WNY Hockey Report February 2015

February 2015 VOLUME 4 • ISSUE 1

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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 - janet@wnyhockeyreport.com Michael Mroziak - michael@wnyhockeyreport.com Tom Barnett - Tombarnett@earthlink.net Steve Thomson - steve@hphd.us Mark Metzger - m.metzger@precisionhockey.net Mike Smietana - info@topshelfhockey.us Skylar Vitko-Woods

Women’s World Hockey Unsung Heroes........................................................ 4 Women’s Hockey.................................................................................................... 6 Men’s College Hockey........................................................................................... 8 1st Annual John Bowers Invitational............................................................... 9 HPHD Developing Elite Players and Placing Them.................................... 9 The Dominator......................................................................................................11 Around the Associations....................................................................................12 Rochester Youth Hockey News........................................................................14 NYSAHA...................................................................................................................15 Precision Training.................................................................................................17 Junior Hockey Wisdom and Opinion.............................................................18 Tom McCollum Recalled by Red Wings........................................................18 High School Hockey............................................................................................19 Top Shelf Training.................................................................................................20 Bud Bakewell Hockey..........................................................................................25 In The Crease..........................................................................................................26 Rochester Americans..........................................................................................27 Tom Braden............................................................................................................28 St. Francis and the Midwest Prep League....................................................29 Buffalo Junior Sabres..........................................................................................30 Future Sabres.........................................................................................................31 Senior Hockey........................................................................................................32 Rochester Jr Americans......................................................................................34 Excelsior Sports.....................................................................................................35 College Club Hockey...........................................................................................37 Tim Horton’s Backyard Classic.........................................................................37 Amateur Athletic Union.....................................................................................39

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Women’s Unsung Heroes

Women’s World Hockey Unsung Heroes U19 team, it was a great experience.

“I am friends with a lot of the girls that play for Team USA because we have been in a lot of National Camps together,” said Zafuto, who scored a shootout goal against Team USA. “I tried the best I could to keep up with them in our games.

“I think these games showed all of us what we have to do if we want to compete at that level.”

by Randy Schultz Randy@wnyhockeyreport.com

While a great deal of attention has been paid to the U18 Women’s Ice Hockey World Championship being played at HarborCenter in Buffalo, as well it should be, I would like to take a moment and recognize a couple of unsung hero hockey organizations.

While the outcomes of the games may not have been what either team expected, the experience that they had was priceless.

While the Jr. Purple Eagles and Bisons didn’t skate away with any medals, the memories they have will last a lifetime.

Hats off to all of you for a great effort.

Hats off to the Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles U19 girls and Buffalo Bisons U16 girl’s teams that played warm-up games with several of the teams that participated in the World Championship.

The Jr. Purple Eagles played against Teams USA, Japan and Sweden while the Bisons played two against Team Japan.

I was very impressed with the Bisons efforts in the two games they played against Japan. Head coach John Cleary and assistant coach Shelley Looney prepared their team very well. The fact that there was an age difference (U16 vs.

U18) was one thing. But the other was that the Bisons are a team that may practice a couple of times per week and play a game or two as well per week.

Japan, on the other hand, is a National Team that not only practices together several times per week, but live together for several months as well as fulfill their educational requirements together.

The Jr. Purple Eagles were a little more evenly matched against their opponents, which included Teams USA, Japan and Sweden (single games versus each team).

While the outcomes were not what either the Jr. Purple Eagles or Bisons expected, the experience they got was priceless.

“It was a great opportunity for both teams and we appreciate the opportunity to play against teams of the caliber,” commented Jr. Purple Eagles head coach, Scott Welch. “In the beginning our team was very excited to play against these teams, especially against Team USA. “As the games went on our team really began to settle down. I think our goal against Team USA was to take it one period at a time.

“Either try to win the period or neutralize and tie it.”

Welch also pointed out a couple of other important factors.

“I think the girls found out that they could play against competition like Team USA, Team Sweden or Team Japan,” said Welch. “There were some college coaches in the stands watching these games and I think they came away impressed with our girls.”

It should be noted that the Jr. Purple Eagles and Bisons did whatever was ask of them during the games. In a couple of the games the teams were asked to help set up situations.

Both teams played four-on-four, shorthanded and power play situations, no matter what the score was at the time.

They also were involved in shootout situations.

For Olivia Zafuto, a defenseman with the Jr. Purple Eagles

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Women’s Unsung Heroes

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Women’s Hockey

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They built it and they came

by Janet Schultz Janet@wnyhockeyreport.com Harborcenter is a reality and the world came and enjoyed it. For the past two weeks women’s ice hockey teams from around the world enjoyed Harborcenter.

While they enjoyed the new facility and the city, fans had the opportunity to see world-class hockey at the U18 level.

Not only that but Team USA kept the gold by winning their first-ever world championship at the U18 level, defeating Canada 3-2 in overtime.

Team Canada scored first at 3:14 of the first period.

The goal was scored by Sarah Quaranta who happens to have grandparents living in Buffalo. It looked like the period would end that way when with 33 seconds left USA Captain Jincy Dunne got one past Canadian Goalie Marlene Boissonnault. First period ends 1-1.

Both teams scored in the second and that period ended 2-2.

With a game total of 40 shots on goal for the US and 18 for Canada, the third period ends at 2-2. If the third period was full of anything, it was penalities from the Canadians.

Dunne put in the game winner, unassisted, just minutes into overtime.

Dunne was named the USA Player of the Game and Boissonnault the Canadian Player of the Game. Dunne also took the Tournament’s Defenseman of the Game honors.

In a 5-1 game earlier, Russia defeated Czech Republic for the Bronze.

The series started out with each team playing three games and working toward the quarterfinals. In that Quarters it was Russia 4 over Finland 3; Czech 4 over Sweden 3; Semi-finals found Canada facing Russia and beating them 3-1 and the US facing Czech taking them 5-0. In the classification game it was Finland over Sweden 0-3.

The games showed girls with great skill in the game, speed and very strong goaltending from the majority of the teams.

The story wasn’t all on the ice at Harborcenter. The teams practiced at Northtowns Arena the week before and practices were open for local girls to see.

Not only did some local girls watch, for the Buffalo Bisons U16 and the Niagara Junior Purple Eagles U19 teams, it was an opportunity to give the international teams a chance to practice their skill as they played exhibition games against each other.

The NJPE played against Team USA and Sweden and the Bisons played against Japan.

The first two period of the games were regulation periods at and then in the third they would play a shortened period but then go into “overtime” situations with a four-on-four and three-on-three and then a shootout.

“It was a great opportunity for both teams and we appreciate the opportunity to play against teams of that caliber,” commented NJPE Coach Scott Welch.

“I think our girls found out they could play against competition like Team USA, Sweden or Japan,” said Welch. “There were some college coaches I the stands watching these games and I think they came away impressed with out girls.”

NJPE Olivia Zafuto found herself a hero when in a shut-out situation against Team USA, she scored in the

shoot-out.

“I am friends with a lot of the girls that play for Team USA because we have been to a lot of National Camps together,” said Zafuto. “I tired the best I could to keep up with them in our games.

“These games showed all of us what we have to do if we want to compete at that level.”

While the girls didn’t take home a medal, they did take home great memories that will last a life time.

On New Year’s Day the NJPE U19 team took on Japan in the morning and beat them 3-1. Later that day they played Team USA to a 6-0 game in favor of Team USA. Oliva Zafuto got one past the USA goalie in the shoot out. The Purple Eagles then took on Team Sweden on January 3.

Team Sweden beat the Niagara Junior Purple Eagles 19U team 8-2 in regulation. Scoring started with 2 goals by Sweden in the first; two more in the second with NJPE Jessica Jacques dropping in the first goal for Niagara; then in the third period Sweden stepped it up and put in 4 more after Niagara’s Olivia Zafuto scored the first goal in that period. However, once again the local team outshot the visitors in the shootout with Niagara’s Taylor Wenczkowski and Olivia Zafuto each scoring on the Swedish goalie. Only Sweden’s Hanna Skold scored for the Swedish team.

The Bisons played Team Japan twice. On January 2 Japan beat them 4-2 but the Bison’s went 1-0 in the shoot out with Leah Czerwinski putting the puck in the net. (I don’t have the score from the first game!)

For those who followed Niagara University DI women’s program, former Head Coach Margo Page was in Buffalo as a mentor to Team Switzerland and behind the bench for Team USA was Buffalo State Assistant Coach Lucy Schoedel serving as a goalie coach.

WNYGVIH

The Varsity season is quickly winding down, and several postponed games are certainly proving to challenge the Federation.

At press time Orchard Park/Frontier is sitting in first place with 8.5 points and three more games on tap. But the win/losses of the games yet to be played could see Lancaster/Iroquois (16 pts), Monsignor Martin (15 pts) or Williamsville (14.5 pts) make quick moves. Not to be left out Kenmore (12 pts) is still a contender. Amherst/ Sweet Home and West Seneca/Hamburg are at the low end of the leader board.

Coming up on January 29, February 2 and 4 are the Section VI quarters, semis and Championship. The Championship game will be played at 8 p.m. February 4. All games are at Northtowns Arena, Amherst.

The the State comes to Buffalo and Harborcenter on February 6 and 7 for the New York State Girls High School Varsity Championships.

Having seen two of these State Championships I can tell you the girls coming from the North and Central are highly skills and very competitive. Kenmore took the Section VI championship the past two years and represented WNY at the States. While they didn’t win, they did play great games and had a great experience.

Last season the Championship, which doesn’t have a shoot-out, played to a 2-2 four-overtime tie and the trophy was awarded to both Potdam and Skaneateles.

At press time Potsdam was in first place in Section X and Skaneateles was in last place in their section. But, they have a Section playoff coming for placement.

WNYHockeyReport.com

COLLEGE Buffalo State is 5-5-2 on the season as they headed into the New Year.

They face Canton on January 16 and 17 at home and them travel to Adrian College in Michigan for a game..

Up next is William Smith, in its inaugural season, on January 23 and 24 at 7 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. Their final two games in January are at Oswego. On February 6 they play Elmira in Buffalo at 4 p.m. and the following day the Bengals travel to Elmira. The Bengals round out February against Cortland (February 14/15) and Utica (February 20/21). All of these games, except Adrian, are ECAC West games.

The ECAC West quarterfinals are February 28, semis on March 7 and the ECAC West Championship is March 8. The games are played at the highest seeded school.

Kara Goodwin leads the scoring with 9 goals and 4 assists. Erin Gehen, the leading scorer last season in the WNYGVIH Federation is second with 4 goals and 5 assists.

Other names recognizable to WNY’ers are Nikki Kirchberger with a goal and 4 assists this season; Caitie Horvatits with 2 goals and an assist, Jeyna Minnick, 2 goals, Missy Mallon with a goal; Maddie Toczek, an assist.

The RIT Tigers are 7-11-3 as they closed out 2014 and rang in the New Year with a win and loss against Robert Morris University.

They play at Penn State January 17 and 18; a home game on January 23 against Syracuse and then travel to St. Charles, Mo to play Lindenwood on January 30 and 31.

All of these are CHA games.

In February they repeat games against Robert Morris and Syracuse as well as take on Mercyhurst before the CHA playoffs begin February 27. The Tigers face Mercyhurst at home February 6 and 7 at &;05 p.m. and 3:05 p.m. respectively and Syracuse in the Gene Polisseni Center at 3:05 p.m. on February 21. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see their new arena, take it. It’s first class all the way!

Local Notes:

…Emily Janiga and Emily Pfalzer took part in the 2014 Winter Training Camp in Blaine, Minnesota. More on that in the next issue. …The Buffalo Bisons U19 Girls were runners-up in the Detroit World Bauer Invitational 19U A Division following a 2-0-1 record in pool play. They won their semi-final match by defeating Illinois 2-1 and then lost in the finals to Saugreen-Maitland, 2-0. Congratulations to Katherine Lauber, Lexi Peters, Mikela Ditonto, Grace Simmons, Kailyn Burke, Karley Baker, Lauren Pray, Maddie Norton, Frangelica Bautz, Rene Doherty, Savannah Kalinowski, Lina Mirabella, Meghan Roche, Olivia Jacobs, Meg and Jess Urbank.

Women’s Hockey

Lockport ExprEss Junior A Hockey

Is now affiliated with the

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Wheatfield Blades Hockey Association

The Lockport Express Junior A Team is pleased to announce that we will field 16U AAA as well as 18U AAA teams beginning in the fall of 2015.

These teams will be Non-Tournament Bound, full season teams. We have applied to the North American Prospects Hockey League (NAPHL) and expect our acceptance into that league very shortly. Our 16U and 18U players will find a natural progression through the NAPHL right into our Junior A program, as the NAPHL and our league are under the umbrella of the North American Hockey League (NAHL).

• Great deal of exposure to Midget level players that are interested in moving on to the Junior level and beyond • Teams will play out of the new state of the art facility, Cornerstone Arena, in Lockport • Through our affiliation with the Wheatfield Blades Hockey Association, all current WBHA players and coaches will have the opportunity to work with and develop alongside our Junior staff Coach Vecchio is now accepting coaching applications for both the 16U and 18U teams.

Please submit your application via email.

Contact Lockport Express Head Coach/GM, Frank Vecchio, at: fvecchioexpress@gmail.com or visit our website below.

www.lockportexpress.pointstreaksites.com WNYHockeyReport.com

Men’s College Hockey

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Men’s College Updates

by Warren Kozireski Warren@wnyhockeyreport.com

CANISIUS The Griffs were .500 or better at the winter break for just the third time in the last 10 years and the first time since the 2009-10 campaign.

But they had just two wins since Halloween weekend prior to their key weekend sweep of Holy Cross as conference play resumed to put them in a tie for third.

Ralph Cuddemi became the third Griff in the program’s Division I history to register two hat tricks in the same season, joining Chris Duggan (1998-99) and Cory Conacher (2010-11). He was named co-Player of the Week in Atlantic Hockey for his efforts.

Freshman Jeff Murray tallied his first collegiate goal Dec. 6 against AIC. Freshman goalie Reilly Turner was honored with Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Week honors announced Dec. 2. In a pair of games against Air Force, Turner recorded 45 saves.

A 4-4 draw Dec. 6 with AIC 4-4 draw marked the first time in the program’s history that Canisius earned a point when trailing by four or more goals in a contest.

The team signed five players to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period: forwards Josh Gabriel (Lancaster), Daniel LaFontaine and Matt McLeod and defenders Cameron Heath and Jimmy Mazza will join the program next fall.

Gabriel is in his second season with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the OJHL where he has totaled 15 points on seven goals and eight assists in 18 games this season and has recorded 49 points, 21 goals and 28 assists in 55 career games with the Jr. Sabres.

LaFontaine, son of NHL Hall of Famer Pat, has played in 19 games with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the OJHL this season, totaling 10 points, two goals and eight assists.

In 40 career regular-season and playoff games with the team, LaFontaine has collected 27 points, seven goals and 20 assists.

A team captain during the 2014-15 season, Mazza currently leads the P.A.L. Junior Islanders in scoring this season with 31 points, 10 goals and 21 assists in 34 games from the blue line.

R.I.T. The Tigers were among several teams on the bubble of hosting or going on the road for the first round of the postseason, but still had 28 points up for grabs on the schedule.

“Points are hard to get and that will be key to us climbing the standings. The scores (of other teams in the conference) are all over, so expect the unexpected; that’s the bottom line,” head coach Wayne Wilson said.

Greece native Mike Rotolo made 46 saves at Minnesota Jan.3—the most for the Tigers since Jocelyn Guimond made 47 stops in 2006.

Josh Mitchell set a Division I program record for fastest goal at the start of a period with his goal scored seven seconds into the third Jan. 2 against UMassLowell. The previous record was 13 seconds set by Simon Lambert in 2007.

Senior goaltender Jordan Ruby was named the Atlantic Hockey Conference Goaltender of the Month for December, 2014. He stopped 54-of-56 shots (.964 save percentage) as RIT went 1-0-1 against Niagara.

A 4-1 win over Niagara on Dec. 12 was RIT’s first over the Purple Eagles at home since Feb. 8, 1997.

NIAGARA Uncharacteristically the Purple Eagles were in last place in the Atlantic Conference with just three wins all season and none since before Thanksgiving. They were in the midst of their second eight-or-more game winless streak of the season as of Jan. 15.

They will attempt to turn the season around with rival Canisius at Dwyer Arena Jan. 22 & 24.

Freshman forward Derian Plouffe was named Atlantic Hockey co-Rookie of the Week Dec. 14 after he scored a goal and added an assist for the Purple Eagles in their weekend against RIT.

stat category.

NAZARETH The Golden Flyers ended the first half in a three-way tie for first place in ECAC West and began the second half with a come-from-behind overtime win in the first round of the Oswego Tournament with freshman John Power netting his first collegiate goal in the extra session.

“We had some opportunities for some guys to come in (in January), but I love our chemistry and I love the work ethic our guys bring to the table and I didn’t want to upset that,” head coach George Roll said. “We play one of the toughest schedules in the country and it’s made us better, which is a good thing.”

The squad was being led offensively by forwards Ben Blasko, Dominik Gabaj (MCC), Oliver Janzen and Rocky Gruttadauria (Spencerport) as well as defenseman Don Olivieri.

BUFFALO STATE

The Knights had scored three of more goals in a game just twice since Thanksgiving, but were sitting comfortably in third place as the second half conference schedule gets underway. Included was a 0-0 tie with top-ten ranked Adrian, the first scoreless duel for the Knights in at least 16 years.

“People are always saying ‘it’s not like last year’, and that’s because it’s not last year,” head coach Chris Schultz said. “It’s a group that has to build their own identity and they have to figure out how to win close hockey games on their own.”

Tyler Brickler was top 15 in the nation in scoring and top-20 in assists per game while goaltender Nick Horrigan was top-ten in save percentage and top-15 in goals against average.

Freshman Jason Stephanik netted his first collegiate goal Dec. 6 against Buffalo State.

The Bengals awoke from their November slumber, which included being shutout in three consecutive games, to win four of their next six heading into mid-January.

The three consecutive games being shutout was a first in program history.

The streak began Nov. 28-29 at defending national champion St. Norbert and continued Dec. 5 at Brockport. The scoreless streak in total reached 203:11 before ending on a Taylor Pryce tally in the first period at Geneseo Dec. 6.

“Whenever you bring in ten new guys and loss the class we lost with 17 guys…we thought with these guys we could hit the ground running and now we’ve had to take a few steps back,” head coach Nick Carriere said in late December.

Zach Nieminen made his first collegiate goal count with the overtime winner at Geneseo Dec. 6 to give freshman goaltender Ian Sylves his first collegiate victory.

Ryan Salkeld was named SUNYAC Player of the Week Dec. 14 after he had a hand in the first four goals of the game in a 5-3 victory over Johnson & Wales. Jason Zaleski was named Rookie of the Week for the same period after his hat trick in the same game.

The Bengals were among five teams fighting for three playoff spots entering the second half of the conference schedule. Five of their final six games come on home ice, which could prove huge.

BROCKPORT

FREDONIA

GENESEO

A 2-2 tie at Oswego, who entered the contest ranked #2 in the country, launched the team to a 4-1-1 first half finish and a share of fourth place in the conference.

Wins in their first two games of 2015 gave them a school record six-game winning streak.

The final two wins of 2014 were consecutive 3-0 shutouts by goaltender Aaron Green—the first time since varsity hockey was established in 1973 that the team registered back-to-back zeros.

Chase Nieuwendyk was tied for first nationally in power play goals with six and senior goaltender Aaron Green stood top-20 nationally in every goaltending

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The bad news is that the Blue Devils start the second half of the SUNYAC schedule in last place. The good news is that they had games-in-hand on the teams the need to catch to earn a playoff spot and, like travel partner Buffalo State, put a lackluster November in the rearview mirror winning three straight in late-December/early January before an overtime loss.

Scoring continues to be an issue with only two players with more than three goals through the first 13 games.

Men’s College Hockey

“We have 15 freshman and sophomores in the locker room and they’re getting better every day,” head coach Jeff Meredith said. “I think you just have to stay positive.”

Jeff Flagler was named SUNYAC Goaltender of the Week Dec. 14 after making 37 saves to help lift Fredonia to a 2-1 home win Friday over Johnson & Wales in the final game of the first semester.

Freshman defenseman Jamie Young scored his first collegiate goal Dec. 2 against Elmira.

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St. Francis Red Raiders Junior Prep Team host the 1st Annual John Bowers Invitational

ERIE CC Bradley Jones was leading the NJCCA in goal scoring while freshman William Korczynski (West Seneca) had the top goals against average to help the Kats to a 10-2 start.

OTHER AREA NOTES: Terry Shafer (Penfield) of Robert Morris stopped 35 of 37 shots in a 4-2 win over No. 20 Penn State at the Three Rivers Classic and was named Atlantic Hockey Goaltender of the Week Dec. 30.

D’YOUVILLE

BY RANDY SCHULTZ Ian Drullard, a student in the Physician Assistant Program at D’Youville College in Buffalo, was recently honored at the 2014 American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) Veterans Caucus.

Drullard, Grand Island, was awarded the Grogan Memorial/Veterans Caucus Scholarship. This scholarship is provided by Rodney Grogan and his wife in memory of CMSgt. USAG retired Kenneth Grogan, his wife, Ernestine, and their son, Grogan.

The scholarship honors an outstanding veteran or dependent of a veteran from any branch of the military.

“We’re so proud of Ian for his service to our country,” said Maureen F. Finney, EdD, PA-C, associate professor and chair of the Physician Assistant Department at D’Youville. “He is most deserving of this scholarship.”

Drullard was also recognized at a recent D’Youville men’s hockey game for his award. He dropped the ceremonial puck to start the game.

Also on hand to introduce Drullard was Benjamin L. Randle, Jr., Director of Veterans Affairs at D’Youville.

The St. Francis Red Raiders Junior Prep Team hosted the 1st Annual John Bowers Invitational at Leisure Rinks on January 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Teams from Calgary, Aberta, Wilmette, Illinois, and Burlington, Ontario, took part in the tournament. The Red Raiders started off the tournament strong with a victory over Blyth Academy by a score of 4 to 3. On Saturday, they faced Loyola Academy and Calgary Edge and were victorious in 2 overtime wins. The Red Raiders beat Loyola 2 to 1 and defeated Calgary by a score of 2 to 1, both overtime wins. On Sunday, the Red Raiders once again faced the Calgary Edge in the championship game and were named tournament champions by shutting out the Edge 3 to 0. The Red Raiders were led by outstanding goaltending all weekend as only 5 goals were allowed. Defense remained solid all weekend, and the forwards and defense didn’t let up by scoring 8 goals in 4 games. Coach Scott Hurd was proud of the St. Francis Red Raiders Junior Prep team as they showed they are a team with determination and perseverance being named the champions of the 1st Annual John Bowers Invitational Tournament.

HPHD: Developing elite players, and placing them

by Michael Mroziak Michael@wnyhockeyreport.com

For the past several years, High Performance Hockey Development has provided various player evaluation and training services to local players who wish to elevate their game in preparation for the next level.

While HPHD is perhaps best known for its off-ice training facilities inside Holiday Twin Rinks in Cheektowaga, the company is looking to further its reputation by another service it provides: player placements.

As HPHD owner and director Steve Thomson explained to WNY Hockey Report, his business is working with players who are qualified but often times overlooked, and finding them the right opportunities to advance.

These might be players who are overlooked by some as a bit too slow or too small, yet still possess the heart and work ethic to be worthy of a higher level, be it an NCAA Division III school or a higher tier junior program.

“Especially in the Western New York region, we’ve been able to help what I could call second-shelf hockey players,” said Thomson. “They typically aren’t the anointed ones.

“There’s a lot of really good hockey players that deserve the same opportunity that, for whatever reason, wasn’t locally recognized.”

For years, many in the local hockey community have griped about what they described as a culture in which many players have felt forced to leave the region to get their opportunity for advancement. Within the past two years, the face of amateur hockey has changed, most notably with the opening of the HarborCenter and facilities within.

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But has it entirely changed the local hockey culture, in terms of player development? Not necessarily, believes some including Thomson, especially for those ‘second shelf’ players. “(Some) players need to go outside, and I hate that,” Thomson said. “One of the things HPHD does is it offers an opportunity to develop within their region. They don’t have to go to Canada to get specialized hockey training. They can get it within their own backyard and they don’t have to be spending thousands of dollars on this special trainer when they can spend tens of dollars and get professional instruction and guidance. You don’t get an autograph in the end, but you get some good advice.”

It also gives prospects a chance to be looked at by coaches. Part of HPHD’s placement program is its hosting of scouting showcases.

Continued on Page 19

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The Dominator

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Sabres #39 Retired

by Randy Schultz Randy@wnyhockeyreport.com It has been quite a year for Dominik Hasek. First he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Earlier this month, he had his number 39 officially retired by the Sabres.

Hasek’s hockey career is legendary. A two-time NHL MVP, Stanley Cup Champion and an Olympic Gold Medalist are just a few of his accomplishments.

In fact, he will tell you that from the time he was a little boy, no matter if he was playing hockey or soccer, Hasek wanted to be a goalie.

“I was born with very flexible legs,” said Hasek. “I can remember that when I was about nine or 10, I could do almost a 180-degree leg split.

“And even as I got older, I really didn’t lose much of that flexibility.

What I do today is almost what I could do when I was a youngster.”

As far back as Hasek can remember, he was always a goalie. He admits that he basically taught himself to be a goalie.

As Hasek got older, he continued to climb the ladder of success with hockey teams. By the time he was 16, Hasek was the starting goaltender in the Czech First Division.

At 18, he was challenging for a starting job on the Czechoslovakian National Team. And by the time he was 21 Hasek was the starting net minder on the national team of his home country, Czechoslovakia. Soon afterwards the awards began to come his way.

He was named Czechoslovakian First Team All-Star in 1988, 1989 and 1990; Czechoslovakian Player of the Year in 1987, 1989 and 19900; Czechoslovakian Goaltender of the Year 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989 and 1990. He represented Czechoslovakia as a member of their hockey team in the 1988 Winter Olympics.

In 1983, the Chicago Blackhawks selected Hasek as their eleventh choice (the 199th player taken overall) in the NHL Entry Draft.

“I really didn’t know too much about the NHL at the time,” recalled Hasek. “I really didn’t think about coming to Chicago at that time because of the situation in our country. It would have been dangerous for me at that time to come over to the U.S. Had I left my country, I don’t know what would have happened to my parents, my brother, or my sister.

“If I would have left my country at that time, I would not have been able to go back. I would have had to leave everything and everybody behind. I don’t know what kind of harm would have come to my family had I left.

“We were under Communist rule at the time. Things were not a free at that time as they are today.

“The NHL was something I wanted to do at that time.”

Instead, Hasek went to college, learned to speak English and Russian in addition to his native Czechoslovakian, and continued to develop his goaltending skills while becoming a superstar in the Czech Republic.

But life changed for Hasek when Communism fell in his country. In 1990 he signed a contract with the Blackhawks but was assigned to their minor league team in Indianapolis. He spent the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons bouncing between Indianapolis and Chicago.

He immediately found himself fourth on the Blackhawks’s depth chart of goaltenders behind Ed Belfour, Greg Millen and Jimmy Waite. Hasek also found out that because of league rules, he couldn’t wear number nine, which he had worn for years in his native country.

WNYHockeyReport.com

Instead he settled for 39.

“When I began playing hockey, nobody really taught me how to play the position,” remarked Hasek. “My quick hands came from playing tennis.

“I played a lot with my brother, Martin. We played tennis a lot when we were kids.

“I learned to develop my leg quickness from playing a form of soccer outdoors. My legs were always moving.

“I learned to do down, side to side, and even up.”

Hasek admitted that he was always enjoyed playing goal.

“I was always the youngest guy on the team, and I liked to challenge the older guys I played against,” said Hasek.

That was a trait that continued with Hasek throughout his hockey career.

By the end of the 1992 season, Hasek was discouraged.

His one shining moment occurred in Game 4 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals between the Hawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Chicago head coach, Mike Keenan, replaced Belfour with Hasek midway through Game 4. In just half of a game, Hasek stopped the Pens’ Mario Lemieux one on one three times.

Hasek knew he could repeat that kind of performance if given a chance.

Although he had seen limited action with Chicago, he wanted a shot as a starter.

The Blackhawks gave him that opportunity when they traded Hasek to the Sabres on August 7, 1992 for Stephane Beauregard and Buffalo’s fourth-round choice (Eric Daze) in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft.

But once again Hasek found himself behind another goalie, this time Grant Fuhr. But when an injury sidelined Fuhr early in the 1992-93 campaign, Hasek made the most of his opportunity.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Around The Associations

12

Around The Associations Edited by Michael Mroziak Happy New Year, everyone. Suffice it to say, the Holidays are anything but laid back when it comes to hockey. With games, tournaments and other activities aplenty, the local hockey scene was quite a busy one in recent weeks.

Which means, we’ve got some catching up to do. So let’s get started…

Buffalo Bisons One of the biggest hockey happenings in Buffalo came shortly after the start of the new year, the International Ice Hockey Federation’s Women’s U18 championship in Buffalo. The Bisons’ U16 squad had the rare opportunity to skate twice against one of the teams that would compete in that tournament, Team Japan.

The Japanese squad had arrived in Buffalo in late December and played two exhibition games (‘friendlies,’ if you want to use international sports lingo) against the Bisons on Dec. 30 and Jan. 2, both at the Bisons’ home rink in North Buffalo.

The games were designed to aid Japan in their preparations for the tournament by including set power play and penalty killing situations as well as 4-on-4 matchups (other international teams, including Team USA, also did this in their respective exhibitions against local clubs).

Japan won the “game” by a 4-2 score but the Bisons enjoyed something of a moral victory by beating their guests, 1-0, in the shootout.

At the request of Team Japan – proof that they indeed treated this game as a ‘friendly’ - both sides gathered on the ice for a collective group shot. This was after both teams had already taken one in the pregame.

The Bisons’ U19 squad placed second in the A Division at the Bauer World Hockey Invite, held in the Detroit area in December.

The Buffalo-based squad went 2-0-1 in their preliminary games and then edged past the Illinois Sabres in the playoff semifinal, 2-1. The team’s only loss of the tourney came in the title game, against SaugeenMaitland (Ontario), 2-0.

In spite of the loss, the Bisons’ Lexi Peters was named the Most Valuable Player of the championship game and was awarded a complimentary Bauer stick of her choosing.

Buffalo’s goaltending duo or Mikaela Ditonto and Lauren Pray put up impressive numbers, combining for an overall goals against average of 1.00 in five games.

Maddie Norton led the Bisons in scoring with three goals and one assist for the tournament. Other members of the Bisons’ roster included Katherine Lauber, Grace Simmons, Kailyn Burke, Karley Baker, Frangelica Bautz, Rene Doherty, Savannah Kalinowski, Lina Mirabella, Meghan Roche, Olivia Jacobs, Megan Urbank and Jess Urbank.

The Bisons’ Pee Wee Minor squad headed into Christmas celebrating their second tournament championship of the season. The team won the Gene Harrington Invitational Shootout Classic in early December, clinching the title with an exciting 4-3 double overtime win over the Buffalo Shamrocks.

The Bisons went 3-0-1 in the preliminary round, shutting out two Canadian teams along the way (7-0 over Newmarket Redmen and 5-0 over Toronto Eagles).

Bud Bakewell Bruins The Bud Bakewell Bantam Mixed team got into the spirit of the Holiday Season, volunteering their time, efforts and goods on December 18 at a Christmas Party hosted at the Church of the Holy Cross on Buffalo’s West Side.

Bruins parents donated new and used clothing for local residents in deed. The players took part by folding clothes, cleaning tables and even setting the mood by taking part in Christmas carols.

They also got to train with the pros recently, taking to the ice in Buffalo’s HarborCenter for the first of their two scheduled practices with the Academy of Hockey.

After touring the facilities and taking part in warmup exercises inside Impact Sports Performance, former Buffalo Sabres and NHL player Adam Mair led the Bakewell players in on-ice drills.

Buffalo Regals The Regals’ U16 boys squad announced recently that goaltender Matt Ladd has made a verbal commitment to Niagara University.

“Matt has dedicated himself to getting better every day in practice and in games,” said U16 head coach Matthew Barnaby in a statement released by the team.

“Congratulations on your commitment to playing hockey at Niagara University. Well deserved.”

Because of the player’s age, Ladd has yet to sign his National Letter of Intent. Furthermore, under NCAA rules Niagara officials cannot comment on players who have made verbal commitments until the NLI is signed.

Buffalo Stars Even with the 2014-15 season still in progress, the Buffalo Stars organization is looking ahead to the future by announcing plans for the 2015-16 season.

The Stars announced its intentions for its Hockey Athlete Development Program, which will be open to players with the talent and aspiration to advance into junior and college hockey. Open to players born between 1997 and 2000, the program will be offered at the U16 and U18 levels.

Additionally, the team plans to roll out full-season U16 and U18 teams as well as split-season U15 and U16 squads.

According to a news release issued by the Stars: “Full Season teams in this program will begin an eight-month training regimen that will follow the guidelines set forth in the USA Hockey American Development Model.

“Our split season teams will participate with a slightly modified schedule which will not involve the 8 month model but will be equally intense.

“Players will learn to compete. This will be the time to prepare athletes for the competitive environment, continue to refine technical skills and to develop their physical abilities. The focus will be on optimizing fitness preparation and to begin to specialize in hockey. Training will be individualized to the athlete’s particular needs in skill development, physical development and mental development.”

The full-season teams are anticipating a 60- to 70-game schedule as well as more than 100 on-ice training sessions and at least 60 off-ice sessions during the eight-month span.

Training camp, in August, will include a trip to Lake Placid to work out at the famous Olympic facilities.

The team announced that Jerry Wheeler will serve as head coach for the U18 full-season squad, while Pete Preteroti will coach the U16 full-season team. Dan Paul and Patrick Bernas will serve as head coaches for the U16 and U15 split-season squads, respectively.

WNYHockeyReport.com

Monroe County Edge The Monroe County Youth Hockey Edge U19 women’s team won the 16th annual Ithaca Shooting Stars Invitational Tournament title by defeating the Upstate Wildcats, 2-1, in a shootout.

The Edge went 2-0 in their preliminary games, notching wins over the Niagara County Coyotes and Adirondack Northstars. The team then advanced to the final by defeating the Buffalo Stars, 3-0, in the playoff semifinal.

The Edge had little time to sit back and enjoy the Christmas holiday. The very next day they were on the road, traveling to Hartford for the Connecticut Polar Bear Christmas Tournament as defending champions.

Alas, there would be no repeat. The host Polar Bears raised the trophy this year as tournament champs, while the Edge finished fourth in the standings, tying the New Jersey Rockets in game points (5) but trailing the Rockets by a half point in period points (7.5 to NJ’s 8).

Perinton Youth Hockey The Perinton Blades Bantam Minors, under coach Tom Masaschi, won the Rochester Thanksgiving Classic. After dropping their first game to the Humberview Huskies, 6-2, on the tournament’s opening day, the Blades rallied later in the day to tie the Peterborough Petes, 2-2.

The following day went much more favorably for the Blades, with Perinton defeating Monroe County (5-1) and St. Catharines, Ont. (3-2) to secure a spot in the finals against the Petes.

It looked as though the Petes might get the upper hand in the rematch, three times taking a one-goal lead. Ryan McNamara, Devin Mulcahy and Jack Schlifke scored the goals for Perinton which tied the game.

Then, with seven minutes remaining, Mulcahy scored his second goal of the game, a top-shelf shot, which gave the Blades the win.

Also on the winning roster are: Brennan Bitely, Ricky Currier, Tim Dobretsov, Dylan Ghaemi, Tyler Johnston, Alex Klimowski, Aiden Kapacz, Luke Masaschi, Molly McCabe, Ryan McEvily, Matthew Rockhill, Noah Sobko, Matt Stuewe and Jason Uebelacker. In addition to Masaschi, the Blades Bantam Minors are coached by Russ Bitely, Mark McNamara and Clay Sobko.

The Rochester Monarchs girls U14 team also suffered early setbacks but rallied to win the Pittsburgh Elite Thanksgiving Classic title.

The team dropped 2-1 decisions in the preliminary round to the Princeton Tiger Lilies and Milwaukee Junior Admirals. The Monarchs rebounded with two shutout wins, downing the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets, 8-0, followed by nationally-ranked Detroit Honey Baked, 5-0.

The Monarchs then avenged their preliminary loss with a 4-1 over the Tiger Lilies in the semifinals and then battled to a 2-1 win over nationally-ranked Pittsburgh Penguins Elite in the championship game.

Members of the tournament-winning team were: Isabel Allen, Ciara Barone, Jada Brenon, Morgan Bronstein, Renee Gangarosa, Ally Gibson, Chloe Harvey, Maeghan Kennard, Maddie McIntee, Meghan McLachlan, Meghan Mietlicki, Torrey Schmidt, Ashley Schoepfel and Maggie Seidenberg. Coaching the team were Tosh Farrell, Kristina Moss and Gary Moss.

Around The Associations

13

Rochester Youth Hockey The Rochester Junior Americans and Rochester Youth Hockey Association announced that defenseman Bryan Carville has committed to playing college hockey at Hobart College beginning with academic year 2015-16.

Carville, a Rochester native and member of the Junior Americans United States Premier Hockey League Premier Division team, recorded 10 points through 34 games this season, tied for the team lead among defenders through that point in the schedule. His nine assists led all defensemen on the Premier team.

Hobart competes in the ECAC West at the NCAA Division III level. Carville will be the fifth Junior Americans player to join Hobart’s hockey program, joining Tyler Hanzlik, Jonathan Neal, Bobby Sokol, and Tyler Wolf on the Statesmen.

Rising up though the Rochester Youth program, Carville played for RYH until advancing to the Jr. Americans, in which he continued his climb from its Empire and Elite junior teams into the Premier division roster.

Rochester Youth Hockey goaltender Colin Kosmicki’s charity efforts gained national recognition recently, with Kosmicki being names among five “Kindest Kids in the U.S.” by the NBC Sprout Network.

As part of the recognition, NBC spotlighted his “Warm Hearts, Warm Bodies by Colin” program on its flagship network, in a November broadcast of the Today Show.

Kosmicki was the only youth selected from New York State.

Kosmicki launched his “Warm Hearts, Warm Bodies” program in 2012 after he and his mother, while volunteering as bell ringers for the Salvation Army, observed a young mother pushing a stroller in cold weather, followed by a toddler who was not dressed for the cold weather. The young goalie decided to donate one of his coats to the needy, and in turn he worked with his family to launch “Warm Hearts, Warm Bodies” by gathering additional donations from peers.

That Christmas Eve, he had delivered his collection of donated coats, hats, gloves and related items to the Open Door Mission.

The program has taken off since. This Holiday Season, the Bill Grays Regional Iceplex accepted donations for the drive.

“Warm Hearts, Warm Bodies by Colin” has the potential to keep growing in 2015. You can learn more about it and follow along on its official Facebook page.

Tonawanda Lightning The Lightning’s Bantam Major team celebrated a tournament win, taking their division’s championship at the 2014 Festival of Lights tournament.

Southtowns Stars The Southtowns Stars are hosting their March Classic Tournament, which begins on February 27 and concludes with the championship game on Sunday, March 1.

The tournament guarantees three games for teams. Each game will feature three periods, with lengths based on age group. The Squirt/ Atom division will play 11-minute periods. Pee Wees will play 12 minute periods while Bantam and Midget games will feature 13-minute periods.

The team fees are as follows: Squirt/Atom $715, Pee Wee $775, Bantam $850, Midget $900.00.

For more information or to register, log on to southtownsstars.com.

West Seneca Wings Suqirt Major AAA traveled to East Lansing, Michigan to participate in the Battle of the Nations.

penalties, lost 3-1 to the Soo Jr. Greyhounds. The team bounced back that night with a 5-1 victory against Kitchener to rank them 3rd for the tournament. They faced the Lambton Jr. Sting on Sunday morning where they had a dominant showing resulting in a 5-3 victory to end the weekend.

As I the case with many away tournaments, the team had just as much fun off the ice as they did on the ice. Friday evening the boys were able to attend a Michigan State University hockey game with their families where they saw powerhouse Minnesota take on the Spartans.

Although the USA was not victorious in the tournament, the’ 04 Wings were. They ended the tournament with an astounding 3-1-1 record. The coaches and parents are proud of the competitive play, sportsmanship, and pride the team showed while in Michigan.

West Seneca Wings West Seneca Wings Squirt Major AAA Fair Well at Nations Cup

The team traveled to East Lansing, Michigan to participate in a battle of Nations–Canada vs USA. In this tournament, the teams wear their Country’s jerseys with pride and battle the opposition for bragging rights. The points for each victory go towards each Nation’s total amount, rather than just a win or a loss for the individual team.

West Seneca competed against some tough Canadian teams during the round robin tournament. They started The West Seneca Pee Wee Sharks recently competed the weekend with an exciting 5-3 victory against North York in the third annual Aurora Cross Ice Classic, winning the Rangers where every player had an outstanding physical championship after going undefeated in round robin play. game. That evening they tied Guelph 2-2 in a closely contested match. The only loss of the weekend came to a tough team ranked in the top 15 of the 04 age group . The Wings played WNYHockeyReport_Testimonial5.pdf 1 1/13/15 5:52 PM close through 2 periods and because of some untimely

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Rochester Youth Hockey

Rochester Youth teams with Bill Grays Iceplex to “Grow the Game” Over the past few years, Rochester Youth Hockey (RYH) and the Bill Grays Iceplex have pooled their resources to grow the game. What started out a grass roots effort to introduce kids to the game has grown into a fully supported highly visible program, that to date has introduced several hundred kids to hockey.

The original goals have not change since the inception of the program “To introduce kids to the greatest sport in the world and provide them with a safe fun learning environment”. Erik Geller, Director of Hockey for Bill Grays Iceplex, markets each event through the rink’s website and social media and helps coordinated the activities. Rochester Youth provides volunteer support from it coaches and players and USA Hockey, Bill Grays Iceplex and Rochester Youth Hockey provide full sets of gear, sticks and skate rental for each participant. The events are completely free to the participants. The two sessions held over the holidays attracted over 65 kids.

The rink is divided into several stations based on USA Hockey’s ADM development model. These stations are run by certified USA Hockey Coaches, with support provided by RYH players, USPHL Jr. players, and local NCAA coaches and players. Current and former professional players have been on the ice along with “The Moose” mascot for the Rochester Americans.

From afar it may appear like the coaches are herding cats, but there is a method to the madness. There is structure, for those that want it, lots of opportunity for free play or just a ride around the rink in a chair. The

will be hosting a USA Hockey Try Hockey for Free event. For more information on this and upcoming events please visit www. tryhockeyforfree. com and www. billgraysiceplex. com.

player to coach ratio is about 3:1, a entire RYH teams will often volunteer for a try hockey session. Within the organization there is culture of giving back to the game and a focus on passing their passion for the game to a new generation of players.

Hosting try hockey events is not only a good way to introduce kids to the game, it also gives parents exposure to hockey and the opportunity to ask the coaches questions, obtain information on development programs offered, and gain insight into the hockey community . On Feb 21st Bill Grays Iceplex

Saints Hockey

is now accepting coaching applications for the 2015-16 season.

For more information visit:

www.saintshockey.com WNYHockeyReport.com

14

NYSAHA Hall Of Fame

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NYSAHA Hall Of Fame

by Randy Schultz Randy@wnyhockeyreport.com In 2013 the New York State Amateur Hockey Association officially formed its Hall of Fame.

The NYSAHA wanted to recognize the pioneers who helped develop their organization as well as those who have excelled as players as a result of their hockey programs.

Over the past year and one-half, the “home” for that Hall of Fame was on their web page. There was also a line on the page that simply read, “We are looking for a permanent home for our Hall of Fame at this time.”

The NYSAHA is no longer looking for a home because they have found one in Amherst, NY. Located on the second floor of The Northtown Center at Amherst, the Hall of Fame was officially dedicated as part of the NYSAHA Winter Meetings.

Master of Ceremonies for the dedication was Guy R. Marlette, Deputy Supervisor and Liaison to Youth and Recreation for the Town of Amherst. He introduced Bill Hall, Chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee and USA Hockey Secretary, and Joe Baudo, President of the NYSAHA and a member of the Hall of Fame committee.

Also on hand for the dedication were three USA Hockey representatives including Mike Bertsch, Marketing and Communications; Kevin Couture, Events Manager; Larry Reid, Vice President, chair of Marketing Council.

For Hall it is a great moment.

“It was very important to us to have a physical location,” said Hall. “But it’s also going to be important to keep the virtual Hall of Fame active for those who won’t be able to physically travel to the Hall of Fame.

“But this is going to be a great attraction for those people

from New York State who come to Amherst. Any Hall of Fame should recognize those people who have made significant contributions in moving New York Hockey to a pinnacle, which it has enjoyed.

“The five people who are in there reflect that” Those five Hall of Fame members include (Class of 2013) Robert D. “Bob”Allen, Paul Furman, Richard “Dick”Brinkman, (Class of 2014) Lou Vairo and Joe Mullen.

Marlette was extremely pleased that Amherst was chosen as the site for the Hall.

“It’s a feather in our cap,” commented Marlette. “Of all the activities that take place here, there are well over one million visitors that come through this concourse on an annual basis.

“The relationship we have with youth hockey and with USA Hockey is tremendous. I think this is kind of a just reward for all the hard work that has taken place here.

“I think when the Hall of Fame Committee took a look at where a lot of youth hockey activities takes place in the State, this is a perfect location.”

Baudo was glad to see this dream become a reality.

“We began talking about a Hall a few years ago and then two years ago it became a reality with the first three inductees,” remarked Baudo. “We had their names on our web site but we always felt that we needed a place where people could walk by and put a face with the description.

“Being a native Western New Yorker I’m proud that it is here. When Amherst said that they would be willing and would love to have us here, there was no question about it.

It was automatic.

“No matter what the hockey event may be, the people here at the Northtown Center at Amherst have always stepped up to the plate and delivered.

“This was no different. It is a great honor and I hope hockey fans will appreciate it for years to come.”

NU Soldier Surprise

by Randy Schultz

The Niagara University vs. Holy Cross men’s hockey game in early December seemed to be just like any other NU hockey game.

There was going to be a ceremonial puck drop made by the family of Senior Airman Frank Torcasio of the 914th Airlift Wing in Niagara Falls. His wife and three children thought the Lockport resident was still in Afghanistan, where he had been for seven months.

But Torcasio surprised all of them when he suddenly skated onto the ice and met them at center ice. With plenty of hugs and kisses to go around, Torcasio also got a chance to hold his seven-week old baby girl, Ella, who he was meeting for the first time.

It was a great Christmas moment for all.

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Precision Hockey Training

17

Team Skills and Coaching Pointers doesn’t matter if you are coaching 7 year olds or 25 year olds, the principals of training and skating stays the same. Your audience changes a little bit but the skills you are teaching are similar. You just have to identify your audience.”

by Mark Metzger – m.metzger@ precisionhockey.net

The past few years I have had the privilege to work alongside several great hockey coaches and personal.

Bruce Boudreau - Anaheim Ducks Head Coach, Jon Christiano - Buffalo Sabres Scout, Troy Mann - Hershey Bears AHL Head Coach, Mike McCourt - Ridley College Head Coach, and Ben Boudreau - ECHL Assistant Coach.

The opportunity to attend a seminar or talk with a coach with high credentials yields many “attention to detail” pointers that one may not normally think about or consider.

I learned a great deal about skill development from the youth levels to the NHL from Buffalo Sabres Scout, Jon Christiano. His player evaluation is so accurate that he can pick out a player and tell you if they are going to develop into a good player given a short period of time. In my opinion, Christiano could and would be a fabulous NHL General Manager. If you ever have the opportunity to have him come out to your teams practice, take advantage of it! This past summer training UBNS_WNY Hockey_2012_Layout 1 gave 9/4/12me 9:39 AM Page 1 “It several AHL players, Christiano great advice:

Monthly Pointers for Coaches: 1. Put the percentages on their side. Smart coaches know what players offer the team the best scoring percentage and what lines provides a good scoring opportunity. The coach’s job is to determine, as a team, how to get that done. That’s your challenge as a coach.

2. Develop individual skills in all players. It starts with developing skills in all of your players at all levels. Even elite players work on skills; the best players and every elite athlete spend hours working at their craft or game.

3. Individual skills = Good tactics = Team play.

Stickhandling, shooting, passing, puck protection, or anything to do with managing the puck is a necessary for a good team. I am a strong believer that coaches need to work on this with their players all the time.

Every player wants to have their stick on the puck and wants to score goals. Even your power forwards or

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that stay-home defenseman. Watch their celebration when they score! Scoring is a passion piece that you have to get too as a coach. Work individually with your players. If you would like a different voice teach besides yours all the time have a skills instructor work with your team. Around Western New York there are several skill development coaches that can teach. Just make sure you get the right teacher teaching and make sure they your players respond to them well. The more times the players have the puck on their stick the more confidence you will have as a team and the better chance your team will execute into the offensive zone! Remember… it starts with individual skills.

4. Good defense leads to offense & Good offense leads to less defense. I will let you think about these two…in my opinion they are self-explanatory!

Mark Metzger is the Founder / Head Instructor of Precision Hockey. He can be reached at m.metzger@ precisionhockey.net

Junior Hockey Wisdom & Opinion

18

Ask Coaches for Feedback

by Jeff Kolcon Jeff@maksymum.com True Story A few years ago, I was in the middle of putting together my final roster for a very competitive team. We were returning most of our group and had over 50 new players at a grueling week of tryouts.

The worst part of having a good team, is the end of tryouts. There were players being cut from this team that deserved to be on the team but the numbers just did not work out. It is very painful on both side of the conversation when a coach has to sit down with a player and tell them they did not make the team. As uncomfortable as it was, we were getting through all of the conversations. Until one of the last players came in.

The process is fairly formalized. We would have a player come in, we would review the week, discuss his weaknesses and end on all of the things the player is good at. We would suggest a plan of attack for the player to get prepared for next season. Finally, we opened the floor for questions. Corey was a different case.

Corey had a decent tryout. He was a very fast skater that lacked top end skills. He was in his last year of eligibility and clearly was serious about making the team. Although faster than most, the coaching staff looked at younger kids that had a higher level of skill.

Corey was not in the plans for the final roster.

During the post game tryout, Corey sat and listened as each assistant coach gave feedback. He was clearly agitated and you could tell that he was about to blow a gasket. This was uncharacteristic. Corey was usually a quiet kid that kept his nose clean.

My turn to speak arrived and I went through my notes and presented a clear picture of where Corey ranked in the big picture. I did not even get half way through my notes when Corey exclaimed “I made the team coach.”

That statement hung in the air for a moment. A player had never self proclaimed a position on the team during a meeting. This was a new experience for me.

I regrouped. “Corey, your were close…”

“Coach, I am on the team!”

This went back and forth a bit, with the assistant coaches trying to add color to why Corey was being cut. In hind site, Corey was very patient. He listened to reason after reason from three grown men on why he was not going to be part of the team. Finally, I opened the door for him by asking him if he had any questions or comments.

“Yes, I do” stated Corey. “Last year, you told me I was not fast enough. You told me that my lack of speed kept me from competing at this level. You also told me that if I improved my speed and was one of the fastest players, you would take me this year. I would like to wear number nineteen.”

Three grown men sat and stared. We asked Corey to step out for a moment. The first reaction behind closed doors from the assistant coaches was to take shots at the kid. “Who does he think he is? You cannot come in here and talk to us like that!” I have to admit that there was a side of me that thought the same things.

Facts are facts. We did make this statement. And we just spent 10 minutes praising him on his speed as we tried to let him down gently not realizing we were just building his case to be placed on the team.

Now the real dilemma kicks in: Do we keep Corey?

If we keep him, does it leave a perception that anyone can walk in and talk themselves onto the team? Have we made any other comments that may have been considered quasi contracts with players from last year’s tryouts? If you do this then we will take you. We were now working at breakneck speed making sure we did not have any other Corey’s in the lobby waiting for us.

We eventually discounted the concern that anyone would walk in and talk their way onto the team. There is always “that parent” and we did not see this unique situation opening up into a bigger problem. We did, however, spend a frantic period of time that day reviewing every single player who was cut the previous year to insure we did not have a similar situation with another player. We had to make sure we kept our end of the bargain.

The bottom line is I took Corey. It was the right thing to do. He earned it. He deserved to be on the team. He also became a productive member of a good squad.

What can you take from this story? I think there are several potential lessons here. From Corey’s perspective he asked for feedback from a tryout and then proceeded to attack his weakness. He used being cut as motivation for future success. Finally, he was determined to convince three adults that he was right.

This is not easy for a seventeen year old.

What did I learn from this experience? First, that we can sometimes forget how much weight comments from teachers, parents and coaches have on a individual in their peak development years. I gave feedback, just as I do almost daily in the hockey world and it was interpreted as the gospel by a player. I have to choose my words carefully. I learned that it is o.k. to give inspirational feedback to a seven or eight year old like “keep working hard! The Sabres need a player like you.” However, older players interpret differently.

Second, it reaffirmed the lesson that every coach preaches. Hard work does pay off. Corey had stayed focused for an entire year. He made good choices. He refused to hear no when he did the right thing.

Finally, I understand the moral issue that is in play.

Both morally and ethically I did the right thing by taking Corey. However, the significance of looking beyond the obvious is what makes this story great.

I am glad that I had a chance to experience this situation. It made me a better coach and parent. I also think it was a great experience for Corey. I hope that this experience has set him up to conquer great things in life.

Tryouts are right around the corner. I have my notes from last year.

WNYHockeyReport.com

Sanborn native Tom McCollum recalled by the Detroit Red Wings.

Tom McCollum, Sanborn, has been recalled by the Detroit Red Wings. The 25 year-old goaltender got the call on January 12 to join the NHL team when starting netminder and All-Star Jimmy Howard was put on injured reserve after suffering a groin injury.

Detroit’s other goalie, Jonas Gustavsson has been out of the lineup since November after suffered a shoulder injury.

Ironically McCollum’s first game in a Red Wings uniform was in Buffalo against the Sabres, the team he had grown up watching at a boy. Even more interesting is that it came on the same night the Sabres were honoring one of their former goaltender’s, Dominik Hasek, who was having his uniform number retired.

Hasek was one of the goalies that McCollum idolized as he was growing up.

High School Hockey

19

Section V

by Warren Kozireski Warren@wnyhockeyreport.com Fairport, independent McQuaid and Pittsford were ranked among the top-ten in the Jan.6 New York State Sportswriters poll with Webster Thomas, Rush-Henrietta, Geneseo/Livonia/Dansville and the Greece Thunder right on their heels as the stretch run commenced in Section V. Fairport wasn’t scoring a lot of goals, but were riding the goaltending of Ethan Kaiser and Luke Barnes to a combined six shutouts in 11 games and were allowing less than one goal per game.

Webster Thomas stood a game back with head coach David Evans returning after a year off, and were getting balanced scoring led by Tristen Peterson, Benjamin Moore, Pierce Currie and Sebastien Knapp plus goaltender Dalton Jerzak’s best-in-the division seven wins in eight decisions.

Pittsford was using their strong five-on-five offense led by leading scorer Quinn Doyle and John Mozrall, Owen Smith and Connor Haims to make things interesting in Division I. At 12-1, McQuaid was piling on the goals and points with six players in double-figures through the first 13 games led by Jack Dugan’s 14 goals and 33 points.

Michael Campbell, Christian Leonardi, Craig McCabe, Ryan Talty and Joe Pasko helped give the Panthers two solid lines.

In Division II, the Greece Thunder led the conference thanks to Derek Mazeau feeding Marc McNeil, but Churchville-Chili, Gates-Chili, Hilton and Irondequoit all had games in hand on the top two, so it could come

down to the final week when Gates-Chili faces first Hilton and then Churchville-Chili to finish.

Ryan Cosgrove and Jordan Alves scored 26 of Churchville-Chili’s first 44 goal. Hilton was being paced

by Justin Allen and Jake Palumbo. Freddy Peters earned all of Gates-Chili’s first seven wins with offensive help from Mike Klim and Hunter Balicki. And Irondequoit’s top line of Anthony Thurston, Louis Cup and Andrew Knope had accounted for 30 of the Eagles 35 first 35 goals to keep them in the mix.

In Division III, Rush-Henrietta and Geneseo were running away from the pack. The Royal Comets had five players with ten or more points through the first 11 games led by Austin Szczesniak and Michael Cumbo. Geneseo was getting great defense from Alex Buchbinder and others plus goaltending from Morgan Brown and Zach Bishopp with Ethan Mapes, Reid Mattle and Billy McDevitt adding the offense.

Others not mentioned who were among the top-20 scorers in the league as of Jan. 11 were Spencerport’s Brandon Corey, Nick Charron and Matt Simoncelli, Brockport’s Mitchell Henshaw and Dylan Sharpe and Churchville-Chili’s Tanner Metcalfe.

The regular season concludes Feb. 14 with Class finals Feb. 24 (Class B @ Bill Gray’s Iceplex), Feb. 25 (Class BB @ Ritter Arena) and Class A (Feb. 26 @ Ritter Arena). The finals are at Ritter Arena March 1 in a triple-header.

From Nov. 22-Jan.3

HAT TRICKS • Tristen Peterson-Webster Thomas • Anthony Thurston-Irondequoit (2)

• Marc McNeil-Greece Thunder (2) • Jarrett McWilliams-Canandaigua • Michael Cumbo-Rush Henrietta (2) • Brandon Corey-Spencerport (2) • Darrick Smith-Rush Henrietta • Austin Szczesniak-Rush Henrietta • Andrew Knope-Irondequoit • Matt Klim-Gates Chili • Matt Roe-Brockport • Matt Impallaria-Webster Schroeder

SHUTOUTS • Zach Bishopp-Geneseo • Connor Raemen-McQuaid • Ethan Kaiser-Fairport (3) • Eric McNeil-Rush Henrietta (2) • Morgan Brown-Geneseo • Ethan Lincoln-Canandaigua (2) • Freddy Peters- Gates Chili (2) • Luke Barnes-Fairpor • Ethan Conrad-Notre Dame (2) • Aidan Richardson-Pittsford • Danny Kelly-Pittsford • Green/Bellavia-Greece Thunder • Raemen/Nelson/Pulli-McQuai • Jake Bellavia-Greece Thunder • Dalton Jerzak-Webster Thomas (2

HPHD: Developing elite players, and placing them Continued from Page 9

“We’ll host certain times. We’ll invite our peers, coaches and general managers from different regions, especially when we know they’re going to be in the area, to come in and take a look at players,” Thomson said. “It’s another great opportunity for second-shelf players to showcase without being in a cattle call, like a hundred players.”

HPHD’s next showcase is planned for this spring.

Details, when finalized, were to be posted on the company’s website, www.hphd.us. The last time HPHD hosted such an event was last April.

“It was a small group, but about 60 percent of the players got junior callbacks,” said Thomson. “Four got actual team offers.”

Of course, while some players successfully get their trip to the next level, not everyone is destined to advance.

Thomson was asked how his program is prepared to determine which prospects are truly legitimate candidates for consideration by junior or college hockey programs.

As the very first step in his program, players are evaluated to see if they’ve got the physical and mental abilities to make it happen.

“We have a test,” he said. “We have a scientific and direct test that will show exactly the attributes of the player. It goes (with) how they see the game outside and how they view their game inside, and whether or not you have what it takes to win, to have what it takes to

want to win, to want to meet their goals.

“These are some of the same tests that they give all the elite athletes in the NHL and international level, that they put in for everything from top-level executives, top-level soldiers and pilots. It is the same factor. Do you have what it takes to win? The ‘win’ isn’t to win a game.

The ‘win’ is to meet the goals to get to college, to make a career of this game. We can test players and tell them whether or not they’ve got it, and it is spot on. It’s better than psychic.”

Even with a handful of junior teams in Western New York – the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, Lockport Express and Jamestown-based Southern Tier Xpress, there are only so many spots open for local talents. With that in mind, Thomson was asked if local players and families should still keep open the option of playing elsewhere, if that’s where they can get placed.

“The team doesn’t draft the midget or bantam team.

They draft the individual player,” Thomson said. “When the time comes to sign a college letter of intent, they don’t sign the entire team. It’s about the individual player.

“It’s a team sport with a team effort, but it’s the individual within that team, that who you have to take care of, because it’s about that individual’s future. As parents and players, you have to take control of your career path and make sure you’re on the right one and not get steered in the wrong direction.

WNYHockeyReport.com

“Not only have we been doing this player placement for years and are connected to make this happen, but we have successfully placed and promoted and advised more players this past season to in Western New York than any other entity. We have players Playing NCAA, College Club, Junior A and Junior B in Canada and the USA, as well as pro hockey and players who were juniordrafted on our direct recommendation and reports.”

For more information on HPHD, including its training facilities, programs and its placement, visit hphd.us or call 716-393-3663.

Follow All The WNY Hockey News @ www.wnyhockeyreport.com

Top Shelf Training

20

Knowing Your Skates

By Mike Smietana info@topshelfhockey.us Every hockey mom and dad out there have put on their children’s skates at one point or another.

Skates are probably the most important piece of equipment for any player at any level. However, for hockey parents these days, knowing which skates to buy and how to get them sharpened can be more complicated than the new math core curriculum at school these days. My goal of this article is to hopefully help everyone out there become a little more educated on the process.

Purchasing Skates: The first thing to consider when purchasing a boot are the size of the skater, level of skating and the amount of time on the ice. Therefore, consider the level. If a player is a beginner, they do not need the most expensive skate on the market and on the other hand an advanced skater should not buy the lowest quality skate. Also, think about the amount of time on the ice the skater will have as well as the size of the player. Bigger skaters tend to wear down skates more than smaller players just due to the weight dispersed over the boot. Therefore, if the skater is a smaller player they will not need the strongest boot with graphite, because it will be harder to apply pressure with the foot to the ice. Usually, the more expensive the skate the stronger the boot will be made, therefore use common discretion. The next big important area to consider is the size of the boot. Years ago there were only a couple of skate companies out there, now a days there are many more to choose from. The big thing to consider is the size of the boot is not the same as the shoe size.

Check out the chart at right to get the correct size.

Most hockey skates are smaller than your normal shoe size and it is essential that they are somewhat tight to offer firmness while skating. Be sure to wear sports socks that are comfortable while trying on the skates so that you will get an idea of how they will feel when you play to insure sizing accuracy. Be sure to place your foot against the back of the boot and tie the skates tight but not too tight. Very important to not cut off circulation to your feet.

Stand with the feet shoulder-width apart and crouch slightly, so that the knee is over the toe. Your foot will shift ever so slightly. This is the skating stance. If your toes are pressed against the front of the boot, the skate is most likely to small. On the other hand if your foot has any room to move or wiggle from front to back inside the boot, the skate is too big. Also, if the skater has as wider foot than normal usual a width with size E will be needed and skates come in different widths so if it feels too narrow ask for the same size in a wider boot.

I really suggest trying on as many as possible to get the most comfort and to not be set on one company as being the best skate because of the name brand.

Sharpening Skates: The belief that keeping your skates “SHARP” all of the time can be a time, performance and money waster for many of you out there. Over time you are actually wearing your blades down fast which will lead to you buying new skates or blades only sooner. Just look at one of the best skaters in the history of the game defensemen “Paul Coffey.” If you have never watched him skate and you are a bit younger I suggest checking out video on him. The thing that Coffey utilized is what in the sharpening world is known as the “Radius of Hollow.” To understand what this technical term means, just think of when you walk in to a pro shop and the skate sharpener asks “How do you want them sharpened?” The answer usually I bet for most that don’t know is “I want them sharp.” The sharpener is under the

impression that you would like your skates with small radius of hollow usually at a ½ inch increment. This ROH will give you the bite from your edges that will enable you to turn sharper, and start more quickly. However, your glide will be less productive causing you to exert more energy on a straight away sprint. Now, reverting back to Coffey the NHL hall of fame defensemen he used a 1 inch hollow which as you see is used more for the glide efficiency.

Usually, the higher the ROH the less likely you will need your blades sharpened.

However, the main determinant factor for getting your skates sharpened should be the contact that your skate blades have with either the goal post, other skates, or composite sticks, concrete etc. If you have contact with any of these items doing a look over of the blade to physically feel the lost edge is something that can work. Also, flipping the skate over and placing a dime on the blade so that it sits across both edges will allow you to determine if the edges are even. This gives you the advantage of knowing that you are able to glide efficiently.

The main thing to remember when getting your skates is to research!

Try to avoid going into a proshop having little or no knowledge when purchasing, this will give you the edge you need.

During the next issue

WNYHockeyReport.com

I will cover the topic of getting your skates “rockered.”

Thanks for reading.

Mike Smietana is the Owner, Head Instructor of Top Shelf Hockey and Executive Director/President, National Collegiate Hockey Association. He can be reached at info@topshelfhockey.us.

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24

Bud Bakewell Bruins

25

Bud Bakewell Hockey Association looking to improve youth hockey in WNY. Here is an inside look at one of the smaller and sometimes forgotten youth hockey leagues in WNY, the Bud Bakewell Bruins.

A Riverside legend Reuben “Bud” Bakewell was born in Glasgow, Scotland and had moved to Canada as a youngster where he learned to play hockey. His local involvement in hockey can be traced back to a rink he built in his backyard, complete with lights and music. His initial involvement with organized youth hockey began in 1958 when he signed his son up at a local rink. He quickly became a mainstay at the rink and the successful program was eventually named after him - The BUD BAKEWELL BRUINS - the only such honor bestowed on any individual in Western New York.

His efforts toward enclosing the rink in Riverside Park lead to another milestone in which the facility was named in his honor.

In 1960 Reuben “Bud” Bakewell received the General Motors Award for excellence in Community Activities, and the DeWitt Clinton Masonic Award for his community Service. In 1987 he became the second recipient of the William Thayer Tutt Award, presented by USA Hockey in Colorado Springs, Co. in recognition of his efforts to promote hockey at the grass roots level.

57 years ago, Reuben “Bud” Bakewell started a hockey program that promotes and encourages athleticism, physical fitness, sportsmanship, as well as developing the moral character of young boys and girls throughout WNY. The ideals in which the organization was created,

continues in his honor to this day.

Well, here we are 57 years later and there has been thousands of local youths that have benefited from the efforts put forth by hundreds of volunteer coaches and parents in this organization.

Located in Buffalos Riverside park at 2607 Niagara Street is what some consider one of the areas better ice surfaces. The rink is used by many organizations such as Haseks Heros, area high school teams, the Skating Athletes Bold At Heart (SABAH) organization and our beloved Buffalo Sabres occasionally stop in for practices.

A reorganized board of directors for the Bud Bakewell Hockey Association is diligently working towards getting the help they need its volunteers to promote and grow the Bud Bakewell youth hockey program.

You will better understand the commitment to the organization with a little history of the current board members of Bud Bakewell Hockey Association. Newly appointed president William (Bill) Cline has been a youth hockey coach for 35 + years and has served on the board for the past 12 years. Bill has also held the position of head coach for the McKinley high school hockey program for 17 years as well as coaching and holding administrative positions in several other area hockey associations. Vice President Jay Tagliarino, a Bud Bakewell alumnus, has been involved with youth hockey for 10 years, coaching for the past 6 years and a board member for 4 years. Treasurer Anissa Martin, a hockey mom and dedicated board member for the past 3 years, Registrar Tina Garrett, a 16 year board member is also a

hockey mom with 20 years of service to Bud Bakewell.

Tony Johnson a 3rd year board member has been involved in youth hockey for over 20 years and John Fracos has been a mainstay at the rink for almost 30 years as an employee, coach, referee and former booster club member.

The depth of the organization continues with other dedicated members, who include Rick Kindzia, Vince LoVallo, Scott Brennen, Mark Major and Ken Thomas; all who are involved as coaches, dedicated parents and supporters of the organization. A commitment to work with the “Academy of Hockey “at Buffalos Harbor Center, clinics with Precision Hockey and Janosz Goaltending School as well as our new internet presence is just a small part of the commitment of the organization.

It is this dedication starting right at the top that will set the Bud Bakewell Hockey Association apart from other area youth hockey programs. The commitment of the board, the coaches and assistant coaches, team managers, parents, volunteers and players. “We want to create a synergy throughout the entire organization; you are not just part of a team but part of a legacy that is The Bud Bakewell Bruins” .

The organization is very excited about their future and is looking forward to working with its volunteers to make Bud Bakewell Youth Hockey a premier hockey organization. Bud Bakewell prides itself on being one of the western New York’s most cost conscience hockey clubs. For more information please contact Registrar Tina Garrett at Goaliemom43@msn.com.

Hockey Coaches The Bud Bakewell Bruins Hockey Association is currently accepting applications for youth hockey coaches.

The 2015-2016 season is just around the corner and we are seeking quality coaches for all levels, Mites thru U18.

Please visit our web site to download your application!

www.budbakewellhockey.com

Bud Bakewell Arena (Riverside Park) 2607 Niagara St., Buffalo, NY 14207 WNYHockeyReport.com

In The Crease

The Modern Goaltender those skills. Having the ability to get over a goal against or bad game are paramount in order to be an “elite” goaltender. Having self- confidence is also part of being mentally tough.

by Bob Janosz Goaltending has and will continue to change and evolve on an almost daily basis. Goalies and coaches are constantly coming up with new and better techniques to stop the puck more efficiently. Goalies of different sizes and strengths may play the same situation differently, resulting in a variety of goaltending “styles”. With that being said several goalies have asked me what scouts and coaches look for in a goaltender.

Do they prefer a particular style? In this article I’d like to describe what I believe most coaches and scouts look for in a goalie in today’s game.

Having the privilege of coaching at the professional level and scouting with USA hockey the past 9 years I feel that I have a good grasp of the qualities that coaches and goalie coaches look for in a goaltender. Granted some coaches may still use the “eye test” where they simply like or dislike a goalie from a quick glance based on size; fundamentals; quickness; etc. For the most part coaches seem to like the same qualities. Obviously they all want a goalie that can “stop the puck” and is a “winner”.

Mental Toughness. I listed this first because so much time is spent practicing physical skills but the mental side is still the most important part. Reading the play, anticipation, and “hockey sense” are necessary traits to be a good goaltender. Goaltenders are expected to have

Athleticism. The days of “drop and block” on every shot are long gone. The butterfly is still a regularly used save selection but can no longer be considered a style.

Coaches want goalies that are athletic and can make 2nd and 3rd saves. They want goalies to stop all the pucks they should as well some of the ones that they “shouldn’t”. Flexibility, quickness, and reacting skills are all part of being an athletic goaltender.

Fundamentals. Being fundamentally sound helps consistency of play. Stance, butterfly coverage; hand and stick positioning; sealing the post; rotating to the post etc. Basically all traits that help a goaltender maximize their size and net coverage. It is important to strive to be fundamentally sound without being “robotic”. At times things don’t go as planned and saves may have to be made in an unorthodox manner.

Movement. Strong footwork helps a goaltender to stay square to the puck and set for the shot more often.

Being square and set for the shot make 1st saves easier and provide for better rebound control. Strong skating skills out of the crease help the goaltender to be a more proficient puck handler.

Puck Tracking. This includes reacting to the puck, reflexes, and tracking the puck off of the stick blade early. Most goals go in over the goalies pads and high, therefore coaches want goalies with good hands as well as good feet. Puck tracking also includes the ability to make “desperation” saves where a goaltender has to

find a way to the stop the puck if they get caught out of position.

Rebound Control. Every goalie in the world gives up rebounds but coaches want goalies that limit the bad rebounds. Rebounds are unpredictable and difficult for the team to defend against. Using the proper stick and pad angle as well as trapping pucks on the body and glove cut down on unnecessary rebounds.

Competitiveness. I consider competitiveness for a goaltender as simply “hating” to get scored on. Game or practice. Competitive goalies hate to lose and play well in high-pressure situations and big games. Competing hard also gets the team to play harder in front of the goaltender.

Size. There’s no surprise that a coach would prefer a bigger goalie to a smaller one if they were of equal skill level. This doesn’t mean that a smaller goalie doesn’t have a chance though. Smaller goalies have to be better positioned and have excellent movement, athleticism, and puck tracking skills to make up for their lack of size. They should also strive to have something that separates themself from other goalies such as being good at handling the puck or having exceptional rebound control.

Keeping these areas in mind while at practice will lead to better game habits. Goalies should pick a couple of areas of their game to really focus on each practice. This will lead to more quality practice to achieve faster long term development.

For more information on Janosz School of Goaltending Camps, Clinics, and Private Training go to www. bobjanosz.com or call 716-308-9224.

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26

SCHOOL OF GOALTENDING BUFFALO • ROCHESTER • SYRACUSE

Rochester Americans

27

Rochester Americans

by Warren Kozireski Warren@wnyhockeyreport.com Before the trade last February sending Steve Ott and Ryan Miller to St. Louis for Chris Stewart, Jaroslav Halak, William Carrier and a pair of draft picks, Carrier was listed among one of the top ten prospects in the Blues system.

Fast-forward to 2014-15 and he isn’t among the top ten on the Buffalo Sabres prospect list. That has little to do with him and everything to do with the exorbitant depth of young players the Sabres have accumulated via trades and/or their own drafting.

Carrier is most definitely struggling in his transition from the Quebec Major Junior league to the American League with only two goals and three assists over his first 33 games and in the middle of a 14-game pointless streak dating back to Nov. 15, but he is far from off the radar moving forward.

“I certainly think he is a good hockey player; I just think he’s at that point in his rookie year where things are really hard right now—he’s overthinking a bit and doesn’t have a lot of confidence and we have to find a way to get him through that,” Rochester head coach Chadd Cassidy said in early January.

A second round selection (57th overall) in 2013 after he injured his ankle in December of his draft year and missed the rest of that season, Carrier was described by an anonymous scout as “a smart player, he’s in good places at good times; he’s gritty and doesn’t mind getting involved,” in The Hockey News 2013 NHL Draft Preview.

Carrier was among the team leaders in plus/ minus—unusual for a rookie and on a team that was seven games under .500 and had scored ten fewer

goals than they had allowed at almost the halfway point of the campaign.

Carrier scored his first professional goal Oct. 11 in the season’s second game and one game after his twoassist debut. But pointless since netting his second goal of the season Nov. 14, he admittedly has a long way to go in his adjustment to professional hockey.

“A lot of stuff is going through my mind right now, but I’m just trying to focus on getting pucks on net, getting the puck down low and moving my feet—stuff I’ve been working out with the coaching staff,” the just turned 20-year old (Dec. 20) LaSalle, Quebec native said.

“We all don’t (play) the same minutes, but when you’re out on the ice you have to make a statement, go out and hit and show the coach what you can do when you get the minutes.

“First year of junior and first year of pro are the same, so I hope to get on track soon.”

Carrier only scored eight goals and added four assists in 61 games in his first year of junior hockey with Cape Breton in 2010-11, so the similarities to his struggles in this, his rookie season of pro hockey are obvious.

“I had a good start and I’m just trying to get used to different stuff both on the ice and off the ice,” Carrier said. “(The transition) has been way bigger than it is in junior; the apartment, getting stuff fixed and all the paperwork but I have four months behind me to hopefully it will be nice the next five months with playoffs.

“Grocery, taxes and whatever—people used to take care of that but now it’s on your own, but I have JST (Justin Samuels-Thomas) here to help and he’s good with that. We’re both rookies, but he’s five years older and used to all that so he’s showing me the way.

The 6’1”, 194 lb. left winger uses both his speed and size to get involved along the boards and brings with him offensive skills that will hopefully translate to the next level with 189 points over 227 junior games with Cape Breton and, for the final 27 games last season, for Drummondville.

“I’m a power forward, get the puck on net, use my speed. That’s the new way of hockey. If you look

WNYHockeyReport.com

at teams like Chicago or LA they have big, power forwards who can skate, so they’re looking for that and hopefully I can bring my game to the next level. Things in the league are going that way, so that’s why I think they (Buffalo) traded for me.”

NEWS AND NOTES: The team inducted Chris Taylor into the Amerks Hall of Fame on Jan. 10. The former team captain and current assistant coach for the Amerks, will become the 56th member of the exclusive club. Taylor enjoyed a 19-year professional career including parts of nine seasons with the Amerks between 1999 and 2011.

Taylor finished his career ranked among the franchise’s all-time leaders in assists (3rd, 339), games played (4th, 519), points (5th, 481) and goals (10th, 142). A member of the Amerks’ 50th Anniversary Team, Taylor is also a three-time Amerks team MVP and scoring champion (2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05) and is the only player in franchise history to achieve those two feats in the same season on three occasions.

Former Amerks Bronco Horvath and Art Stratton will among the Class of 2015 inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame and honored as part of the festivities at the 2015 AHL All-Star Classic Jan. 26 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y. Horvath was a First Team AHL All-Star at center in 1956-57 after leading the Rochester Americans with 81 points in just 56 contests. He would return to Rochester to anchor one of the AHL’s most impressive dynasties.

With Horvath totaling 303 points in 258 games from 1964-68, the Amerks reached an unprecedented and unmatched four consecutive Calder Cup Finals and won three championships. Horvath earned Second Team AHL All-Star nods in 1964 and 1965. He finished his AHL career with 263 goals and 484 assists for 747 points in 666 regular-season games. He recorded 542 of those points in a Rochester Americans uniform, ranking third all-time in franchise scoring.

Stratton played with Rochester in 1973-74 and captured his second MVP award after tallying a leagueleading 71 assists and a team-high 95 points.

Sabres draft picks J.T. Compher (Michigan) and Hudson Fasching (Minnesota) were part of Team USA at the recent World Juniors along with Sam Reinhart– Team Canada and Victor Olofsson–Team Sweden (2014 seventh round).

Zac Dalpe’s younger brother, Ben, plays for Clarkson University and Zach attended his Nov. 22 game against Princeton. It was the first time in 7 years that he has seen his younger brother play.

Tom Branden

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Award of Excellence Tom Branden was the recipient of the USAH President’s Award of Excellence which was presented to him Sunday January 18, 2015 in Orlando Florida at the USAH winter meeting.

USA Hockey President Ron DeGregorio honored Tom with the award recognizing his outstanding leadership, dedication, contributions and service to youth hockey, USAH and NY hockey stating, “Tom has given tirelessly to registration, member services and most importantly to the game. He has gone above and beyond expectations on behalf of USAH in promoting our sport”.

appointed USAH Associated Registrar in 1994 where he served for 6 years before his promotion to USAH District Registrar for NY in 2000. Tom has also managed the Empire State Hockey teams over the years and is an integral part of the player development for NY. Additionally, he is a level 4 coach, has taken many of the age specific module training, has been a team leader and has traveled with the U20 National Team overseas.

Tom has been involved with many aspects of the game, and has seen it develop into the sport we know now. In his second term as the chair of the registrars section, Tom has embraced and assisted in the transition to the new web based registry which is making registration and the duties of the registrar much easier. He will continue assisting USAH in long term planning, centralizing data and using technology to further evolve the role of the registrar.

Currently he is serving on the board of the Buffalo Sled Vets and when he is not working on something administratively for hockey you can find him at HARBORCENTER assisting with tournaments and providing guidance to the next generation of hockey volunteers.

Tom Branden started in hockey in 1987 when his son Mark began playing in the Buffalo Regals House Program.

It did not take long for the club to recognize his leadership, talents and his willingness to volunteer and get involved.

Over the next 14 years, he served as manager for various teams, board member and assisted with tournaments, local hockey events and fund raisers with both the Regals and Saints hockey clubs. He broadened his horizons as a board member of the Empire West Hockey League before being

Even though Tom Branden has never played the game, his impact over the last 28 years has been tremendous. His leadership, dedication and passion to this great game, along with the countless volunteer hours, administrative skills, the instilling of direction and mentorship in whatever he does to help the hockey community, the game and most importantly the players, is above all others.

Congratulations to Tom on the reception of this prestigious award and recognition of all his efforts.

WNYHockeyReport.com

The President’s Award is selected by USA Hockey President, Ron DeGregorio. Since 2008, these awards have been presented at the USA Hockey Annual Congress and the Winter Meeting.

The award is presented to an individual who has performed outstanding service and dedication to USA Hockey.

Midwest Prep

29

“Raiding” the HarborCenter

St. Francis brings the Midwest Prep League (all of it) to Buffalo

by Michael Mroziak Michael@wnyhockeyreport.com

It hasn’t taken long for word of one of Western New York’s newest attractions to travel beyond the region. Already gaining high praise in its inaugural winter, Buffalo’s HarborCenter served as the site for the Midwest Prep Hockey League Showcase Weekend, from January 2 to January 4.

For the host team, MPHL member St. Francis High School prep hockey, it was an opportunity to not only show off Buffalo’s new hockey gem to their MPHL peers but also, in turn, give Western New Yorkers a taste of the competition that comes at the prep school level.

The idea was born during the middle of last season, when the HarborCenter was not yet finished but already raising eyebrows within the local hockey community.

Scott Diebold, the Director of Hockey for St. Francis and head coach of the school’s varsity prep team, knew he wanted to get his program somehow involved with the new facility.

“With the information on the Youth Development Program from the HarborCenter, I was all-in with both our Red Raider and high school programs,” said Diebold

in written correspondence with WNYHR. “In February 2014, at the Midwest Prep Hockey League (season closing) meetings, there were discussions on adding a fifth MPHL weekend to strengthen the importance of the league and schedule. I proposed to the MPHL for that added weekend to be played at the HarborCenter in Buffalo. It’s centrally located, a great value, a state-of-the-art facility and a great way to introduce Division I prep high school hockey on behalf of the MPHL and St. Francis High School.”

The pitch was successful and shortly into the new year, all 10 member teams of the MPHL were in Buffalo to skate in the showcase weekend.

Unfortunately for the Red Raiders, they couldn’t pick up any wins in their five games but a majority of those contests were closely fought. St. Francis opened against the Alberta-based Edge School on the morning of Jan. 2, falling 3-2 to their guests. Mark Bevilacqua and Jon Dantonio scored for St. Francis, while Peyton Zern made 20 stops in net.

Next up for the Red Raiders were Toronto-based St. Michael’s, who jumped out to a 3-0 lead before Bryan Zurowski got St. Francis on the scoreboard. Ryan Pakulski made 25 saves for the Red Raiders.

Zern was back in net for the Red Raiders’ first game on Jan. 3, a morning tilt versus Rice Memorial High School. The Vermont-based side edged their hosts, 1-0, with Zern making 22 stops. Later in the evening, Ridley College handed St. Francis a 6-3 defeat. Jake Kaempf, Matt Johnson and Dantonio tallied the goals for St. Francis.

The team finished out its Showcase schedule with a

WNYHockeyReport.com

5-0 loss to quebec-based Stanstead College on Sunday, Jan. 4.

During the weekend, St. Francis honored six of its seniors for their commitment to the hockey program: Dantonio, Pakulski, Zachary Matecki, Pat Roberts, Nick Ferrino and Cullen Kane.

While the Showcase focused on showing off downtown Buffalo’s newest hockey asset and introducing some local fans to the MPHL, the league’s junior varsity squads were skating at Leisure Rinks in West Seneca at the firstever John Bowers Invitational.

“We did this in conjunction with the MPHL weekend as to give the teams in our league that have B teams or JV teams the opportunity to experience and compete against other top prep schools,” explained Diebold.

The Red Raiders JV team had better luck on the ice, opening with a 4-3 win over Blyth Academy, followed by 2-1 overtime wins on Jan. 3 over Loyola Academy and the Edge School. The Red Raiders faced the Edge again on Sun., Jan. 4 and again shut out their guests, 3-0, to win the inaugural tournament.

St. Francis’varsity prep team, at the end of the showcase at HarborCenter, sat in third place in the MPHL’s Malloy Division with two wins, nine losses and three ties but an overall record of four wins, 15 losses, four ties and one overtime loss. The team was still in contention to earn a bye in the first round of the MPHL’s playoffs.

You can follow the league, which concludes its regular season schedule in January, at themphl.stats. pointstreak.com.

Buffalo Jr Sabres

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Junior Sabres Updates 13U NHL Cup Story

Stellar goaltending by Robert Nuchereno and Connor Hasley as well as balanced scoring from several players led the Jr. Sabres to victory in the tournament.

11U Harborcenter Cup Champions

The Buffalo Jr. Sabres Pee Wee Minor team won the inaugural Harbor Center Cup Tournament this past weekend

The Buffalo Jr. Sabres 13 u team was victorious in the 2014 NHL Youth Cup over the weekend. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were host for the second annual NHL Youth Cup which featured 9 NHL affiliated AAA amateur hockey programs across 6 different age groups. The weekend showcased a plethora of hockey talent across the country.

The tournament featured AAA youth programs affiliated with several other NHL clubs, including the Columbus Blue Jackets, the New York Rangers, the New Jersey Devils, the New York Islanders, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Buffalo Sabres, the Nashville Predators and the Washington Capitals.

An additional 16 teams will also be participating in Pittsburgh, hosted by the NHL’s Penguins.

“This tournament really shows the commitment the National Hockey League and its Members Clubs have to the growth of hockey here in our country,”said Comcast-Spectacor Vice President of Rink Management and Development Pat Ferrill. “It truly is amazing to see the ever-growing number of players competing in our region, as well as their quality of play. Our (hockey) market continues to develop and we’re proud to host this terrific tournament and to help the NHL spread its good will into our community.”

with a 4-1 record. The first game saw the Jr. Sabres beat the Southern Tier Admirals 8-4. Colin Vassallo had two goals along with Payton Fogarty, Ryan Young, Sean Cochran, Gabriel Lunn and Mason Lacivita with one goal each. Dominic Cassillo also scored a key goal with 7 seconds remaining in the second period and also had a beautiful assist on the Lunn goal. Joseph Ceccato led the team with 3 assists.

The Jr. Sabres struggled to find the back of the net in the second game with a loss to the Rochester Americans. The final score was 3-0 Rochester.

The second days first game saw the Jr. Sabres play a solid game and win against the Webster Cyclones 6-0. The goal scorers were Ty Broad (2), Ryan Young, Colin Vassallo, Patrick Cole and Payton Fogarty. Brady Hildreth lead the team with 3 assists. Dillon Murphy would secure the shut out for Buffalo with key saves and solid rebound control.

After making the cross-overs the Jr. Sabres would take on the powerhouse Elgin Middlesex team in what was an epic battle of two determined teams. The team from Elgin Middlesex wound up taking 5 tripping and 1 hooking penalty to try and slow down the speed and playmaking of the Buffalo squad. Ty Broad would score a hat trick in the third period to catapult the Jr. Sabres to victory. Joseph Ceccato would score two goals along with one goal apiece by Colin Vassallo, Payton Fogarty and a highlight reel goal by Mason Lacivita.

The Championship game would be a rematch between the Jr. Sabres and the Rochester Americans. This time the Buffalo squad would not be denied in what could be described as a dominant defensive game by Buffalo. Goals by Ty Broad, Patrick Cole and Ryan Young would be all that the Jr. Sabres needed to beat the Americans 3-1. The Buffalo team played with great poise throughout this tough battle holding the 27th ranked Rochester team to one goal.

Colin Vassallo would wind up 3rd overall in the tournament with 8 points while Ty Broad would be the 2nd leading goal scorer with 6 and Brady Hildreth would lead all tournament players in assists with 6. However, the tournament could not have been won without the stellar play of the defense and goaltending. The Buffalo defense was lead by captain Ryan Young along with the stellar play of Matthew Despirt.

The defense has come a long way with improved defensive zone coverage and an offensive spark with players Jeremy McDonald, Aidan Ballotin, Liam Lesakowski, Jackson Huntley and Sean Cochran. The goaltending of Cameron Kuntar (Championship Game MVP) was outstanding throughout the tournament.

After the tournament Coach Rutherford said “The credit goes to the boys for playing their hearts out throughout the tournament. This team has come a long way from the beginning of the season. The boys are really buying into our team philosophies. I am very proud of each and everyone of our players.”

Welcome to HARBORCENTER! Same Griffs! New Nest!

Upcoming Home Game:

Canisius Golden Griffins

Sat, Feb 21 Mercyhurst 7:35 pm

For tickets visit GoGriffs.com or call 716-888-2885 GoGriffs.com WNYHockeyReport.com

Future Sabres

31

Future Sabres: Justin Bailey

by Warren Kozireski Warren@wnyhockeyreport.com Justin Bailey had ties to Buffalo before he even realized that hockey was his calling instead of following in his father, former Buffalo Bills linebacker Carlton’s footsteps. He and his mother lived in the same condo complex as Matthew Peca, Matthew Barnaby and Rob Ray. And the Sabres second round selection (52nd overall) in the 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft and former Buffalo Regals player also found former Sabres Pat Lafontaine, who coached him to a 2012 Under-16 national title with the Long Island Royals midget team while allowing the youngster to live with his family.

Fast forward several years and Bailey is in his final junior hockey season now in Sault Ste. Marie after a January trade from Kitchener, where he was the leading scorer.

“There is always room for improvement,” Bailey said in early January. “A couple of times I had grade A chances that I didn’t execute, but overall I’m doing all I can to help the team. I had a good start and now I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Part of that was the disappointment at not making Team USA for the 2015 World Junior tournament.

“My end goal is not to be a world junior hockey player, but an NHL hockey player with a long career, but I think I deserved to be on that team 100%. I don’t think I’m trying to prove them wrong as much as playing my game and maybe they’ll look back and see what could have been if I was on that team.”

Bailey would have brought his 6’3”, 202 lb. frame to the World Junior team and, as the tournament played out, Team USA could have used his big body to control play a little more in the corners and along the boards. But he is now part of the

Greyhounds build up to compete for a Memorial Cup this spring.

“That’s how it is in the NHL, get it deep and getting on the body. There are times where I could be a little more physical, but I think that’s part of the learning process for me.”

The Sabres, and likely the Rochester Americans, may be wise to consider using Bailey on any future shootouts as he stood among the league leaders in shootout goals as of early January.

Prior to the 2013 draft, The Hockey News Draft Preview had one anonymous scout say about Bailey that “if he can become the sum of his parts, he’ll be a home run pick. If not, he’ll be a prospect on a longer curve with lots of upside.”

“I had a really good summer working out with the Sabres and that paid off for me huge in the beginning of the year,” Bailey said about his brief time in Sabres prospect camp.

“I think every summer I get bigger and stronger because obviously every kid who is 19 can add more size so hopefully when I play in the NHL I’ll have another 10-15 lbs. on me.

“My first year (summer camp) was an eye-opener. I just got drafted and I’m kind of the new guy. I worked all summer with the Sabres and I grew pretty close to some of the guys.

My first year was just kind of an experience and my second year (summer) my goal was to make the team. That was my

mindset and I felt a lot more comfortable knowing a lot of the guys and now I’m just looking forward to next year.

“I was a huge Sabres and Max Afinogenov and Daniel Briere fan and being lucky enough to be drafted by my hometown team adds a bit of motivation for me. When that day comes, I’m sure it will be a special one.”

The top trio of that 2013 draft—defensemen Nikita Zadorov and Rasmus Ristolainen in the first round and Bailey with an early second round selection—may prove to be part of the future core of the team.

Good thing for the Sabres and their fans that not too many Buffalo Bills lived in that condo complex.

40th Anniversary Dippin’ Dots Spring Hockey League Dippin’ Dots Spring Hockey League is now accepting registrations for the Spring 2015 Season.

The league is open to both Boys and Girls.

Beginner, Intermediate (House) & Advanced (Travel) Players.

NO PRICE INCREASE FROM 2014 SEASON!

Call 716-685-3660 or register on-line @ holidayrinks.com

• 10 Game Minimum.

• Dippin’ Dots SPRING HOCKEY LEAGUE jersey.

• Every skater is guaranteed an equal opportunity to play with equal ice time.

• The league is designed for ALL players to have FUN and at the same time improve their skills in Skating and Team Play.

• All divisions will receive a FREE Player Evaluation-Rating session as part of the program.

WNY’S HOCKEY HEADQUARTERS • SINCE 1972 WNYHockeyReport.com

Senior Hockey

32

From the Barstool: Senior hockey notes

by Michael Mroziak Michael@wnyhockeyreport.com

As I see it, there are two ways you can cope with the bittercold weather in Western New York at this time of year.

You can join the countless ranks of whiners who spend day after day on social media posting pictures of tropical settings and, as if you haven’t already made the point in your last six or seven postings over the previous two hours, complain once again about how much you hate the snow (in fairness, I suppose this is simply more economical than shutting up and moving to Florida, but boy does it get boring after a short while).

Or, you can get to the rink and enjoy one of the wonders of the season. My feeling is that if you’re reading this, you’re mostly falling in the latter category.

Admittedly, it’s not fun having to brush snow off the windshield and scrape frost off the glass and then carefully navigate through tricky road conditions. The payoff, though, is taking just a moment to see the snowflakes in the air as you hold your sticks in one arm, equipment bag hanging over your shoulder, and feeling like a kid again, even if just for a few minutes.

With numerous adult leagues at the midway points of their respective seasons, it’s nice to see so many others still appreciating that every season in Western New York has something to offer.

That does it for my little barstool sermon. Let’s get caught up on some brief notes from around the latenight leagues, shall we?

In the meantime, if you’re a league manager who has some interesting news from your league or wish to advise teams and players about upcoming seasons or tournaments, let us help you spread the word! Send your items to info@wnyhockeyreport.com.

CORNERSTONE ARENA The new ice complex in Lockport got its inaugural adult hockey season underway in early November with a four-team league that plays on Sundays, with one or two rare Saturday games on the schedule.

With the league and arena off to a successful start, plans are already underway to host two adult leagues in the spring and summer months, beginning in April.

The Adult Open League will feature a 15-game season that plays on Mondays, with the exception of Memorial Day and Independence day weekends. The open league is scheduled to begin April 13 and continue through August 4, with the playoffs running on Aug. 8 and 9.

The arena will also host an adult Over 30 summer league on Sundays, consisting of a 12-game schedule that begins April 12 and continues through July 12.

Playoffs will be held the weekend of July 18-19.

Registration is open to both teams and individuals. For more information, email Hockey Director Tom Dockery at tdockery@cornerstoneicearena.com.

As for the current season, the four-team first-year league was at its midway point in January, though it had a couple of breaks in the schedule. The league did

not play the weekend of January 17-18 due to a junior hockey showcase being hosted at Cornerstone. The league will also not play the first weekend in February due to Super Bowl Sunday – as much as Western New York adult hockey players love their ice time, they also love a good party.

BILL GRAY’S REGIONAL ICEPLEX The Iceplex Adult Hockey League (IAHL) offers C and D division leagues as well as what they bill as a “never ever” league. These were, according to the website www. theiahl.com, slated to get underway early into the new year.

DWYER ARENA Pot O’ Gold was sitting atop the standings in mid January with an 11-1 record through a dozen games.

In second place were Sharks With Lasers (kudos for the creativity of this name) at 8-3-1. The regular season for this nine-team league continues through the end of February.

Clicking on the league’s online suspension list we discovered it was an empty list. Nice job keeping it clean, folks!

HARBORCENTER If you attended the Buffalo Bandits indoor lacrosse home opener in early January, chances are you may have come across one or two fools walking up Washington Street in downtown Buffalo, carrying hockey gear and walking against the flow of the vast majority of pedestrians.

Adult Beginner Clinics

Learn to Skate and Learn to Play Clinics Our Adult Beginner Classes are for NEW skaters or for those who have not skated in a while.

• The Clinics will end with 2 Scrimmage games.

• Skates, Ice Hockey Helmet, Gloves and a Stick are required.

• Full equipment recommended if you have it.

6 Sessions Only $99

Call 716-685-3660 or register on-line @ holidayrinks.com

DATES

CO-ED CLASS

MON. 3/30 MON. 4/6 MON. 4/13 MON. 4/20 MON. 4/27 MON. 5/4

7:30 - 8:45pm 7:30 - 8:45pm 7:30 - 8:45pm 7:30 - 8:45pm 7:30 - 8:45pm 7:30 - 8:45pm

All Sessions are @ Leisure Rinks in Orchard Park/West Seneca.

WNY’S HOCKEY HEADQUARTERS • SINCE 1972 WNYHockeyReport.com

WOMEN’S ONLY 8:45 - 10:00pm 8:45 - 10:00pm 8:45 - 10:00pm 8:45 - 10:00pm 8:45 - 10:00pm 8:45 - 10:00pm

Senior Hockey Admittedly, I was one of those fools.

In its first year of operation, one cannot say enough good things about the HarborCenter. It’s a beautiful facility which has more than proven itself in recent weeks with events including the IIHF Women’s U18 championship, the Midwest Prep Hockey League Showcase (see elsewhere in this edition for more), Canisius and Buffalo Jr. Sabres home games and many other hockey events. And that’s not even mentioning the convenient trip downstairs to the 716 bar/restaurant or specialized Tim Hortons within the same building.

That being said, it doesn’t mean HarborCenter hasn’t had a few minor kinks in its first year, from the average joe’s perspective. This is not an attempt to bash the building or its staff (far from it - I’ll say again how absolutely impressed I am by the place). There are a few things HC adult league players will have to take into account, including the potential for extra traffic downtown on any given night when the Sabres or Bandits may be hosting a game.

If your team plays on such a night, the best thing to do is, if you can help it, get to the HarborCenter very early.

When the Sabres or Bandits play, police will close off a few blocks near HC and First Niagara Center to allow for pedestrians. My ‘day job’ didn’t allow me to arrive early on the Bandits’ opening night, so I needed to park near Coca Cola Field and lug the gear. Lesson learned.

As for the adult hockey, being in their first year the HarborCenter’s leagues include a few mismatches - some teams have quickly established their selves as worthy of a higher division while others have perhaps been overmatched. Other leagues have historically reshuffled divisions to create more parity and, in turn, keep the playing (and paying) customers satisfied. I cannot speak on behalf of HC but now that there’s a better idea of who can really play at what level, I wouldn’t be surprised if the league’s divisions look much different next season.

If you’re curious about the leagues, the stats and standing are available online. Go to harborcenter. com, follow the “Rinks” link and then click on the “Seneca

HAHL” link.

HOLIDAY-LEISURE RINKS The Old Tyme Hockey League at Holiday and Leisure Rinks recently crowned their Fall 2014 Weekend regular season champions.

The Purple Parrots were winners of the Atlantic Division while the Trashers were crowned regular season winners in the Pacific Division.

The Weekend league is now into its Winter 2015 schedule.

Weeknight leagues, meanwhile, remain mid-season at the C, C3 and C4, Novice and Bald Eagle levels. Game schedules are posted online through the end of January at holidayrinks.com. Follow the appropriate links to the Molson OTHL for more information.

OTHLEA One of the hazards of playing in an outdoor setting is that the weather can wreak havoc on your schedule.

The first couple weeks of the Old Tyme Hockey League of East Aurora season saw numerous delays because the weather was too warm to sustain quality ice.

In early January, it was wintry weather’s turn to postpone some games, as lake effect snow made driving too treacherous for games scheduled on January 9.

In between, though, the league – which is slightly contracted from last season – has seen a couple of teams emerge as early contenders. The Jets, whose captain passed away unexpectedly last summer, held a 9-2 record through early January and for the moment were also the OTHLEA’s most offensively productive team. The Red Wings, though, were right behind them in second place with a retooled roster that brings more firepower this season.

Tied for second in points (18) with the Wings were the Ducks, with the Canadiens in fourth place trailing by just one point.

This is a league, however, where the playoff champs have not necessarily sat atop the regular season

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33

standings. Last year’s champions, the North Stars, were fourth-place finishers in the regular season and then aided by some playoff upsets before winning the Lord Manly Cup in a close battle against the Blackhawks.

Don’t be surprised if, when the playoffs roll around in mid February, we see a few more playoff surprises in this league this time, too.

To follow the league, go to othlea.com.

PERFORMAX HOCKEY LEAGUE How big has the Performax League become? You can take in their games in no fewer than three local rinks.

The Northtown Center at Amherst remains its traditional hub. However, the busy schedule at the four-rink facility has required the Performax League to schedule some of their games at nearby Brighton Rink in Tonawanda and at the Cheektowaga Town Rink.

The league’s numerous divisions can be followed by logging on to performaxhockey.com, then following the link at the very top of the page to access the its Pointstreak sites.

THOMAS CREEK ICE ARENA Adult hockey is one of the constants at Thomas Creek Arena, with leagues ranging from A to D and from novice to Over 50, virtually every weeknight. The “NHL” and Over 50 leagues began in mid December and will run 12-game schedules, while the A through D divisions have been underway since September.

Organizers have been updating the standings online weekly. Those standings can be found on the adult hockey link at tcice.com.

NOTES OF DISCLOSURE: The Old Tyme Hockey League of East Aurora (OTHLEA) and Old Tyme Hockey League based at Holiday & Leisure Rinks are either operated or sponsored by the same ownership which publishes this edition. Additionally, the columnist is a participant in the OTHLEA and HarborCenter leagues.

Rochester Jr Americans

34

Rochester Jr Americans Carville Commits to Hobart College

Junior Americans Rack up USPHL Player of the Week Honors

The Rochester Junior Americans and Rochester Youth Hockey are proud to announce that defenseman Bryan Carville has committed to play collegiate hockey for Hobart College for the 2015-2016 season.

Carville, a Rochester native and member of the Junior Americans USPHL Premier Division team, has ten points through 34 games this season, tied for team lead among defenders, while his nine assists lead all defensemen on the Premier team.

November and December saw Junior Americans players win 11 different players of the week honors from the USPHL. Six Rochester Junior Americans players were selected as USPHL Players of the Week for the week ending November 2nd, sweeping all three Player of the Week honors in both the 18U and 16U divisions, while five Rochester Junior Americans players were selected as USPHL Players of the Week for the week ending December 14th sweeping the honors in the 16U Division, while taking two of the honors in the 18U Division.

For the 16U team, Matt Palmer (F), Adam Kolcon (D), and Dylan Wiemer (G) were honored in November, while Nick Thompson (F), Kolcon, and Matt Arcoraci (G) took the honors in December. Austin Pieniaszek (F), Chris Perna (D), and Alex Johnston (G) took the awards in November for the 18U squad, with Matt Culot (F) and Tom Ritchie (D) taking the honors in December.

In total, Junior Americans players have been named USPHL Player of the Week on 14 occasions in the 20142015 season.

Many former Rochester Junior Americans have found success in the college ranks this season.

Riley Bourbonnais scored his first career goals for RPI in a 6-1 victory over defending national champions Union College on October 31st. Bourbonnais netted a hat trick for the Engineers and was named the ECAC Player of the Week for his efforts.

Bryan Carville

Carville has progressed through the local youth hockey system all the way through juniors. As a youth he played for Rochester Youth Hockey before joining the Junior Americans program. With the Junior Americans, Carville advanced up from the Empire and Elite junior teams to the Premier team this season.

“Bryan has been great for us over the past two seasons,” said head coach Craig Macdonald. “Hobart is a great fit for him and we expect that he’ll be as valuable at Hobart as he is for our team.”

With his commitment, Carville becomes the fifth Junior Americans player in the last three years to join the Hobart program. Carville will be reunited with former Rochester teammates Tyler Hanzlik, Jonathan Neal, Bobby Sokol, and Tyler Wolf with the Statesmen.

Hobart College, located in Geneva, NY, competes in the ECAC West. The Statesmen won the ECAC West championship in 2012 and currently sit atop the conference with an 8-4-0 record this season.

The Rochester Junior Americans are members of the United States Premier Hockey League, with teams in the USPHL 16U & 18U midget divisions, and in the USPHL Empire and Premier junior divisions. The Junior Americans 16U and 18U teams are partnered with Rochester Youth Hockey. In its 2013-2014 inaugural season, the USPHL had well in excess of 150 participants that went on to play collegiate hockey, making it the clear leader in the East to help aspiring players reach their collegiate goals.

assist in a victory over Neumann on November 24th.

Janzen is in his first season at Nazareth after scoring 15 goals and notching 26 assists last season as a member of the Junior Americans Elite team.

Bourbonnais, a native of Rochester, played for the Junior Americans Empire team from 2009-2011, scoring 34 goals during the 2009-2010 season.

Two Junior Americans alumni both took home ECAC West Rookie of the Week honors in November.

Tyler Wolf was named the ECAC West Rookie of the Week for the week ending November 2nd.

The Hobart freshman earned the award after scoring his first collegiate goal in the Statesmen’s season opening 3-1 win over Brockport.

The Naperville, Illinois native spent the previous three seasons in the Junior Americans program, scoring 39 goals and recording 66 assists while wearing a Rochester sweater.

Oliver Janzen of Nazareth was named the ECAC West Rookie of the Week for the week ending November 23rd.

Janzen, a native of Denver, Colorado, scored a goal and registered an assist in a win over Manhattanville on November 21st, and followed that with an

www.ryhockeytournaments.com

WNYHockeyReport.com

Excelsior Sports

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Excelsior Sports Prep Schools Hockey Prospects

By Michael Mroziak To coaches and scouts from college hockey programs, what they see on the ice is only part of their decision-making process when choosing players for their respective programs. They also want to know how well the prospects will perform in the classroom. That’s because with scholarships worth tens of thousands of dollars to give out, those scholarships are hardly chump change and what the coaches are really doing with that money is essentially investing in a student-athlete.

Some rising hockey players leave home to enroll in private schools, where they pursue their diploma while developing their hockey skills with the hope of getting an invitation to the collegiate level. Since last year, Excelsior Sports Prep has allowed Rochester-area student-athletes to pursue both under one banner, but closer to home.

“Excelsior was inspired by the opportunity to give the student-athlete an alternative option that would allow them to focus on school and sport without sacrificing time or energy for either,” said Mike Condello, Excelsior’s education administrator. “It’s an opportunity for the student-athlete to really take control of their future in both regards.”

Excelsior is open to students in grades 6 through 12. Unlike some upstate institutions like Northwood Prep and National Sports Academy, where the studentathlete lives at the school while pursuing his or her studies and sports, most Excelsior students currently commute from home (there are a few students, according to Condello, from outside the Rochester area who live with host families during the academic

year). Though there’s no formal on-campus residency, the mission is similar to their upstate prep school counterparts.

“Our approach is one where the students can still have an active home life while perfecting their sport and striving for academic success,” said Condello. “The opportunities to participate with a USPHL team give our students a leg up, so to speak.”

That United State Premier Hockey League team is the Rochester Junior Americans, with whom Excelsior is affiliated and allows its students to develop their hockey.

Excelsior’s own hockey program, according to its website, adheres to USA Hockey’s ADM development model guidelines, putting their younger players through training which improves agility, coordination and other skills while keeping the fun in their training. Cross-ice training and games are part of the development.

What the school does not expect to do in the near future, though, is run its own team, as Condello explained.

“I believe the partnership with the Amerks longterm is a great option because the on-ice individual daily training the students receive is directly from the coaches and instructors in our elite programs,” said Condello. “There is the old saying that says to be the best you need to surround yourself with the best and learn from the best.

“If the school grows, opportunities may arise for a full team, but not at the expense of the great instruction and knowledge our students receive daily.”

As for the education provided by the academy? Like

other schools, Excelsior educates their students with Common Core standards.

“Our curriculum and courses are nationally accredited. A diploma from our course work is the same as any local high school,” said Condello. “Students have the opportunity to prepare for SATs, or ACT. The only difference is our gripping use of technology and the embracing of athletic improvement and progress as well.”

In his role at Excelsior, Condello puts in a busy day handling many facets of the institution.

“I facilitate the daily schedule, curricular progress for each individual student as well cultural enhancement and opportunities, not to mention dealing with things like goal-setting as well as nutrition. I am also lucky enough to be the Trainer at Athletic Republic, which handles the off-ice training. So I facilitate the speed, power, and agility training for the student athletes as well.”

Families have opportunities to explore Excelsior to determine whether it is a right fit for their hockey playing member. The school hosts ‘shadow days’ during which they meet with faculty and undergo an academic orientation, undergo a strength and conditioning session and then join other prospective students for lunch.

The school also plans some open houses, though these were not yet posted on Excelsior’s website (excelsior.weebly.com) at press time.

For more information, contact Condello at 585-7557354 or email him at mcondello@athleticrepublicteam. com.

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• Squirt House (or MOHL) teams only, no Select or “Travel Tryout” teams • Guaranteed 3 Games, 10-10-12 minute periods with no curfew • Change on the fly, no horn for shift changes • Medals for 1st and 2nd place To hold a spot send a • Free admission for spectators $100 check payable to: • $500 per team

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College Club

37

College Club: Season’s bullish so far for UB

by Michael Mroziak Michael@wnyhockeyreport.com

There’s not a lot of news to offer this month, as college club hockey was pretty much shut down at press time. Campuses were either still in their midwinter breaks or just starting their new semesters.

However, things were looking up for the University at Buffalo’s club hockey program as of mid January.

At press time, the Bulls sat atop the North East Collegiate Hockey League’s standings with an 18-4 record.

Bobby Piotrowicz, Michael Schalberg and Brenden Robinson were tied for the team lead in goals with 12 each. Piotrowicz led the team alone in overall scoring, with his 21 assists (also first on the team) giving him a total 33 points in 22 games played.

In second place in the NECHL (an affiliate of the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s Division I) were Syracuse University at 15-7 with one overtime loss.

Niagara University ranked third at 13-4 while Canisius trailed in fourth at 10-14.

St. Bonaventure sat in ninth with a 1-9 record.

AMERICAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION Elsewhere in the ACHA ranks, Fredonia State ranked 11th in the 36-team ACHA Division 3 Atlantic division with an overall record of 9-4-1.

The University at Buffalo women’s club team, in Division 2, sat in fourth place with 20 points as of press time.

WOMEN’S CLUB Niagara University women’s club hockey was set to return for the spring semester and resume their hockey schedule with a January 30 trip to Brockport.

Although at press time their website was missing some game results, you can check out their upcoming schedule at clubsports.niagara.edu. *** More information about the local club teams competing under the ACHA can be found at achahockey.org. You can follow the NCHA at ncha.us.

NATIONAL COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION Checking in with local colleges who compete in leagues under the NCHA umbrella…

The University at Buffalo, thanks to an 8-2 run in their previous 10 games, sat in second place in the Upstate NY Collegiate Hockey League’s West Division at an 8-3 record, trailing first-place St. John Fisher, which held an 11-2 record through mid January. D’Youville, at 3-7, sat in fourth place in the division.

Tim Hortons Backyard Classic Returns for 7th Year

by Michael Mroziak Michael@wnyhockeyreport.com

There are two things always plentiful in Western New York during the winter months: coffee and outdoor hockey. For the seventh year, one of the most popular coffee brands in the region is putting its name on an annual outdoor hockey tournament, all to get folks on the ice while raising funds for two local causes.

The Tim Hortons Backyard Classic is scheduled to run, weather permitting, on the weekend of January 24-25 behind The Angry Buffalo At The Rose Garden, 2753 Wehrle Drive in Williamsville (east of Transit, between the golf dome and Epic Center).

“Joe David, owner of the Angry Buffalo at the Rose Garden and I met through a mutual friend. I had been to the bar-restaurant many times in the past and thought it would bring a great ‘backyard feel’ which is the heart and soul of pond hockey,” said tournament director Chris Taggart. “Many people often ask me, ‘why don’t we go to HarborCenter or Riverworks?’ My answer is always, you don’t get that true pond hockey backyard feel.”

The tournament was inspired, Taggart explained, after a local television station featured a group of local high school friends, including Tim Hortons Backyard Classic founder Nick Penberthy, who had played backyard hockey at a private home and then donated $200 to Hasek’s Heroes.

The Tim Horton Backyard Classic, which was first played in backyards before later moving to its current home, still raises funds for not-for-profit causes.

Proceeds raised at this year’s tournament will support Upstate New York Transplant Services (UNYTS) and the Buffalo Sabres Youth Sled Hockey Foundation.

The tournament has drawn players of various age and skill levels, including college hockey players, and will do so again this year.

“I can remember the first year that I partnered with Nick, when the tournament was still in our backyards, we had 14 future D1 players skating on the two backyard rinks,” said Taggart. “Since then many, many future and now current D1 College Hockey players have participated.

The Classic uses full-sized nets and goaltenders, thus making it more challenging for players to just flick the puck on a shorter but open net.

“We have Tim Bits (5U) up to Mites (8U) through high school and adult divisions, both recreational and competitive. This gives kids and adults from all levels of talent from Western New York and Southern Ontario a chance to compete in their age and talent groups.”

The rinks were set up in December by Pace Landscaping and Rinks, which is involved with the Classic for its third year.

“We thought it was a great opportunity to not only showcase our services but we were also excited about giving back to the community,” said the company’s Michael Pace, who has become quite experienced over the years with setting up outdoor rinks of all sizes.

“Each rink has its own uniqueness,” Pace said. “We have done rinks for country clubs, schools and businesses as well as many people throughout Western New York.

We even did the Labatt Pond Hockey Tournament

WNYHockeyReport.com

three years ago where we built nine rinks right on the waterfront in Buffalo.”

A very popular event in its own right, one thing which has plagued the Labatt tournament – as well as other outdoor hockey events nationwide – is uncooperative weather. It’s a risk that even the Tim Horton’s Backyard Classic takes but so far, the weather has been on their side for the most part.

“Our rinks are natural,” Taggart said. “Although we have had to postpone some of our past tournament dates, we have only had to have street hockey take the place of pond hockey one out of seven years. We have had good luck and anticipate that being the case going forward.”

The long-term forecast, at press time, looked promising as the region’s frigid temperatures earlier in the month helped keep the ice in good shape. However, like they say in Buffalo, “if you don’t like the weather, just wait a few minutes.” Officials have set February 14-15 as makeup dates if the weather somehow turns unfavorable on the original dates.

One way or another, organizers are looking forward to another winter of outdoor hockey uniting friends and family, while raising some funds as well.

“There is nothing like the feel of playing outdoors with woods and neighborhoods off in the distance,” said Taggart. “Nothing beats it.”

“Watching players and families play on a traditional outdoor ice rink and the fun throughout the day is something that is most satisfying,” added Pace.

For more information, log on to timhortonsbackyardclassic.com.

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38

Amateur Athletic Union

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AAU takes Western New York by storm By offering full ice programs for all ages, a new youth ice hockey option has come to town.

AAU – Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.

each athlete a greater opportunity to learn the game of hockey, touch the puck and build speed and agility.

Many teams have opted for this and thus the growth of AAU began in this area. Planning is currently underway to expand this opportunity to all levels.

The playing rules are simple: no blue pucks (mite level), full ice (all levels), delayed offsides (all levels).

Players from Canada are welcome to play on any team without the added frustration of international paperwork.

The GNAHL has met with various youth hockey associations such as: West Seneca, Wheatfield, the Regals and the Grizzlies. Theses associations have agreed to expand their teams in all divisions from Mites to Midgets.

“This is a great opportunity for us, we will have the ability to get back to the basics of playing hockey,” said Dick Lynch, President of West Seneca youth hockey.

The President of the Regals, Mike Answeeney, added, “I believe this organization can really have a positive impact on youth hockey in this area.”

Rochester President Glenn Collins noted, “The GNAHL is providing the opportunity for everyone to play on an equal playing field.“ Tim Eldridge, President of Wheatfield, stated, “AAU and GNAHL offers an affordable alternative to the increasing costs of youth hockey today.”

A national tournament labeled as the North American Championships is now offered at all levels beginning this year with Mites being held in Minnesota, Squirts/ Pee-Wee in Niagara Falls, New York, and Bantam and Midget taking place in Barre, Ontario, Canada. These events will include Minor, Major and Mixed divisions, allowing more teams the opportunity to win a national title.

The AAU was founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sports. During its early years, the AAU served as a leader in international sport, representing the U.S. in international sports federations. The AAU worked closely with the Olympic movement to prepare athletes for the Olympic Games.

Following the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the AAU has focused its efforts into providing sports programs for all participants of all ages, beginning at the grassroots level. The philosophy of “Sports for All, Forever,” is shared by over 670,000 participants and over 100,000 volunteers.

Some of the many benefits include affiliation with one of the most respected and oldest youth amateur organizations in the United States, opportunities to participate in outstanding sporting events, and over 39 sports from which to choose! World-class insurance coverage is also included in your AAU membership along with coaches’ training and mandatory background checks for all adult members.

AAU non-athlete members also have the ability to host events by becoming a club level 2 or 3. The club level 3 membership is an easy and fast avenue to become a 501c3 not-for-profit organization as a subordinate of the AAU. AAU members also have the right to participate in the governance of the organization, work with dedicated volunteers and staff for each specific sport, and can participate in a wide variety of events across the country.

Along with the Western New York high school leagues, youth hockey for mites, squirts, pee-wees, bantams and midgets is also offered by AAU Hockey. The Greater Niagara Amateur Hockey League (GNAHL) was formed to lead the charge to make this happen. Since 2012, beginning with the mite level (8 & under), AAU Hockey allows its participants to compete on full ice, giving

If you are looking for an opportunity for your athletes to participate in AAU ice hockey, why not register your team or association under the AAU banner. Sports for All, Forever! www.aauicehockey.org Check the information.

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A positive to this is whether you are an AAU team or not, the Squirt & Pee-Wee divisions are allowing every team the opportunity to play in this event this year.

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40

GNAHL Playoffs

41

Saints win GNAHL mite major playoffs

League now prepares to host North American Championships tourney The tournament was formatted with two divisions that, organizers say, were designed to keep the weekend competitive for every team.

by Michael Mroziak Michael@wnyhockeyreport.com

The Greater Niagara Amateur Hockey League, a newer local league whose teams are affiliated with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), held its Mite Major playoff tournament the second weekend of February at Hockey Outlet in North Tonawanda.

In the end, the Buffalo Saints were crowned champions following their 6-0 win over the Wheatfield Blades, who were the regular season champs and tournament host.

In the consolation game, the West Seneca Wings, coached by Jason Kramer, skated past the Erie Jr. Outlaws by a 2-1 score.

“It was a great event,” said Blades coach Jon Zemrac.

“We had nine teams from the 2006 birth year that participated in the GNAHL this season. We broke the teams out by the top five finishers in league play and bottom four, which created two different brackets for the tourney.”

The turnout for the playoff weekend, said Zemrac, added to the excitement for this league, now only just a handful of years old.

“Hockey Outlet was rocking with parents, friends and family for each team,” he said. “We had approximately 200 people on hand for the championship game between the Saints and the Blades. There were signs for the players all over the rink with cowbells and air horns going. It was fantastic for these young 8-and-under players to experience such an atmosphere so early in their playing careers.”

The GNAHL now shifts its focus to hosting an even bigger tournament, the North American

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Championships. The league is hosting the Squirt and Pee-Wee level championships in Niagara County the weekend of March 27-29. Dwyer Arena will serve as the primary rink and, if needed, Hockey Outlet.

The weekend is expected to include a skills competition, interactive games for players and families, as well as other attractions.

“Of course AAU teams will participate but, this year being a new concept, we have reached out to teams all over the country as invited them to participate for a National Tournament,” said Brenda Eldridge, President of the GNAHL. “We now have teams coming from New York, Virginia, Michigan, Florida and Canada, with inquiries from California and Texas.”

Local teams have also been invited and Eldridge anticipated some would participate.

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