by Facebook: “Hey everyone, I was planning on playing in the celebrity game this afternoon but unfortunately my flight out of Detroit got cancelled and rescheduled for tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who has organized the game, it should be a great event!”

Women’s B1 Champions: Team Wolf Pack

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Let’s Play Hockey

April 20, 2017

Women’s B3 Champions: Team Awesome

Women’s C1 Champions: Lady Black Stars

Women’s C2 Champions: Divas

Women’s C3 American Champions: Lawrence University

Women’s C3 National Champions: Dekey Girls

Women’s Collegiate Champions: Hamline University

Girls’ 19U Champions: Olson Fish Company Elks

Girls’ 16U Champions: Premier Prep

Girls’ 14U Champions: Gentry Academy

Girls’ 16U Champions: Premier Prep

25

26

April 20, 2017

Let’s Play Hockey

7 Minnesotans named to U.S. Deaf Women’s Hockey Team The American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association (AHIHA) has released the 17woman roster that will compete in the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships to be held on April 19-29 in Amherst, N.Y. The 2017 U.S. National Women’s Deaf Ice Hockey team was chosen from players who attended the AHIHA tryout this March in Minneapolis. The team has a geographically diverse roster with players from 10 different states.

Head Coach Jackie MacMillan said, “I am extremely honored to be a part of the first USA Women’s National Deaf Ice Hockey Team. AHIHA and Coach Jeff Sauer have been instrumental in providing a great opportunity for these talented athletes and it continues to show the positive impact Ice Hockey continues to have for everybody involved in the sport. I know that these young women take great pride in the opportunity to participate during the World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships in April and we are looking forward to our series against Team Canada. I hope that both of our programs will ignite the growth of Women’s Deaf Hockey across the world and I look

forward to taking part in this exciting event.”

The USA Women’s Team will play the Canadian Women’s Team on April 22 and 23. Men’s teams will play April 22-29.

The teams operate under the guidelines of the USA Deaf Sports Federation. To qualify for the games, athletes must have a hearing loss of at least 55 dB in their “better ear.” Hearing aids, cochlear implants and the like are not allowed to be used in competition, to place all athletes on the same level.

About the American Hearing Impaired Hockey Association: AHIHA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is one of the leading sports’ organizations in the U.S. serving deaf and hard of hearing athletes. the AHIHA was founded in 1973 by Hall of Fame member Stan Mikita and Chicago businessman Irv Tiahnybik. In 2009, Tony Granato, former NHL player and now the head coach of the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey team, continued the leadership role started

by Mikita and Tiahnybik. Long time AHIHA President and Head Coach Jeff Sauer, who recently passed away in February, was integral to the growth of the organization.

2017 USA Women’s Team – 2017 World Deaf Ice Hockey Championships 2017 Amherst, New York – April 19-29, 2017 Pos. Age Hometown D 17 Franklinville, NJ G 21 Appleton, WI D 18 Woodbury, MN F 15 White Bear Lake, MN F 13 Elgin, IL F 16 Naperville, IL F 29 Danbury, CT F 22 Mendota Heights, MN D 16 White Bear Lake, MN F 18 Ipswich, MA F 20 Amherst, NY F 27 Lee, NH D 15 Erie, PA D 21 Woodbury, MN F 13 Maple Plain, MN D 16 Houghton, MI F 16 Isanti, MN

Name Kari Bingham Libby Breaker Erin Brino Tehya Daniels Madison Gagliano Hannah Garcia Michele Gintoli Jessica Goldberg Olivia Jagoe McKinley Karpa Katelyn Koester Hannah Long Dominique Magee Libby Majerle Kailey Niccum Bayleigh Purdy Ashley Schintz

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23 area players earn All-America honors Twenty-three area players were named AHCA All-Americans for the 2016-17 season.

The AHCA All-American Hockey Teams are chosen by members of the American Hockey Coaches Association.

MEN’S DIVISION I First Team East G - Charles Williams, Canisius (Canton, MI) D - Adam Fox, Harvard (Jericho, NY) D - Charlie McAvoy, Boston Univ. (Long Beach, NY) F - Zach Aston-Reese, Northeastern (Staten Island, NY) F - Spencer Foo, Union (Edmonton, AB) F - Mike Vecchione, Union (Saugus, MA)

West G - Michael Bitzer, Bemidji State (Moorhead, MN) D - Will Butcher, Denver (Sun Prairie, WI) D - Tucker Poolman, North Dakota (East Grand Forks, MN) F - Henrik Borgstrom, Denver (Helsinki, Finland) F - Alex Iafallo, Minnesota Duluth (Eden, NY) F - Tyler Sheehy, Minnesota (Burnsville, MN)

Second Team East G - Kyle Hayton, St. Lawrence (Denver, CO) D - Gavin Bayreuther, St. Lawrence (Canaan, NH) D - Jake Walman, Providence (Toronto, ON) D - Dylan Zink, UMass Lowell (Madison, WI) F - Anders Bjork, Notre Dame (Mequon, WI) F - Tyler Kelleher, New Hampshire (Longmeadow, MA) F - Alexander Kerfoot, Harvard (W. Vancouver, BC)

West G - Tanner Jaillet, Denver (Red Deer, AB) D - Daniel Brickley, Minnesota State (Sandy, UT) D - Luc Snuggerud, Omaha (Eden Prairie, MN) F - Mason Jobst, Ohio State (Speedway, IN) F - Luke Kunin, Wisconsin (Chesterfield, MO) F - Austin Ortega, Omaha (Escondido, CA)

WOMEN’S DIVISION I First Team G - Ann-Renee Desbien, Wisconsin (LaMalbaie, PQ) D - Megan Keller, Boston College (Farmington Hills, MI) D - Lee Stecklein, Minnesota (Roseville, MN) F - Cayley Mercer, Quinnipiac (Exeter, ON) F - Kelly Pannek, Minnesota (Plymouth, MN) F - Lara Stalder, UMD (Lucerne, Switzerland)

Second Team G - Kassidy Sauve, Ohio State (Whitby, ON) D - Savannah Harmon, Clarkson (Downers Grove, WI) D - Jenny Ryan, Wisconsin (Victor, NY) F - Sarah Nurse, Wisconsin (Hamilton, ON) F - Annie Pankowski, Wisconsin (Laguna Hills, CA) F - Brooke Webster, St. Lawrence (Aurora, ON)

MEN’S DIVISION III First Team East G - Evan Buitenhuis, Hamilton (Burlington, ON) D - Stephen Johnson, Oswego (Mississauga, ON) D - Cody Smith, Norwich (Hudson, MA) F - Stephen Collins, Geneseo (Pittsford, NY) F - Brady Fleurent, New England (Biddeford, ME) F - Colin Larkin, UMass Boston (Waterford, MI)

West G - T.J. Black, St. Norbert (Wheaton, IL) D - Cory Dunn, Adrian (Trenton, MI) D - Rory Vesel, Augsburg (Rochester, MN) F - Lawrence Cornellier, UW-Stevens Pt, (Machesney Park, IL) F - Jack Lewis, Lake Forest (London, ON) F - Patrick Moore, UW-Eau Claire (Grand Rapids, MN)

Second Team

Head Coach: Jackie MacMillan, Duluth, MN • Assistant Coaches: Curt Selander, Oakdale, MN; Susie Spector, Buffalo Grove, IL • Team Manager: Mark Goldberg, Mendota Heights, MN

East G - Brett Kilar, New England Coll. (Coto de Caza, CA) D - Tyler Bishop, UMass-Boston (Ramsey, NJ) D - Logan Day, Endicott (Seminole, FL) F - Dominik Gabaj, Nazareth (Bratislava, Slovakia) F - Jory Mullin, Neumann (Cartwright, MB) F - William Pelletier, Norwich (St. Jean Chrysotome, QC)

West G - Benjamin Myers, St. Thomas (Wauwautosa, WI) D - Sean Campbell, St. Norbert (Holt, MI) D - Mitch Hall, Hamline (St. Cloud, MN) D - Gianni Mangone, Marian (Calgary, AB) F - Trevor Boyd, Adrian (Muskegon, MI) F - Nate Flynn, Augsburg (Hastings, MN) F - Thomas Williams, St. Thomas (Alexandria, MN)

ThirdTeam

Signed, sealed & delivered Area players who have signed pro contracts Pos. D F F D D D F F F F F F D F F F F G G F D F D D F D F F D D D F D

Player Keegan Iverson Calvin Spencer

Pos. F F

Class Sr. So. Sr. Fr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. Jr.

College Team Minnesota North Dakota Minnesota St. Cloud State Minnesota Minnesota State Bemidji State Michigan Tech Lake Superior State Minnesota State Minnesota Duluth North Dakota UMass Lowell Minnesota Wisconsin Minnesota Minnesota Duluth Minnesota Duluth Bowling Green Bemidji State Penn State Bowling Green North Dakota RPI Colorado College Maine Quinnipiac UMass Lowell Omaha Minnesota Duluth St. Cloud State St. Cloud State St. Cloud State

Pro Team N.Y. Islanders (NHL) Vancouver (NHL) Bridgeport (AHL) Detroit (NHL) Columbus (NHL) Reading (ECHL) Florida (ECHL) Kalamazoo (ECHL) San Diego (AHL) Reading (ECHL) Los Angeles (NHL) Colorado (NHL) New Jersey (NHL) Minnesota (NHL) Minnesota (NHL) N.Y. Rangers (NHL) Djurgårdens (SDHL) Arizona (NHL) N.Y. Rangers (NHL) Toledo (ECHL) N.Y. Rangers (NHL) Toledo (ECHL) Winnipeg (NHL) Toledo (ECHL) Rapid City (ECHL) Manchester (ECHL) Manchester (ECHL) Buffalo (NHL) Chicago (NHL) Minnesota (NHL) San Antonio (AHL) Wichita (ECHL) Rapid City (ECHL)

Hometown Grand Rapids Burnsville Plymouth Langley, BC Bloomington Kindersly, SK Steinbach, MB Delano Stoughton, WI Chesterfield, MO Eden, NY St. Albert, AB Eau Claire, WI Lakeville Chesterfield, MO Excelsior Stockholm, SWE Stacy Green Bay, WI Elk Grove Village, IL Rochester Lake City East Grand Forks Edina Minnetonka St. Paul Chanhassen Des Moines, IA Eden Prairie Irma, AB Laurium, MI Maple, ON Naperville, IL

Junior Team Portland (WHL) Vancouver (WHL)

Pro Team Ontario (AHL) Tulsa (ECHL)

Hometown St. Louis Park Brooklyn Park

WOMEN’S DIVISION III First Team East G - Sam Walther, Hamilton (Gambrills, MD) D - Erin Brand, Plattsburgh (Long Beach, NY) D - Kim Tiberi, Norwich (Raleigh, NC) F - Kayla Meneghin, Plattsburgh (Clifton, NJ) F - Sarah Schwenzfeier, Norwoch (Hingham, MA) F - Melissa Sheeran, Plattsburgh (Schaghticoke, NY)

West G - Amanda DiNella, Gustavus (Oakbrook Terrace, IL) D - Paige Johnson, UW-River Falls (Marshfield, WI) D - Kelly O’Sullivan, Adrian (Inverness, IL) F - Kathryn Larson, St. Thomas (Shoreview, MN) F - Kristin Lewicki, Adrian (Moundsville, WV) F - Dani Sibley, UW-River Falls (Monticello, MN)

Second Team East G - Camille Leonard, Plattsburgh (Oakville, ON) D - Megan Crandall, Plattsburgh (Fullerton, CA) D - Carly Watson, Middlebury (Montpelier, VT) F - Alison Butler, St. Anselm (Danvers, MA) F - Alex Toupal, Amherst (New Brighton, MN) F - Jessica Young, Middlebury (Mission Hills, KS)

West G - Angie Hall, UW-River Falls (White Bear Lake, MN) D - Kayla Griffith, Lake Forest (Woodbury, MN) D - Sydney Smith, Adrian (Sarnia, ON) F - Carly Moran, UW-River Falls (Winona, MN) F - Kaylyn Schroka, Adrian (Belleville, MI) F - Sarah Shureb, Adrian (Livonia, MI)

Let’s Play Hockey photo by Christine Wisch

Player Jake Bischoff Brock Boeser Taylor Cammarata Dennis Cholowski Ryan Collins Sean Flanagan Brendan Harms Tyler Heinonen Mitch Hults Michael Huntebrinker Alex Iafallo Tyson Jost Michael Kapla Justin Kloos Luke Kunin Vinni Lettieri Maria Lindh Hunter Miska Chris Nell Charlie O’Connor Vince Pedrie Matt Pohlkamp Tucker Poolman Parker Reno Sam Rothstein Eric Schurhamer Tommy Schutt C.J. Smith Luc Snuggerud Carson Soucy Ben Storm Daniel Tedesco Nate Widman

East G - Mike DeLaVergne, Buffalo State (Pawling, NY) D - Carl Belizario, Hobart (Dorval, QC) D - Ayrton Valente, Plattsburgh (Woodbridge, ON) F - Tommy Besinger, Endicott (Milton, MA) F - Trevor Fleurent, New England (Biddeford, ME) F - Kenny Neil, Oswego (Clarenville, NL)

Bemidji State junior goalie Michael Bitzer

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Let’s Play Hockey

April 20, 2017

27

Strength training continued from page 5 In other words, maxing out on the bench press and curling dumbbells doesn’t translate to the ice – or overall athleticism. Explosive lifts, movements and exercises encompassing every part of the body is the way to go. Think about the game of hockey, and then think about how you train.

Along with similar strength training exercises, Nelson recommends that older kids focus on jumping, bounding, interval-style cardiovascular work, and plyometrics. Additionally, short sprints of 5 to 20 yards – which include starts, stops, tight turns, and directional changes – will also help increase their ability to break away and lose defenders next season.

3 Ways Parents Can Help Following the training guidelines above will go a long way in helping your hockey player build strength, stay active and get ready for next year – all while having a fun offseason.

Here are three ways parents can help: Limit technology time “Sitting is the new smoking – it’s the habit people have that is destructive to health,” said Nelson. “I’m not advocating that people stop using technology or try to make some drastic lifestyle change, because it’s simply not realistic.

“However, if we’re aware of the potential downfall, some small steps can be taken

to reduce or eliminate the negatives.”

Guide their nutritional choices Since food fuels our bodies, make an effort to ensure that what your kids are eating or drinking will allow them to consistently perform at a high level. ”Sports drinks and fast food are just loaded with sugar and chemicals,” Nelson said. “They are the quick fix, the cop out, and they are also very poor choices. ”Remember, you can’t out-train bad nutrition.”

Play other sports There’s more and more evidence that early specialization is bad for development

and increases the likelihood of burnout and overuse injuries. Encourage your child to play other sports such as tennis, baseball, lacrosse, soccer, track and field, etc.

“At this age, cross-training is very important,” he said. “The real benefits are learning to move, to create power and speed in a wide range of situations. Plus, it helps kids learn to be competitive.”

For example, lacrosse is more meaningful than spring hockey, because it’s the real lacrosse season. So, by playing a second sport (and hopefully a third sport in the fall), younger players have a chance to participate in competitive situations during a greater portion of the year.

Enjoy the offseason!

28

Tournament Calendar

April 20, 2017

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2017-18 Let’s Play Hockey Tournament Calendar All invitational tournaments held in Minnesota must first go through a district tournament coordinator before being sent to the Vice President of tournaments, Tim Sweezo, for final approval. The list below is of Minnesota Hockey tournament coordinators for each district. Please call them if you need information about a certain tournament.

District 1, Tom Mickus (651) 489-3394; District 2, Jake Reinseth (651) 336-8243; District 3, Chad Nicholls (952) 544-0808; District 4, Kris Hohensee (507) 360-6787; District 5, Jeff Carlen (320) 274-3509; District 6, Cory Townsend (612) 940-6675; District 8, Zac Dockter (612) 735-9703; District 9, Troy Marquardt (507) 384-7386; District 10, Mark Osmondson (612) 747-8308; District 11, Clark Coole (218) 728-8000; District 12, Craig Homula (218) 744-5566; District 15, Aaron Erickson (701) 367-0090; District 16, Mark Elliott (218) 766-4433; Senior Women, Nancy Wefler (763) 537-7837.

Tournament entrants from outside Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, be informed that Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota Squirt, Peewee, and Bantam youth teams will likely have some players up to six months older than the USA Hockey age guidelines for those classifications.

Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota are using a July 1 age cut-off date while USA Hockey is using a January 1 age cut-off date. If you are concerned about this issue, you should contact the tournament director immediately to determine whether or not you should register for the tournament.

APRIL 2017 20-23 Twin Cities, MN: 22 nd Minnesota Meltdown AAA Tournament, Boys Invite and Open 2008-2002, Girls AAA 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U; Contact Eric Knutsen (952) 920-8826 or eric.knutsen@showcasehockey.com or visit www.showcasehockey.com.com 21-23 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Boys 2007; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@ alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 21-23 Chicago, IL: Chicago Cup Tournament Series: Chicago Spring Classic, Squirt through Midget: House, B, A, AA, High School Varsity & JV; Contact MYHockeyTournaments (855) 898-4040 or jbabin@ myhockeytournaments.com or visit myhockeytournaments.com 21-23 Crookston, MN: Boys 2007; Contact Elliot Bates (218) 4700423 or crookstonhockey@gmail.com. Online registration available at www.crookstonbluelinehockey.com 21-23 Green Bay, WI: Cheese Cup, U16, 2002, 2003, 2004; Contact Jay Boxer (920) 403-2000 or jboxer@ netnet.net or visit www.cornerstoneicecenter.org 21-23 St. Cloud, MN: Mountain Dew Blast, AAA Boys Open 2009/08, 2007, 2006; Contact randy@ northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com 21-23 St. Louis, MO: Mite/Squirt/PeeWee/Bantam/ Midget, AA/A/B/House; Register online at www.ultimatetournaments.net or contact John (630) 336-6160 27-30 Madison, WI: Capitol City Cup, AA/A/B Boys U18, U16, Bantam, PeeWee, Squirt, AA/A/B Girls U16, U14, U12; Register online at www.capitolcitycup.com 27-30 Twin Cities, MN: Shock Doctor Shootout, Boys AAA 2009-2002; Call (952) 920-8826 or visit www.unitedaaahockey.com 28-30 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Girls U12; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@ alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 28-30 Crookston, MN: 10U Girls, 12U Girls; Contact Elliot Bates (218) 4700423 or crookstonhockey@gmail.com.

Online registration available at crookstonbluelinehockey.com 28-30 Moorhead, MN: Elite AAA Showcase, Girls 19U & 16U; Contact admin@rivercityhockey.com or register at www.rivercityhockey.com 28-30 St. Cloud, MN: Mountain Dew Blast, AAA Boys Open 2005, 2004, 2003; Contact randy@ northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com

MAY 2017 4-7 Madison, WI: Capitol City Cup, AAA U15, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07; Register online at www.capitolcitycup.com 4-7 Twin Cities, MN: Stars and Stripes Hockey Tournament, Elite and Open, Boys U16, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, Girls U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 Tier 1 & 2; Contact Steve Mularky (952) 746-9033 or stevem@mnmadehockey.com or visit www.mnmadehockey.com 5-7 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Boys 2006; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 5-7 Blaine, MN: Mountain Dew Blast, AAA Girls Open 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, Boys Open 2001; Contact randy@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com 5-7 Crookston, MN: Boys 2004; Contact Elliot Bates (218) 4700423 or crookstonhockey@gmail.com. Online registration available at www.crookstonbluelinehockey.com 5-7 Grand Forks, ND: Boys 05, Boys 06; Register at www.reahockeyacademy.com 5-7 Green Bay, WI: Cheese Cup, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; Contact Jay Boxer (920) 403-2000 or jboxer@ netnet.net or visit www.cornerstoneicecenter.org 5-7 Nashville, TN: Music City Tournament Series: Nashville Spring Classic, Squirt A, PeeWee A, PeeWee AA, Bantam A; Contact MYHockeyTournaments (855) 898-4040 or jbabin@myhockeytournaments.com or visit myhockeytournaments.com 12-14 Blaine, MN: Walleye Chop, Men’s A,B,C,D, Novice, 40-plus, 50-plus, Women’s A, B, C; Contact Brandon Koontz (763) 717-3210 or bkoontz@superrink.org or visit www.superrink.org 12-14 Crookston, MN: Boys 2005; Contact Elliot Bates (218) 4700423 or crookstonhockey@gmail.com. Online registration available at www.crookstonbluelinehockey.com

12-14 Grand Forks, ND: Boys 03 Elite, Boys 03 Open, Boys 04 Elite, Boys 04 Open; Register at www.reahockeyacademy.com 12-14 St. Louis, MO: Mite/Squirt/PeeWee/Bantam/ Midget, AA/A/B/House; Register online at www.ultimatetournaments.net or contact John (630) 336-6160 12-14 Twin Cities, MN: Spring Stampede AAA Tournament, Boys 2002-2009, U16, U18; Contact dan@midwesthockey.net or (763) 225-7320 18-21 Twin Cities, MN: MN Independent AAA Hockey Classic, Boys Invitational and Open 18U, 16U, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, Girls AAA 19U, 16U, 14U, 12U, 10U, 8U; Contact Bob Capra (952) 920-8826 or rwcapra@msn.com or visit www.eastonaaa.com 19-21 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Girls U10; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@ alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 19-21 Chicago, IL: Chicago Cup Tournament Series: MYHockey Tournaments Spring Classic, Squirt through Midget: B, A, AA, High School Varsity & JV; Contact MYHockeyTournaments (855) 898-4040 or jbabin@ myhockeytournaments.com or visit myhockeytournaments.com 19-21 Crookston, MN: Boys 2006; Contact Elliot Bates (218) 4700423 or crookstonhockey@gmail.com. Online registration available at www.crookstonbluelinehockey.com 19-21 Grand Forks, ND: Boys 07, Girls 10U, Girls 12U, girls 14U; Register at www.reahockeyacademy.com 19-21 Sioux Falls, SD: ChampZ Cup, 2003-2007; Contact Arianne Zieske (605) 359-4059 or Arianne@legendhockey.com. Register at www.legendsi.com 19-21 St. Cloud, MN: Mountain Dew Blast, AAA Boys Open 2002; Contact randy@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com 19-21 Twin Cities, MN: Mountain Dew Blast, AAA Boys Open 2009/08, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003; Contact randy@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com 26-28 Duluth, MN: Female Elite Prospects, 16U & U19 AAA girls; Contact Kevin Mudrak at (218) 522-1375 or kmudrak@yahoo.com or visit www.mnfemalehockey.com

JUNE 2017 1-4 Duluth, MN: Battle By The Bay Boys AAA, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007/08; Contact Carissa Haala (218) 590-6246 or haala01@hotmail.com or visit www.northernstorm.net 2-4 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Boys 2005; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@ alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 2-4 Crookston, MN: Boys HS, Girls HS; Contact Elliot Bates (218) 4700423 or crookstonhockey@gmail.com.

Online registration available at crookstonbluelinehockey.com 8-11 Rapid City, SD: Rushmore Cup, Minor Squirts, Major Squirts, Mino PeeWees (Boys 10U, 12U); Contact dave@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.northlandhockeygroup.com.com 9-11 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Boys HS; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@ alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 10-12 Twin Cities, MN: Girls Shock Doctor Shootout, Girls AAA U10-U19; Call (952) 920-8826 or visit www.unitedaaahockey.com 15-18 Blaine, MN: International Hockey Cup. Boys’ AAA, 02-08/16U/18U, Contact Spencer Arvold at (763) 7173234 or sarvold@superrink.org or visit www.superrink.org 15-18 Rapid City, SD: Rushmore Cup, Major PeeWee, Minor Bantam, Major Bantam (Boys 12U, 14U); Contact dave@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.northlandhockeygroup.com.com 23-25 Blaine, MN: NHG Cup, AAA Boys Open 2009/ 08, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001; Contact randy@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com 23-25 Maple Grove, MN: NHG Cup, AAA Girls Open 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 2001; Contact randy@ northlandhockeygroup.com or visit aaatournaments.com 23-25 Sioux Falls, SD: Wings & Sauce Toss, 2003-2007; Contact Arianne Zieske (605) 359-4059 or Arianne@legendhockey.com. Register at www.legendsi.com

JULY 2017 7-9 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Boys 2004; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@ alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 7-9 Blaine, MN: Double Bender Men’s Adult, Men’s B, C, C2, D; Contact Brandon Koontz (763) 717-3210 or bkoontz@superrink.org or visit www.superrink.org 14-16 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Girls HS. Contact Matt Johnson at matt@ alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 15-16 Blaine, MN: Patriot Cup 3v3, Cross ice 3 v 3 games, Mites 5&6, Mites 7&8, Squirt A & B, PeeWee A & B, Girls 8U/10U/12U; Contact Spencer Arvold (763) 717-3234 or sarvold@superrink.org or visit www.superrink.org 21-23 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Boys HS; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@ alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 21-23 Duluth, MN: Northern Exposure AAA Hockey Tournament, 2000/01, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008; Contact Kasey Yoder (651) 432-1840 or kaseyyoder@ gmail.com or visit www.northernexposureaaahockey.com 21-23 Lacrosse, WI: Chill Classic @ Green Island Ice Arena, U16 (00, 01, 02). U18 (98, 99, 00); Contact Shelly LaPlount at slaplount@crchill.com or register at crchill.com, under Jr. Chill AAA click on the Chill Classic Tab

22-23 Blaine, MN: Patriot Cup STP Festival, Boys and Girls Tier 1 (varsity) and Tier 2 (JV, Bantam, U15); Contact Kristi King for girls (763) 785-5649 or kking@superrink.org or for boys contact Rob Loftus (763) 717-3895 or rloftus@superrink.org or visit www.suerrink.org 23-25 Sioux Falls, SD: Legend Cup, 2003-2007; Contact Arianne Zieske (605) 359-4059 or Arianne@legendhockey.com. Register at www.legendsi.com 28-30 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Boys 2003; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@ alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com

29-1 Blaine, MN: Red Solo Hockey Cup’ Men’s and Women’s, Men’s B, C, C2, D, Women’s B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, C3; Contact Brandon Koontz (763) 717-3210 or bkoontz@superrink.org or visit www.superrink.org

AUGUST 2017

NOVEMBER 2017

3-6 Blaine, MN: International Hockey Cup, Girls AAA Tier 1 & 2, U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, U19; Contact Kristi King (763) 785-5649 or kking@superrink.org or visit www.superrink.org 3-6 Twin Cities, MN: 3rd State of Hockey Showdown AAA Tournament, Boys Invite and Open 2008-2002; Contact Eric Knutsen (952) 920-8826 or eric.knutsen@showcasehockey.com or visit www.showcasehockey.com.com 4-6 Alexandria, MN: Alexandria Blizzard 2017 Hockey Fest, Boys 2002; Contact Matt Johnson at matt@alexandriablizzard.com or visit www.alexhockeyfest.com 4-6 Sioux Falls, SD: Combat Cup, Boys Open 2009/ 08, 2007, 2006, 2005; Contact Randy Peake (763) 744-8610 or randy@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com 11-13 Blaine, MN: Double Bender, Mens B, C, C2, D; Contact Brandon Koontz (763) 717-3210 or bkoontz@superrink.org or visit www.superrink.org 11-13 Eden Prairie/Chaska, MN: Breakaway Bash, 2003 through 2009 and U12 & U10; Contact Tara (952) 221-6459 or tournaments@breakawayhockey.net or visit www.breakawayhockey.net 11-13 Twin Cities, MN: Combat Cup, Boys Open 2009/ 08, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001; Contact Randy Peake (763) 744-8610 or randy@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com 11-13 Twin Cities, MN: Combat Cup, Girls Open 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U; Contact Randy Peake (763) 744-8610 or randy@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com th 17-20 Twin Cities, MN: 14 Easton Cup AAA Tournament, Boys Invite and Open 2008-2002, Girls AAA 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U, 19U; Contact Eric Knutsen (952) 920-8826 or eric.knutsen@showcasehockey.com or visit www.showcasehockey.com.com 18-20 Sioux Falls, SD: Combat Cup, Boys Open 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001; Contact Randy Peake (763) 744-8610 or randy@northlandhockeygroup.com or visit www.aaatournaments.com 24-27 Twin Cities, MN: MN Summer Finale AAA Hockey Classic, Boys Invitational and Open 18U, 16U, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, Girls AAA 19U, 16U, 14U, 12U, 10U, 8U; Contact Bob Capra (952) 9208826 or rwcapra@msn.com 25-27 Twin Cities, MN: Summer Round Up Tournament, Boys 2002-2009, U16, U18. Girls U10-U16; Contact dan@midwesthockey.net or (763) 225-7320

17-19 Blaine, MN: All-American Girls, Youth Girls 10UA, 10UB, 12UA, 12UB, 15U; Contact Kristi King (763) 785-5649 or kking@superrink.org or visit www.superrink.org 17-19 Hopkins, MN: Girls 15U B, 12U A, 12U B, 10U B; Contact Tournament Director Angie Quale tournaments@ hopkinshockey.com 24-26 Hopkins, MN: Bantam A/B1/B2, Peewee A/B1/ B2, Squirt A/B2/C; Contact Tournament Director Angie Quale tournaments@hopkinshockey.com

SEPTEMBER 2017

DECEMBER 2017 9-11 Warroad, MN: Peewee B; Register at www.visitwarroad.com 16-18 Warroad, MN: Bantam A; Register at www.visitwarroad.com

JANUARY 2018 13-15 Warroad, MN: Girls 12U A/10U A; Register at www.visitwarroad.com 27-29 Warroad, MN: Peewee A; Register at www.visitwarroad.com

FEBRUARY 2018 3-5 Warroad, MN: Squirt B; Register at www.visitwarroad.com 10-12 Warroad, MN: SquirtA; Register at www.visitwarroad.com

Note: To list your tournament in this calendar, simply contact Let’s Play Hockey at (320) 333-3279. No portion of the tournament calendar may be copied, reproduced, or transmitted without written permission from Let’s Play Hockey and its publisher.

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April 20, 2017

Let’s Play Hockey Rankings

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key.com. outh hoc key rank er? Send an e-mail tto o edit or@le tspla yhoc Want tto o be a yyouth ranker? editor@le or@letspla tsplayhoc yhock hock

HS BOYS AA FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

GRAND RAPIDS Moorhead Eden Prairie Holy Family Catholic Lakeville South St. Thomas Academy Maple Grove Hill-Murray Stillwater Area Centennial Edina Elk River/Zimmerman Lakeville North Duluth East Minnetonka Prior Lake White Bear Lake Roseau St. Michael-Albertville Wayzata

HS BOYS A FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

BANT AM AA BANTAM FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

WHITE BEAR LAKE Osseo/Maple Grove Stillwater Blaine Moorhead Lakeville South Cloquet Eden Prairie Minnetonka Andover St. Cloud Edina Centennial South St. Paul Wayzata Minneapolis Eastview Elk River Rosemount Rochester

MINNETONKA BLUE Stillwater Prior Lake/Savage Lakeville Eden Prairie Minnetonka Black Elk River Blaine Centennial Black St. Thomas Academy

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

BANT AM A BANTAM FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

JUNIOR GOLD 16U FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

HERMANTOWN Monticello/A/ML Delano Breck St. Cloud Cathedral Northfield Mahtomedi East Grand Forks St. Paul Academy Alexandria Greenway Hibbing/Chisholm Sartell-St. Stephen St. Paul Johnson Totino-Grace Minneapolis Minnehaha Academy Orono Blake Luverne

HS GIRLS AA FINAL

EDINA Orono Greenway MAML Alexandria Osseo/Maple Grove Chaska/Chanhassen Park Cottage Grove Duluth East Eveleth-Gilbert East Grand Forks Owatonna Albert Lea Minnetonka Northfield Roseville JCNSP Coon Rapids St. Paul Capitals River Lakes

EDINA Osseo/Maple Grove White Bear Lake Blaine

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

BANT AM B1 BANTAM FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

GIRLS 19U FINAL 1 3 2 4

EDINA Blaine Eden Prairie Hill-Murray Maple Grove Minnetonka Cretin-Derham Hall Elk River/Zimmerman Centennial Farmington Forest Lake Chaska/Chanhassen Eastview Roseau White Bear Lake Lakeville South Brainerd/Little Falls Mounds View Grand Rapids/Greenway Hopkins/Park

EDINA GREEN Edina White Orono Elk River Minnetonka St. Cloud Red Buffalo Lake of the Woods St. Peter/Le Sueur Eagan Moorhead Black Morris/Benson Grand Rapids Bemidji Brainerd Mahtomedi Sauk Rapids Forest Lake Litchfield/D-C Eveleth-Gilbert/ME Gold

ANDOVER Osseo/Maple Grove Edina Green Minnetonka Black Rochester Wayzata Blue Proctor/Hermantown Blaine Grand Rapids Eden Prairie

JUNIOR GOLD A FINAL

BLAKE Breck St. Paul United Warroad Delano/Rockford Proctor/Hermantown Northfield Alexandria Mound Westonka East Grand Forks Red Wing Princeton Hibbing/Chisholm Thief River Falls New Prague Moose Lake Area Hutchinson Fergus Falls South St. Paul Mahtomedi

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

MINNETONKA Edina Wayzata Blaine White Bear Lake Stillwater Lakeville St. Louis Park Centennial Eden Prairie

JUNIOR GOLD B FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

MOORHEAD Elk River Wayzata Blue Edgcumbe St. Thomas Academy Bloomington Jefferson Minnetonka Black Eastview Edina Green Orono

PEEWEE AA FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

GIRLS 15U A FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

HS GIRLS A FINAL

CHASKA/CHANHASSEN Osseo/Maple Grove Wayzata Woodbury Edina Lakeville South Andover Stillwater Moorhead Hermantown Prior Lake/Savage Eastview Lakeville North Mahtomedi St. Cloud Champlin Park Eden Prairie Roseau Hastings Sibley

GIRLS 15U B FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

ANOKA/ROGERS Rochester Minneapolis OMGHA Black Armstrong/Cooper Litchfield/D-C Blaine/SLP Sartell Minnetonka Edina

NCAA D-III MEN FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NCAA D-III WOMEN FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

PEEWEE A FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

JCNSP Edina Mound Westonka Warroad Osseo/Maple Grove Sartell Litchfield/D-C Duluth Denfeld Dodge County Mounds View/Irondale Forest Lake Minnetonka Tartan Bloomington Jefferson Alexandria Spring Lake Park St. Paul Capitals Little Falls Inver Grove Heights Thief River Falls

EDINA Andover North Wright County Alexandria Anoka/Rogers Stillwater Osseo/Maple Grove Roseau Orono/Westonka Eastview

2018 Let’s Play Hockey EXPO March 9 & 10

PLATTSBURGH Adrian Gustavus Adolphus Norwich UW-River Falls Emira Middlebury St. Thomas Lake Forest UW-Eau Claire

PEEWEE B1 FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

GIRLS 12U A FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

NORWICH Trinity St. Norbert Adrian UW-Stevens Point Hamilton Endicott Oswego Hobart Augsburg

EDINA GREEN Moorhead Black Edina White Red Lake Falls Elk River Grand Rapids St. Peter Stillwater Mounds View/Irondale Farmington Sartell Blue Waconia Woodbury Black OMGHA Black St. Cloud Red Crookston Chaska/Chanhassen STMA Gold Forest Lake Morris/Benson Silver

GIRLS 12U B FINAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

WAYZATA BLUE OMGHA Black Inver Grove Heights Luverne Cloquet Coon Rapids/CP Buffalo Litchfield/D-C Hibbing/Chisholm Edina Black