WNY Hockey Report February 2014

February 2014 VOLUME 3 • ISSUE 5

5 1 0 2 4 201 t u o y Tr ! n o i t i Ed

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Contents

In This Issue:

P.O.Box 302 East Aurora, NY 14052 716-830-0182 info@wnyhockeyreport.com Managing Partner Ian C. Woods icwoods@wnyhockeyreport.com Vice President, Business Development Ned McDonnell Commish@wnyhockeyreport.com Publisher & Managing Editor Randy Schultz Randy@wnyhockeyreport.com Designer & Photographer Janet Schultz Janet@wnyhockeyreport.com Senior Columnists Warren Kozireski Warren@wnyhockeyreport.com Contributing Editor Jeff Kolcon Jeff@maksymum.com Communications & Marketing Director Val Andrews Val@wnyhockeyreport.com Columnists Janet Schultz Michael Mroziak michael@wnyhockeyreport.com Rob Sedia rob@newedgehockey.com Lars Lewis Lars@wnyhockeyreport.com Matt Ondesko Matt@wnyhockeyreport.com Tom Barnett Tombarnett@earthlink.net Anthony Fiorello anthony@wnyhockeyreport.com Skylar Vitko-Woods

College Hockey: Men.............................................................................4 The Whiteboard........................................................................................6 Kenmore Girls... Champions.................................................................7 Around the Associations.......................................................................9 Rusin Award Winner... Janet Schultz.................................................9 High School Hockey – Section V & VI ............................................ 10 Juniors: Etiquette Is the Name of the Game............................... 13 Women’s Hockey................................................................................... 14 Rochester Youth Hockey News........................................................ 16 Rochester Americans........................................................................... 17 Holy Childhood & Bill Gray’s – Partners On The Ice.................. 18 Tryout Edition March........................................................................... 20 WNY Legends of the Game: Jay North.......................................... 35 Buffalo Junior Sabres........................................................................... 36 Local Refs Lay Down The Law........................................................... 37 College Club Hockey........................................................................... 38 Rochester Jr Americans...................................................................... 40 Insight Hockey....................................................................................... 42

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Men’s Collegiate

4

Men’s College Hockey Report

snuffed 59 Pioneer looks on net in 114 minutes of play for a .952 save percentage and a 1.58 goals-against average.

by Warren Kozireski Warren@wnyhockeyreport.com

Fellow freshman netminder Adrian Ignani earned the same honor for the week ending January 26th after he made 69 saves on 70 shots in a sweep of RIT. Included was his first career shutout on the 24th. Defenseman Vince Muto (Niagara Falls) was named Rookie of the Week for the same period as he registered three assists.

CANISIUS The Golden Griffins were winless through the first three games in February and had just three wins since January 12th to fall six points behind fourth place and the final first round bye with six games remaining in the regular season. But the standings below them were also tight and they were just four points in front of those chasing to avoid a first round road playoff series.

Senior Kyle Gibbons moved into sole possession of fourth place in the program’s Division I history with 120 career points, breaking a tie for second with David Deeves. Josh Heddinger is the all-time leader with 132 career points. Gibbons was leading the team in scoring with sophomore Ralph Cuddemi sizzling offensively since the calendar turned 2014 to move into second on the team scoring chart.

Matthew Grazen (East Amherst) returned the lineup February 6th at Niagara after missing 12 games with an injury and scored his first goal of the season. “It feels great (to get his first), especially this late in the year; big relief.”

Freshman Josh Kielich (Orchard Park) picked his first collegiate point—an assist—January 31st against AIC. Derrick Bishop was honored with induction into the Canisius Athletic Hall of Fame February 9th. He collected 144 points for the Griffs from 1991 to 1995.

One good sign heading to the postseason is the Griffs are the only team to have a winning record against first lace Mercyhurst and top-four UConn.

“What I like about this team—maybe most if I had to list them—is that we try to lay the same home or away,” said head coach Dave Smith. “We plan on pitching a perfect game every time we strap on the skates and now, with more games at home down the stretch, that should pay dividends.

NIAGARA Turning it up a notch with points in five of their last sixth heading to Valentine’s weekend, the Purple Eagles were getting offensive contributions from multiple sources, but their anemic power play (10.9%--third worst in the nation) will need work down the stretch if they are to advance deep in the playoffs. Like Canisius, they were a middle-of-thepack team in mid-February five points away from a first round bye with six games remaining in the regular season; the last three on home ice.

Junior Isaac Kohls and sophomore Hugo Turcotte were pacing the offense with both surpassing 20 points.

Freshman goaltender Jackson Teichroeb backstopped the team to a weekend split over the Sacred Heart and was named Atlantic Hockey Association Rookie of the Week for the period ending February 2nd. Teichroeb

Sophomore defenseman Matt Chiarantano netted his first collegiate goal February 1st against Sacred Heart.

Freshman T.J. Sarcona took over the top spot among freshman goal scorers with a hot streak over the past dozen games. “He won a national championship in the North American League and you can count on him every second of every shift—he’s going to be a start here at Niagara,” said head coach Dave Burkholder.

RIT Unless the Tigers could put together some points over the final six games of the regular season and earn a first-round playoff series, the final game at Ritter Arena will be the March 1st tilt with former ECAC West rival Canisius.

They dug themselves a hole going winless from January 19th-February 13th with only a weekend sweep over last place Army keeping them from a 13 game winless skid.

“We all have it tough (down the stretch),” said head coach Wayne Wilson. “We’re all laying each other, so it’s equal for everyone going down the stretch. Our position is to get healthy and be playing our best hockey at the end.”

Michael Colavecchia was tied for fifth nationally in power play goals while the unit was clicking at 22.8%-good for eighth in Division I. Senior defenseman Nolan Descoteaux had just 16 points in 103 career games. This season he had 17 points over the first 28 games.

GENESEO The Knights were 6-2 since midJanuary, but the two losses came to lower level teams (second year Nazareth and at the time last place Potsdam) which could cost them should they need an at-large bid to make the NCAA playoffs. Geneseo defeated first place and top-six nationally Plattsburgh on home ice for the second consecutive season.

Webster native Justin Scharfe was atop the team scoring chart with 24 points in 20 games with Ryan Stanimir, Stephen Collins (Pittsford) and Tyler Brickler also at 20 points or more.

Goaltender Bryan Haude (Hilton) was third among conference starters in save percentage and lost just one of his first seven conference games. He was named SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week February 3rd.

The team was in position for a first round bye (top two teams). If they maintain that spot, the Knights will host a semi-final game March 1st with the SUNYAC championship on the campus of the highest remaining seed March 8th.

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BUFFALO STATE Points in five of seven games had the Bengals solidly in fourth place with three games remaining in the regular season, including one head-to-head with the team right behind them (Fredonia). If that position holds, the team will host a SUNYAC quarterfinal playoff game February 26th.

MCC transfer Dan Turgeon continued to pace the offense and was 8th nationally among rookie scorers with 23 points over the first 20 contests. Senior Mike Zannella and freshman Tyler Pryce were in the midteens in points with freshman Nick Berst (Depew) also in double figures. Zannella earned SUNYAC Player of the Week honors January 27th after a four-point weekend.

Goaltender Kevin Carr was nearing the end of his collegiate career and stood second in the conference in save percentage and top five in goals against. He was named SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week January 27th.

Their regular season concludes February 22nd at Brockport.

FREDONIA Sometimes it’s about when you get hot and the Blue Devils picked a good time to earn points in four of their last six conference games to climb out of the lower tier and into a playoff position with four games left.

The team was getting balanced scoring with seven players garnering ten or more points led by Stephen Castriota’s 18. Jared Wynia was the leading goal scorer and was third in the conference in the category. Castriota was SUNYAC Player of the Week January 21st.

Senior Matt Owczarczak (Buffalo/Jr. Sabres) was having his best campaign offensively with three goals and nine assists. He entered the season with two goals and four assists over his first 23 games.

Forward Blake Forslund was named SUNYAC Rookie of the Week February 3rd after his three-point weekend against Morrisville.

The regular season wraps up February 22nd at Geneseo.

BROCKPORT In the familiar spot of being onepoint out of the playoffs with four games remaining, the bad news for the Golden Eagles was all four would pit them against teams currently in playoff positions.

The top four scorers on the team were all underclassmen as was nine of the top 11 led by sophomore forward Chase Nieuwendyk’s 20 points, which betters the season total from any Brockport player last season.

Sophomore defenseman Chris Luker was named SUNYAC Player of the Week February 3rd after his four point weekend including the game-winner against Potsdam.

Freshman Nick Marinac and Jake Taylor, with 16 points each through the first 21, were both vying for spots on the conference All-Rookie squad.

Men’s Collegiate

NAZARETH Since adding top-pair defenseman Dan Olivieri from Utica and forward Rocky Gruttadauria (Spencerport) via Niagara at the break, the Golden Flyers went on a tear that featured a program-best four game winning streak and five wins in seven games to pull the team out of the ECAC West basement for the first time.

“We’ve been playing really well since we got back from break, been in every game and played some of our best games lately,” said head coach George Roll. “We’ve had the lead in so many games this year going into the third period, but we haven’t been able to finish, but that just comes with confidence and being in those situations.”

Freshman Ben Blasko was 13th in the nation in freshman scoring with 22 points while five others had ten or more points.

Sophomore Ed Zdolshek was named ECAC West Goaltender of the Week for the period ending February 9th as he totaled 54 saves.

The regular season ends February 21-22 on home ice with a pair against Neumann. The team will be on the road for the first round of the conference playoffs at either Hobart, Elmira or Utica.

MCC

ranked number one in the nation with the national championships at Hudson Valley CC the weekend of February 22-23.

The import trio of Dominik Gabaj (67 points), Martin Matejcek (59) and Pavel Kuzmin (43) continue to lead the nation in scoring in just 18 games with a second tier of Seth Hamilton (Lockport), Cameron Randles, John Papas (Irondequoit) and defenseman Kevin Cortivo all at 20 or more points.

The only question heading to the postseason is experience in net with freshmen Jon Brown (ChurchvilleChili) or Jesse Little getting the nod. Both played in ten games with Little having a better goals against (1.97) and save percentage (.894).

and Kollin Kaleta (Springville) also at 20 points or more.

Freshman goaltender Daniel Wenner (Lockport) had seen the most playing time and was likely to get the nod for the postseason.

OTHER AREA NOTES Robert Morris sophomore Terry Schafer (Penfield) was named Atlantic Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week for the period ending February 2nd after he backstopped the Colonials to a two-game sweep of Army, allowing four goals while maintaining a .927 save percentage. Shafer recorded his second-career shutout in the weekend’s first contest.

ECC Since adding top-pair defenseman Dan Olivieri from UA 13-9 record had the Kats ranked third nationally as they prepared for the national championships February 22-23 at Hudson Valley CC. Williston State (12-11-3) was second behind MCC, Hudson Valley (10-5-1) was fourth and Dakota College at Bottineau (6-19-2) stood fifth.

The Kats only loss since January was to top-ranked Monroe CC and they were on a five game winning streak and averaging over eight goals a game during the run.

Brad Ferrell (East Amherst) and Jacob Macchioni (Blasdell) tied for the team scoring lead with 27 points each with Cody Dynarski (West Seneca), Ryan Logar (Niagara Falls)

The Tribunes ended their conference season with a perfect record and were

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The Whiteboard

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When did the word “Win” become Taboo?

by Rob Sedia Professional Hockey Instructor rob@newedgehockey.com I remember many wonderful things from my time playing youth hockey and I always think about the differences from my generation compared to now. We can go on and on about the AAA dilution as well as the growing number of orgbunnies (people who hop from organization to organization looking for a youth hockey utopia) but I plan to leave those alone for now. Instead, I would like to talk about how the word “win” has almost become a negative for organizations and coaches. Believe me, I get it, youth hockey (and hockey in general) needs to be fun and the goal of the organization and coaches should be to ensure the kids have a great hockey experience, instill a love and passion for the game, provide quality development, and ultimately give the paying families their money’s worth among several other very important things.

That being said, hiding from the word “win” can become a negative for organizations and coaches. In addition to the deliverables listed above, “winning” is important to more parents and players than one might admit to. This is not bad or negative at all – it is quite healthy and natural and needs to be talked about openly and honestly. When an organization and/or coaches do not talk about it, its absence can be misconstrued as irrelevant. When an organization and/or coaches take the lead on the topic, it can be controlled, expressed and defined properly as well as help defuse potential thoughts such as “this organization (or coach) doesn’t care if we win or lose”.

When I young, we were coached to have an expectation to “win” and we appreciated that. It wasn’t at all costs and it wasn’t without a healthy dose of discipline. We didn’t lose our minds, crawl under a rock or need counseling when we lost. Sure, we did not like to lose and a loss stung for a bit but it was put in the past relatively quickly and we left the arena normal, healthy, and happy kids. We were always taught to play as hard as we could, to be selfless, and to do as many good things as possible in an effort to help give our team a chance to win. We worked very, very hard in practice because that was the expectation and we knew that we had to practice exceptionally well just to play good so we could be competitive when it was game time.

Another very important part of this expectation to win was learning how to properly handle losing. We were taught to leave it out there, to battle hard and to try to win. Whether we won or lost, we were required to show discipline and sportsmanship. I played at a time when we shook hands after a game. Win or lose, we lined up at center ice, removed our glove, looked our opponents in the eyes, shook their hands, and congratulated them or told them “great game”. Anything else was unacceptable and not tolerated. My team currently plays in a division that requires the players to shake hands BEFORE the game and I (personally) am appalled and embarrassed by this rule. In my opinion, this “rule” represents a huge step backwards for youth hockey. This rule clearly states that this generation of players cannot control themselves and our coaches cannot instill discipline and/or sportsmanship. This embarrassing rule even comes with fines if not followed properly.

Yes, I have seen the YouTube videos that show players and coaching fighting during a post game handshake but incidents like that are very rare and represent the smallest percentage of players and/or coaches who

are not mature enough to properly shake hands after a hockey game. The National Hockey League represents the absolute highest level of the game and playoff hockey is the most intense, brutally hard-fought, must win hockey during an NHL season. Ironically enough, the end of a playoff series is the only time NHL players shake hands. I encourage you to pay close attention to a post playoff handshake and you will witness the most sincere display of respect from both teams. They do this because they know that both teams battled as hard they could with the mission to win. When it is all said and done, they respect the game and each other. I make an example of this to my players all the time.

Winning, losing, and sportsmanship all go hand in hand. I want my players to want to win and talking about it with my players and parents has proven to be beneficial. They both fully understand my objective is to ensure the kids have a great hockey experience, instill a love and passion for the game, provide quality development, and ultimately give the paying families their money’s worth. Beyond that, I respect my player’s and parent’s desires to “win” as part of the total package so I make it part of it.

Of course “winning” is not everything but it is something and that something is all around us.

Scoreboards, league standings, tournament metals, and championship banners, are examples of how “winning” is measured and recognized. I encourage organizations and coaches to talk about “winning” with their players and parents. Let them know that it does matter to you but it will never be with an “at all costs” attitude.

Rob Sedia is a Partner/Professional Instructor with the NewEdge Hockey Training Company, a seasoned and successful head coach and a columnist for NY Hockey Online. If you would like to comment on this article, ask questions, provide feedback, or share your thoughts, please send an email to: rob@newedgehockey.com

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Kenmore Girls Are Champions

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Kenmore Girls Take Championships Kenmore took the WNYGVIH League Championship, after securing their third consecutive Section VI Championship earlier in the month.

Once again, no clear winner could have been predicted as the bleachers at Northtowns filled.

Opponent Lancaster/ Iroquois had been in the cellar of the league for the first four years of play. Going winless in all three previous years. The difference this season was the addition of Iroquois Central to their roster.

Iroquois brought on some experienced players who added much to the lineup. In addition they brought with them some grit and with a couple early

wins, gave the team confidence that led them to facing Kenmore in the Section VI Championship game and again in the League Championship game.

Lancaster/Iroquois got on the board at 10:53 of the first period when Meghan Fonfara got one past Kenmore goalie Lauren Pray.

Second period went scoreless and as they headed into the third it seemed Lancaster/Iroquois may go home with the trophy.

However at 9:21 of the third Kenmore’s Emily King got past Lancaster/Iroquois Goalie Maddy Norton tying the game.

The game went into Overtime which ended scoreless and took them into the second overtime.

At 1:37 Lina Mirabella scored sending the Kenmore players over the boards and to the ice to congratulate each other.

Shown here after winning their third Section VI championship in a row... the Kenmore women went on the win the WNYGVIH League Championship.

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Around The Associations

9

Around The Associations Edited by Michael Mroziak

Buffalo Stars The program’s Bantam MOHL #2 team recently earned a first-place finish at the 2014 Snow Belt Classic, held in Bradford, Pennsylvania, winning all four of their games and earning 19 of a possible 20 points.

Goaltender Tyler Ehde recorded two shutouts at the tournament, aided by an outstanding performance by his teammates playing defense. The offense, meanwhile, scored over 25 goals in those four games.

In addition, members of the Stars participated in a skills competition, during which Anthony Gallo took first place in the Shot Accuracy event, while Ben Allen clinched first place in the Fastest Skater competition.

Cazenovia Park The Chiefs’ Bantam Minor team finished as runners up in the Niagara Falls Blizzard Challenge.

The team fared well in the preliminary round, earning 13.5 of a possible 15 points and going undefeated until the championship game, where they fell to the Hamilton Tigers by a 3-2 decision..

Southtowns Stars Tryouts are coming in March and April for the Southtowns Stars, who play Tier II travel hockey in the Western New York Amateur Hockey League. All major teams within the program, as well

as the Midget Tournament-Bound squad are “state tournament eligible.”

The cost for a tryout is $20. All interested players from outside the association looking to joint the Stars must have a release from their current association as well as a copy of a valid birth certificate.

Mixed teams will be picked after the Major and Minor teams are established.

For more information about tryout schedules, as well as the Red, White & Blue cross-ice beginner program and available house coaching positions, log on to www. southtownsstars.com.

In other news, the association’s teams that traveled to the Rock N Roll Cup in Cleveland, Ohio came back with championships.

The Bantam MOHL #2 team, coached by Kevin Conmy, won the championship at the Rock-N-Roll Cup in Cleveland, Ohio. The team completed a victorious trip with a 5-0 decision over the Brockport, NY-based Tri-County Eagles. Grant Merkel was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

The Stars’ Pee Wee A team, coached by Jim Unger, won their division championship as well, going 4-0 against competition from Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit.

Ryan Morris was named MVP for his outstanding play.

Not to be outdone, the Stars’ Pee Wee MOHL Team #3 Blackhawks won their championship at the Rock N Roll Cup, capped off by a 4-3 win in the title game featuring a late goal by Chris Heitzhaus.

Perinton Youth Hockey The Rochester Monarchs captured the Bronze Medal in the recent 2002 AAA Rochester Invitational held at the Bill Gray’s IcePlex. The Monarchs defeated the

Rusin Award Janet Schultz, writer and photographer for both WNY Hockey Report and NY Hockey OnLine Magazine, was the recipient of the 2014 Dr. James Rusin Award for outstanding service to the WNYGVIH Federation.

Schultz was invited to a meeting of the Girls 4 Varsity Ice Hockey Committee as the group was trying to form a girl’s varsity ice hockey league.

They asked her for assistance in publicizing their effort and their events.

Over the years she has photographed as many of the games as possible and covered their events with her husband, Randy.

“I do this because I love the game of hockey and especially the girl’s,” said Schultz. “They are so passionate about the game, they are students of the game and they play with everything they have.”

“What’s so amazing is that in the WNY league they compete with the same girls that are their teammates on travel and house teams.”

“They are “my girls” when I watch and write about them.”

Schultz has been covering hockey for over 25 years, working with WNY Hockey Magazine early on and continuing with WNY Hockey Report.

Three years ago her and her husband founded NY Hockey Online Magazine which is devoted to hockey from the grassroots level through the juniors and collegiate hockey throughout New York State.

They have traveled to each section of the state for hockey and made the trip North for the NYS Girls High School Championships the past two years.

Congratulations Janet!

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Rochester Grizzlies, 3-1, to earn the bronze.

The team went 4-2 at the tournament with victories over the Cleveland Barons, Wheatfield Blades, North Jersey Avalanche and the Grizzles.

Webster Youth Hockey The Northern Educate Hockey Academy announced the Webster Youth Hockey (WYHA) Girls 12U team traveled to Oswego for the Girl Power Tourney, finishing in second place after a sweep of preliminary round opponents that included a win over Oswego in a shootout that followed two overtime periods. They also beat North Franklin 5-3, Binghamton 5-1, and Ithaca 3-0 in pool play. North Franklin, however, had the final say in a tough 1-0 decision over Webster in the title game.

Still, it was a demonstration of “girl power” played proudly for Webster!

West Seneca Wings

West Seneca Wings Mite Minor AAA teammates enjoyed a fun surprise when they found themselves taking part in a video shoot for use in a Basil Chevrolet commercial.

Team members include: Noah Albano, Brady Austin, Athan Bailor, Finnin Carney, Landen Cerroni, Barrett Cerroni, Brandt Dubey, Cameron Fitch, Anthony Giufre, London Goodwin, Landon Kramer, Camden Krug, Brennan O’Hara, Quinn Piekarec, Ivan Roeder, Alex Strachan and Carson Vetter.

High School Hockey

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High School Section VI

by Matthew Ondesko Matt@wnyhockeyreport.com

Western New York Varsity Hockey Federation to crown playoff champions It is the best time of the year. It is the part of the season that matters. All the regular season games are in the books, now the playoffs begin. For the first time, in a long time, the Western New York Varsity Hockey Federation playoffs are wide open. A number of teams can win the Large, Small School and Niagara Cup.

Small School Whoever wins the Small School title will definitely earn it. Seven schools finished with 11 or more wins, with five of them residing in Division I. Division I was not for the faint of heart. While teams like Williamsville East and Kenmore East have been at the top, like always. It was West Seneca East that was the surprise of the division and league. No one thought anything of West Seneca East before the season, but teams soon realized how good they were as they almost went undefeated during the regular season. Only an overtime loss to Hamburg at the end of the year kept the Trojans from running the table.

Hamburg is another team that kind of went under the radar for most of the season. It had been a long road for the Bulldogs. Two years ago, this team only won two games. But, Hamburg coach John McFall had the kids buy into what they were doing and now they head into the playoffs as the fourth seed.

Even though they finished fourth in Division I, the Bulldogs played the other three schools very tough.“ I hope we are flying under the radar. I don’t think we are,” said Hamburg coach John McFall after their overtime victory. “It’s our first win against one of the top three teams. We are down two goals total in the six games (1-2-3) against those teams. Every single game between these teams (West Seneca East, Williamsville East and Kenmore East) has been tremendous hockey.”

Lewiston Porter comes into the playoffs having won Division II for the first team. The Lancers have a very balanced team and rely on more than one player to get it done. It will be interesting to see how the Lancers fare against the bigger schools in the playoffs. They do have the confidence and believe they can play with anybody.

North Tonawanda has seen success for the first time since joining the Federation a few years back. This year’s squad went 11-4 and did it with great goaltending. Kyle Painter had a tremendous season going 8-4-1 with a 1.83 goals against average.

Large School Last year we saw Clarence make a run to the finals before falling to Niagara Wheatfield. Who will be the Cinderella of the playoffs this season?

There could be a lot as the Large School playoffs are very deep. If the regular season was any indication it will be a great playoff.

Williamsville North and Niagara Wheatfield are the two teams everybody will be gunning for. Both teams have won numerous WNY Federation titles. While both will be the first two seeds, the rest of the field is closing in.

After a slow start, the Orchard Park Quakers have rebounded nicely and will look to make a run. The Quakers are looking for their first playoff victory in league history. This might be the team that does it. They have good goaltending and some solid lines.

Lancaster is team that could ride its goaltending to a title. Justin DiChristopher, if hot, can carry this team.

He showed how good he was in the teams 2-0 win over Williamsville North to end the regular season.

Lancaster has been to states before, but has never won a Federation title. Their state trip was when the league was under a different playoff format.

After a hot start, the Frontier Falcons struggled down the stretch. The talent is there as they defeated Timon and St. Joe’s early on in the season. How they can jell in the playoffs will be key to their success.

Clarence has had an up and down season. The Red Devils were hit by heavy graduation and the young team has improved as the season has gone on.

After playing the year in the Small School Division, Niagara Falls and Lockport will join the big boys for the playoffs.

Competitive spirit drives Mount Mercy’s Radwan

Mount Mercy Academy sophomore has Catherine Radwan experienced the ultimate high as a hockey player. As a freshman, last year, she was part of th e Monsignor Martin hockey team that went a perfect 20-0 and won its second-straight Western New York Varsity Hockey Federation championship.

“It’s always a new year,” stated Radwan. “You always want to strive to keep that going. It’s not like reaching a new success. It’s trying to keep that success alive. And, it’s now aiming for new goals.”

While that was a great thing to accomplish early on, Radwan still has a lot of things to prove. She wants to be part of the next group of young ladies to grow the sports of hockey, just not in South Buffalo, but at Mount Mercy Academy.“ I could see when girls hockey takes off in the next few years,” stated Radwan. “Maybe not Mercy right away getting their own team, but maybe grouping schools together into a north and south. But, hopefully, Mercy will have its own hockey team.”

Catholic It’s a three-team race for the second annual Niagara Cup and Bishop Timon, Canisius and St. Joe’s will all do battle for a chance to hoist the cup.

Bishop Timon comes in with the biggest expectations and they lived up to them. The Tigers were moved up to the Large School Division where they won the division in their first year.

It was like the Timon teams off old as they have been doing with a powerful scoring attack, led by senior Connor Fields, and great goaltending.

The Tigers have are looking for their first title since Timmy Kennedy led them to the Federation championship in the early 2000’s. This team has a chip on its shoulder after losing in the finals last year to St. Joe’s/.Even as the season has gone on, people have been talking about Canisius and St. Joe’s winning the title and Timon has been left on the side.

Timon has used this as motivation as they split with Canisius and defeated St. Joe’s twice in a senior for the first time in school history.

Canisius has shown that they have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with the Tigers. The Crusaders will have a tough task, however, as they must defeat rival St. Joe’s to get to the finals. The Crusaders and Marauders split their two meetings.

Besides Timon, St. Joe’s may be the hottest team heading into the Niagara Cup playoffs. The Marauders have gone 8-1 in their last nine, and have done it with solid goaltending. For St. Joe’s to be successful, they can’t play from behind. At times this season, the Marauders have had trouble putting the puck in the net.

The winner of the Niagara Cup goes on to Long Island to play for the Catholic State title.

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Catherine Radwan of the Monsignor Martin team.

Photo Jeffrey Barnes

Hockey is something that Radwan has known since birth. The West Seneca native knew she always wanted to play the sport. “Ever since I was little my cousins would play hockey,” stated Radwan. “I was 2 years old and I was already going to hockey games, and Sabres games.”

While she plays travel hockey, being able to play on a team at school has also been a great feeling.

The Monsignor Martin is made up off young ladies from all the Catholic schools, but Mount Mercy carries the most girls on the team with nine. It something that isn’t lost on Radwan.

“I kind of grew up in South Buffalo,” stated Radwan.

“Even tough I am from West Seneca, I have all my family here. Ever since I was little I was saying that I was going to go to Mercy and go across the street and play hockey [at Caz].

Watching Radwan on the ice, you would say she is more of the power forward type. While there isn’t body checking in the girls game, she doesn’t mind throwing her body around and mixing it up.

First year coach Linda Mroz loves the rugged game Radwan brings to the team.

“One of the hardest workers hands down, she is a bull out on the ice,” explained Radwan. “She works hard on the faceoffs, and in the corners, and her feet never stop moving when she’s on the ice. ”That kind of determination has Radwan already thinking of bigger things once her high school career is done with.

High School Hockey Once she is done with Mount Mercy, the West Seneca native has her sights set on playing hockey at the college level, maybe even at the Division I level.

“I wish,” said Radwan. “I want to play hockey at the next level so bad. I even want to play Division III, but even that will take a lot of hard work. Just keep my hopes high.”

Only a sophomore, Catherine Radwan has achieved a lot early on in her career. If she continues her hard work and determined play, then the sky’s the limit for the West Seneca native.

Alex Iafallo turning heads at Minnesota-Duluth

Most freshman playing at a Division I hockey school like the University of Minnesota-Duluth are normally just worried about getting ice time and contributing when called upon.

Alex Iafallo.

Photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

They never dream of stepping right and leading a team in scoring, or being put on the top line.

For Eden native Alex Iafallo his dream is becoming a reality as he leads the Bulldogs in scoring (19 points), and tied for first in goals with 10.

But, success is something that Iafallo has seen a lot of during his hockey career. So, stepping into the role he has at Minnesota-Duluth was not unexpected. He knew with hard work and determination, he could contribute right away. And that is exactly what he has done.“ I knew I would have success if I came to the rink every day with a positive attitude and expecting to work hard,” he said recently from Duluth, Minnesota. “Being a freshman and learning from the older guys on the team of the hard work and tradition from past years motivated myself and the other freshman.”

Just like a lot of freshmen, the learning curve has been steep at times. The speed of the game is faster.

The shots are faster and the body checks hurt just a little more. Every freshman goes through a rough patch. It’s how you get out the patch mentally, which defines you as a player.“ Essentially hockey is the same game throughout all levels, it just gets elevated as you go higher,” stated Iafallo. “Therefore, I knew I had to pick up my game and work on all aspects.”

Duluth is a perfect fit for Iafallo. Coming from a small town like Eden, the freshman has fit right in to the small town of Duluth.

When he went on his visit, Iaffalo knew this was the right place for him.“ Minnesota-Duluth feels like home to me,” he said. “It is an enjoyable community located on Lake Superior with fantastic views the second you step outside. Duluth isn’t a big city, but it’s not small either – which is what I

like about it.”

What he also liked about it was the Bulldogs’ style of play. Iaffalo describes himself as someone who uses his speed and playmaking abilities to his advantage. He says part of his game is being smart without the puck in all zones of the rink and scoring goals and creating chances.

He says that type of style fits right in to what the coaching staff at Minnesota-Duluth is preaching.

“The type of style of hockey played her at Duluth is similar to the type of game I play,” said Iaffalo. “Therefore, I knew I wanted to go here. Another factor that made my decision was the relationship with the coaching staff throughout the whole process.”

It has been a process that has seen Iaffalo go from the Buffalo Regals to the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League.

While with the Force, Iaffalo posted 43 points (20 goals, 23 assists) in 50 games. That same season, he sat out close to 20 percent, which makes the numbers even more respectable.

“The next level is always going to be a tough adjustment, but being prepared for it makes a huge difference,” he explained. “The time you receive off the ice is just as important as on the ice. Understanding to prepare mentally, and the extra time in the workout room, can have a huge impact on your game.”

His game is something that could translate to the next level. He understands what he needs to work on, and he can stay healthy and put in the time and effort, the sky is the limit.

“In order to get to the next level I have to gain more strength on and off the ice,” he explained. “The more strength I can receive the better chance I will get. The off-season is a huge part of improving my game and I am always determined to take advantage of it. Also, being more positive with some of the assets of my game will help out with the mental side of hockey.”

Hockey is something that runs in the Iafallo family as his younger sister, Julianna, has committed to The Ohio State University. The senior at Nichols School in North Buffalo has used her big brother as a role model and Alex couldn’t be happier.“ We are all excited and proud that Juls will be continuing her hockey career at Ohio State,” he said. “I am very thrilled to see her playing Division I hockey, because she works really hard on and off the off the ice and deserves it. I’m sure our parents are happy watching their kids play Division I hockey after all the hours they put in us.”

Playing smart and keeping up with the rigors of college is something he told his sister to watch out for.“ I have told my sister to just play her game and keep working hard,” said Alex. “College hockey is the next level and you have to prepare mentally and physically in order to have success. I also told her to always be confident when playing and be positive on and off the ice. It’s a tough schedule, so you have to be ready to work hard every single day as well as get all of the schoolwork done, because I know she will hear “get your homework done” from our mother.”

Julianna Iafallo ready to succeed at Ohio State University

Making the right choice for college is always a hard decision for anybody – let alone a student-athlete.

Many factors come in to play including academics, playing time, coaches and just an overall right fit.

For Nichols School’s Julianna Iafallo the recruiting process was a pretty easy one. As soon as she visited The Ohio State University, Iafallo knew she was home.

“Ohio State was the first place I visited,” said Iafallo.

“Ever since I first stepped on the campus I loved it. From the coach, to the team, the entire atmosphere of the campus, it was just the perfect fit for me.”

It has been a pretty interesting journey for the Eden

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native. She plays her hockey for the Buffalo Bisons travel team and Nichols School in North Buffalo. The commute is a long one, but worth it for Iafallo.

She says the rigors of Nichols’ academics, and the competition of the Canadian league the school plays in, drew her to the school. It also will help her be better prepared for the next level.

Julianna Iafallo (Nichols School) Photo by Jeffrey Barnes.

“Nichols has been a lot of help. It definitely preps you for college. The have certain course they treat like college courses. It’s more of a class discussion than lecturing,”stated Iafallo. “Nichols plays more Canadian teams, because we are in the Canadian division.

The next level isn’t something Iafallo is afraid of, either.

She knows what it will take to succeed as a freshman next year at Ohio State. If she has any questions on what to expect all she has to do is look no further than her own house.

Iafallo is the second child to sign and play at the Division I level. Her brother, Alex, is a freshman, and leading scorer, at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

She says being able to talk, and lean, on him can only help her when stepping on the ice and competing next year.

“He was always my idol,” said Iafallo. “Everything that he did I wanted to do. I kind of copied his number. He always helps me out to this day with hockey and all my decisions. He is just a really good role model.”

Even with all the knowledge her brother has bestowed upon her, Iafallo knows she still has some things to work before hitting the ice in Columbus, Ohio next season.

“One of the major things [I need to work on] is speed,” she said. “I need to work on quickness in general. I need to be tougher on the boards. And make sure I get the puck out [of the zone].”

With two kids playing at the highest level of college, Iafallo says that her parents couldn’t be happier.

“I think my parents like my decision a little better, because I’m a little closer than him,” she said, laughingly.

“The great thing is the league that I’m in I play all the teams out in Minnesota. So, there might be a chance that he can come to some of my games and I can go to his.”

The Buckeyes are getting a good one in Iafallo. The Nichols product has great vision on the ice and doesn’t mind setting up people.

But, the biggest attribute she brings to the ice is her leadership. Quite off the ice, Iafallo is a talker and a leader on. She would rather not give up a score than score herself. She is a tenuous back checker that hustle every single shift.

“My game is probably more playing making than anything,” she said. “I hate being scored on. I would rather not be scored on than score. I back check a lot. I just hate being scored on.”

Julianna Iafallo has what it takes to succeed at the next level. With her heart, and determination not to fail, the sky’s the limit for the future Buckeye.

(Continued on page 12)

High School Hockey

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High School Section V

by Warren Kozireski Warren@wnyhockeyreport.com As of the February 4th rankings by the New York State Sportswriters Association, Section V had nine teams ranked among the top-15 in the state— four in Division 1 and five in Division II. The Irondequoit Eagles have been the story most of the season with just one loss and were ranked number one in New York State in Division II. Aquinas, who the Eagles defeated on an Anthony Thurston overtime goal in early February, were 14-3 and ranked fourth, Hilton eighth, Webster-Schroeder 12th and Canandaigua 14th.

In Division I, Pittsford was the top Section V team ranked fifth in the state with a 14-4 record with independent McQuaid seventh, Fairport 12th and Greece Athena 15th though they had stumbled of late with losses in two of their last three games. Brighton’s Ernie Clement won the Division scoring crown with 52 points including 27 goals with teammate Connor Rotenberg the leading goal scorer with 28. Pittsford goaltender Danny Kelly led all D1 keepers with 15 wins and a .918 save percentage.

In Division II, the Irondequoit trio of Anthony Thurston, Graham Gooch and Connor Hynes all finished with 35+ points over the 20 game regular season while Daniel Doran and Jacob Doherty split the 17 wins in net with nine and eight respectively. Victor’s Christian Portland led the division with 11 victories and four shutouts. Aquinas forward Jimmy Diliberto won the Division II and league scoring crown with 61 points in 20 contests with teammate Anthony Depetres adding 51 points.

In Division III, Brockport’s Brandon Henshaw took the

scoring crown with 54 points and led all of Section V with 35 goals. Mason Versage of Notre Dame and Hilton teammates Frank Gaffney and Sean Robson also each surpassed the 40 point mark.

For the Sectional playoffs, which began February 11th, Pittsford earned the top seed in Class A and a first round bye. McQuaid was seeded second, Fairport third, Greece Thunder fourth, Churchville-Chili fifth, Brighton/East/HFL sixth and Rush-Henrietta seventh.

In Class B, 1 through 8 seeds Irondequoit, Hilton, Aquinas, Victor, Spencerport, Webster-Schroeder, Canandaigua and Brockport all earned home team status for the pre-quarterfinals while 9-16 seeds Penfield, Gates-Chili, Webster-Thomas, Batavia, Notre Dame, Geneseo/Livonia, Greece Lightning and Geneva/ Waterloo/Romulus were visitors

Hat Tricks

Connor Hynes – Irondequoit David Farrance – Victor (2) Connor Rotenberg – Brighton (4) Ernie Clement – Brighton(2) Brandon Corey – Spencerport Jackson Charron – Spencerport Parker Lawrence – Brighton Brian Wall – Penfield Graham Gooch – Irondequoit (2) Dan Hinca – Batavia Michael Capicotto – McQuaid Frank Gaffney – Hilton Matt Wisotzke – Aquinas Ryan Webster – Notre Dame Jimmy Diliberto – Aquinas Max Lambert – Victor Sean Robson – Hilton Jack Dugan – McQuaid

Joe Gardner – Greece Lightning Anthony Fedele – Greece Thunder (2) Brandon Henshaw – Brockport (3) Matt Roe – Brockport Carlton Eikyor – Brockport Mitchell Henshaw – Brockport Quinn Wiedemer – Fairport Nick Charron – Spencerport Elliott Clemmons – Aquinas Kevin O’Brien – Victor Jake Palumbo – Hilton Sam Aebli – Penfield

Shutouts Tyler Argy – Webster Thomas Christian Portland – Victor (3) Morgan Brown – Geneseo Zach Bishop – Geneseo Bryce Guay – Canandaigua (2) Prior/Nevinger – Aquinas Patrick Dennehy – Hilton (3) Riley Emmerson – Brockport Lupo/Doherty – Irondequoit Brandon Gillette – Fairport Connor Greene – Gates Chili Ryan Schirano – Spencerport Ethan Lincoln – Canandaigua Anthony Begemann – Brockport Ryan Beutel – Webster Schroeder Danny Kelly – Pittsford (2) Kyle Wood – Churchville Chili (2) Jake Bellavia – Greece Thunder

High School Section VI (Continued from page 11)

Goodrich ready to lead Bulldogs to the promise land It was one big save in Hamburg’s final regular season win over West Seneca East to finally give Vinny Goodrich the sense that he belongs.

Now the junior goaltender will try and lead Bulldogs to the promise land when the Western New York Varsity Hockey Federation playoffs begin this week.

“I have no idea how he made that [save],” explained Hamburg coach John McFall after an emotional 4-3 overtime win over West Seneca East, which gave the Trojans their first loss of the season. “That one save right there, I don’t know how he got it. He came across and found it somehow.”

Goodrich has been one of the main reasons the Bulldogs came in as a favorite to advance to their first WNY Federation championship. He has played well enough to keep the Bulldogs in games and he has stolen games, like the one earlier in the season when he shutout Catholic power Bishop Timon at Caz. But, McFall wouldn’t expect anything less from the junior goaltender. Goodrich has a work ethic that is

second to none. And it starts at 5:40 a.m. when the Bulldogs hit the ice for an early morning practice before school. ““He is a kid that challenges every single shot,” stated McFall. “That starts at 5:40 a.m. when he hits the ice and faces pucks 20 minutes before practice starts.

Every single puck he challenges.”

That kind of dedication and work ethic has made Goodrich into one of the best goalies in the WNY Federation. He also is one of the only goalies that has intense playoff experience. Last year her played for a Bishop Timon hockey team that played in the first Niagara Cup final – which they would end up losing to rival St. Joe’s, 3-2.

That kind of experience, and pressure packed games, only helped him get more focused when transferring to Hamburg this past school year.

“He brings a work ethic were he challenges every single puck,” said McFall. “Games are won in practice and we stress that. We push the kids. We want the kids to work hard in every single practice. He sets the example. He does not want one puck to go by him.

That’s what you ask out of a goaltender to challenge them.”

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Now, he hopes to lead the Bulldogs to the title game of the Small Schools.

It won’t be easy, however, as they will have to get by some powerful teams like West Seneca East, Williamsville East and Kenmore East.

“They certainly have the desire and they certainly have the want,” said McFall. “Our senior group of kids, eight of them played full or part-time as freshman through a two win season. Even during the two and four win season (freshman and sophomore year) they knew they were going to be a good team. They trusted their own abilities and they have a great work ethic. They are a tremendous group of boys that have really come together as a group.

Junior Hockey Wisdom & Opinion

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Etiquette Is The Name Of The Game With College Coaches

by Jeff Kolcon Jeff@maksymum.com The other day, true story, I had a parent from one of our junior teams stop in for a quick meeting. It was a positive conversation.

We mostly discussed the team and his son’s progression through our program. It has been a great season for both of our teams so the majority of the year has been very positive.

After we talked for about thirty minutes, we started to wrap up. We said our pleasantries and shook hands and then the bomb dropped. “Oh by the way, there are parents that are not happy because the program is not doing enough to promote their kids to colleges.” said the father. Knowing that I would not get names from this dad, I still wanted to get more details. I smiled and replied “Really? Can you give me an example of what we are not doing?”

The father explained that we had been to numerous showcases and that the parents had not seen our staff talking to coaches. They saw all of these college coaches watching games and taking notes. They were concerned that our staff was not approaching them during games and striking up a visible conversation.

I thanked the parent for the information. A part of me wanted to call every parent and walk through the whole process, again. I realized this approach would be a wasted effort and would not only lead to other issues, it probably would not change the thought process of the one or two who think we are underachieving. I decided instead, to share with you the process of upper level junior showcases.

Good junior programs must promote players. To attract players on an annual basis, a program must have a proven record of moving players to higher levels of play. This is achieved by continually working on skill improvement, playing and practicing at a highly competitive level, and building solid relationships with college programs.

First, most good junior coaches won’t engage a college coach that is watching a game. It’s rude. Maybe a quick hello and move on. They are trying to watch players. It is the wrong time and place. Junior coaches have all week to reach out to those college coaches and should have done all of their work prior to the showcase.

Further, the real action is in front of the locker room. ”It is like the duck on the water. It looks smooth, effortless, and calm. However, under the water, the legs are churning and working very hard” Explains Craig Macdonald, Head Coach of the Rochester Junior Americans Elite Team of the USPHL. Looking below the water in the world of junior showcases is the locker room hallway area. The naked eye may not catch the three ring circus that happens in the locker room area before and after each game.

Prior to the showcase game is the time that college coaches approach the junior coach. In most cases they catch up socially. They compare notes on the lineup to make sure the players they want to see are dressed and wearing the correct number. Usually they discuss each other’s season and how certain players are performing. This is an important discussion. This is the time where the junior coach is in listening mode.

A good junior coach or general manager is gathering

as much information as possible on the college coach.

The junior coach is looking for opportunities to insert a player’s name that might fit the college coaches need.

For example, the college coach may remark that his season is going good but they just don’t have enough speed on the blue line. This is an opportunity for the junior coach to respond by pointing out a player or two that he may want to watch to fill that void.

A good junior coach knows his market. He lives on his personal reputation along with his program’s reputation. Knowing your market helps build your reputation inside the college ranks. Colleges want honest assessment from coaches. It takes years for a program to build a reputation and relationships with colleges. This process constantly evolves. New assistant coaches come into the college ranks every year and the relationship building process starts all over again.

Junior coaches and college coaches talk by the locker rooms specifically because there is little interruption.

It is an area that parent don’t frequent. Depending on the showcase and the level, the hallway in front of the dressing rooms can be an exciting place.

”It is like the duck on the water. It looks smooth, effortless, and calm. However, under the water, the legs are churning and working very hard.”

Head Coach of the Rochester Junior Americans Elite Team of the USPHL. The hallway dance after a showcase game can look like a three ring circus. As the players file into the locker room, there can be anywhere from one to twenty colleges waiting to talk to players. The scene can sometimes resemble the line to buy the latest and greatest iPhone. Coaches will leave the game early to stake out the first spot closest to the door. There is a pecking order. In most cases, the largest D1 programs get first dibs on calling players out to talk to them. The junior coach basically takes requests to talk to players.

It is not uncommon to see a player spend an hour after the game, still in his skates, talking to three or four coaches.

After the game, the junior coach must be prepared.

It is vital to be able to recite a players GPA, ACT, SAT, blood type, foot size, favorite band, food allergies, college preferences and any other vital statistic that a college coach may ask. The junior coach needs to be able to discuss the player’s performance in the just finished game as if he only watched that one player.

This preparation is important. Although a prepared junior coach has already sent this information out to the college, he must understand that college programs get tons of literature on players. The good junior coach hands the college coach another information sheet on the player.

If there are multiple coaches waiting to talk to your team, there is a need to be very attentive to each coach.

However, there is not only a hierarchy to respect, but there is a need to respect the date that brought you to

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the dance. The first priority is to help the colleges that sign your players. Managing the rest is interesting.

For example, if the assistant coach for Boston University and the assistant coach for a brand new division III program are both waiting to talk to players, the junior coach has to make sure he respects the fact that the division I coach is talking to his players. All things equal, he goes first. If a head coach is waiting along with an assistant coach from competing schools, all things equal, the head coach talks to your players first.

Most of the time the colleges sort out the pecking order while the junior coach is still shaking hands on the ice. However, they are all competing to talk to players.

Back when I was a college coach, I remember standing outside locker rooms waiting to talk to players. As a division III coach, I politely waited until BU, Michigan and the other powerhouse division one schools pulled out players and talked to them. I also took note of which players they talked to and moved those players into the “No chance in heck” category. I focused on the players that were in the academic and athletic realm of my school. There was a respected pecking order. It is funny when the order is not followed.

There was a college coach from a two year program that would wrestle with the big boys. He would line up to talk to the same players as BU and Michigan. This is called elephant hunting. Small schools hoping to land that one recruit that will turn their program around.

This two year coach frustrated many players that knew they were division I talent and were only exploring that level. He frustrated division I coaches because they sometimes had to wait to talk to a player while his time was commandeered by a coach looking to land that one big fish. This coach also frustrates the junior coach who would rather see the two year college coach talking to players who fits his program. Although funny to watch, it is frustrating for everyone involved. By the way, this college coach is still around and still uses the same strategy. His record reflects his results.

There are other great stories and examples of the process going wrong. At least once a season we get a call from a coach asking us about a parent. Yes, I said parent. They were approached by a parent to discuss their kid. Recently, we had a college call us. They had a dad approach them in the stands, stand with all first period, walk with them to get coffee and stand with them the whole second period. The college was upset with the parent and partially blamed our program. What the parent did not know is that the school talks to our program frequently and was concentrating on several players that were previously discussed. Our program did its job. The college was thwarted from doing their job by a parent that did not see us communicating with the college. The safe bet is to steer clear. Once again, if the college wants to talk to a parent, they will find them.

The bottom line is a parent should not judge the level of work a junior program puts into promoting players by what they see in the stands. You may never see this process. It is designed that way. If a college coach wants you in the conversation, he will find you.

In the meantime, know that it is perfectly o.k. to let the college coach watch the game in peace.

Women’s Hockey

14

Women’s Hockey periods and a 2-2 tied game. (There is no shoot out in a championship game).

by Janet Schultz Janet@wnyhockeyreport.com

Kenmore Three-Peats The Kenmore Varsity Women’s Ice Hockey Team took home the Section VI Championship trophy and headed to the New York State Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Championships in Clayton.

To get there the Blue Devils posted a 9-3-2 season record with Lancaster/Iroquois close behind with a 9-41 record.

Kenmore goaltender Lauren Pray makes one of many big saves.

West Women Take Silver Adirondack repeated their 2013 Championship status at the 2014 Empire State Winter Games at Tupper Lake, a change in venue for the women.

The West opened play against New York City with a 3-2 loss. Goalie Lauren Orynawka made 19 saves with scoring coming from Margaret Giamo and Victoria Benson, assists by Brigid O’Gorman and Katie Stack.

Kenmore women celebrate a goal!

Not only was that a season high for Lancaster/ Iroquois, but the first time in four years that Lancaster made it to the playoffs and posted a winning record.

Iroquois joined Lancaster this season, giving them more strength and experience.

The Section VI championship continued to be exciting and nail-biting for both teams. The first period ended 0-0. Kenmore’s Jill Battista scored an unassisted goal at 13:06 of the second period and that period ended with Kenmore up 1-0.

Lancaster’s Meghan Fonfara (Iroquois), in her first season with the team, put Lancaster/Iroquois’s single goal in the net at 6:51, assisted by Renee Doherty and Jenelle Piatt, tying the game. At 13:20 Battista fired a short-handed, winning goal assisted by Emily King.

Kenmore then boarded a bus on Friday morning to face Potsdam in game two of the NYS Girls Championships. Potsdam lost championship last year to Beekmantown and were looking for revenge. Potsdam held the Championship title for the two previous years.

Again a scoreless first period, followed by Potsdam putting both their goals in the net in the second period.

Kenmore, outshot 14-0 in the second period, found the net in the third period when Hannah Gallivan dropped their lone goal in at 12:23. Lauren Pray was solid in the net for Kenmore.

Skaneateles sent Beekmantown home in the first game of the series and then became Co-Champions, for the first time in NYS Girls Varsity Ice Hockey history, with Potsdam. That was the conclusion after four overtime

On Team West were Goalies Lauren Orynawka (Eden) and Ashley Scheengold (Tonawanda).

Out in front of Lauren and Ashley were Shawnee Oberholtzer (Johnson Creek), Katie Stack (Corfu), Amanda Todd (Buffalo), Shoshana Levine (Buffalo), Brigid O’Gorman (Eden), Nicole Scuteri ( Spencerport), Morgan Beikirch (Rochester), Tina Podrasky (West Henrietta), Alyssa Dollendorf (Tonawanda), Marissa Janiga (East Aurora), Courtney Carnes (Tonawanda), Blair Pembleton (Williamsville), Alexa DiTonto (Orchard Park), Victoria Benson (Webster), Margaret Giamo (Orchard Park), Deanna Ventura (Tonawanda) and Caitlin Adams (Pavilion).

Photo by Liz Ditonto

WNYHockeyReport.com

The West then faced Central and beat them 5-2. In goal Ashley Scheengold made 25 saves on 27 shots. The West got on the scoreboard first with Alyssa Dollendorf putting in two in the first period. Benson and Stack, both unassisted, added two in the second and Giamo, unassisted, had a goal in the third. Assists for the game went to Giamo, Stack.

Orynawka had the shut-out in an 8-0 win over Hudson Valley and the West was on their way to the Gold Medal round, facing Adirondack.

Ex-Olympian Andrea Kilbourne-Hill opened the scoring in the first period and Powers put in ADK’s second. The period ended 2-0 in favor of ADK. Giamo opened the scoring for the West at 10:50, assisted by Stack and Tina Podrasky. ADK answered back and second period ended 3-1 ADK. In the third period Stack scored at 4:43 and with 3:32 left Shawnee Oberholtzer put in the tying goal.

However, ADK answered back at 2:52 and took home the Gold.

Schneegold made 19 saves on 23 shots and West had 26 shots on goal.

Orynawka has served as a goalie with the D’Youville College Men’s Team.

O’Gorman was a member of the Connecticut College Women’s Team and was a finalist for the 2011 Hockey Humanitarian Award.

Beikirch played for Robert Morris College, and coaches in the Rochester Youth organization.

Several of the girl’s are “trailblazers” in that they were on teams in the WNY Girl’s Varsity Ice Hockey League formed four years ago. They include Dollendorf, DiTonto and Pembleton.

Returning for some Empire State action were Schneegold, Oberholtzer, Todd, Beikirch, Orynawka, Stack, Scuteri, Podrasky and Ventura.

WNYGVIH Monsignor Martin, Lancaster/Iroquois, Amherst/ Sweet Home and Kenmore all advanced to the semifinals of the WNY Girls Varsity Ice Hockey Federation championship series.

In the first game of the series, Monsignor Martin beat Frontier/Orchard Park 2-1. Monsignor Martin got on the scoreboard first when Maddy Stoklosa scored at 2:08 of the first period. Captain Rachel Lenard put MM up 2-0 in the second but in the final period, Orchard Park/Frontier’s Karley Baker dropped one in the net at 13:57 on a power play.

Next up was Nichols vs Lancaster/Iroquois. Lancaster/Iroquois. Both team looked strong coming out in the first period with 2 goals scored by Lancaster/Iroquois.

Meghan Fonfara put in the first puck assisted by Megan Reukauf. The second goal also came in the first period

by Caitlin Horvatis. Nichols goaltender Margaret Janiga was strong in the net keeping Lancaster/Iroquois to just two more goals, one in each of the period. Jenelle Piatt scored in the second and Brianna Colucci scored in the third.

Amherst/Sweet Home prevailed taking Williamsville 3-2 in a game that was anyone’s call. First period ended scoreless. The Katz came back full force in the second scoring all three of their goals. However, just when you thought the game might be over, Williamsville put in two goals in the third period with the possibility of another that would have tied it. However Katz Goaltender Maddy Ashton stayed strong and keep Williamsville off the board. Scoring for Katz were Missy Mallon and McKenna Rushford; for Williamsville, Jordan Roetzer and

Women’s Hockey Alexis Skibitsky.

Section VI Champions Kenmore took on West Seneca.

Another game that showed if you thought you knew the outcome you might end up surprised. Kenmore beat West Seneca 4-2.

Another scoreless first period followed by a single goal by Kenmore’s Emily King at 11:30 of the second period. Third period things get moving when Kenmore’s Grace Simmons scored, assisted by King and Taylor Story. West Seneca answered back within a minute of each other they put in two goals taking the game to a 2-2 tie.

West Seneca’s Erin Gehen and Kaira Patterson had the two goals for WS. Kenmore answered back when Olivia Smith dropped one in the net at 4:37 of the third and then Kenmore put in an empty netter to secure the win.

Kenmore now faces Amherst/Sweet Home and Monsignor Martin faces Lancaster/Iroquois in the semifinals.

Buffalo State

The Bengals only win of the season came at the hands of Cortland on January 24 and 25.

Buffalo State beat them in the first game 4-2 with Kara Goodwin (Avon, OH) having a hatrick , as well as an assist.

The other goal came off the stick of Buffalo’s Nikki Kirchberger. Kirchberger put the Bengals on the scoreboard early in the first period.

In the second game of the weekend series, Megan Niesyte (East Amherst) netted her first collegiate goal, scoring the game winner late in the second period to give Buffalo a 3-2 win over the Red Dragons. The game was scoreless in the first period with Cortland striking first in the second.

Jeyna Minnick (Rochester) scored just three minutes later followed by Kara Goodwin’s team-leading eighth goal of the season.

Earlier this month they lost two games each to ECAC rivals Elmira and Potsdam.

They are currently 2-19-0 and face ECAC rival Neumann for a double-header on February 15 and 16 and then a non-conference game at home against New England on February 21 and 22.

ECAC West Quarterfinals begin March 1 with the Championship game being held March 9. Location is determined by seeding.

RIT The Tigers are looking at a 13-12-3 record in their second season as a DI CHA team.

They played CHA rivals including Syracuse, a win and loss; Lindenwood, 2 wins; Penn State, a tie and a win in January. The tough schedule continues in February as they face Mercyhurst, Robert Morris and Syracuse, closing out the season.

The CHA first round, best of three game will be February 28 through March 2 with semi-finals and finals played on March 7 and 8. Location is yet to be determined.

Honors went to RIT players in January including Cassie Clayton being named CHA Rookie of the Week for January 12. This was Clayton’s first honor after she scored the game-winning, short-handed goal with 1:17 left in regulation giving the Tigers a 4-3 win over Syracuse on home ice.

On February 2 Freshman Goaltender Brooke Stoddart was named CHA Rooie of the Week. This was her first weekly honor. She won her first collegiate game by stopping 31 of 33 shots in a 3-1 win over Penn State.

15

Niagara University Women’s Club NU is currently 1-7-0. However, according to Coach Rachel Hauser this does not reflect the amount of effort that this group shows for the duration of a game.

“They work hard and play as if we have a roster of 20 skaters even though we only had 9 on the roster (including a goaltender),” said Hauser.

“They are a very disciplined group and do a very good job of staying out of the penalty box; something that is hard to do with a short bench.

“Many of our goals have come from capitalizing on power play situations. Our win this season came on the road against the University of Rochester (11-6) which was a highlight for them. They also played extremely well against Syracuse losing 5-6,” Hauser continued.

Joining the Purple Eagles is Abigail Nashwinter a freshman forward from Lewiston, NY and a product of the Niagara Jr Purple Eagles organization.

“We are a very young team with six of the eight of our ten being underclassmen,” remarks Hauser.

“This year is truly a rebuilding year with eight of the ten being underclassmen (5 freshmen and 3 sophomores). As a coaching staff both Assistant Coach Danene Stevens and I are hoping to see them gel and come together more as a group in the second part of our season.

“The biggest test for us will be our upcoming games against UB.”

Cazenovia Women take first in the Adirondack Northstars Winter Classic.

Photo courtesy of Cazenovia Photo undefeated run, beating teams from Pennsylvania, Toronto, Barrie and Chicago. They outscored their opponents 16 -2; their goalies once again recording 2 out of 4 shutouts; their strong defense only allowing 2 goals to get by them. The forwards were outstanding, keeping the pressure on and playing most of the series in their opponent’s defensive zone.

NU’s women’s team schedule follows: Sun. Feb 16 at 6:30pm at University at Buffalo Holiday Twin Rinks

Fri. Feb 21 at 9:20pm vs SUNY Brockport Dwyer Fri. Feb 28 at 9:30pm vs SUNY Geneseo Dwyer

University of Buffalo UB’s final games of the year will be against the Brockport Women’s Club team Elmira College and lastly Niagara University (at Holiday Twin) on February 16.

The ECWHL playoffs are scheduled for February 21 and 22 at the University of Massachusetts.

Around WNY Cazenovia Takes Title

The Cazenovia Chiefs U19 girls team brought home the hardware from the Sarah Backstrom Tournament and the Adirondack Northstars Winter Classic.

The Cazenovia 19u Lady Chiefs have taken home their second and third first place trophies of the season starting with a five game undefeated series at the recent Adirondack Northtstars Winter Classic. The girls beat teams from Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rochester to take home the banner. The goalies took home 4 out of 5 shutouts; the defensive team kept all but 3 goals from slipping by. The power forwards outscored their opponents 19-3. The final game vs. the Connecticut Northern Stars went all the way to a shootout, where forwards Erin Gehen and Caitie Horvatits each popped one in the net for the win.

The Lady Chiefs took home their third first place trophy at the Sarah Backstrom Tournament in Erie, PA the first weekend in February. The girls had a fascinating

WNYHockeyReport.com

Great play continued as the Cazenovia Women also take first in the Sarah Backstrom Tournament.

Photo courtesy of Cazenovia Photo The Cazenovia 19u Lady Chiefs are currently listed as the #3 team in the nation. (My Hockey Rankings)

Buffalo Bison 12U Girls News The Buffalo Bison 12U Tier 1 girl’s team participated in the October “Fire on Ice” tournament in Rochester, NY and played against some of the top competition from the USA and Southern Ontario.

Drawing a round robin schedule that included the No. 4 ranked Tier 1 USA team East Coast Wizards (Major1) and the No. 6 ranked Canada Tier 1 team Belleville Bearcats, the team competed well, but fell short of advancing to the playoff round after four games.

January finds the Bisons finishing up their Lower Lakes Female Hockey league regular season and in pursuit of a playoff spot in the Peewee A division.

They started the month with a 3-3 tie at Kitchener, and will look to gain a few more points to advance to the playoffs.

The team will also be playing against another highly ranked USA Tier 1 team in February to prepare for states, with games scheduled against the No. 11 rated Tier 1 USA New Jersey Colonials.

After a weekend tournament at Toronto Leaside in early March, the mostly 11 year old team will look forward to competing in the New York State 12U Tier 1 tournament against the Syracuse Nationals in (Continued on page 35)

Rochester Youth Hockey News

16

Rochester Americans and Wheatfield Blades Come Together for A Great Cause On January 26, 2014 the Rochester Youth’s Squirt Major AA team gave new meaning to “supporting your teammate”. The team came together in support of teammate Patrick who is fighting against a rare form of childhood cancer by participating in a head shaving party at the Bill Gray’s Iceplex. It was an impressive site to see the Iceplex’s small conference room turn into a makeshift barbershop. A three-chair production line was set up on top of a plastic covered floor. The brave Squirt Major players lined up with huge smiles to wait their turn. Proud parents watched they son’s have probably their only memorable haircut of their lifetime.

Soon, there were mounds of hair to sweep up and many fuzzy heads to be patted.

The story continues. While the shave fest was underway, Fred Malone, coach of the Wheatfield Blades quietly peered through from the conference door. Later coach Malone emailed Rochester Youth’s team manager stating he was moved by what these young hockey players did for their teammate. The coach asked for a brief write up about Patrick story.

Patrick’s Story: Patrick has been fighting cancer for 6 years now. In August 2008, at the age of 4, Patrick was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma. Through the years of the ups and downs of chemo, radiation, bone marrows, stem cell transplant, blood transfusions, inpatient stays lasting up to 2 weeks, and trips to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City for 3F8 Antibodies and surgeries, (adrenalectomy, splenectomy, partial pancreatectomy, removal of his right clavicle bone...).

The disease is nasty and just keeps coming back. Patrick fights and wins the battle and then BAM it is back again! Last year it settled in his jaw and after several rounds of chemo and radiation, poof gone again. Right before Christmas this past year it came back to his jaw and 3 spots on the lungs and his battle is back on. This kid has endured so much, more then any child should have to go through!

Patrick’s drive is AMAZING! In January he started chemo again but in typical Patrick fashion he didn’t let it slow him down! After his two hour afternoon chemo session, Patrick would hurry home, get a bite to eat and then right to the rink for practice. The next day he would be up for school. This was his routine for the entire week not to mention playing his hockey game over the weekend! Patrick’s committed not to let this nasty disease get to him!!! He still has another big fight ahead, but Patrick’s a fighter and will keep winning both on and off the ice. As for his teammate, they will keep supporting him both on and off the ice!

When coach received the email about Patrick’s story he was speechless. His team was scheduled to play Rochester on February 9, 2014. Coach Malone requested that the makeshift barbershop be set up for his team! He stated he wanted to do this for Patrick and for all the Wheatfield players and the Rochester Youth players to show them after the game we are all one hockey family and to do something nice for someone in life is sometimes more important then anything! Once again, there were mounds of hair had to be sweep up, and fuzzy heads patted The family of Patrick and the Rochester’s Squirt team were blown away!!!! The Wheatfield Blades took the support to another level. They distributed Dick’s gift cards, hockey cards, and pins from their organization to each player on the team. For Patrick, they presented a large Dick’s card gift and monetary donations! What an AMAZING day it was for both organizations!!!!

WNYHockeyReport.com

Rochester Americans

17

Rochester Americans Report

by Warren Kozireski Warren@wnyhockeyreport.com If you have attended or watched both the Buffalo Sabres and Rochester Americans in person or on television this season, you may have a very different opinion on the play of Johan Larsson.

In 21 NHL games this season, the Lau, Sweden native has just one assist and was minus one. Contrarily, over 23 AHL games with Rochester, he is a point-per-game player with six goals and 16 assists and stood second on the team with a +11 plus/minus.

Larsson has split time between Rochester and Buffalo this year.

Lau, Sweden native Johan Larsson.

With the Sabres, Larsson is listed as a winger; with Rochester he is a center, and maybe there is the rub. He had a season-high seven game scoring streak ended February 5th.

“I think I’m in really good shape and have had some good practices, so I think it’s a combination,” said Larsson. “Plus I’ve had some good chances the whole season, but I’m finally getting credit for it.

“Going up and down (between Buffalo and Rochester) I have different roles, so it takes a little time to adjust when I get sent down, but I feel prepared. I prefer center; I’ve played there most of my life but I can lay either. (At center) you get the puck a little more and more in the deep end and more into the game I think.”

Acquired almost 11 months ago with goaltender Matt Hackett, a first round pick in the 2013 draft that became defenseman Nikita Zadarov plus a second round selection in 2014 for Jason Pominville and a 2014 fourth round pick, Larsson is a grinding style forward who isn’t afraid to find the front of the net and muck along the boards. At 5’11”, 198 lb., the fire hydrant is tough to knock off the puck or his skates.

The left shot will turn 22 years old in July and played two years of junior hockey with Brynas in Sweden.

After being named Sweden’s Junior Hockey Player of the Year in 2009-10, Larsson played for Team Sweden

in the 2010-11 and 2011-12 Under-20 World Junior Championships winning a gold medal in the later year when he registered six assists in six games. He also moved on to play two years with the men’s team at Brynas and was a second round draft selection by Minnesota in 2010.

His first professional season was 2012-13 where he played 62 AHL games with Houston prior to the trade.

“He’s had good chemistry with his linemates—Luke Adam and Brayden Irwin—and they are keeping the game simple with shots off the goalie and Johan is there for the rebound,” said head coach Chadd Cassidy.

“He has to be gritty around the net all the time and he gets some good looks on the power play.”

During his seven game point streak, Larsson had three goals with nine assists; plus five of the seven contests were on the road.

As Buffalo rebuilds, Larsson is one of the players in the mix and fighting for an NHL opportunity.

“The rebuild is a good thing hopefully. There are a lot of chances up there and, I haven’t met everybody yet so the only thing I can do is play well here and hopefully they watch me and we’ll see later on what goes on here.”

NEWS & NOTES: • Phil Varone scored his first NHL goal January 28th against Washington with assists from former Amerks teammates Marcus Foligno and Brett Flynn. “Time stands still, so you try to just take it all in and look around,” said Varone about his first goal. “It felt pretty good. I don’t have my first AHL goal puck—I don’t know where it is—this one will go to my parents as a thank-you for their dedication and everything they did for me.”

• Irondequoit native David Shields played in his first “hometown game” as a professional January 29th when his Chicago Wolves came to Rochester. The third year pro scored his first AHL goal October 13th versus San Antonio and has two multi-point games this season after totaling five points in 59 games last season.

WNYHockeyReport.com

• F orward Luke Adam was a late addition to the AHL AllStar team as an injury replacement. He had 19 goals and 32 points over his first 30 AHL games this season.

Feature

18

Holy Childhood & Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex - Partners on the Ice Holy Childhood, a non-profit agency recently partnered with nearby Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex in Henrietta, NY for a unique, never-done-before in Rochester fundraising event aptly named, Wine at Center Ice. “We came up with the idea after Chris Woodworth, General Manager at Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex, mentioned he would like to help an organization in the community, said event chairman Stuart MacKenzie. The rink facility is going through a rebirth, and is now known as Bill Gray’s Regional Iceplex. It is a perfect opportunity to raise money for Holy Childhood, recognizing Bill Gray’s commitment to our community through their corporate citizenship.”

Holy Childhood is an agency that enriches the lives of people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Their mission is to prepare individuals for maximum independence and integration in the community through individualized programs, services and workshops. All of the proceeds from the event benefited Holy Childhood.

“One of the main goals of our new management team at the Iceplex is to give back to the community as much as possible,” said General Manager, Chris Woodworth. “We are very excited to be able to partner with such an amazing organization on this unique fundraising event. Holy Childhood brings so much good to the community, so we are happy to help them

out in any way we can.”

Guests attending Wine at Center Ice were treated to an evening literally on center ice. Highlighting the event were wine tastings from House of Bacchus, craft beer tastings from CB Craft Brewers and Three Heads Brewing. Appetizers were served by Creative Caterers throughout the night. Silent auction items generously donated to the event were up for bid, including tickets to attend “Live with Kelly and Michael” in New York City, spa and restaurant gift certificates and more. And the hockey related games were the hit of the evening!

Score-O and Chuck-a-Puck were so popular, the pucks sold out. Score-O participants won gift certificates if they were successful, Chuck-a-Puck players had a chance to win the 50/50 raffle. (The generous winner of Chuck-A-Puck immediately declined his winnings and donated them back to Holy Childhood.)

“We’re so grateful for the innovation of our friends at Bill Grays Iceplex; they--and our good friends the MacKenzie family--had a great concept, and wanted to make a positive impact on our community. When they selected Holy Childhood to benefit, we were thrilled.” said Donna Dedee, President and CEO of Holy Childhood.

“It is such a unique venue; imagine--standing “on the ice” for a great party--people were curious about how it would be, and it ended up being good fun for a great cause. Holy Childhood made a lot of new friends

during Wine at Center Ice.” Holy Childhood would like to thank the vendors, generous donors, Rochester Youth Hockey and everyone involved in making Wine at Center Ice a success. Plans are already underway for next year’s event.

Congratulations to the Athletic Republic Athletes of the past year!

Nathan Billitier

USA National Team Development Program

Jacob Kraft

Rochester Youth Squirt Major AAA

Jenny Ryan

U. S. Women’s National U18 Team

Chris Peters

Rochester Junior Americans 18U

Greg Miller

Trevar Hall

Rochester Alliance Pee Wee Major AAA

Rochester Junior Americans Empire

Rochester Americans U18AAA

Conlan Keenan Rochester Junior Americans Elite

www.athleticrepublicrochester.com 585-426-8488 AthleticRepublicRochester

Austin Guyett

ARRochester

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Matt Bloomer

16U Rochester Junior Americans

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Excellence in Tier I Hockey Check out our website for tryout details at ryhockey.com Facebook.com/ JuniorAmericans

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Visit our Proshop No one will beat our prices!!!

80 Lyndon Road, Fairport, NY 14450 (585)223-2160 ext 28 Online shopping is also available

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WNYHockeyReport.com

19

TRYOUT Edition 2014-2015

wnyhockeyreport.com

2015-2015 Tryouts Monday, March 10, 2014 2006 Mite Major AAA: 2005 Squirt Minor AAA: 2004 Squirt Major AAA: 2003 Peewee Minor AAA: 2002 Peewee Major AAA TB:

5:30 pm @ Depew Ice Pavilion 6:30 pm @ Depew Ice Pavilion 6:00 pm @ Buffalo State Arena 8:30 pm @ Nichols Dann Arena 7:00 pm @ Buffalo State Arena

Tuesday, March 11, 2014 2006 Mite Major AAA: 2005 Squirt Minor AAA: 2004 Squirt Major AAA: 2003 Peewee Minor AAA: 2002 Peewee Major AAA TB:

5:00 pm @ Depew Ice Pavilion 5:50 pm @ Depew Ice Pavilion 6:40 pm @ Depew Ice Pavilion 8:30 pm @ Depew Ice Pavilion 7:30 pm @ Depew Ice Pavilion

Monday, March 17, 2014: 12U Girls NTB:

8:00 pm @ Depew Ice Pavilion

Tuesday, March 18, 2014: 12U Girls NTB:

7:00 pm @ Depew Ice Pavilion

The Saints will host The Cup North American AAA championship (2002 & 2004 age groups) in 2015.

Visit: www.thehockeycup.com

2014-15 Saints Travel Coaches 2006 Mite major AAA: Brad Austin Austy28@aol.com 560-9822 2005 Squirt minor AAA: Scott Wisniewski Scottwiz99@yahoo.com 725-2010 2004 Squirt major AAA: Kevin Dempsey Kjdempsey6@yahoo.com 989-8065 2003 Peewee minor AAA: Richard Zacher Zach11@msn.com 316-2401 2002 Peewee major AAA (TB): Michael Suda Michael.Suda@usfoods.com 440-3778 2001 Bantam minor AAA: Joe Valvo Valvo21@hotmail.com 864-6412 2000 Bantam major AAA TB: Tim Setteducati Setteduke@aol.com 609-2960 1999 15U (NTB): David Lally Dlally@pcb.com 491-2446 1998 16U AA (NTB): Gerry Ruszala Gerald.Ruszala@adm.com 818-8471 16U AAA (TB): Shawn O’Donoghue Sodonoghue19@aol.com 618-319-3334 18U AAA (TB): Jamie Printz Jprintz@nicholsschool.org 352-1517 12U (NTB) girls: David Dee ddee@roadrunner.com 913-0743

www.saintshockey.com

20

wnyhockeyreport.com

TRYOUT Edition 2014-2015

2014-15 Tryouts All sessions at Holiday Twin Rink TEAM

BIRTH COACH YEAR

LEAGUE

TRYOUT DATE

TRYOUT DATE / RINK

MITE MINOR AAA

2007

KEVYN ADAMS

AAU

MITE MAJOR AAA / NOVICE MITE MAJOR AA

2006

PAUL SULLIVAN

SCTA/OMHA

2006

MIKE SCIBOR

AAU FULL ICE

MONDAY 3/10/14 THURSDAY 3/13/2014 MONDAY 3/10/2014 WEDNESDAY 3/12/2014 TUESDAY 3/11/2014 THURSDAY 3/13/2014

5:30 PM 6:30 PM 5:15 PM 5:30 PM 5:30 PM 6:00 PM

RINK 2 RINK 2 RINK 1 RINK 1 RINK 2 RINK 1

SQUIRT MINOR AAA / MINOR ATOM SQUIRT MINOR AAA

2005

JEFF ARBORE

SCTA/OMHA

2005

JOHN BAK

WNYAHL / USA

SQUIRT MAJOR AAA/ ATOM SQUIRT MAJOR AA

2004

CRAIG RIVET

SCTA/ OMHA

2004

JIM WARD

WNYAHL / USA

MONDAY 3/10/2014 TUESDAY 3/11/2014 TUESDAY 3/11/2014 THURSDAY 3/13/2014 MONDAY 3/10/14 THURSDAY 3/13/2014 TUESDAY 3/11/2014 WEDNESDAY 3/12/2014

6:15 PM 5:15 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 6:30 PM 7:00 PM 6:15 PM 6:30 PM

RINK 1 RINK 1 RINK 2 RINK 1 RINK 2 RINK 1 RINK 1 RINK 1

PEE WEE MINOR AAA

2003

TERRY MILLER

SCTA/OMHA

PEE WEE MINOR AA

2003

TOM KOWALSKI

WNYAHL / USA

PEE WEE MAJOR AAA

2002

TONY RICOTTA

SCTA/OMHA

PEE WEE MAJOR AA

2002

FRANK JURGENS

WNYAHL

MONDAY 3/10/2014 THURSDAY 3/13/2014 TUESDAY 3/11/2014 THURSDAY 3/13/2014 MONDAY 3/10/2014 TUESDAY 3/11/2014 TUESDAY 3/11/2014 WEDNESDAY 3/12/2014

7:15 PM 8:00 PM 7:30 PM 7:30 PM 8:15 PM 7:15 PM 8:15 PM 7:30 PM

RINK 1 RINK 1 RINK 2 RINK 2 RINK 1 RINK 1 RINK 1 RINK 1

TEAM

COACH

LEAGUE

TRYOUT DATE/TIME

GIRLS 19U

TOM RUGGIERO

TBD

GIRLS 16U

FRANK ATTEA

GIRLS 14U

LARRY BLAS

GIRLS 12U

TOM RUGGIERO

GIRLS 10U

JIM SUPPA

19U TIER 1 TOURNAMENT BOUND US 17U AA CANADIEN LEAGUE TIER 1 TOURNAMENT BOUND CANADIAN LEAGUE PLAY TIER 1 TOURNAMENT BOUND CANADIAN LEAGUE PLAY TIER 1 TOURNAMENT BOUND CANADIAN LEAGUE PLAY TRAVEL CANADIAN LEAGUE PLAY

TBD TBD MONDAY 3/17/2014 – 7:15 PM TUESDAY 3/17/2014 – 7:15 PM MONDAY 3/17/2014 – 7:15 PM TUESDAY 3/17/2014 – 7:15 PM

www.buffaloregals.org

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Bison Hockey Travel Team Tryouts for the 2014 - 2015 Season

BOYS Teams

Level

Birth Years

Date

Time

Rink

Squirt Minor

AA

2005

Squirt Major

AA

2004

Peewee Minor

AA

2003

Peewee Major TB

AA

2002

Peewee Mixed

A

2002-2003

Bantam Minor

AA

2001

Bantam Major TB

AA

2000

Bantam Mixed

A

2000-2001

Midget 15U

AA

1999

Midget 16U TB

AA

1998

Monday, March 10, 2014 Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Monday, March 10, 2014 Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Monday, March 10, 2014 Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Monday, March 10, 2014 Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Monday, March 10, 2014 Tuesday, March 11, 2014 Tuesday, April 08, 2014 Wednesday, April 09, 2014 Thursday, April 10, 2014 Monday, April 07, 2014 Wednesday, April 09, 2014 Tuesday, April 08, 2014 Wednesday, April 09, 2014 Monday, April 07, 2014 Wednesday, April 09, 2014 Monday, April 07, 2014 Tuesday, April 08, 2014

4:30 - 5:30 PM 4:30 - 5:30 PM 5:30 - 6:30 PM 5:30 - 6:30 PM 6:30 - 7:30 PM 6:30 - 7:30 PM 8:30 - 9:30 PM 8:30 - 9:30 PM 7:30 - 8:30 PM 7:30 - 8:30 PM 8:30 - 9:30 PM 7:00 - 8:00 PM 7:45 - 8:45 PM 7:30 - 8:30 PM 8:00 - 9:00 PM 7:30 - 8:30 PM 6:00 - 7:00 PM 8:30 - 9:30 PM 9:00 - 10:00 PM 9:30 - 10:30 PM 9:30 - 10:30 PM

North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink

GIRLS Teams

Level

Birth Years

Date

Time

Rink

10 & Under

Tier 1

2004-2005

12 & Under

Tier 1

2002-2003

14 & Under

Tier 1

2000-2001

16 & Under

Tier 1

1998-1999

19 & Under

Tier 1

1996-1997

Monday, March 17, 2014 Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Monday, March 17, 2014 Tuesday, March 18, 2014 Monday, April 07, 2014 Tuesday, April 08, 2014 Monday, April 07, 2014 Tuesday, April 08, 2014 Monday, April 07, 2014 Tuesday, April 08, 2014

5:00 - 6:00 PM 5:00 - 6:00 PM 6:00 - 7:00 PM 6:00 - 7:00 PM 4:30 - 5:30 PM 4:30 - 5:30 PM 5:30 - 6:30 PM 5:30 - 6:30 PM 6:30 - 7:30 PM 6:30 - 7:30 PM

North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink North Buffalo Rink

There is a one time tryout fee of $20.00 for every player.

All new players must present a signed NYSAHA Player/Financial Release Form from their host association before they can attend Bison Hockey Tryouts.

If you have any questions please call Bison Hockey at 716-465-5522.

NBH031-AD WNY Hockey REPORT.indd 1

2/14/14 3:12 PM

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Join the Bruins become part of the tradition!

Bud Bakewell Bruins 2014 – 2015

Ice Hockey Tryouts MITES

MIDGET U15

MIDGET 16 TB

SQUIRTS

MIDGET U16TB

MIDGET UU16 TB

MIDGET U18TB

MIDGET U16 NTB

MIDGET U16 NTB

MIDGET U18 NTB

MIDGET U18 NTB

MITE / SQUIRT

March 10th, 11th, 12th .................... 6 pm Coach: JOHN FRACOS March 10th, 11th ............................. 7 pm March 13th ...................................... 6 pm Coach: TBA

PEE-WEE

March 10th ...................................... 8 pm March 12th ...................................... 7 pm March 14th ...................................... 6 pm Coach: TBA

BANTAM MINOR

April 7th, 8th, 9th ......................... 6-7 pm Coach: RICK KINDZIA ...........316-0224

BANTAM MAJOR

April 7th, 8th, 9th ......................... 7-8 pm Coach: CARL MILLER ...........491-7147

April 7th, 8th ................................ 8-9 pm Coach: TBA April 7th, 8th .............................. 9-10 pm Coach: SCOTT BRENON .........444-3742 April 7th, 8th ............................ 10-11 pm Coach: BILL CLINE ...............541-8347 April 9th .................................. 8-9:30 pm Coach: TONY JOHNSON .........276-3223 April 9th ................................ 9:30-11 pm Coach: TBA

MIDGET U15

April 10th ..................................... 6-7 pm Coach: TBA

April 10th ..................................... 7-8 pm Coach: SCOTT BRENON .........444-3742 April 10th ..................................... 8-9 pm Coach: BILL CLINE ...............541-8347 April 10th ................................... 9-10 pm Coach: TONY JOHNSON .........276-3223 April 10th ................................. 10-11 pm Coach: TBA April 11th ..................................... 6-7 pm

PEE-WEE / BANTAM

April 11th ................................ 7-8:30 pm

ALL TRYOUTS @ Bud Bakewell Arena (Riverside Park) 2607 Niagara St., Buffalo NY FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION CONTACT ALLEN SHUBBUCK @ 913-1521 OR BILL CLINE @ 541-8347

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Wheatfield Blades

2014-2015 Travel Team Tryout Schedule

All tryouts are at: Hockey Outlet, 3385 Niagara Falls Blvd., North Tonawanda NY. Tryouts: $15 per session

The Wheatfield Blades are a “AAA� hockey association and our teams compete in the Western New York Amateur Hockey League.

House & Travel players (other than current WB players) MUST have a release from their current Hockey Association.

A deposit is required at signing.

www.wheatfieldblades.com

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Rochester Yo

TRYO Boys AAA

@JuniorAmericans

Boys AA

Team

Date Time

Team

Squirt Minor AAA Squirt Minor AAA

MON 3/10/14 TUES 3/11/14

6:30 – 7:30 PM 6:00 – 7:30 PM

Squirt Minor AA Squirt Minor AA

Squirt Major AAA Squirt Major AAA Pee Wee Minor AAA Pee Wee Minor AAA Pee Wee Major AAA Pee Wee Major AAA Bantam Major AAA Bantam Major AAA Bantam Minor AAA Bantam Minor AAA U15 AAA (split season) U15 AAA (split season) U16 AAA (USPHL & Split Season) U16 AAA (USPHL & Split Season) U18 AAA (USPHL Full Season) U18 AAA (USPHL Full Season)

MON 3/10/14 TUES 3/11/14 MON 3/10/14 TUES 3/11/14 MON 3/10/14 TUES 3/11/14 MON 4/7/14 TUES 4/8/14 MON 4/7/14 TUES 4/8/14 MON 4/7/14 TUES 4/8/14 MON 4/7/14 TUES 4/8/14 MON 4/7/14 TUES 4/8/14

7:10 – 8:10 PM 6:15 – 7:45 AM 7:30 – 8:30 PM 7:30 – 9:00 PM 8 :10 – 9:10 PM 7:45 – 9:15 PM 7:30 – 8:30 PM 5:45 – 7:15 PM 6:30 – 7:30 PM 5:20 – 6:50 PM 6:15 – 7:15 PM 6:50 – 8:20 PM 7:15 – 8:15 PM 8:20 – 9:50 PM 8:15 – 9:15 PM 7:15 – 8:45 PM

Squirt Major AA Squirt Major AA Pee Wee Minor AA Pee Wee Minor AA Pee Wee Major AA Pee Wee Major AA Bantam Major AA Bantam Major AA Bantam Minor AA Bantam Minor AA Midget Major AA Midget Major AA Midget Minor U15 AA Midget Minor U15 AA Midget Minor U16 AA Midget Minor U16 AA

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outh Hockey

OUTS

Girls Tier 1 and Tier 2

Date Time Team Date THUR 3/13/14 WED 3/12/14

6:00 – 7:30 PM 6:00 – 7:00 PM

THUR 3/13/14 WED 3/12/14 WED 3/12/14 THUR 3/13/14 THUR 3/13/14 WED 3/12/14 WED 4/9/14 THUR 4/10/14 WED 4/9/14 THUR 4/10/14 WED 4/9/14 THUR 4/10/14 WED 4/9/14 THUR 4/10/14 WED 4/9/14 THUR 4/10/14

6:10 – 7:40 AM 6:10 – 7:10 PM 7:00 – 8:00 PM 7:30 – 9:00 PM 7:40 – 9:10 PM 7:10 – 8:10 PM 6:30 – 7:30 PM 7:00 – 8:30 PM 5:30 – 6:30 PM 5:30 – 7:00 PM 8:30 – 9:30 PM 8:00 – 9:00 PM 7:00 – 8:00 PM 5:45 – 7:15 PM 8:00 – 9:00 PM 7:15 – 8:45 PM

Girls U12 Girls U12 Girls U14 Girls U14 Girls U16 Girls U16 Girls U16 Girls U19 Girls U19 Girls U19

TUE 4/8/14 WED 4/9/14 TUE 4/8/14 WED 4/9/14 TUE 4/8/14 WED 4/9/14 THUR 4/10/14 TUE 4/8/14 WED 4/9/14 THUR 4/10/14

Time

5:30 – 6:30 PM 5:10 – 6:10 PM 6:30 – 7:30 AM 6:10 – 7:10 PM 7:30 – 8:30 PM 7:10 – 8:10 PM 8:30 – 9:30 PM 8:30 – 9:30 PM 8:10 – 9:10 PM 8:45 – 9:45 PM

Check our website for updates & time changes

www.ryhockey.com

Facebook.com/ JuniorAmericans

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2014-2015 Tryouts Monday, March 10

Tuesday, March 11

Wednesday, March 12

West Seneca Ice Rink

West Seneca Ice Rink

West Seneca Ice Rink

Mite Major AAA PeeWee Major AAA PeeWee Minor AAA

East Aurora Ice Squirt Major AAA Squirt Minor AAA

5:30 pm Mite Major AAA 6:30 pm Mite Minor AAA 7:30 pm Mite Mixed AA Squirt Major AAA Rink Squirt Minor AAA 6:00 pm Squirt Minor AA 7:00 pm Squirt Major AA Pee Wee Major AAA Pee Wee Minor AAA Pee Wee Major AA

4:00 pm Mite Mixed AA Squirt Major AA 5:00 pm Squirt Minor AA 6:00 pm Pee Wee Major AA Pee Wee Minor AA 7:00 pm 8:00 pm

East Aurora Ice Rink Pee Wee Minor AA

4:30 pm 5:30 pm 6:30 pm 7:30 pm 8:30 pm

Girls 12U Tryouts West Seneca Ice Rink

9:00 pm Monday, March 17th Tuesday, March 18th

7:50pm 5:30pm

6:00 pm

Bantam, Midget, Girls U14 and Girls U16 tryout times to be announced shortly.

2014-15 Wings Coaches Mite Minor AAA: Mite Major AAA: Mite Mixed AA: Squirt Minor AAA: Squirt Major AAA: Squirt Minor AA: Squirt Major AA: PeeWee Minor AAA: PeeWee Major AAA: PeeWee Minor AA:

Dave Cerroni Jason Kramer Jeff Baksa Joe McCarthy David Hearn Gary Harkiewicz Jeff Roberts Mike Roche Jason Smith Mike Hughes

604-6263 860-0336 381-6466 860-8314 601-8386 913-8097 712-7209 254-0285 604-7091 983-3731

PeeWee Major AA: Bantam Minor AAA: Bantam Major AAA: Bantam Mixed AA: Midget 15U: Midget 16U: Midget 18U Girls U12: Girls U14: Girls U16:

Tim Weixlmann Jim McCarthy Bill Gehen Dick Marini TBA Jim Rindfleisch TBA Dave Klawon Rocco DellaNeve Chris Roberts

997-9666 870-9696 861-0841 826-6549 316-3121 573-1039 432-9728 923-3423

www.westsenecayouthhockey.com

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BUFFALO STARS 2014-2015 TRyOUTS Mites (2006-2007) / Squirt Minor (2005) / Squirt Major (2004) Peewee Minor (2003) / Peewee Major (2002) For general information contact Pete Preteroti at 685-1122 or visit us on line at:

Monday, March 10th at Holiday

Squirt Minor & Squirt Major ...................7:30pm Peewee Minor & Peewee Major .............8:30pm

Tuesday, March 11th at Hyde Park

www.buffalostars.com All Participants must present a release from their current organization in order to participate in the tryout. Release required even from House League.

Mite & Squirt Minor.................................6:45pm Peewee Major ..........................................7:45pm

Wednesday, March 12th at Holiday

Mite & Squirt Major .................................5:45pm Peewee Minor & Peewee Tier 3 ..............6:45pm

Tryout fee is $15 per session.

Contact us at: SportsNiag@aol.com Visit our website for Budgets; Coach Bio; Season Plan; etc...

Try-out Schedule Mite – Squirt – PeeWee – Girls 10/u – Girls 12/u 2014-2015 Season Team Mite Development

Birth Year 2007 2006

ALL TRY-OUTS @ HAMBURG RINK

Squirt Minor

2005

Squirt Major

2004

Mite Development is a program to target young players and push them to the next level following USA Hockey requirements.

Squirt Tier II Maj/Min 2004/05 PeeWee Minor 2003

Tryout fee is $15 per session. Any player that did not play in the Hamburg Hawks organization, house or travel, for the 2013-2014 season must provide a NYSAHA player release from your previous organization.

PeeWee Major II

2002

PeeWee Minor II Girls 10/under

2003 2004/under

Girls 12/under

2002/under

All coaches to be posted online at: www.HamburgHawks.org

Date Tuesday 3/11/14 Thursday 3/13/14 Tuesday 3/11/14 Thursday 3/13/14 Monday 3/10/14 Wednesday 3/12/14 Monday 3/10/14 Tuesday 3/11/14 Friday 3/14/14 Monday 3/10/14 Wednesday 3/12/14 Monday 3/10/14 Tuesday 3/11/14 Friday 3/14/14 Monday 3/17/14 Wednesday 3/19/14 Monday 3/17/14 Wednesday 3/19/14

Time 5 pm 6 pm 6 pm 7 pm 5 pm 7 pm 6 pm 7 pm 5-6:30 pm 7 pm 8 pm 8 pm 8 pm 6:30-8 pm 6 pm 7 pm 7 pm 8 pm

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TRYOUT Edition 2014-2015

Squirt Mixed

Peewee Mixed TB

Bantam Minor

Bantam Major AA

Tues., 3/11/14 ....5:30 pm Wed., 3/12/14 ....6:00 pm

Tues., 3/11/14 ....6:30 pm Wed., 3/12/14 ....7:00 pm

Mon., 4/7/14 .....6:00 pm Tues., 4/8/14.....6:00 pm

Mon., 4/7/14 .....6:00 pm Tues., 4/8/14.....6:00 pm

Any questions email: the4smittys@yahoo.com Phone: 907-9424

Any questions email: leone71@verizon.net Phone: 560-1985

Any questions email: hockey35us@yahoo.com Phone: 534-6899

Any questions email: tgiordano153@yahoo.com Phone: 866-5285

Midget 15U AA

Midget 16U

Midget 18U

Tues., 4/8/14.....7:00 pm Wed., 4/9/14 .....6:00 pm

Mon., 4/7/14 .....7:00 pm Wed., 4/9/14 .....7:00 pm

Mon., 4/7/14 .....8:00 pm Tues., 4/8/14.....8:00 pm

Any questions email: the4smittys@yahoo.com Phone: 907-9424

Any questions email: norp76@aol.com Phone: 504-7433

Any questions email: irishdog@roadrunner.com Phone: 940-3002

All tryouts @ Hyde Park All tryouts are $15 per tryout MOHL Coming In Fall 2014

Coach: TBA

2014 2015 Tryouts Squirts and Pee wees are on Rink 2 the second night. All other times are on rink one.

All tryouts are $15 per tryout.

All players must have signed release if from a different organization. Please bring a copy of birth certificate.

Coach: Anthony Leone

Coach: Kevin Smith

Coach: Guy Fratello

Coach: Dan Fitzpatrick

Coach: Cary O’Donoghue

Coach: Tom Giordano

Year round opportunities to train / Dry-land training / Tournaments Fun Family Atmosphere / Team Concept / Quality ice time per player And Much More

www.NiagaraCountyCoyotes.com

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31

2014 YOUTH SPRING HOCKEY LEAGUE April 21 – June 8, 2014 Level

Fee

Sessions

Ages Meeting Days

Description

Developmental

$150

12 - 50 min

4 & up

Tuesdays & Saturdays

This program is for kids at the developmental stage.

The program will concentrate on skating and basic hockey skills. Half ice scrimmages will be played in some of the sessions.

Mite 3on3 Half Ice

$150

12 - 2 evaluations + 10 games

7-8

Saturdays & Sundays

Fun, skill building, lots of puck touches and tons of ice time.

2 - 25 minute running time periods. / 6 skaters (2 lines) + goalie

Squirt

$160

12 - 2 evaluations + 10 games

9 - 10

Mondays & Saturdays

3 - 12 minute stop time periods. / (65 minute curfew)

Pee Wee

$160

12 - 2 evaluations + 10 games

11 -12

Wednesdays & Fridays

3 - 12 minute stop time periods. / (65 minute curfew)

Bantam

$170

12 - 2 evaluations + 10 games

13 - 14

Tuesdays & Thursdays

3 - 14 minute stop time periods. / (80 minute curfew)

High School / Midget

$170

12 - 2 evaluations + 10 games

15 - 18

Tuesdays, Thursdays and some weekends

3 - 14 minute stop time periods. / (80 minute curfew)

FULL EQUIPMENT IS REQUIRED FOR ALL PLAYERS. All Players will receive a jersey to keep.

Goalies – Register Early! Limited Positions! First Come, First Served!

Fee must be paid in full and submitted with completed application by April 4, 2014.

All players must have a signed liability release form on file with TCIA. ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS – NO EXCEPTIONS. Placement: In order to maintain a competitive balance, all teams will be formed by TCIA. Coaches Needed: Coaching applications are available online or at Thomas Creek or Contact luke@tcice.com or (585)223-2160 ext. 22

Register Online: www.tcice.com

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32

Cazenovia Park HoCkey assoCiation 2014-2015 tryouts tryout fee is $10.

squirt and Pee Wee Boys squirt tier iii (2004-05) Coach: Mike Kasprzak

Pee Wee Minor (2003) Coach: Mike Connors

Pee Wee Major (2002) Coach: Ken Swain

Monday, March 10 5:00 - 6:00 PM Tuesday, March 12 5:00 - 6:00 PM

Monday, March 10 7:00 - 8:00 PM Tuesday, March 11 7:00 - 8:00 PM Wednesday, March 12 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Monday, March 10 6:00 - 7:00 PM Tuesday, March 11 6:00 - 7:00 PM Wednesday, March 12 5:00 - 6:00 PM

Girls Girls 12u tB Coach: Chris Malicki

Girls 12u ntB Coach: Mark Jacobs

Monday, March 17 7:00 - 8:00 PM Tuesday, March 18 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Monday, March 17 6:00 - 7:00PM Tuesday, March 18 7:00 - 8:00 PM

Players from other organizations must have a signed 2013-2014 release and a copy of their birth certificate.

All players should attend all tryouts in their division. Other teams may be formed as needed.

Pease visit our website www.cazhockey.com as well as for on-line registration information for our Mite and MOHL programs. for more information contact us at cazhockey@live.com

WWW.CazHoCkey.CoM

Southtown Stars Amateur Hockey Association

2014 -15 Travel Tryouts At Leisure Rinks

Southtowns is a USA Hockey organization that plays Tier II travel in the Western New York Amateur Hockey League. All Major as well as the Midget TB teams are State Tournament eligible.

Squirt Minor (2005)

Squirt Major (2004)

Pee Wee Minor Pee Wee Major Bantam Minor (2003) (2002) (2001)

Mon., March 10 Mon., March 10 Mon., March 10 Mon., March 10 5:15 pm 6:00 pm 7:00 pm 8:00 pm Tues., March 11 Tues., March 11 Tues., March 11 Tues., March 11 5:30 pm 6:15 pm 7:15 pm 6:30 pm

Mon., April 7 7:30 pm Wed., April 9 6:00 pm

Bantam Major (2000)

Midget 15U (1999)

Midget 16U (1998)

Midget 18U (1996-97)

Mon., April 7 8:45 pm Wed., April 9 7:15 pm

Mon., April 7 8:30 pm Wed., April 9 8:15 pm

Mon., April 7 7:15 pm Wed., April 9 7:00 pm

Mon., April 7 6:00 pm Wed., April 9 5:45 pm

All tryouts $20. (Covers both sessions). All players form organizations other than Southtowns must have a 2013-2014 release from that organization, and a copy of their birth certificate. Mixed teams will be picked after the Major and Minor teams are established. A $250 deposit (check or money order) is due at signing.

Please check our website for: • Red, White & Blue through Midget House signups will begin in April • Beginner program – we offer an established Red, White & Blue cross ice beginner program • Coaching applications – we are currently accepting for the 2014-15 house teams For more information about Southtowns, please download our parent manual from our website, or email Jeff Leemer at Travel@Southtownsstars.com

www.southtownsstars.com

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33

Sure, maybe our stripes are changing, but our ‘Rocks principles never will...

What does an independent program with no tryouts get you?

That’s easy: A nationally recognized education-based, elementary style hockey academy focused on fun, family, perspective and culture while featuring the very best instruction, development and skill-appropriate challenge and a core curriculum to take your skater from Learn-toPlay through highest level travel, for girls and boys from 3-14 years of age while emphasizing sportsmanship, teamwork and personal responsibility and by extension providing the greatest potential for long term enjoyment and a rewarding experience! Simple. But you already knew that.

And now is your exclusive chance to be a part of it next year!

‘RocksRegistration NOW ACCEPTING REGISTRATIONS

W W W. G O R O C K S . O R G ( 7 1 6 ) 5 2 3 - R O C K Only $200!

Wheatfield Blades Spring Hockey The Wheatfield Blades are accepting players for the SPRING 2014 SEASON. The league is open to both boys and girls from Mites to Bantam and is designed to improve hockey skills while playing competitive games led by experienced coaches.

Non-checking League 14 Games 4 Practices Playoffs Game Jersey Included Plus AAU Registration

The league format will consist of 4 practices and 14 games including playoffs. Each player will take part in a ratings session and coaches will draft teams based on skill level to ensure fair and balanced teams.

League Information • All games at Hockey Outlet • Register at WheatfieldBlades.com • League begins in late April • Ratings Day is April 19th • Coaches Draft April 20th • Divisions are Mite - Bantam • Age Groups: 99/00, 01/02, 03/04, 05/06 IMPORTANT INFORMATION: Background Checks are mandatory for each Adult/Non Athlete Applicant Be Prepared: Adult and Non Athlete memberships are no longer instant and cannot be applied for at event. Please allow 10 days for membership to be processed.

Participants are encouraged to visit the AAU Website at www.aausports.org

Please see website for detailed Ratings Day and Draft Day schedules and coaching applications:

WheatfieldBlades.com

Sponsored By:

Hockey Outlet

3385 Niagara Falls Blvd North Tonawanda, New York 14120

TRYOUT Edition 2014-2015

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Be An Amherst Knight All Amherst Youth Hockey’s House Programs are open to nonresidents. Our Tier I, Tier II and Girls Travel Programs are also open to non-residents, but on a limited basis. Complete details on this can be found on our website under the Association tab.

We are holding try-outs for the upcoming 2014-2015 Travel Season in March and April. The specifics on date, times, and levels can be found on our website listed below.

www.amherstyouthhockey.org

Join the ROC JUNIOR A HOCKEY TEAM

Our informational meeting will be March 10 and 24 at 7:30 pm at Lakeshore Hockey Arena,123 Ling Road Rochester, N.Y. 14612

Tryouts

at Lakeshore Hockey Arena 123 Ling Road, Rochester, N.Y. Saturday, May 17 ............... 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm Sunday, May 18 ........................... 1 pm – 4 pm Finals evaluations on Saturday May 24 at 7 pm If anyone has any questions they can email Jack Slade, GM @ jslade@rochester.rr.com Contact our Head Coaches: Todd Gruttadauria – TGRUTT20@YAHOO.COM Tom Donnelly – tbdonn@gmail.com

www.roccityroyals.com

March 2014 Tryout Issue Advertising Deadline March 10th

34

WNY Legends of the Game

35

WNY Legends In Hockey: Jay North

by Randy Schultz Randy@wnyhockeyreport.com

For baby boomers growing up in the early 1960s, the name Jay North was associated with the actor who played the lead role in the television series, “Dennis the Menace.”

But for hockey trivia experts, Jay North was the first American high school hockey player drafted when the Buffalo Sabres made him the 62nd player selected in the 1980 National Hockey League Draft.

“Jay was an outstanding high school hockey player,” recalled Hockey Hall of Famer, Scotty Bowman, who was the coach and general manager of the Sabres at the time. “He could really control a game on the ice.

“He had the skills and the talent. He could have made it in the NHL.” As it turned out, North never played in the NHL. In fact, he never attended a Sabres training camp.

His pro career was limited to a handful of games for a team in Los Angeles of the now defunct Pacific States Hockey League. So what could have derailed what seemed to be such a promising hockey career?

How could he turn his back on a promising NHL career? Better yet, whatever happened to Jay North the hockey player?

“Jay North had the potential to be a great hockey player in the NHL,” commented Tom Kurvers, a former Hobey Baker Award winner and NHL player, who played against North in the 1980s on the Minnesota prep circuit.

“He had it all.

“In fact, I envied him as a player because of the amazing way he played the game. But I just don’t know what happened to him.”

North was born and raised in Bloomington, MN, playing his high school hockey at Bloomington Jefferson High School, one of the top prep programs in the country.

One person who knew North better than most was his high school hockey coach, Tom Saterdalen.

“Jay was an extremely intelligent person, as well as hockey player,” said Saterdalen, now retired from the coaching ranks. “I think he had perfect or near perfect scores with his SAT and ACT scores.

“He had a dry sense of humor. He was a very humble person as well.

Women’s Hockey (Continued from page 15)

Rochester, NY. After an early season 3-1 loss to Syracuse, the Bisons will look to avenge their loss and repeat as State Champions.

The Buffalo Bison 12U team is currently ranked No. 21 in the MyHockey rankings for USA Tier 1 Teams. …The Buffalo Stars 19U team went into the finals in the top seed position at the Adirondack Northstars Winter Classic. They had a 5-1 record with 120 shots in three games.

Nichols Girls Prep A Hockey – Ranked 4th in the Country

The Nichols Girls Prep A hockey team is off to a great start for the 2013/14 Season. As of the most recent

“As a player, he always seemed to be happy at the level he was playing at. He was an extremely talented player, but simply moved along at his own pace.

“He was your typical playground hockey player.”

Saterdalen went on to explain why North excelled as a player when he got to the high school level.

“Jay North was one of the most talented hockey players to ever come out of the Bloomington, MN area,” continued Saterdalen. “Jay was a tall boy, with very long arms.

“He could strip opposing players of the puck with his long reach. I believe he was the fastest player in the state at the time I had him.

“He had lightning speed. Jay was the type of player who could elude the opposition with that speed.

“He was a tough player to hit.”

Opponents were equally impressed with North’s mental and physical skills.

“Jay was extremely smart in school and did very well academically,” recalled Kurvers, who was a close friend and teammate of North in high school. “He was one of the best players in the state of Minnesota at the time.

“He had a full ride to go to the University of MinnesotaDuluth to play hockey. Instead, he accepted a scholarship to go to Harvard.

“From there he went to Europe. After that I lost track of him.”

North’s life and travels look like a giant road map.

After graduating from Harvard with a degree in Physical Sciences, North went to Austria.

From Austria it was back to the United States where he has lived and worked in New York City, Los Angeles, Sedona, Ariz, Coconut Creek, Fla., Connecticut and Houston. TX. Today, North lives in San Antonio, TX and works for a nonprofit interactive math teaching company.

“I really didn’t think I was this famous,” joked North laughingly when told that this writer had been tracking him down for over two years and that many of his friends from years ago were equally interested in what had happened to him. “Actually I’ve played hockey wherever I’ve been.

“I just never turned pro.”

The reason why is because the rigors of the game just caught up to him.

“When I was in high school, I played pretty injury-free hockey,” said North, a Minnesota High School All-State First Team player in 1980. “I guess everything seemed to come easy for me.”

MYHockeyRankings, the Prep A Team is ranked 4th in the Nation. The team’s overall record is 14-4-3. The team competes in both the Canadian Prep School League as well as the North American Prep Hockey League. Nichols is currently in 1st place in both leagues and is looking to defend it’s back to back titles in both. The team captured the prestigious Deerfield College Tournament for the first time in over 10 years. The Nichols Prep A team also traveled to Boston, MA to play Noble and Greenough Academy who is the reigning New England Prep Champion with a number of US 18 players on its roster.

Nichols also played Buckingham Browne and Nichols School with Nichols going 1-1-1 on the trip. Nichols then participated in the Northwood Invitational Tournament in Lake Placid and went 1-2 against some very strong competition including the top teams from the Ontario Hockey Academy and North American Hockey Academy.

The team has been able to accomplish this in spite of missing a number of key players due to injuries.

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As the competition continued to improve, the injuries began to take their toll.

“When I was at Harvard, for the first time in my life, I got hurt playing hockey,” continued North. “The injuries seemed to occur almost every year.

“Not that I consciously decided to walk away from the NHL. It’s just that my four years of college hockey were not productive due to the series of injuries I had.

“Those injuries hurt my playing confidence, so I doubted my NHL readiness at that time.”

In 1984 North walked away from any possibility of an NHL career and went to Austria to teach and travel around Europe. He did sign a pro contract to play in Salzburg, but when the team’s financial backing fell through, followed by the Chernobyl nuclear accident, North decided it was time to return home.

As he recounts his travels, North is quick to point out that he never quit playing hockey.

“Any place I’ve ever lived, I always played some form of pick-up hockey,” concluded North, who is married to hi wife, Lynn and still follows the game of hockey on TV. “But I have no regrets.

“I was born to be a teacher, which is what I’ve done all my life since leaving college. As for hockey, I really enjoyed the game, and still do.

“But it never was a matter of life and death with me. It was a game that I enjoyed.”

Nichols is very excited that all 6 of the team’s seniors will be continuing their hockey careers next season in college. Madison Sansone will be playing at Providence College, Allison Gasuik and Julianna Iafallo with play at Ohio State University, Lizzy Viola at Plattsburgh State College which is currently ranked number 1, and Annika Zalewski will be playing at Colgate University.

Editor’s Note: If you have information for our magazines, please let me know. I can be reached at 716-628-1966 (cell); 716-751-6524 (home) or by email Janet@nyhockeyonline. com

Buffalo Jr Sabres

36

Jr. Sabres Battle Back Into First

by Michael J. Mroziak michael@wnyhockeyreport.com In a similar scenario to the previous season, the Buffalo Junior Sabres’ path to a first place finish in the Ontario Junior Hockey League appeared heading down to the final games before having a chance to secure the division’s top spot Last year, it was a matter of needing to keep winning to hold the charging Georgetown Raiders behind them in the standings. This season, the team actually fell out of first place shortly after the start of the New Year. A four-game losing streak by Buffalo in January allowed the Milton Icehawks to overtake them in the standings in terms of points.

However, all along the Jr. Sabres had several games in hand, giving them the opportunity to climb back into the top spot. They responded to the challenge with three straight wins that put Buffalo back on top of Milton, with a handful of games still in hand.

Did this January slump create a new sense of urgency among the players? Head coach and general manager Michael Peca seemed to think so.

shootout losses), leading Georgetown by one point with four games in hand. Milton fell into third place with 56 points in 49 games.

“I am very confident that we will take care if what’s in front of us and not leave things to the very end,” said Peca, recalling how the team didn’t clinch first place last year until the final weekend of the season.

Jr. Sabres leading scorer, Pat Egan.

Courtesy OJHL Images

Jr. Sabres coach Michael Peca.

Courtesy OJHL Images “It did for sure,” he said to WNY Hockey Report. “Our guys have a great deal of pride and to see our struggles through December and January, and allow Milton and Georgetown to close ground on us, sparked something inside that locker room.”

The team’s rebound included an 11-2 blowout on February 4 of the Oakville Blades, a team that for many years past was on the dealing end of one-sided routs at Buffalo’s expense. Buffalo also recorded an important 5-2 win over the Icehawks at Milton on February 7 and a 7-3 win at Burlington the following night.

This year it’s been Pat Egan leading the team in scoring. The second-year Jr. Sabre had 29 goals and 70 points in 44 games played. The Rochester-area player was leading the team in both scoring categories, goals and assists (44).

“Pat’s offense is not a surprise to anyone,” said Peca.

“He’s a pure scorer. Along the way he has developed other areas of his game that will make him more appealing to college coaches.”

Michael Ederer and Darren McCormick were tied for second in goals with 26 each with seven games remaining in the season.

Our guys have a great deal of pride and to see our struggles through December and January, and allow Milton and Georgetown to close ground on us, sparked something inside that locker room.

With seven games remaining in the regular season schedule at press time, the Jr. Sabres held first place in the OJHL West with 59 points in 46 games (27 wins, 14 regulation losses, three overtime losses and two

Max Mikowski was emerging as the team’s secondleading scorer late into the season. His 20 goals and 32 assists in 46 games included a streak of 16 points in 11 games dating back to January 4, when he scored two goals and added two assists in Buffalo’s 7-4 win at Pickering. Mikowski is in his third and final season with the team and will enroll at the Rochester Institute of Technology this fall.

“Max is just so hungry and eager to show what he’s got. RIT will fall in love with Max very early on,” said Peca.

“He worked very hard this past offseason to improve areas of weakness that have allowed him to become a bigger part of the offense.”

Scoring has been more distributed this season, compared to last, with seven players having 30 or more points in the final stages of the regular season. Five additional players had 20 or more points by mid-February.

With the playoffs on the horizon, who besides the Jr. Sabres might be the team to watch in the OJHL’s SouthWest Conference?

“You never really know but Toronto Lakeshore Patriots are a solid wellcoached team,” said Peca. “The play well in all three zones, which makes them a tough opponent in the playoffs for anyone.

“Outside of that, there are a small handful of teams that are very much alike offensively. All could be dangerous in a series if they’re scorers can get going.”

Max Mikowski, in his final season with the Jr. Sabres, is the team’s second leading scorer.

Courtesy OJHL Images

WNYHockeyReport.com

Local Refs Lay Down the Law

37

Local Refs Lay Down The Law Chris “Chewy” Ciamaga

Chris “Chewy” Ciamaga.

Photo copyright Better Images Photography & Design.

Chris Ciamaga, ‘Chewy’, was recently named Assistant Director of Hockey at the impressive new HarborCenter development.

He will report directly to Nick Fattey and his responsibilities will include coordinating tournaments, special events and overseeing the Youth Development Program. This is an exciting opportunity for Chris and a chance for him to give back to the game and help to continue develop high level talent in an area of the country large numbers of elite

that has consistently produced level hockey players.

Chris grew up in Cheektowaga and attended Buffalo State, playing hockey there from ‘96 to ‘99, an assistant captain for two years. His officiating career began soon after when he was selected to attend USA Hockey Officiating Program’s Regional Camp, which identifies and trains young, promising officials. From there he was hired into the USHL, moving to St. Paul, MN in the fall of 2000. After lining his first season and earning an All-Star game appearance, Chris worked as a referee his next two seasons in the league, making his way to the Finals in 2003.

Chris during one of his NHL assignments.

Photo copyright Better Images Photography & Design.

The next season, ‘03-’04, Chris was hired as a full-time referee in the ECHL, and moved out west to work, also getting in some American League games that year and working into the ECHL Conference Finals his first year in the league. The next season was the NHL’s lockout season and Chris worked even more games in a very competitive AHL, also working the UHL Finals. In ‘05’’06 he was hired as a full-time referee in the AHL and once again worked the Conference Finals in his first season. Following that season Chris received a call

from the NHL’s Director of Officiating, Steve Walkom, and was offered an NHL minor-league contract.

Chris continued to work the AHL full-time and some NHL pre-season games until finally working his first regular season NHL game in Pittsburgh (vs. New Jersey) on March 24, 2008. Chris’s minor league contract continued for the next three seasons and worked a total of about 90 NHL assignments during that time.

His tenure in the National league came to end in 2011 after a management change. He continued to work the American League and also was recruited by the NCAA to work D1 hockey, working ECAC and Atlantic Hockey, and eventually the newly formed Big Ten Conference.

Chris has worked over 600 games in his 11 years in the AHL, going to the Conference Finals six times. He was recently chosen to work the AHL All-Star Game in St. John’s, Newfoundland, the first of its kind for the AHL, with the league All-Stars facing off against a team from the Swedish Elite League, Färjestad BK. The bigger, more physical AHL team won handily, 7-2, eventhough being outshot 36-30.

Chris is also currently the President of the local NIHOA chapter, which supplies officials for Section 6 Federation hockey and local ACHA College Club. He lives in East Aurora with his wife, Kristen, and his 4 year old son Jacob. Chris’s brother-in-law, Chris Mueller, is a Nichols graduate and is currently playing for the Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate.

Dan Murphy Dan Murphy said it best on WGR a few weeks ago. As an official you want to get in the building, work your game, and get out without anybody knowing you were even there.

On Feb. 8, 2014 at First Niagara Center, Dan worked his last game as an AHL linesman after doing just that for 33 years.

U n d e r s t a n d a b l y, Dan wanted to go Dan Murphy. Photo copyright out on his own terms Better Images Photography & and chose that game Design. in Buffalo so that his friends and large Irish family could be present to witness and show support for his lengthy career at a level that only a select few officials attain. He chose long time officiating teammate Tim Kotyra, a decorated official himself having worked AHL Calder Cup finals and NCAA National Championship games, to work the lines with in his final game.

Dan started in the AHL in the 1981 at the age of 21.

He’s worked 6 Calder Cup finals over the years and called the lines in the AHL’s first outdoor game at the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse in 2000. He also worked the league’s All-Star game that season. He spent three years in the NHL Trainee program and worked the old Atlantic Coast League while doing so. Dan won the Michael Condon Memorial Award in 2004 which is presented annually for outstanding service by an onice official in the AHL. Dan’s on-ice experience hasn’t been limited to the pro ranks though. He has worked NCAA D1 and D3 hockey since 1987 and will continue to do so after leaving pro

WNYHockeyReport.com

Dan working an AHL contest.

Photo copyright Better Images Photography & Design. hockey. During that time in the NCAA he has worked countless playoff games and league finals with two Frozen Four appearances. He also logged international experience, working the World Championships ‘C Pool’ as a referee in Ankara, Turkey in 1991, the ‘B Pool’ in Keukenhoff, Netherlands in 1992, and the ‘A Pool’ in Milan, Italy in 1993.

Dan’s involvement in officiating hasn’t been confined to the ice. He currently serves on the board of the local NIHOA chapter and is the Supervisor of Officials for Section 6 Federation hockey. Hockey runs deep with the Murphy brothers, younger brother John with an impressive NCAA and Pro officiating career, and Tom coaching at St. Francis HS locally. Younger brother Pat coaches the Dublin HS team in Columbus, Ohio after playing at Hamilton College and pro-hockey in Norway.

Don Jablonski

Most kids at 9 yrs old are playing video games and riding their bicycles. Don Jablonski, Jr. already had a part time job refereeing ice hockey and surely had no idea that it would take him to the level that he is officiating now.

Hockey, (and officiating), was always a large part of the Jablonski Don Jablonski. Photo copyright household, with Better Images Photography & Jr. playing right Design. through his high school years with the West Seneca Wings and 4 years of Federation hockey at St. Francis. Don Sr. is well known in local hockey circles, having officiated at elite levels himself, spending 20 years as part of the local NIHOA group, with 12 of those years working NCAA hockey and 3 in the East Coast league, including a finals assignment in 1992. He headed up the West Seneca Referees Association for 25 years and worked on the local USA Hockey Officiating Staff for 15 years. West Seneca is a unique association in that they use a 3-man system for their travel games which is great experience (Continued on page 39)

Men’s Club Hockey Report

38

Men’s Club Hockey Report

by Lars Lewis lars@wnyhockeyreport.com With the club regular season winding down and playoffs looming, both races for the last spots in the Division I NECHL (ACHA) and the Division III UNYCHL West Division playoffs are tight.

Syracuse clinched the NECHL Regular Season Championship and will have an automatic entry into the ACHA M1 Nationals.

The second place U.B Bulls as the defending NECHL Champions will host the postseason at Northtown Center starting on the 28 of this month.

There are five teams that have clinched spots in the NECHL playoffs with the sixth seed still undecided between Cortland and Cornell.

NECHL (Top 6 Advance) 1. Syracuse University *y 2. University At Buffalo* 3. Niagara University* 4. Oswego State* 5. Canisius College* 6. Cortland State 7. Cornell University *=Clinched Playoff Spot y=Clinched Division

12-2-0 (36 PTS) 11-2-0 (34 PTS) 10-3-1 (32 PTS) 9-4-2 (31 PTS) 9-6-0 (22 PTS) 6-7-2 (16 PTS) 6-8-0 (14 PTS)

UNYCHL West Division (Top 4 Advance) 1. Brockport* 2. U.B Bulls* 3. Roc/Naz* 4. Medaille 5. Geneseo 6. St. John Fisher (e) 7. D’Youville (e) *=Clinched Playoff Spot (e)=Eliminated

8-1-2 (18PTS) 7-2-2 (16PTS) 6-4-1 (13PTS) 3-6-2 (8PTS) 3-5-2 (8PTS) 2-6-3 (7PTS) 3-8-0 (6PTS)

The fourth and final spot in the West is up for grabs with Medaille and Geneseo still with a chance to get in.

Playoffs begin for the UNYCHL West on February 2123.

Division I ACHA NIAGARA (10-3-1) *Clinched third Playoff Spot Talk about turnarounds, the Purple Eagles won sixstraight all at Dwyer Arena to end the regular season, but unfortunately fell short of repeating as NECHL regular season Champions.

After initially struggling the first half of the year and getting swept by Navy on January 10 and 11 to start the second half, the Purps ran the table the rest of the way and will now be off the rest of the year with two-and-ahalf weeks remaining in the season.

The six victims throughout this streak started with the NECHL-leading U.B Bulls with the Purps coming out victorious 7-5 on January 19. Senior Erik McKown registered a hat trick in the win.

Niagara followed that up with an 8-1 rout of Ithaca on the 24. Freshman standout Dallas Szustak had a fourpoint night (1G 3A) with sophomore Jarred Mitrano scoring twice and notching an assist.

The Purps continued their tear by shutting out Mercyhurst 3-0 the next night, along with sweeping Rhode Island University 2-1 and 6-5 on the 31 and February 1.

With one game left against Monroe Community College, the Purple Eagles closed out their regular season in dramatic fashion, winning 5-4 in a shootout.

Goaltender Mike Parda stopped all three Monroe shooters in the shootout, ending his season stopping all six shooters he faced in shootouts this year.

Now the Purple Eagles have to play the waiting game and see what lies ahead in the postseason as they’ll play the sixth seed in the quarterfinals on the 28 at Northtown Center.

U.B (11-2-0) *Clinched second playoff spot The Bulls this season fell just short of winning the NECHL Regular Season Championship as Syracuse edged them out by winning both four-point games on February 7 and 8, vaulting over the Bulls in the process.

However U.B will host the NECHL playoffs at the Northtown Center starting February 28 and will have a first round bye along with the Orange as a reward for finishing second.

Their defense of the NECHL Championship has been fueled by the duo of Brenden Robinson (31GP 22G 35A) and Michael Schalberg (31GP 26G 29A), the two lone Bulls with 50+ points on the season.

Nick Carey currently leads all first-year players with 28PTS (12G 16A) in 30 games of work.

With last place Ithaca visiting Northtown Center on senior night this Friday the 14, the Bulls can use that night to not only honor the seniors on the club, but use it as a tuneup before postseason begins in two weeks.

CANISIUS (9-6-0) *Clinched fifth Playoff Spot It was a rather rocky second half than what the Golden Griffins bargained for, but Canisius held on and steadied themselves into the postseason by clinching the fifth seed.

The Griffs went 3-4 in the second half (2-2 in NECHL), highlighted by a key 11-4 win over R.I.T on January 24.

Senior Chad Loughrin scored four times and notched an assist in the thrashing of the Tigers at Scottsville Ice Arena. Freshman defenseman Matt Muszynski had a goal and three helpers as well.

Canisius will have four non-conference games to go before the NECHL playoffs, including a February 17 finale against Division III ECC at Cheektowaga Town Ice Rink at 1:30 PM. The Griffs will play fourth-seeded Oswego State in the first round of the playoffs at Northtown Center on February 28.

R.I.T (5-10-1) Eliminated From Playoff Contention The Tigers stumbled throughout the year and lost two crucial games

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to Cornell and Oswego State in February, narrowly missing the playoffs.

The sixth and final spot was up for grabs at the start of the month with the Tigers clinging onto the spot with Cortland and Cornell within one point of them on February 3.

The Tigers and Cornell met on February 8 to ultimately decide who would go home without a crack at the playoffs. Cornell thumped the Tigers 7-4 and forced R.I.T into the offseason.

DIVISION III ACHA ECC The Kats are a respectable 12-9 this season according to achahockey.org with Jacob Macchioni and Bradley Ferrell leading the team in goals with 17 each.

ECC has two more games left in the month of February with local school Canisius paying a visit to Cheektowaga Town Ice Rink on the 17 at 1:30 PM.

CIHA/UNYCHL WEST DIVISION ( *=Clinched Playoff Spot)

*BROCKPORT (8-1-2 / 18 PTS) First Place The North Stars are now without their head coach Rustin McNiff, who resigned in late January due to personal reasons (see page x). In the North Stars’ first game in his absence, Brockport lost their nine-game unbeaten streak and got throttled 12-6 against upstart Rochester U/Nazareth.

A 4-4 tie against Geneseo back on the 8 also allowed the surging U.B Bulls to be within striking distance with both teams going head-to-head on the 15 at Northtown Center in Amherst to conclude the regular season.

Brockport can claim the top spot with a win/tie against U.B or can still win if they lose by four goals or less due to the goal differential tiebreaker between the two this season.

*U.B (7-2-2 / 16 PTS) Second Place The Bulls slowly but surely rose up the ranks in the West throughout the year and are knocking on Brockport’s door to unseat them for first place.

U.B has been on a tear since the start of Spring semester going 4-0-1, including a 5-0 shutout over Medaille on February 8 to pull them within two points of first place Brockport.

The Bulls and North Stars will battle February 15 and either Brockport will win the division outright with a win/tie. U.B can win the division with a victory, but will have to beat Brockport by five goals or more due to the goal differential tiebreaker.

*ROCHESTER U/NAZARETH (6-4-1 / 13 PTS) Third Place The team that crashed the party.

Rochester U/Nazareth snapped Brockport’s ninegame unbeaten streak on February 1 with a 12-6 thumping of the North Stars at Genesee Valley Park.

Men’s Club Hockey Report Eight players from Roc/Naz scored, including a hat trick from sophomore Kyle Schwartz who also had an assist on the night. Schwartz has had eight points in his last three games (dating back to 2/1). Junior forward Nicklaus Carrothers had a five-point night (2G 3A) in the win.

Roc/Naz has been very impressive in only their first season in the UNYCHL, clinching the third seed in the playoffs and are guaranteed a winning record.

They will close out the regular season on the 15 against the Spartans of D’Youville at Cazenovia Park Rink at 3:00 PM.

MEDAILLE (3-6-2 / 8 PTS) Fourth Place While Rochester/Nazareth and U.B have prospered in the second half, the Mavericks on the other hand have struggled and are barely holding onto the fourth and final spot of the playoffs.

The Mavs went 1-3-1 in the second half, including three-straight losses going into their final regular season game against Geneseo on the 14.

With the Knights looming and poised to take that last spot when they square off on Valentine’s Day, the Mavs can clinch the spot outright with a win, knocking Geneseo out of contention.

A tie however gives the Knights a chance to win with a victory/tie against St. John Fisher at the end of the season, with Medaille already done with their regular season schedule.

GENESEO (3-5-2 /8 PTS) Fifth Place The Knights dug themselves out of a hole and are currently tied with the Mavericks for the fourth and final spot in the playoffs with a game in hand.

With a huge 4-4 draw against first place Brockport on February 8 along with a 6-3 win over D’Youville the next day, the Knights have put themselves in good position with the extra game in their pocket.

The Valentine’s Day clash with Medaille at The Ira will weigh heavily on who gets the last spot. A Knights win against the Mavs will clinch the final spot of the playoffs and will play their final regular season game against St. John Fisher date to be determined.

ST. JOHN FISHER (2-6-3 / 7 PTS) Eliminated The Cardinals earned crucial 3-3 tie against U.B on February 7 that kept them in the hunt for the last playoff spot.

However the Cardinals saw their season come to a screeching halt after getting shutout

by Rochester U/Nazareth 4-0 on February 8.

The only thing St. John Fisher can do is play out the last game against Geneseo and can potentially play spoiler if Geneseo and Medaille draw on Valentine’s Day.

D’YOUVILLE (3-8-0 / 6 PTS) Eliminated

losses to Medaille (7-4 Jan 18), U.B (4-1 Jan 26) and the backbreaker to Geneseo, will have D’Youville playing for pride against Rochester U/Nazareth on the 15 at Cazenovia Park Rink at 3:00 PM.

39

Local Refs

(Continued from page 37)

McNiff Resigns from North Stars Just last month now former head coach Rustin McNiff of the Brockport North Stars was the man behind the bench for what was one if not the most dominant team in the UNYCHL. He was the feature behind last month’s club article (January 2014, Page 26).

But in a shocking turn of events, McNiff resigned as head coach in late January, leaving behind a team that just got pummeled 12-6 by Rochester U/Nazareth back on February 1 in his absence and have now lost their unbeaten season (8-1-2).

With a big game against second place U.B looming February 15 with the division on the line (if U.B beats Brockport by five goals or more), the once-mighty North Stars are now without their coach for the rest of what looked like a dream season and a crack at the UNYCHL Championship.

But what was the reason behind the sudden resignation? I talked to McNiff following his leave from the North Stars.

for officials looking to continue their careers at the higher levels where this system is more widely used.

Don Sr. devoted countless hours of his own time working with younger officials so it was a natural fit when Don Jr. decided to follow in his footsteps.

After graduating from high school in 2004, Don Jr. was selected from officials at a camp in Detroit to become part of the USA Hockey Officials Development program and spent 4 years putting endless miles on his car refereeing the NAHL, Central States Jr. B, NCAA Club College and some USHL contests. After those long 4 years on the road Don took a year off from officiating to re-evaluate and decide what route he wanted to take. He came back with a vengeance in 2009, working a full schedule in the Atlantic Hockey League, finishing up his first season in the league with a semi-final assignment.

1) Why? Why this late in the season with the playoffs on the horizon?

Rustin – A lot of thought went into it and it was just a tough spot either way. On one hand I love the guys on the team...they were the main reason I stayed for so long.

Everything piled up between hockey and the two jobs I have (1 full time, 1 part time) and it was starting to affect my personal life. I knew I could keep it up for another week or so but the last thing I wanted to do was roll the dice and “abandon” the team for the playoffs.

It was tough for me to ask the guys to give me 100% when I could only give 60%

2) Was it your decision and what made you come to that decision if it was yours?

Rustin – Yeah, this was something I had kept secret for a while. I dropped the decision to the club officers, it took them all by shock. I had been a part of this organization since the beginning so it was definitely tough.

3) How did the players react to the news?

Rustin – I told the club officers first and there was a lot of shock and then some hugs and kind words. I told the team before practice and they were kind of idle for a second after I told them. They gave a nice stick clapping ovation but there is no bitterness between us.

4) Is there a replacement that is already placed in the role and who is it? What could he/she offer to the team for the rest of the year?

Rustin – Yeah, I had an assistant all year in Scott Stedman and he will be running the offense. The guy I brought in as my defensive assistant, AJ Kormanyos, will be taking over defense and special teams. They are both former North Stars so I think the best thing they can offer is experience with the league and what they are up against.

Unfortunately for head coach Ed Draper, the Spartans will not see postseason action as they were eliminated from playoff contention after suffering a 6-3 defeat against Geneseo on February 9.

Even at 2-5 going into the second half, the Spartans still had a crack at the playoffs. But a 1-3 second half with

WNYHockeyReport.com

Don Jablonski working one of many ECHL games.

Photo copyright Better Images Photography & Design.

The season after that Don moved out to St. Louis, Missouri to work full-time in the USHL as a referee.

He worked the finals his first year in the league as a referee, as well as working the finals in the Southern Professional League and the championship game in the NAHL that season. He was hired by the ECHL in 2011 and worked into the second round that year.

His next season in the ECHL found him working the Conference finals and now in his third year hopes to continue on to higher levels! My interview with Don was sandwiched between a road-trip to Cincinnati, Ohio by way of Evansville, Indiana and a western swing to Boise, Idaho which culminates with a midnight game in Las Vegas next Sunday!

Don has attended USA Hockey’s Elite officiating camps and was selected from there to work the highly touted Traverse City NHL Prospects Tournament this season, an annual round robin of prospects from 8 NHL clubs during training camp that is not only a great experience for the players but an opportunity for up and coming officials to get a taste of what its like to work at what is quite comparable to the speed of an NHL game. The Buffalo Sabres prospects were defending champions but were unable to repeat this season.

We wish Donny all the best as his 3rd season in the ECHL gets down to the nitty-gritty and he continues his journey in pro hockey!

Rochester Jr Americans

40

Rochester Jr Americans Wolf Commits To Hobart College

Tyler Wolf to attend Hobart College.

The Rochester Junior The Rochester Junior Americans are proud to announce that forward Tyler Wolf has committed to play collegiate hockey for Hobart College for the 2014-2015 season.

Wolf, a native of Naperville, Illinois, is currently second on the Junior Americans team in scoring with 19 goals and 29 assists through 36 games this season. With 48 points, Wolf is tied for seventh in scoring in the USPHL Elite Division. Wolf is in his third season with the Junior Americans program, and has improved his scoring totals each year in Rochester.

“Tyler has been a great player for our program over the years,” said head coach Craig MacDonald. “We’re extremely proud of the player he has become and we’re glad he is heading to such a good program as Hobart to continue his career.”

Wolf will join his former Rochester teammates Tyler Hanzlik, Jonathan Neal, and Bobby Sokol on the Hobart roster. Hobart, located in Geneva, NY, competes in the ECAC West. The Statesmen won the ECAC West championship in 2012 and finished second in the conference in 2013 with a 19-5-2 record.

Americans program. The Manlius, New York native has 11 goals and 7 assists on the season, and is fourth on the Elite team with 43 penalty minutes in 33 games.

“Jimmy has put in a lot of hard work to get to this point,” said head coach Craig MacDonald. “He has done a great job and we are excited for him to get a chance to play collegiately at New England College” Angelicola says the atmosphere and coaching staff were a big part in his choosing to play at New England.

“I liked the small town atmosphere and the campus was great,” said Angelicola. “Head coach Tom Carroll has been great through this entire process and I’m looking forward to playing for him.”

Playing with the teammates he has been with for three years in Rochester will be tough to replace, but Angelicola is looking forward to the next step in his hockey career.

“I’m going to miss the guys, but I’m excited to be heading to a school with a great hockey program that will give me a great education,” he added.

New England College, located in Henniker, New Hampshire, competes in the ECAC East. The Pilgrims have won two ECAC East Championships and are currently fourth in the ECAC East standings this season.

Pieniaszek Named To USPHL All-Star Event Rochester Junior Americans 18U forward Austin Pieniaszek was selected to compete in the USPHL AllStar Classic. The inaugural event took place on January 20th at Merrimack College in North Andover, MA. Pieniaszek leads the 18U team with 11 goals and 26 points on the USPHL season. The Rochester native ranks tied for thirteenth in the 18U Division in goals and is tied for ninth overall in points. He has registered a point in 11 of his last 13 league games.

The 18U Division All-Star Game was part of a leaguewide event that also includes Premier Division and 16U Division All-Star Contests.

Angelicola Commits To New England College

Bloomer Choosen For 16U All-Star Event

Jimmy Angelicola Commits to New England College.

The Rochester Junior Americans are proud to announce that forward Jimmy Angelicola has committed to play collegiate hockey for New England College for the 2014-2015 season.

Angelicola is in his third season with the Junior

Matt Bloomer named to the 2014 USPHL All-Star Classic.

Austin Pieniaszek has been selected to compete in the USPHL All-Star Classic.

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Rochester Junior Americans 16U defenseman Matt Bloomer was named to the 2014 USPHL All-Star Classic.

Bloomer, who leads the Rochester Junior Americans 16U team with 12 goals in USPHL play, was one of 12 defensemen chosen for the 16U Division All-Star Game.

Bloomer is second among defensemen in the 16U Division in goals scored.

“The Rochester Junior Americans family is very proud of Matt for this accomplishment. His All-Star selection is just the start for him,” said Junior Americans 16U head coach Brian Guck. “Matt’s a hard worker on and off the ice and the improvement in his game since last April is incredible. He’s just starting to scratch the surface in terms of what he’s capable of.”

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Insight Hockey

Insight Hockey

by Tom Barnett February. It’s that time of the year in which teams are in a groove; the consistent repetition, season-long instruction and diligence have imprinted every player while the results, retention and execution are obviously visible and command nearly every shift. Preparation for important seeding, rivalry games and final tournaments takes on increased significance, the well planned, precisely-timed crescendo underway and gaining momentum.

No matter when the season actually began or how long the dogs have been out hunting, no matter age, level of play or even how tall one may be, you can begin to see the finish line from here. For many, this final chapter of the season is not only exciting and to be cherished with so many lifetime memories, this ending is also a welcome and well-timed blessing and a natural opportunity to get away from the game and recharge. Looking forward to reading a book, riding a bike and simply being a kid are possibilities. For others, this period clearly offers a rich opportunity to switch gears with brand new challenges from other sports like lacrosse, swimming and baseball. Parents and players are able to reconnect with alternative friendship groups while developing additional skill sets.

For still others – those who consider hockey a sole investment and another form of oxygen in their bloodstream – this season is simply a momentary and even undesired blip on the radar that leads directly to the spring league and on to year ‘round hockey.

Regardless of the camp you’re in, this particular moment in time inevitably means a look to next year.

As a program administrator, it is my time to begin the process to catalog and deconstruct the current season and project a bit moving forward. A major focus for me: coaching. It should be yours.

It is easy to get caught up in the minutiae of this ‘tweener time: what’s best for development, the ‘end’ game and how to get there, and hopping programs like rats off a sinking ship as well as managing (read: fending off ) recruitment while others conspire to create the super stud 6U team to conquer North America and beyond!

This is the time of year when past and future begin to meet, when the story of the lessons learned begin to reveal themselves. You’ll recall the famous political adage, “It’s the economy stupid.” For hockey, it’s all about the coaching. I’ve been toiling on a private dissertation on the subject and I call it informally: The Coaching Gap. With nearly three-quarters of registered players leaving the organized game by age 12, my research indicates that instruction, or lack thereof, and the relative quality of those that deliver it, remain responsible for a large portion of that sad attrition rate. But I think things may be looking up.

that positive news. My answer is easy: a culture and product that people want to be a part of, shared values and an environment that they contribute to, and a beneficial dividend from a mutual investment.

What’s different, however, is the coaching: our staff don’t just coach I added, they coach our mission. All the aforementioned are true, and important, but the ‘coaching’ issue then dominated the balance of our conversation.

Experience at the rink is of course, driven in large part by the coach. He or she is truly the first line of hockey. But, just like the players themselves, there is wide range of personalities, talents, agendas, attitudes, experience and the results vary just as much. Meet the Coaching Gap. Importantly, this game, as most youth sports, is driven by the volunteers and we cannot, nor should not, ever take them for granted. Coaches must be honored, as the game simply cannot function without the system in place. But the gap between good and not so, is very, very real and unfortunate and, ultimately impactful to a commensurate degree. We all have stories. We just need to create more positive ones.

Are there solutions? Yes, no doubt and USA Hockey is addressing much of this and advancing an everimproving coaching education component. But there needs to be an equally significant, coordinated and active parallel response and participation among the associations themselves to establish an in-house education element that dovetails with the national programs. For instance, we believe that our coaching staff not only instruct and must be the very best they can be on the ice, but are also in-fact outward and purposeful representatives of our program --and at all times. That means that each of the coaches need be armed with culture-specific education, a clear and concise set of the accurate tenets, rules, protocols as well as standards and expectations of the program for which they coach. Continuity and consistency are vital, as well as the belief that rules matter, traditions critical and that the families are the customer. And it all needs to be cultivated every day.

components. We provide the information necessary to enable our staff to be successful including CPR, First Aid, our distinct concussion management course and return-to-play protocols, often augmented by guest speakers.

Importantly, we establish concretely and precisely how to move forward as a leadership team compatibly aligned with our regulations and procedures that define our direction and objectives and sets the tone for the season. It is a sacrifice for excellence. We also meet as a group once a month throughout the season and end with our essential season ‘deconstruction’ meeting. Being well informed and on the same page goes a long way to eliminating those weak links that become those negative new stories and unfortunate experiences.

Yes, it is now that time of the year allright. While we now peek just a pinch to next season, it’s also time we look at an important issue and how it impacts our children’s development and overall experience. Is it the jersey color, the rink location, the practice-to-game ratio, friends or any number of other commonplace factors that elicit our interest and investment? Likely.

However, with so many families enlightened and now looking for fun, perspective, challenge, as well as the right fit to fit their short and long term hockey goals and the very best experience for their time and resource investment, it’s clearly evident --now more than ever-- that is it more than jersey color or the rink location and practice-to-game and even friends that determines that positive result. Who is leading your child?

Tom Barnett, a native Western New Yorker, participated as a player from the youth through collegiate level, and has been involved in coaching hockey and program development for more than 30 years. As founder and president of The Buffalo Shamrocks Hockey Club, a USA Hockey program, Tom was recognized by the National Hockey League as the 2009 recipient of the inaugural Mark Messier Youth Leadership Award.

Like everything else, it takes a plan, preparation, vision and a clear understanding of who you are as a program, what you what to be, and then… don’t waver.

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