wny hockey report - march 2012

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Local Hockey Club Shaves Ice and

Heads!(Submitted by the Buffalo Regals)

The Buffalo Regals did more than shave some ice this past weekend, they shaved their heads.

Twenty hockey club boys shaved their heads in support and honor of children fighting cancer. The kids cleverly called themselves the “Top Shelf Shavers” and the funds they raised for this momentous act was donated to

Camp Good Days, a WNY nonprofit that serves the needs of children with cancer. “These boys started with a fundraising goal of $5,000. They surpassed that in just over a month and are now on the verge of tripling it!” said Lisa Donato, regional director of Camp Good Days. “We are beyond grateful to the enthusiasm, generosity, support and courage these boys have shown us.” What started out as nine children planning to go bald, turned into 20 by the time the Sunday morning event was over. Which just goes to show you what a little bit of encouragement and support from your teammates will do. Some moms were calling it “good” peer pressure! Elizabeth McCarthy, who has two sons playing hockey for the Regals, created and organized the event,. “It is so great to see youth hockey players of WNY show their support for the children of Camp Good Days. Whether they are on or off the ice, they stand as one, helping to bring smiles to some very deserving chil-dren,” she continued. The consensus in the locker rooms, ‘We have a choice to go bald, kids with cancer don’t.’ You can show your support of this hockey club and the courage and maturity it took to brave the shave by donating online by going to www.events.campgooddays.com/TopShelfShavers (or short URL: Bit.ly/TopShelf-Shavers). Funds will be accepted through the end of March, 2012. Camp Good Days and Special Times is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer. For more information about any of the programs or services, to learn about volunteer opportunities or to make a tax-deductible donation, please call 716-206-0709 or visit www.campgooddays.org*

P.O.Box 302East Aurora,NY 14052

(716) 909-2961

[email protected]

Managing PartnerIan C. Woods

Vice President, Business DevelopmentNed McDonnell

PublisherSteve Manson

Managing Editor & Senior Correspondent

Randy Schultz

Designer & PhotographerJanet Schultz

ColumnistsWarren Kozireski

Janet SchultzDave ReichertMike Mroziak

Contributing WritersJames FinkMike HaimDave Ricci

Michael Repertorio

WESTERN NEW YORK HOCKEY REPORT

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic or mechanical including photocopy and facsimile, without

permission in writing from the publisher.

WESTERN NEW YORK HOCKEY REPORT

is an equal opportunity employer.

Contents 2012Western New York

Hockey Report.All rights reserved.

THE WESTERN NEW YORK HOCKEY REPORT

is published monthly, for $15 one year or $25 two years by

Western New York Hockey Report,

P.O. Box 302, East Aurora, N.Y. 14052 Pending Periodical Postage Paid at Orchard

Park and Additional Offices. Postmaster: send address changes to Western New York Hockey Report, P.O. Box 302, East Aurora,

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Western New York Hockey Report March 2012

Tryout Dates and Times

are subject to change!

Please contact indi-vidual

organization with questions!

Call

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Molson Ice Dome WinnersBy Michael Mroziak

Think of it like an adult pond hockey tournament, but contained within a third of an ice rink. Include a lot of speed, plenty of shots on goal, back and forth breaks and, yes, some rough and tumble play in this smaller

space. That’s the Molson IceDome 4-on-4 tournament, which crowned three champions over two days at the Time Warner Classic Rink in East Aurora. The Molson IceDome tournament is similar to other local pond hockey events in terms of game format: two 15-minute halves, running clock, and possession changes for penalties instead of power plays. This event, however, uses full-sized nets instead of the traditional six-inch tall goals utilized in other tournaments. For the goalies standing in front of these nets, an event such as the Molson IceDome can feel like a non-stop drill, testing the puckstoppers at literally any moment. Some games ended in one-sided blowouts but the title games included an open division championship that needed to be settled in sudden death overtime. That happened on the night of Friday, March 10, when the Tuscany on Main Oilers scored in the extra session to edge out Certo Brothers in a back-and-forth contest. The following day saw tournament play for two divisions: the Sunday Open Division and the “OTHLEA & Friends” division. The latter was named for teams affiliated with the Old Tyme Hockey League of East Aurora (which also operates the Molson IceDome tournament) along with outside teams deemed to be of a similar level. In the Sunday open Division, the Icemen defeated the Indians in what turned out to be a more intense and often chippy contest. Hap-pening on the other end of the rink in the OTHLEA & Friends division, a team from the Niagara Falls Air Base defeated OTHLEA members Cobber’s North Stars. Along with the hockey, the beer was flowing, as teams toasted a weekend that included nice weather and perhaps some of the last hockey they’ll play on the Time Warner rink before it closes for the spring and summer months. *

Bud Bakewell Tryouts for 2012-2013All Tryouts Held at Riverside Ice Rink/Bud Bakewell Ice Rink

2607 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14207April 2nd 5-6pm Pee Wee Mixed Tier 3 Coach Carl Miller 716-491-7147 6-7pm Bantam Minor Tier 2 Coach Jay Tagliarino 716-380-9045 7-8pm Midget 15U Tier 2 Coach Bill Cline 716-465-4116/ Mark Major 716-812-8564 8-9pm Midget 18U NTB Team Di Giacomo 716-857-0330 9-11pm Midget 18 U TB and 18U TB Coach Buddy 18U NTB team same Blocho, Mgr. Ron Downen time 716-998-2869 18U NTB Team Coach Jeff Swan 716-440-5717

April 3rd 5-6pm Squirt MOHL Coach Mark Hager 716-882-4309 or email [email protected] 6-7pm Pee Wee Mixed Tier 3 7-8pm Bantam Minor Tier 2 8-9pm Midget 16 U NTB Tier 2 Coach Ronnie Wong, 480-3540 9-11pm Midget 18 U TB and 18U TB Coach Buddy 18U NTB team same Blocho, Mgr. Ron Downen time 716-998-2869 18U NTB Team Coach Jeff Swan 716-440-5717

April 4th 5-6pm Pee Wee Tier 3 6-7pm Bantam Minor Tier 2 7-8pm Midget 15 U Tier 2 8-9pm Midget 18U Tier 2 Team Di Giacomo 9-11pm Midget 18 U TB and 18U TB Coach Buddy 18U NTB team same Blocho, Mgr. Ron Downen time 716-998-2869 18U NTB Team Coach Jeff Swan 716-440-5717

April 5th 5-6pm Squirt MOHL 6-7pm Midget 15 U Tier 2 7-8pm Midget 16U NTB Tier 2 Coach TBA 8-9pm Midget 18 U NTB Team Di Giacomo 9-10pm Midget 18 U NTB Team Swan 10-11pm Midget 18 U TB Team Blocho

April 6th 6 pm Mite Mixed Travel (full ice) Coach Tony Johnson 462-1907 7-9pm Midget MOHL Coach John Garey 603-6300Tryout Costs: $10 for each on-ice session.

WANTED

Bud Bakewell Hockey is Looking for:Applications for Squirt Travel Tier 2 Coach to create a new squirt travel team, Novice/Learn to Skate Coaches and a Coordinator for 2012/2013 season. Interested parties should contact Allen Shubbuck for applications or questions!

Questions Please Call:Allen Shubbuck @ 716-913-1521 or email:

[email protected]*Releases are needed from previous organizations!


Kevin Sylvester has shown his versatility as a member of the Buffalo Sabres broadcast team. His role as a part-time play-by-play announcer for the team

has expanded significantly this season. On the nights that he is not calling the action on the ice, he continues to serve as the host for pre- and post-game shows on MSG Network’s Sabres’ broadcasts. His position as host of the tele-cast is one he has held since the 2005-2006 season. Sylvester’s career with the Sabres actually began behind the scenes rather than behind the microphone. “I’m in my seventh season with the team,” recalled Sylvester. “I started with the Sabres in April of 2005 during the lockout. Before that lockout season there was some informal discussion about becom-ing a television host. I was in between work and was hired. I had a lot of connections with college sports. They had a need to help with college sports at the arena. I was originally hired as the Director of Amateur Athletics to work with the NCAA and the local colleges. The under-standing was that once the lockout was over I would also become the television host.” Sylvester moves back and forth from host to game announcer, filling in for legendary Sabres’ voice Rick Jeanneret when he is on vacation. “I enjoy both roles immensely, but it is difficult especially going from calling play-by-play back to hosting,” explained Sylvester. “They are two com-pletely different jobs and roles.” “When I’m hosting, the lead up to the game is in-tense and it goes by quick, because of all the prep you put into that half-hour pregame show. Then the game starts and there’s time to catch your breath.” “Where as with play-by-play, I can’t wait for the game to begin. It’s intense for those two and a half hours with a little breather during the intermis-sions. That’s how the roles differ.” “I appreciate and I’m thrilled with the opportunity to fill in for Rick and call the play-by-play. I’ve done it in increments over the past four years, since he’s started taking his vacations. This year is the most I’ve done with a twenty-three game schedule.” With his play-by-play role expanding, Kevin is now calling consecutive games rather than just scattered individual contests throughout the season. The repetition of being the game announcer for periods of time has changed his perspective. “I think it’s changed my focus a bit on the game itself rather than the way I see each game when I’m hosting,” said Sylvester. “I feel a greater responsibil-ity to the fans, there is pressure there, you’re filling in for Rick Jeanneret.” “It’s a very difficult job to do and the challenge is to get things right and convey it in an accurate, articulate and entertaining way.” “I really enjoy those stints where you can get into it and go game-to-game, continued Sylvester. “It’s nice to get into the rhythm of going from night to night.” “I enjoy working with Danny Gare and Brian Duff. I think we’ve got a nice chemistry going. I think the fact that twenty-two of our twenty-three games are on the road has helped. I think the two long road trips, the one in January to the Midwest and the one to the west coast have let us get to know each other better.” “Brian and I have a lot of similar experiences in broadcasting, coming up through radio and finding our way to television.” “I’ve known Danny over the years from being Danny Gare the hockey player and working with organization. I got to know him better when he filled in for Mike Robitaille after Mike’s accident a few years ago.” Danny is a great guy, he’s very generous to work with and very encourag-

ing. He’s done it through the years and he’s a great resource for me.” Having more nights as a play-by-play man this season has helped Sylvester develop in the role and increase his confidence. “Like any player would tell you, they are better when they play with con-fidence and the only way you get confidence is through positive experience. I feel that I’m building that confidence by having positive experience.” When I announced my first game in Phoenix four years ago and had to interview Wayne Gretzky before the game, I had my nerves going through enough there. I can definitely tell you I’m more confident today than I certainly was back then.” The support of team management has helped Sylvester make the most of the opportunity. “There were several guys that previous ownership tried out and had fill in for Rick,” reflected Sylvester. “I’m just thrilled that Larry Quinn and Dan DiPofi showed some faith in me and believed in me; and the same with current ownership. They listened and put my tape up against everyone else’s and said we’re going to give this guy a shot, we like him. I gained confidence from that too.” In assuming the role Sylvester has the difficult task of pinch hitting for one of the most beloved broadcasters in Buffalo. As time has gone on, he has been able to move beyond that aspect of the assignment and just be himself. “I think I went through that in the previous seasons when I filled in,” said

Sylvester. “I realize that not everybody is going to like my call, particularly when compared to Rick. But I think most people are respectful of it.” “I don’t pay attention to it because I’m a positive person and I like to stick with the positive things in life. If someone doesn’t like the way I call a game, I can’t change that for that person. That’s their choice.” “There are probably people who don’t like how I host a show, I’m OK with that, I get that. It’s like going

to a movie. Not everybody is going to like the movie they went to see, that is what it is.” “I think the greater challenge for me is to be accurate, be entertaining and continue to build and improve in my call. That’s what my goal has been.” Many fans watching and listening have a strong connection to the work and the sound of Rick Jeanneret; but for Sylvester, it remains about doing the best job that he can. “I’m here to call the Buffalo Sabres game,” said Sylvester. “I’m here to announce the hockey game the best way I know how. I inject some of my per-sonality into it. I’m doing that more now than perhaps at the beginning of the season.” “I’ve looked to establish a base and then build from there. If I look at it as I’m filling in for Rick, I would feel like I had to be like him. I don’t look at it that way nor should I try to be like him.” Like many people in Buffalo, Sylvester is a fan of Rick Jeanneret. “Everybody likes Rick including me,” confirmed Sylvester. “He’s one of a kind, he’s a gem and we’re lucky to have him and I hope he continues on for as long as he wants to and is able to.” Some wonder why Sylvester would put himself in the position of substi-tuting for Jeanneret, but clearly he enjoys calling a National Hockey League Game. “There are plenty of people who have asked ‘Why would you want to do that’? The comment is always, you never want to be the guy who replaces a legend.” “My response is, A: I’m not replacing him, no one can replace him. B: someone has to do it, and C: who knows I might just be good. I look at a guy like John Murphy and what he’s been able to do on Buffalo Bills radio step-ping in for Van (Miller) when he retired and Murph does a great job. There are plenty of people, who certainly can’t do it, but Rick is one of a kind and most people recognize that, understand and appreciate that.” Continued on page 6

Kevin Sylvester Is Where He

Wants To Be By Dave Reichert


Continued from page 5

While Sylvester is a broadcaster for the Buffalo Sabres, he also calls the game as someone who appreciates well played hockey. “I’m not there to be a cheerleader, but I’m also the Buffalo Sabres announcer for those games,” said Sylvester. “Is the ice going to tilt in Buffalo’s favor? Sure.” “I think any broadcaster in the league will tell you that, except for the guys who are doing the national stuff, like Doc (Mike) Emrick and Dave Strader; their job is to split it down the middle. “ “But when you work for a team, the goal calls for your team are going to have a little bit more umph to them than the ones for the other team. That being said, if the opposing team makes a great play, I think as a hockey fan, as an observer, I need to convey that it was an exciting or amazing play.” Jeanneret is known for catchphrases that Sabres’ fans have grown to love. Syl-vester sees these phrases as uniquely Rick’s. “Rick has this unbelievable ability to pick the right words when a goal is scored,” explained Sylvester. “For example, the top shelf call. I can’t do top shelf where mama hides the cookies, that’s his thing and fans expect that. I need to be dif-ferent, so I don’t want to emulate his calls. That’s not fair to him, not fair to me and it’s not fair to the fans. I’m there to be me, in my style and I’ll start to inject more of that in goal calls as we go along and hopefully go along here for years to come.” Looking to the future, Sylvester would love to be the full time voice of the Sabres at some point down the road, but doesn’t feel any sense of urgency in that regard. “I wouldn’t be doing it now, if I didn’t want to do it on a full time basis. I want to be a full time play by play guy, I want to be in Buffalo, but I’m in no hurry for Rick to retire.” “I’m a Rick Jeanneret fan and I hope the fact that he’s taking his time off this season and as he has in the past; that it reenergizes him and keeps him fresh and allows him to continue. It’s his decision for when he wants to retire and his alone. He’s still great and I see him doing it for years. He deserves to make the call when the Sabres win the Stanley Cup and hopefully that happens here soon.” For now, Sylvester is looking at his responsibilities for the remainder of this season alone and not concerning himself with next season or beyond. “Nothing has been promised to me or discussed beyond this season and that’s OK,” concluded Sylvester. “Whether it happens or not, I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity than I’ve been

Division Pee Wee Minor

PeeWee Major

Bantam Minor

Bantam Major

BantamTier III

Midget16U NTB

Midget16U TB

Midget18U TB

COACH Dan Robinson Chris Usiak Jerry Sullivan Pat McDonald Tim Creighton Jim Banko Bill Waskielewicz Jim BlakeBirth Year 2001 2000 1999 1998 1998/1999 1996/1997 1996/1997 1994-1995

Date and Time Tues.4/36:00-6:50

Mon. 4/25:00-5:50

Tues.4/38:00-8:50

Mon 4/26:00-6:50

Wed.4/48:00-9:20

Wed.4/47:00-7:50

Mon.4/27:00-8:50

Mon. 4/28:30-9:30

Wed.4/45:00-5:50

Tues.4/35:00-5:50

Wed.4/46:00-6:50

Tues.4/37:00-7:50

Thurs.4/58:00-8:50

Thurs.4/57:00-7:50

Tues.4/39;00-9:50

Tues.4/310:00-10:50

All Cazenovia Park Hockey Association tryouts are $10.00. All players from other organizations must have a 2011-2012 release and a copy of their Birth Certificate. All players should attend all tryouts in their division. Other teams may be formed as needed.

Please visit our website www.cazhockey.com for updates as well as for on-line registration for our Mite and MOHL programs. For more information contact Meg Gifford at [email protected].

Cazenovia Park Hockey Association

2012-2013

Travel Tryout Schedule

given this year.” “If they want me to continue that’s fantastic. If they don’t, I can’t say they didn’t give me a shot.”*

St. Francis Youth Hockey Looks to GrowBy Michael Mroziak

As if St. Francis High School’s hockey program wasn’t a big program in its own right, a related youth hockey program that formed a few seasons ago is also looking to grow.

If the Red Raiders Youth Hockey Association has its way, there could be youth play-ers as young as 11 skating under the program in the next season or two. “Over the past five Midget seasons the Red Raider Youth Hockey Association has fielded 16u and 18u teams both at the major and AA levels depending on the number of players,” said Scott Diebold, Director of Player Development, Assessment, & Advance-ment for RRYHA (and also an assistant coach for St. Francis High School’s prep team). “For the last two seasons we have been involved in and have offered an initiation or beginner program. As this organization continues to grow, expanding into the younger AAA TB full seasons, at every age group, has always been a goal of ours. We hope to attract as many young skilled hockey players as possible.” Although plans have not yet been finalized, Red Raiders officials tell Western New York Hockey Report that their hopes are to introduce 14u and 12u squads in the near future, perhaps next season or possibly beginning in 2013-14. “This is the next step into offering and building a competitive hockey program that players and their families can grow with at the highest level,” Diebold said.*

Boys Minor and Tier III State Tournament Bound TeamsWe will compete in the WNYAHL for the 2012-2013 Season

www.niagaracountycoyotes.com

*Robbie Glantz summer power skating skills clinic *Year round opportunities to

train *Roller Hockey in summer *Dry-land summer activities *Clinicians and Summer

Camps *Tournaments* *Fun Family Atmosphere *Team Concept *Quality ice time per player*

And More!

*** Open Tryouts ***Pee Wee Tier III TB - Coach: Tom Giordano Pee Wee Tier III - Coach: Michael FinneganMonday, 4/2/12 – 5:30-7:00 pm – Hyde ParkTuesday, 4/3/12 – 5:30-:7:00 pm – Hyde Park

Wednesday, 4/4/12 – 5:30-7:00 pm – Hyde ParkAny questions email- [email protected] Cell -716-866-5285

Any questions email- [email protected] Home -716-285-2162

Bantam Minor - Coach: Todd BociBantam Tier III TB - Coach: Kevin Smith

Monday, 4/2/12 – 7:00-8:30 pm – Hyde ParkTuesday, 4/3/12 –7:00-8:30 pm – Hyde Park

Wednesday, 4/4/12 – 7:00-8:30 pm – Hyde ParkAny questions email Todd [email protected] Cell -716-628-1714

Any questions email Kevin [email protected] Cell -716-907-9424

Please bring a copy of Player’s Release and Birth CertificateTryout Fee $10.00 per session

A $300 non-refundable team deposit will be due at time of signing

For the latest news and updates on the Coyotes please check out our website

www.niagaracountycoyotes.com

Niagara County Coyotes

No Politics -Just Hockey!



Submitted by the Buffalo Stars Organization

The Buffalo Stars Juniors will operate a Full Season U16 team for the 2012-2013 season that will participate in the National Junior Prospects Hockey League. The team will be open to Tier 1 cali-

ber players in the 1996 and 1997 birth year. The National Junior Prospects Hockey League is a showcase hockey league which was created and designed by coaches in order to develop and promote hockey players who are committed to enhancing their skills in preparation for the next level of hockey. The NJPHL will showcase these players on their member teams at five showcase events across the United States in front of all levels of Prep School, Junior A, and NCAA Collegiate hockey programs. The NJPHL consists of Tier 1 teams in 3 divisions: U18, U16, and U14 with an area that extends from Tampa, Fl to Wenatchee, WA to Boston, MA and everywhere in between. The Buffalo Stars in our inaugural year will participate in the U16 Division. This past season the U16 division consisted of the following teams:Ft Wayne Komets; Lake Erie Warriors; Naperville Sabres; Phoenix Firebirds; Pittsburgh Junior Penguins; Pittsburgh Predators; Pittsburgh Viper Stars; PK Warriors; Richmond Generals; Tampa Bay Lightning and Wenatchee Junior Wild. In addition to the league schedule, the Stars U16 will participate in 3-4 additional Midget Showcase events on the East Coast and an addi-tional 20-24 home and home games with league and non league teams. The Stars anticipate a schedule of 54-60 games. “The Buffalo Stars U16 team will be a feeder for our Buffalo Stars

Junior Program. This will be an additional full season opportunity for our 15-16 year old player who wishes to pursue hockey outside of the established split-season culture that dominates the WNY area” said Buf-falo Stars President Pete Preteroti. “The team will operate in conjunc-tion with our Junior teams and will operate just like the Junior teams do”. The team will begin an intense 3 week Training Camp in August at Holiday Twin Rinks. Camp will conclude with a weekend of training at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY. The U16 team will mirror the Buffalo Stars Junior Training Camp and will be involved in some joint training sessions with them. The Buffalo Stars will conduct tryouts for this team at Holiday Twin Rinks on:

Monday, April 2nd: 9:15-10:45pmTuesday, April 3rd: 9:15-10:15pm

The Buffalo Stars will also conduct preliminary Junior Tryouts dur-ing these times. Additional details will be announced over the next 10 days. For more information about the Buffalo Stars contact Pete Preteroti at 716-685-1122 or [email protected] or call Mike Flatley at 716-480-9209 or [email protected] Visit the Buffalo Stars on line at: www.buffalostars.com*

Buffalo Stars Operating A Full Season U16 Team


Sabres Alumni Hold Charity Game

On April 1 2012 the Buffalo Sabres Alumni hockey team will play a charity fundraiser game at the Buffalo State Ice Arena against Dad-dio’s Pizza.

Rob Ray will headline the Sabres Alumni roster while the Daddio’s pizza team will feature several prominent local men’s league players. The beneficiary of this fundraiser is Paradise House, a halfway house for women recovering from substance abuse. Tickets are $7 at the door or $5 presale. To purchase presale tickets, contact the Reverand Ann Paris, executive Director of Paradise House, at 716-829-9213. This event would not take place without the charitable contribu-tions of our sponsors; Daddio’s Pizza, Losi & Gangi Workers Comp At-torneys and Bugbusters.*

R.I.T. The Tigers won the tiebreaker of a three-way tie for third place with Mercy-hurst and Holy Cross to earn a first round playoff bye. They survived a quarterfinal series with sixth seed Bentley win-

ning the final two games after dropping the first for their first loss at home to a conference opponent all season. The Tigers joined top seed Air Force, second seed Niagara and fourth seed Mercyhurst in the final four held at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena in mid-March. RIT limped into the postseason after finishing February under .500 for the first time as a Division I program with a 2-3-3 record. Senior forward Cameron Burt netted two points in the final home regular season game to tie the school record for points in a career with 132 points. He broke the mark held by Simon Lambert (2005-08) with an assist in game one of the playoff quarterfinals. Senior goaltender Shane Madolora finished the regular season fifth in the country in goals against (1.94) and sixth in save percentage (.931).

NIAGARA The Purple Eagles fin-

ished the regular season on a five game unbeaten streak to secure second

place in the Atlantic Conference and a first round bye for the playoffs. They swept seventh seed Robert Morris at home in the quarterfinals to earn a spot in the At-lantic Hockey Final Four with Air Force, RIT and Mercyhurst.

After their win and tie against RIT to conclude the regular season, Niagara continued their unblem-ished record against RIT in the Division I era with a record of 9-0-5. Senior goaltender Chris Noonan made 51 saves in the season finale launching him into the top spot in the nation in save percentage (.941) and fourth in goals against (1.71). Sophomore forward Ryan Murphy scored seven goals and four assists in the month of Febru-ary including a hat trick against RIT. He came into

the month with season totals of two goals and three assists.

CANISIUS The Golden Griffins finished the regular season in ninth place, but lost a best-of-three pre-quarter final playoff series at UConn ending their season. Senior goaltender Dan Morrison

made 27 saves on Senior Night raising his career total to 2,787 stops to set a new school record. He surpassed the previous standard of 2,771, set by Bryan Worosz from 2001 to 2005. Seniors Scott Moser (Tonawanda) and Morri-son completed their college careers.

BUFFALO STATE Taylor McGraw (North Lawrence) scored the game-winner as the Bengals won the second post-season game in the program’s history against Pots-dam in the first round before falling to Plattsburgh in triple overtime during the semi-finals. Their only other postseason win came in 2002 versus Cortland. The first round victory also set a new school mark for wins in a season with 13. Sophomore goaltender Kevin Carr was named to the Second Team and junior forward Drew Klin the Third Team on the SUNYAC All-Conference squad.

Continued on Page 13

COLLEGE REPORT

By Warren Kozireski


By Michael Mroziak

The Buffalo Junior Sabres did something in the 2011-12 season that had not been achieved in three seasons: make the playoffs.

They also accomplished something that the fran-chise hadn’t done since 2003, when it was known as the Buffalo Lightning: win a postseason series. Although the team’s postseason hopes came to a crashing halt, losing its second round series against the Oakville Blades in five games including a 9-0 thumping in Game Five, this year’s Junior “A” squad raised a lot of eyebrows around the On-tario Junior Hockey League, especially early in the season when it was arguably the biggest surprise in the OJHL with an early climb into first place in the league’s West Division. The team not only surprised a few peers across the border, they more importantly also impressed some college coaches. This year’s team produced three verbal com-mitments to NCAA Division I schools, all of which are set to begin with academic year 2013-14. Early in the season, forward Andrew Poturalski (Amherst, NY) gave his verbal to the University of New Hampshire. Later in the fall, Josh Kielich (Orchard Park, NY) announced his plan to stay home and enroll at Canisius College. Just before the playoffs began in early February, forward David Seward (Williamsville, NY) gave his verbal commitment to Princeton University. Meanwhile, defenseman Dennis Playfair con-firmed his enrollment at SUNY Geneseo beginning this fall. Other college decisions among Jr. Sabres players were not yet firmed up as of early March. With three players not planning to enroll in their respective colleges until a final year of junior, the challenge for new Jr. Sabres head coach Michael Peca is whether he can keep them for next season. Late in the regular season, Poturalski was loaned to Cedar Rapids of the USHL for a two-game stint, during which he scored two goals and one assist. He’s had a taste of the top level of American junior hockey and proven he can play in it, so indeed the temptation to “go west, young man” may be there. Kielich, who scored 20 goals and 20 assists (in 48 games) to finish second overall on the team in regular season scoring, seems more likely to stay, as suggested by Jr. Sabres game webcasts. Leading the team in scoring this regular season was Grand Island’s Shane Bennett, who finished the regular season with 27 goals and 28 assists in 49 games. Bennett combined speed with a power-ful shot and, more importantly for the team, gave them offensive firepower when then-leading scorer Poturalski went down hurt. During the playoffs, Ryan Schmelzer (East Amherst) led all Jr. Sabres with four goals and seven assists in eight games. Team captain Mark Arnone ranked second with four goals and four assists. Schmelzer’s performances included a two-goal game in the second of Buffalo’s eventual three-game first-round sweep of Hamilton, and a three point game in Game Four of the team’s second round series against Oakville. In the latter case, Schmelzer’s leadership helped the Jr. Sabres avoid getting swept on home ice. Guarding the net for most of the season and all of the playoffs was Parker Gahagen. The former Williamsville North standout began the year seem-ingly a little shaky from inexperience at the junior level but soon emerged as the team’s go-to goalie. He recorded 21 wins during the regular season

including two shutouts. He also recorded a shutout among his four wins in the postseason. The end of the regular season also marks the official beginning of the Michael Peca coaching era. Hired as the Jr. Sabres’ general manager last August, Peca was announced as the future head coach when the team announced Grant Ledyard’s departure in January. Rather than have Peca move right into the coaching position, the team pro-moted assistant coach Russ Certo to the interim head coaching position. Peca, who did assist with practices, officially takes the reins beginning with spring tryouts.

Junior Hockey News: Blades and Ironmen seasons end

The Buffalo Blades’ first campaign as an independently run junior franchise, after many years under the Wheatfield roof, ended

disappointingly as the team mustered only eight wins during the regular season to finish at the bot-tom of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Golden Horseshoe Division. Under the playoff format, every team in the division made the postseason but given the team’s standing during the regular season it was highly expected they’d be out of the playoff hunt in little time. It was indeed a “four-gone” conclusion, as the team was eliminated in four straight games by the division leading St. Catharines Falcons. Former Blade Andy Sturtz, who was traded to the Falcons by the Blades mid-season, recorded one goal and seven assists in that four game series. Ironically, Sturtz remained the Blades’ leading scorer at the end of the regular season, even after he’d been dealt across the border. In 27 games, he recorded 18 goals and 24 assists before tallying one goal and five assists in 12 appearances for the Falcons. The most productive Blade still with Buf-falo at the end of the season was Brian Osieja, who recorded 16 goals and 24 assists (40 points) in 50 games, two points behind Sturtz’s Buffalo total. In goal, Cory Sorrento appeared in 35 games and recorded four wins. Ian Shorthouse also regis-tered four wins in his 19 appearances.

***** The Jamestown Ironmen also finished at the bottom of their division, ranking fifth in the North American Hockey League’s North Division and missing out on the postseason party. In 51 games, the Ironmen won 17 times and lost 29 games as well as four more in overtime. The Jamestown Savings Bank Ice Arena offered mixed blessings for the Ironmen, who fin-ished with a .500 home record, winning 13 games and losing 13, as well as four overtime losses. The road was absolutely unfriendly to Jamestown, with only four wins away during the season. Jeff McFarland led all Ironmen in scoring with 21 goals and 16 assists in 48 games. Ranking second was Anthony Coles, who recorded 16 goals and 19 assists in 51 games. Steve Frangione was the only Western New York native on the Ironmen. The Jamestown resident and defenseman did score one goal during 26 games for a roster that changed frequently, with just as many people off the roster than on it over the course of the season, as per the team’s official website.*

Buffalo Junior Sabres: Season in ReviewContinued from Page 12

FREDONIA The Blue Devils defeated Geneseo in the first round of the SUNYAC playoffs before falling to top-ranked Oswego in the semi-finals ending their season. Forward Jared Wynia was selected as the SUNY-AC Rookie of the Year. Wynia is the third Blue Devil to earn the honor and the first since Eric Preston in 1993-94. The other Fredonia rookie was Paul Kwiat-kowski (1988-89). Wynia has played in 19 games this season and ranks fifth on the team with 15 points on nine goals and six assists. Senior forward Bryan Ross was a First Team All-SUNYAC selection.

GENESEO A playoff first round loss to Fredonia finished the campaign for the Knights. Senior defenseman Danny Scagnelli (College Point) was a First Team All-SUNYAC pick and 2010-11 Rookie of the Year and leading scorer Zachary Vit was Third Team.

BROCKPORT The team missed a playoff berth for the second consecutive season when they lost to Morrisville in the final minute in the final game of the regular sea-son. Senior forward James Cody has been selected as the 2012 SUNYAC Player of the Year becoming the first player in the history of Brockport hockey to earn the honor. Cody was named to the first-team All-SUNYAC in 2012, just the third Golden Eagle to earn the hon-ors and third to be named to multiple All-SUNYAC teams (third-team in 2010-2011). The senior finished the 2011-2012 season with 34 points (19 goals, 15 as-sists). His 19 goals led the SUNYAC conference and his 34 points were fifth-most in the league. Cody ranks sixth in school history in career points with 116, is tied for fourth on the all-time goals list with 60 and his 19 goals this season are tied for the eighth-most in a single season in school history. Senior forward Ian Finnerty and sophomore defenseman Mike Hayward were named to the SU-NYAC Second Team marking the first time the school has had three players with postseason conference honors.*

St. Francis Takes 2nd at Culver Academy

By Michael Mroziak

St. Francis High School’s varsity prep level hockey squad, one of the school’s five teams, completed its 2011-12 season with an ap-

pearance at the Culver Academies Tournament in Culver, Indiana.St. Francis finished in second, losing the champion-ship game to PEAC School of Toronto, 6-2. Along the way, though, the Western New York entry took out some formidable competition, including one of the top ten ranked junior teams in the United States. That nationally renowned squad was the St. Louis Jr. Blues, which was ranked seventh overall in the U.S. heading into the tournament. St. Francis defeated them 3-1.


Updated Hockey News at:www.wnyhockeyreport.com

MARCHANT’S MESSAGE...

I started this hockey school thirteen years ago to teach the basic fundamen-tal skills of ice hockey while instilling individual qualities such as Perseverance, Responsibility, Intensity, Determination and Enthusiasm which when combined equals PRIDE.

Through this great game of hockey I have realized the rewards of perseverance and hard work. While growing up in the Buffalo, NY area, I played ten years for the Amherst Youth Hockey Association, one season with the Niagara Scenics and two years at Clarkson University. This led to becoming a member of the 1994 United States Olympic Team in Lillehammer, Norway.

Drafted by the New York Rangers in 1993 and then traded to the Edmonton Oilers Hockey Club, I spent my first ten seasons in Edmonton, Alberta, playing for the Oilers followed by one season in Columbus, Ohio play-ing for the Blue Jackets. My most recent seasons have been spent in Anaheim, California as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. In June, after a seventeen year career, I retired as an active player. At that time I was named Director of Player Development for the Anaheim Ducks where my duties and responsibilities are teaching and helping with the development of the young players in the Ducks organization.

The second and equally important reason that I started this hockey school was to try to give something back to this community through charitable contributions. Through the combined efforts of my family, my senior coaching staff, my counselors and participants in the hockey school, we have been able to donate over $70,000 to local charities to help kids less fortunate achieve their goals. It is my hope that with your help and participation this year, we can continue to help make their dreams come true.

I look forward to using my experience to help young athletes such as yourself learn how to achieve your goals. Join us this summer for a week of building hockey skills and having fun!

I look forward to seeing you soon!

HOCKEY CAMP FEESFee for one-week session is $365. A deposit of $100 is required to guarantee enrollment, however, positions are filled on a first come basis. Deposit is due May 7, 2012. Final Payment due by June 18, 2012.

Enrollment includes:• Sixteen (16) Hours On-Ice• Instruction by Recognized Area Coaches• Organized Dryland Activities• On-Site Medical Trainer• Guest Speakers among Hockey’s Elite• Lunch Included• Todd Marchant Hockey School Jersey• Autographed Todd Marchant Photo• Goaltending Equipment Available

AWARDS• Fastest Forward Skater• Fastest Backward Skater• Most Improved• Snow Ball• Sharp Shooter• Goaltender’s Shootout Winner

GOALTENDING PROGRAMWe believe the basics of good goaltending never go out of style. Daily session will cover:* Stretching/Warm-ups * Screens* Stance * Deflections* Skating/Movement * Game Situations* Playing Angles * Mental Readiness* Breakaways

Each day there will be drills with mini pucks and white pucks, as well as other props to help improve concentra-tion. In addition, the daily scrimmage gives the goalies the opportunity to put their newly learned skills to the test. For fun, there are contests and a day of “goalie games”, culminating in the breakaway competition for “The Goalie of the Week” award. Our instructors have many years of coaching experi-ence, as well as playing at the NCAA Div. III and NJCAA levels.

Available Positions Are On A First Come Basis!

The 14th Annual Todd Marchant Hockey SchoolONE WEEK

JULY 23 - 28, 2012

Northtown Center, Amherst(Associated with Amherst Youth Hockey)

Daily ScheduleArrive 8 a.m.; Depart: 4 p.m.

Saturday:

Final On-Ice Games & Awards

For Information:(716) 688-4301

www.marchanthockey.com

BOYS & GIRLS

Mites/Squirts/Peewee’s/ Seniors 1997-99 (Bantam

and Midget)


Pee Wee Minor (01) HC: Joe Aronica April 2 8:10pm Hyde Park April 3 7:00pm Hyde Park

Pee Wee Major (00) (TB) HC: Rich Glica April 2 8:30pm Hyde Park April 3 8:00pm Hyde Park

Bantam Minor (99) HC: Don Pray April 2, 3 6:00pm Hyde Park April 4 (if necessary) 7:00pm Hyde Park

Bantam Major (98) (TB) HC: Darryl McLaughlin April 2 9:10pm Hyde Park April 3 8:30pm Hyde Park

Midget 15u (97) HC: Tim Hennessey April 2 7:00pm Hyde Park April 3 9:00pm Hyde Park April 4 (if necessary) 5:00pm Hyde Park

Midget 16u (96-97) (TB) HC: Ray Tortorice April 2 7:00pm Hyde Park April 3 9:30pm Hyde Park April 4 (if necessary)6:00pm Hyde Park

Midget 18u (94-95) (TB) HC: Tom Diehl April 2, 3 5:00pm Hyde ParkGirls 14u/16u Tier II (96-99) HC: Pete Gallivan April 6 7:00pm N. Buffalo (Tacoma) April 7 11:30am N. Buffalo (Tacoma)

• NON-RESIDENTS WELCOME TO ATTEND TRYOUT SESSIONS! • RELEASE FORM REQUIRED FOR NON-TONAWANDA LIGHTNING PLAYERS • COST IS $15.00 WHICH COVERS ALL SESSIONS • PLEASE BRING COPY OF BIRTH CERTIFICATE (FOR VIEWING ONLY) • $200.00 NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT DUE AT PLAYER SIGNING • ALL TEAMS WITH (TB) ARE PROJECTED STATE BOUND STATUS • FOR QUESTIONS: CONTACT TOM DIEHL #860-2322 OR TIM GRIFFITH #877-8511 • GIRLS QUESTIONS: CONTACT PETE GALLI-VAN [email protected] • VISIT OUR WEBSITE: http://www.tonawandalight-ning.org FOR ANY UPDATES

TONAWANDA LIGHTNING2012 -2013 TRYOUT SCHEDULE

2012

2013

Hamburg 2012 - Travel Tryout

The Hamburg Hawks organization is a proud member of the following organizations: USA Hockey, New York State Amateur Hockey Association, Western New York Amateur Hockey Association and Great Lakes Girls Hockey League. Located just 10 minutes south of Buffalo, Hamburg plays the highest level of competition at the Tier I elite level in WNY, Southern Ontario and across the country. Our Girls programs compete at the Tier II tournament bound level in WNY and Southern Ontario. Hamburg offers a family atmosphere with experienced coaches and development that is second to none.

Come Fly with Hawks!

WWW.HAMBURGHAWKS.ORG

Tryout fee is $10 per session. Any player that did not play for the Hamburg Hawks for the 2011-‐12 season must provide a NYSAHA player release form from your previous organization. This includes all house, girls and travel players.

Division Contact Info:

Girls: Tom Nelson 583-‐2654 Mite thru Bantam: Joe Marszalek 864-‐0491

Midget Travel: Mike Surdyk 583-‐2225

GIRLS TRYOUT SCHEDULE DIVISION Birth Year Dates Time/Arena Coach

Girls 12/u Tier II TB 2000 & under 4/3/12 5:30pm Hamburg Rob Compise

4/4/12 6:30pm Leisure

Girls 14/u Tier II TB 1998 & under 4/3/12 6:30pm Hamburg Matt Allard

4/4/12 7:30pm Leisure

Girls 14/16 non-‐tb 4/4/12 8:30pm Leisure Brian Scanlon

4/5/12 5:30pm Hamburg

Hawks 2013 and Girls Tryouts

YOUTH TRYOUT SCHEDULE DIVISION Birth Year Dates Time/Arena Coach

PeeWee Minor AAA 2001 Monday 4/2/12 5:30pm Hamburg Peter Clouden

Wednesday 4/4/12 5:45pm Leisure

PeeWee Major AAA 2000 Monday 4/2/12 6:30pm Hamburg Ken Kwilos

Tuesday 4/3/12 7:30pm Hamburg

PeeWee AA 2001-‐2000 Thursday 4/5/12 6:30pm Hamburg Chris Damiani

Bantam Minor AAA 1999 Monday 4/2/12 8:30pm Hamburg Bruce Sroka

Wednesday 4/4/12 7:15pm Leisure

Bantam Major AAA 1998 Monday 4/2/12 7:30pm Hamburg Joe Marszalek

Tuesday 4/3/12 8:30pm Hamburg

Bantam Minor AA 1999 Thursday 4/5/12 7:30pm Hamburg Gary Hughes

Bantam Minor AA 1998 Thursday 4/5/12 8:30pm Hamburg Tom Kwilos

Midget 18’s AAA 1995/94 Monday 4/2/12 7:30pm Leisure Brian Dehlinger

Wednesday 4/4/12 6:00pm Hamburg

Midget 16’s AAA 1997/96 Monday 4/2/12 6:00pm Leisure Keith Winkler


Midget 16’s AA 1997/96 Monday 4/2/12 7:45pm Leisure John Miller


***Players should attend all try-‐outs for their age level***

Bantam Major AA

2012 - 2013 Cheektowaga Warriors

Travel Team Tryouts

Team Coach Birth Year Date TimePeeWee Major Eric Godzich 2000 Monday, April 2 5:00 - 6:15 PM "Tournament Bound" Tuesday, April 3 6:05 - 7:00 PM

*Thursday, April 5* 6:05 - 7:00 PM*PeeWee Minor Mark Casillo 2001 Tuesday, April 3 5:00 - 5:55 PM

Wednesday, April 4 6:05 - 7:00 PM*Thursday, April 5* 5:00 - 5:55 PM*

Bantam Major Scott Jacobs 1998 Monday, April 2 6:25 - 7:40 PM "Tournament Bound" Wednesday, April 4 5:00 - 5: 55 PM

*Thursday, April 5* 7:10 - 8:05 PM*Bantam Minor Mark Kross 1999 Tuesday, April 3 7:10 - 8:05 PM

Wednesday, April 4 7:10 - 8:05 PMMidget 18U Frank Willhauck 1995 & 1994 Monday, April 2 7:50 - 9:05 PM "Tournament Bound" Wednesday, April 4 9:25 - 10:30 PM

*Thursday, April 5* 8:15 - 9:15 PM*Midget 16U Tony Schubert 1996 Monday, April 2 9:15 - 10:30 PM "Tournament Bound" Tuesday, April 3 8:15 - 9:15 PM

*Thursday, April 5* 9:25 - 10:30 PM*Midget 15U Rich Ineson 1997 Tuesday, April 3 9:25 - 10: 30 PM

Wednesday, April 4 8:15 - 9:15 PM

*All Tryouts Held At The Cheektowaga Recreation Center*


www.westsenecayouthhockey.com

“Hi. My name is Will. “I’m a drug addict.” That is how the 19 year-

old from Tonawanda, NY introduced himself to 51 teenagers participating in the Willie O’Ree Skills Weekend held in Buffalo in February. The even brought together 51 boys and girls from youth hockey organizations throughout North America. Wills presentation was part of the groups visit to the “Kids Escaping Drugs, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the support of prevention programs for ado-lescents and their families suffering from alcohol and drug dependency. Speaking in front of the group, which also included parents and coaches from around the United States and Canada, and following a short pause“Will” continued. “I’m also a hockey player. I love the game and still play it today, despite all the problems I’ve had over the past few years.” In an instant all eyes were riveted on “Will” and for the next 30 minutes all listeners were tuned in to what the speaker had to say. Will, a native of Western New York explained his life story. “Like many other kids, my father got me involved in hockey when I was between three and four years of age,” said Will. “He coached, watched and yelled at me. “He was kind of like my best friend. He be-came my head coach when I was playing with the Squirt Majors with the Tonawanda Lightning.” Then fate stepped in. “My dad got cancer and about two years after that he died,” remarked Will. “On February 28, 2004 he passed away. “Ironically, I had a hockey game the next day. I remember that because my whole team wore arm bands in honor of my father. “I ended up playing in front of one of the big-gest crowds ever for one of my games. I scored the winning goal, but it was disallowed. It became quite the disappointing day.” From there it was on to St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute where he played hockey as a freshman in high school. Then came his sophomore year. “That’s when I became involved with drugs,” stated Will. “I started smoking marijuana all the time. “My mom wouldn’t let me leave St. Joes. So I flunked out. Got kicked out. “From there it was on to Kenmore West High School. I played more hockey. “But it just wasn’t the same for me. I had lost my love for the sport. “The drugs had taken over my life. Prior to drugs I had never missed a practice or a game. “After than I started missing practices. I just didn’t care. “I lost interest in high school hockey. But I continued playing midget hockey for a split season. “Then I began getting in trouble with the law. I was getting misdemeanors for throwing beer cans at cars and trespassing. “At Kenmore West I received a Class-E felony for running on cars in the parking lot.” At that point Will’s mom had had enough. She

didn’t know what to do. “She turned to PINS (Persons In Need of Super-vision),” continued Will. “PINS didn’t work because I never showed up for it. “A runaway warrant was put out for my arrest. The authorities came to my house, arrested me in my livingroom in front of my sister. “I was thrown on the ground and handcuffed.” As Will was hauled out of the house he left behind a crying mom and sister. “From there it was on to Juvie (short for the Ju-venial Detention Center),” said Will. “I got out of there and was put on probation. “I stayed clean from drugs for two weeks before going back to them.Then came September 9, 2009. “Today that is known as my clean date. I went to court. “The judge that day had enough of me. He sent me to Juvie again. “Twenty days later I was on the grounds for Kids Escaping Drugs. I got out of there on July 10, 2010. “I didn’t know what to do. That’s when hockey came back into my life again. “A friend of mine got me a tryout with the Bud Bakewell Bruins. I made the team. “I was having fun again. This time with the coaches as well as the players. “Then I went back to my old high school hockey team at Ken-West. I ended up making the team again. “I started out on the fourth line. From there I went to the third, then to the second and finally to the first line. “I ended up having a big game against rival Bishop Timon. I scored a goal in overtime that helped us into the playoffs for the first time in our coaches career. “We ended up losing the next week in the semi-finals of the playoffs. I thought that was the end of

my hockey career.” At that point Will had to make one of the biggest decisions of his young life. “I tried out with the Buffalo Jr. Stars,” recalled Will, now 19. “I found out that I needed $5000 to pay for expenses to stay on the team. “My mom told me she would come

up with the money. She was going to take it out of her retirement fund. “Remember, she was now a single mom. That was a lot of money for her. “So I walked away from hockey. I didn’t want her spending that kind of money on me for hockey. “Instead I got a job with the Tonawanda (NY) High-way Department, a job that I still have today. And I’m still having a blast with hockey. “I’m actually playing roller hockey. I know I have lived a different life than most 19 year-olds.” The best news was yet to come. “Since I’ve been clean of drugs, my love of hockey has come back to me,” com-mented Will. “Now when I’m on that ice or rink, it kind of feels like nothing else in the

world really matters. “I’ve been clean now for over two years. My relationship is much better with my mom and the rest of my family. I now want to somehow pay my mom back for all she’s been through with me. “I even have a 60 year-old friend named Jim. He’s taken over in a fathers role with me and is someone there to talk to when I need talking to. “And the best part is, I ended up graduating from my high school at Kenmore West. I got a hockey award for the Most Improved Player. “I also got the principals award given to a student who has had to overcome a lot of adversity. My name is on a plaque that hangs there in the school. “I also go out and speak to groups and organi-zations with kids in them. I really enjoy that. “I try to bring a little fun into a serious subject. And the main message I deliver to the kids is to be who you are. “Don’t worry about being in with the ‘in’ crowd. Just be who you are. “If you do that you should lead a pretty good life.”*

My Name Is Will!The Story of a Hockey

Player and Drugs!By Randy Schultz

Top left: Will speaks to the hockey players attending the Willie O’Ree Skills Weekend and later that day he played with them in a hockey game at First Niagara Center, a dream of his!

(Photos by Janet Schultz)



WNY Girls Ice Hockey Completes Second YearMonsignor Martin Takes League Championship

Kenmore Takes Section VI ChampionshipBy Janet Schultz

The second season of the WNY Girl’s Varsity Ice Hockey Federation

season ended with as much excitement as the Inaugural Season gave us. With West Seneca and Monsignor Martin within a point or two of each other for first place all season; and Kenmore and Williamsville pushing towards the top, it was anyone’s call who would be where at playoff time.

As it turned out, West Seneca was in first and drew Lancaster, a strug-gling team all season, in the first round of the playoffs. West Seneca beat them soundly and moved into a playoff spot. Monsignor Martin drew a bye for the first round. Seeded #4, Kenmore played #5 Amherst/Sweethome KATZ and Orchard Park/Frontier faced off against Williamsville. The result was Kenmore 4 over KATZ 0, and Orchard Park/Frontier 2, over Williamsville 1, in overtime. West Seneca, Kenmore and Orchard Park/Frontier headed to the semi-finals along with Monsignor Martin. In the first game Monsignor Martin got on the scoreboard first off the stick of Tara Barnhardt, assisted by Ashley Songin and Julia Duquette. That was followed by one dumped in by Duquette, assisted by Marielle Buffamonte. Kenmore answered back when Kate Miller scored, assisted by Lina Mirabella. In the second period it was Monsignor Martin’s Rachel Lenard with the only goal of the period. She got an assist from Rachel Ziarnowski putting the

score at 3-1 and taking Monsignor Martin to the Championship Game. In the second game Orchard Park/Frontier and West Seneca played a tied game from the second period through the second overtime period. It was then that West Seneca’s Nicole Kirchberger, assisted by Jillian Schrader got one past Goaltender Danielle Glinski ending the game at 2-1. West Seneca would now face Monsignor Martin in the League Champion-ship. Once again it was a game that no one could call. West Seneca got on the board first with a goal off the stick of Hailey Glynn in the first period. The scored remained 1-0 through the second but in the third MM’s Julia Duquette had the game of her life as she put in two goals that would take Monsignor Martin to the sound of the buzzer and the 2012 League Championship. The season didn’t end there. The Section VI Championship was up for grabs. As a private school, Monsignor Martin isn’t part of Section VI. That put Kenmore up against West Seneca. One more time, a game that had everyone on the edge of their seat. Kenmore and West Seneca remained scoreless going into the third period. At that point Goaltenders Lauren Pray (Kenmore) and Sydney Glynn (West Seneca) had faced 23 and 10 shots on goal. At the 4:44 mark of the third period Lina Mirabella shot one in, assisted by Kate Miller and Kara Zelasko. The remaining third period was a fight up and down the ice but Kenmore held on to the 1-0 score and became the 2012 Section VI Champions. Outstanding in Goal was Pray who held back 42 shots from the West Seneca team. This season was as exciting as the Inaugural season. No one knew what the end result would be. What it gave spectators was another year of great hockey skill, fast action and lots of entertainment. The League is looking forward to more school’s sponsoring teams for the 2012-13 season and make the league even more competitive and exciting.*

Monsignor Martin Captains with 2012 WNYGVIHF Trophy. (Photo by Janet Schultz)

Clarence Mustangs2012-2013 Travel Tryout Schedule

Division Birth Years Coach Date and Time 8U Cross Ice** 2004-2008 Dennis Dawron 523-9595 Try it for FREE; Applications on Website Dates will be on Website Soon! http://www.clarencemustangs.com

Pee Wee Minor 2001 Paul Saccone Mon. 4/2 5:00 p.m. 864-2468 Wed. 4/4 5:00 p.m. Pee Wee Major* 2000 John Paterson Mon. 4/2 6:00 p.m. 903-2462 Tues. 4/3 5:00 p.m. Bantam Minor 1999 Steve Naylor Mon. 4/2 7:00 p.m. 741-7197 Wed. 4/4 6:00 p.m. Bantam Major* 1998 Bob Kirisits Mon. 4/2 7:00 p.m. 912-6600 Tues. 4/3 6:00 p.m. 16U* TB 1996 Steve Godin Tues. 4/3 9:00 p.m. Midget Minor 741-2918 Wed. 4/4 8:00 p.m. 16U NTB 1996-97 Mike Lock Mon. 4/2 8:00 p.m. 570-2625 Wed. 4/4 9:00 p.m. Midget* 1994-95 Dan Yustin Mon. 4/2 9:00 p.m. 18U 471-3119 Tues. 4/3 8:00 p.m. Major

*Tournament Bound Eligible, “TBA” To Be Announced,

The Clarence Mustangs Organization is a “B” Center in the West Section of NYSA-HA going into our 12th season and all teams listed are eligible to compete at Tier II Travel level in the WNYAHL. Coaching applications are available on our website.

www.clarencemustangs.com

The Clarence Mustangs will be partnering with the Buffalo Bisons, again this season, on our 8U Cross Ice program. Go to our webpage for Cross Ice applications. Our Learn to Play for First Timers will be combined with our Cross Ice Program.

All tryouts will be held at Hockey Outlet Ice Rink on Niagara Falls Blvd. Releases are required in order to tryout and players should plan on being at all tryout sessions. Please bring a copy of the players birth cer-tifi cate and a down payment with the desire to make a committment.

Please monitor our webpage as tryout dates and times, as well as team confi gurations, may change!

Women’s Hockey by Janet Schultz


College ReportOSWEGO Hamburg native and Freshman goalten-der Bridget Smith posted 33 saves to keep the fourth-seeded Oswego State women’s ice hockey team (11-14-2) within striking distance of second-seeded Plattsburgh (18-5-3), but the Lakers were unable to break through in a 1-0 ECAC West Semifinal loss. Earlier this season Smith made 18 stops and Caledonia’s MacKenzie Lee had a hand in three goals to beat Neumann in Oswego’s first-ever playoff win. Fairport’s Kelly Collins put the Lakers ahead 1-0 in the second period on a power-play goal. CORTLAND .The Red Dragons concluded their season with a 5-16-1 overall record and 3-14-1 mark in the ECAC West. Buffalo native Chelsea Hausberger (Buffalo Bisons) had 3 goals and 5 assists this season and Orchard Park native Maggie Giamo (RIT) had one goal and three assists. Giamo graduates this year.

CORNELL The Big Red of Cornell are headed to the NCAA Frozen Four after

defeating Boston University in an amazing game. Fourteen goals in three periods, both teams came back from being

down three goals, the winning goal being scored with 10 seconds left in the third overtime and it was the longest game in program history.

They clinched the ECAC Quarterfinals series 2-0 with a win over Brown University 6-0. This is the Big Red’s third consecutive ECAC Hockey Semi-final and its 10th consecutive ECAC Hockey Tourna-

ment victory. They then went on to beat Quinnipiac 5-1 putting them against St. Lawrence Uni-versity in the finals. St. Lawrence broke a 1-1 tie and went on to beat Cornell 3-1 giving them the ECAC Hockey Championship. Cornell meets the University of Minnesota in the first round of the Frozen Four. Cornell senior forward Rebecca Johnston has been named a finalist for the ECAC Hockey Player of the Year Award. Johnston, who was the league’s Rookie of the Year in 2008, has had an excellent senior season. She leads Cornell and the entire confer-ence with 51 points on the year. Johnston has also been named as one of the nominees for the Patty Kazmaier Award given to college hockey’s best player. Johnston was a top-10 finalist last season. Cornell junior defenseman Lauriane Rougeau has been named a finalist for ECAC Hockey’s Defensive Defenseman of the year. Rougeau’s offense excellent as well. Among league defensemen, she ranks sixth with 22 points on five goals and 17 assists. Her plus/minus rating of +38 is good for second in ECAC Hockey, tied with Fortino. She is also a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Award and one of just five defensemen nominated for the award.

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY The third-seeded Niagara women’s hockey team (10-16-8; 3-6-3 CHA) saw their season come to an end in the 2012 CHA Tournament Semifinals with a 3-2 defeat to the second-seeded Robert Morris Colonials (18-9-4; 6-3-3 CHA). With less than four minutes to go in the third period and down 3-1, fresh-man forward Kayla Raniwsky netted her seventh goal of the season to bring the Purple Eagles back within one goal, but it was not enough to finish the comeback against the Colonials. “We battled hard and owned the second half of the game, especially the third,” head coach Josh Sciba said. “We had plenty of chances, but couldn’t finished. Give credit to RMU, they played physical and blocked a lot of shots which was the differ-ence. Our league is continuing to improve and it’s more even that it has ever been.” Robert Morris took the 2012 CHA Championship and moves on to the NCAA Frozen Four. •Erica Owczarczak was named to the First Team All-College Hockey America Team. Owczarczak earns First-Team All-CHA honors for the first time in her career after having a solid season for the Purple Eagles. The West Seneca native is tied for third in the conference among defensemen in goals (5) and points (14) and eighth in defensemen assists (9). Owczarczak was named CHA Offensive Player of the Week after tallying the game winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Colgate. •Sophomore goalie Sarah Moses and freshman defenseman Kelsey Gunn were selected to the All-CHA Second Team and freshman forward Kayla Raniwsky and freshman goalie Abby Ryplanski were named to the All-Rookie Team.

RIT Seven members of the RIT Tigers have been named to the 2012 All-ECAC West Team, including Webster’s (NY) Kristina Moss named to First-Team with Kourtney Kunichika. Named to Second Team were Laura Chamberlain and Kolbee McCrea.

Honorable mention went to Tenecia Hiller and All-Rookie honors went to Ali Binnington and Celeste Brown. Moss, a junior, is enjoying a breakout season for the Tigers, as she leadsall Division III skaters with 26 assists and all defensemen with 32 points. She finished fourth

overall in scoring among all ECAC West players with 28 points in 18 games and led the conference with 22 assists. The Tigers were ranked first in Division III, broke a regular season record for the second straight season with 23 victories and were the top seed and host to the 2012 ECAC West Tournament semifinals and championship. The RIT women’s hockey team (26-1-1) will host the 2012 NCAADivision III Women’s Ice Hockey Championship with the semifinals on Friday,March 16, and championship/third place games on Saturday, March 17 at Ritter Arena. RIT will host SUNY Plattsburgh (19-6-3) in the first semifinal at3:30 p.m., while Gustavus Adolphus (24-2-2) will face defending NationalChampion Norwich (26-2-1) in the second semifinal at 7 p.m. The third placegame will take place at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, with the championship gettingunderway at 7 p.m. RIT advanced after defeating Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.) 5-2 in first round ac-tion on Saturday, March 10. Norwich defeated Amherst, 5-0, whilePlattsburgh rallied to defeat Middlebury, 4-2 and Gustavus Adolphus defeatedWisconsin-River Falls, 4-2, all on March 10 RIT, in its third trip to the NCAA Tournament (2007, 2011), is host for thesecond straight year.

BUFFALO STATE Utica (10-12-3/7-9-2) exploded for five goals in the sec-ond period and continued to pour it on in a 9-0 victory over Buffalo State (7-16-2/4-13-1) in the season finale. The Bengal’s Jordan Lee (Colorado Springs) allowed four goals on 34 shots before being relieved by Jessica Garland (Cheektowaga) midway through the second. Gar-land made 17 saves on 22 shots. Brianna Murphy (Depew) established a new school record for games played, as she made her 95 appearance with Buffalo State in the game against Utica. Also playing in 95 games was Leah Knott.

State Tournament News: Two WNY teams are heading the the Nationals including the Buffalo Regals 14 U team and the West Seneca Wings 12U The Regals went 5-0, beating Rochester 2-1 in the finals and won the most epic game in the semi’s, Potsdam. The Regals beat Potsdam 4-3, a team that knocked them out of the State semi’s last year. The game went to a sudden death shootout, after a five minute overtime and a five player shootout. Prior to that they beat Brewster 2-0; Chazy, 4-0 and Lake Placid, 4-1. The 14U team heads to Dallas for the Nationals. The West Seneca 12U, Tier II team beat Clifton Park 3-2 to take the New York State Championship. Clifton Park was ranked third in the nation. They started out beat-ing Lake Placid 5-3 followed by a 2-2 tie with Central New York Bobcats. They went on to beat the Long Island Lady Islanders 1-0 and the Brewster Bulldogs 4-2 to get to the finals. A full recap of these two championships will be posted on the Western New York Hockey Report website.*

Coyotes Do Well In Jamestown

Following three days of non-stop

hockey action, the Niagara County Coyotes won the Squirt Blue Division of the Mid-Winter Hockey Classic in Jamestown. The three-day event was held at the James-town Savings Bank Ice Arena. In the semi-finals Niagara County defeated Strongsville II, 5-3. Nick Wood led the way with two goals. In the championship game, Niagara County came away in the high scoring con-test, defeating Camillius, 6-4. D.J. Covell scored a hat trick for the Coyotes. Wood added two goals with Jimmy Stephen adding another. For the series Covell had six goals and 11 points, Wood added six goals and nine points, Noah Kindzia had a goal and seven points, while Alex Trimboli had four as-sists.

(Photo Courtesy of Niagara County Coyotes)

Adult Hockey: Canucks Take OTHLEA’s Manly CupBy Michael Mroziak

The Great Lakes Building Systems Canucks have done what the more famous Vancouver Canucks have failed to do three times: win a cup. In this case, members of the GLBS Canucks hoisted the Lord Manly Cup

after winning the Old Tyme Hockey League of East Aurora’s championship game, defeating the Arriba Tortilla Flyers, 5-4. The victory capped off a playoff run that began with a dramatic win over the Elm Street Bakery Nordiques, a win that required a late come-from-behind goal fol-lowed by a game winner in overtime. Following that, the Canucks defeated the Bar Bill Bruins and Bruce’s Automotive Maple Leafs to earn their trip to the final against the Flyers. For the Flyers’ part, the road to the title game included wins over the Blue Lantern Sharks, Del Aureo Jets and Sorrentino’s Golden Seals. The Canucks’ claim to fame last season, its first in the OTHLEA, was its most high-profile member: former NHL defenseman Jay McKee. Having resettled in Western New York after his final NHL stop with the Pittsburgh Penguins, the former Buffalo Sabre attracted a lot of attention and interested adult players by participating with the Canucks. This season, he began his new job as an assistant coach with the Rochester Americans, thus ending his relationship with the OTHLEA. How ironic that the Canucks didn’t need the former NHLer to win it all. They did, however, have talent including forwards Dan Wojdan and Andy Beale. The Flyers were led in scoring this season by Chris Catanzaro, John Davidson and Jeff Homewood. The Lord Manly Cup isn’t really a cup but rather a metal cutout of the maple leaf that matches that of sponsor Molson (via Certo Brothers Distributing) set into a block of wood. What makes it stand out from other local adult league champion-ships is that it does borrow an idea from the more famous Stanley Cup and provide spaces where winning teams and their players’ names are engraved. Members of the Canucks will be “immortalized” along with the three preceding champions on the Cup in coming weeks.*

WNY Hockey Report March 2012 Page 22


Welcome to West Seneca Hockey This is our 39th Season as the Area’s Premier AAA/AA Hockey Association. Below is our tryout schedule along with a line up of our highly qualified coaches and their credentials. Come join our 100% all VOLUNTEER Hockey Association and enjoy all the amenities we have to offer:

• Very clean, well conditioned facility with the best ice surface in the area • Fully staffed Pro Shop & Concession stand • Private Girls locker room • An involved Booster Club who are hosts to numerous activities and functions including – pizza parties, hot

dog roasts, Santa, dances, player gifts, and our end of year banquets • One low affordable price that includes your own uniforms (jerseys, socks, shells, jersey nameplates, and

an embroidered jersey bag) • Complementary picture package, player participation trophy, and an impressive yearbook • Along with a season long subscription to WNY Hockey Report magazine

All ice sessions are at the West Seneca Recreation Facility Fee for each session is $10.00 - Releases are required for non-W.Seneca players

Pee Wee Minor - 2001 Jim McCarthy - 870-9696

[email protected] Monday April 2 @ 7:00pm

Tuesday April 3rd @ 7:30pm

Pee Wee Major - 2000 Bill Gehen – 861-0841

[email protected] Monday April 2 @ 8:00pm


PeeWee Tier II – 00 & 01 Mark Narby – 481-2510

[email protected] Tuesday April 3rd @ 8:15pm

Wednesday April 4th @ 5:00pm Bantam Minor - 1999

Darren McCormick – 863-0779 [email protected] Monday April 2 @ 4:00pm


Bantam Major - 1998 Adam Zurowski – 864-0905 [email protected] Monday April 2 @ 5:00pm


Bantam Tier II – 98 & 99 Dick “Rogie” Marini –

826-6549 [email protected] Tuesday April 3rd @ 5:00pm

Wednesday April 4th @ 9:00pm Midget 15U - 1997

Steve Hietanan – 984-9185 [email protected]

Monday April 2nd @ 6:00pm Wednesday April 4th @ 10:00pm

Midget 16U - 1996 Matt English – 597-8816

[email protected] Monday April 2nd @ 10:00pm Tuesday April 3rd @ 4:00pm

Midget 18U – 94 & 95 Todd Hicks – 860-7090


Wednesday April 4th @ 5:00pm Girls 12U – 00 & 01

Rocco Dellaneve – 675-6239 [email protected] Tuesday April 3rd @ 6:45pm

Wednesday April 4th @ 6:00pm

Girls 14U – 98 & 99 Chris Roberts – 923-3423


Wednesday April 4th @ 7:00pm

Girls 16U – 96 & 97

TBD

Wednesday April 4th @ 8:00pm Thursday April 5th @ 6:00pm

Girls 19U – 94 & 95 Dave Warnick – 628-4988 – [email protected] Thursday April 5th 7:00pm

West Seneca Youth Hockey Association

MEET OUR COACHES!VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT

WWW.WESTSENECAYOUTHHOCKEY.COM

GREECE2745 West Ridge Rd

Greece, NY 14626585.225.5252

WEBSTER1065 Ridge Rd

Webster, NY 14580585.872.2273

BUFFALO2497 Delaware AveBu� alo, NY 14216

716.874.2273

CHEEKTOWAGA5014 Transit Rd

Cheektowaga, NY716.684.2273

AMHERST2099 Niagara Falls Blvd

Amherst, NY716.564.2273

ORCHARD PARK3050 Orchard Park Rd

Orchard Park, NY716.675.3700

WILLIAMSVILLE7616 Transit Rd

Williamsville, NY716.204.2273

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HPHD Hockey Academy Small Classes, Big Results for Mites

to Midget Players

High Performance Hockey Development (HPHD) has taken another step toward providing more alternatives for training

Western New York’s hockey players with the introduction of HPHD Acad-emy, located in New Era Park in Blasdell, New York. Through professional instruction and a positive environment, players of all age groups and skill levels will be able to improve their game all year round. HPHD Coaching Director Steve Thomson explains, “The Academy, like other HPHD programs, is based on personalized instruction. Due to the limited ice availability in Western New York, until now, hockey training programs have not been available 52 weeks per year for players to improve their skills. “The Academy training methodology has been proven effective in various training centers across Canada. The HPHD Hockey Academy will further a player’s confidence and give them the skills to improve their game and outperform the competition. Our synthetic ice rink and perfor-mance training area at New Era Park in Blasdell allow us to introduce the Academy model which is both development and cost effective.” The Academy sessions feature a maximum of five players per coach to allow for both the repetition and the personalized feedback required to learn new skills. The sessions can be used by individual players, small groups or embedded into team development plans. The various Hockey Academy programs are offered on a rotating basis and cover over 100 hockey skills. These programs are customized by age and level of play. An annual Hockey Academy membership is very cost-effective with an average price per session of less than ten dollars. For more information, visit www.hphd.us.*

Nichols Girls Hockey 3rd in U.S. (Submitted by Nichols School)

Nichols Girls Varsity Team capped off the 2011/12 season with 2 League Titles (NAPHA and CISAA) for the first time in the same season. Nich-ols finished the season with an overall record of 26W-3L-3T. Over the 32

games that Nichols played this season, the team scored overall 185 Goals and only gave up 42 goals during the season. Based on the most recent rankings Nichols is ranked 3rd in the United States based on its record and overall strength of schedule. Nichols captured the NAPHA(North American Prep Hockey Association) regular season title by going 10-1-1. The team scored 66 goals during the NAPHA regular season and only gave up 13 goals. Nichols won the League Championship in Quebec by beating Wyoming Seminary in the Quarter Finals by a score of 5-0, and the beat Gilmore Academy in the semi-finals by a score of 5-0. That would pit Nichols against Stanstead, Quebec who beat Nichols in the finals last season. Nich-ols came out in the championship determined to have a different outcome and won by a convincing score of 6-1. Nichols would then move onto play for the CISAA(Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association) which the top Canadian Prep Schools participate in. Nichols went had an overall record of 10W-2L during the regular season. Nichols would open up with a convincing Semi-Final win over Appleby College by a score of 6-0. That would allow Nichols to square off against Bishop Strachan in a best 2 out of 3 series. It would also be a rematch from last season’s 1 game final which Bishop Strachan won. Nichols was focused on having a different outcome this year. In game 1, in Toronto, Nichols fell behind by a score of 2-0, but battled back to win a see-saw battle by a score of 7-5. This would allow Nichols to clinch the series at home in game #2 played at Nichols. Nichols started out strong to take a 2-0 lead, Bishop Strachan would battle back to take a 3-2 lead. Nichols would not be denied as they continued to battle and answered back with 3 late goals to win by a score of 5-3. As Nichols celebrated the victory, the team reached it’s goal of capturing both League titles for the first time in the same season. In both league championship rounds, Nichols defeated the 2 teams that beat Nichols in last years championships.


BUFFALO STARS JUNIOR HOCKEY

“A commitment to hockey excellence”

The Buffalo Stars Junior Hockey Program will begins its 11th season of play in the Junior ranks.

The team will consist of 13 forwards, 7 defensemen and 2 goaltenders that will make a commitment towards hockey and aca-demic excellence. In addition, one additional alternate will be chosen at each position. The successful candidates will begin an intense training regimen that will begin shortly after being accepted as part of the team. Five practice players will also be chosen.

The team is geared towards the elite level hockey athlete born in 1996 or earlier. The team will focus mainly on the 96 through 93 birth-year, however, a limited number of 97 birth year players may be considered.

Initial Tryouts will be held at Holiday Twin Rinks during a weekend Tryout Camp. The Camp will be held April 28th and 29th. Additional Tryouts will be held as necessary throughout the spring and early summer. Players will be notified via email as to report times and schedule for the tryout. Visit us on line at www.buffalostars.com You can download a copy of the Ap-plication from the website.

Success is a marathon, one shift at a time

by Randy Schultz

Six champions were crowned on Super Sunday on February 26 at First Niagara Center. Three

of the champs were from the Western New York Varsity Hockey Federation, with the other three coming from High School Club Hockey.

FEDERATION HOCKEY

Niagara-Wheatfield vs. Williamsville North Dillon Hayes scored two goals in leading Niagara-Wheatfield to a 4-0 victory over North. Alex Kammerer recorded the shutout for the Falcons, his first of the season.

Kenmore East vs. Williamsville East This was a battle between the two top ranked small schools in New York State. In the end, it wasn’t much of a battle at all. Taylor Davis had two goals and an assist in leading Kenmore East to an easy, 9-2 win over East. Andrew Sturtz and Don Battista each added two goals apiece for the victors.

St. Francis vs. Canisius For St. Francis, it was their third straight Super Sunday appearance. In their previous two games, St. Francis never scored a goal. It was a different story this year with St. Francis coming away with a 4-1 win over Canisius. David Kul-czyk scored the game winning goal with a little over five minutes remain-ing in regulation time.

HIGH SCHOOL CLUB HOCKEY

Starpoint vs. Cheektowaga Starpoint defeated Cheektowaga, 5-2, to win its second straight Super Sunday championship. Dylan Lamp-ka, Steven Pierre-Louis, Tony Perez, Viekko Mielonen and Kyle Griffin scored for the Spartans.

Iroquois/Alden vs. City Honors/Car-dinal O’Hara Defenseman Peter Guido scored two goals and added two assists, while Roy Davis added two mor goals to lead Iroquois/Alden to a 9-3 win. Ryan Kaufmann also had three as-sists for the victors.

Hutch Tech vs. St. Francis Tom Skura and Ed Shantler each scored a pair of goals to pace Hutch Tech to a 5-3 win over St. Francis.Mike Mendola also scored two goals in a losing cause for St. Francis.*

Super Sunday Report


Tier I - 10UWestchester Express 7Long Island Gulls 3

Tier I - 12USyracuse Nationals 3Rochester 2

Tier I - 14U Westchester Express 3LI Gulls 7 Tier II - 10UWestchester Vipers 3Niagara Jr. Purple Eagles 0

Tier II - 12UMassena/St. Lawrence 4Niagara JPE 2 Tier II - 14UMassena/St. Lawrence 5LI Rebels 2 Tier III -10U Tritown 3Onondaga 0

Tier III - 12UCanadaigua 4Tritown 0

Tier III - 14UOnondaga 3Canadaigua 0

Girls Tier II - 12UWest Seneca 3Clifton Park 2 Girls Tier II - 14UBuffalo Regals 2Rochester Edge 1 Girls Tier II - 16UPotsdam Ice Storm 4Brewster Lady Bulldogs 1 Girls Tier II - 19UChazy 2Tompkins 1 Womens “ B”Syracuse Warriors 4 ptsBuffalo Hornets 0 pts

Hockey Scoring Wrap-Up from2012 New York State Tournament

Kenmore East Takes NYSPHSAA 2012

Championship

It was Kenmore East 6-3 over Oswego to bring home their first NYSPHYSAA 20112 Hockey Championship in Division II. Senior Forward Andrew Sturtz was named MVP after scoring 3 goals and adding 3 assists. Don Giliforte had one goal and four assists and Austin Ford had a goal. In Division I it was Suffern 3, Pittsford 2.

NYSCHS AAU High School Championship

Iroquois/Alden brought home the 2012 AAU High School Champion-shp after beating Oceanside 3-2 in the Mixed School Division. In the Large School Division, Lancaster lost in the Championship round to Massapequa 3-1. Long Beach took the Small School Division.

From the Ice to the Sport Court Attention all ice hockey addicts… About to go through hockey withdrawal knowing the summer is coming and the ice will be melted? Well, just your luck, the Western New York Roller Hockey League may be just what you need to bridge the gap until you can once again relive the excitement of lacing up the skates and gliding out on the freshly laid ice. For many years, the inline hockey scene has been an underground domain, one easily mistaken for the average pick up street hockey or ball hockey game. This, however, is a gross misinterpretation of the actuality inline hockey repre-sents. Offering just as much competition and excitement of an ice hockey match up, inline hockey, markets to players of all ages and skill levels. On the rink, teams ranging from 6-12 players’ battle it out in a 4 on 4 fashion with a goalie defending against a puck in front of their regulation sized net on either end. Each player with stick in hand and adorned in inline skates and their equipment, engage in fast paced, high energy, intense competi-tion until a champion is crowned. For those aware of the inline scene, there is tremendous crossover amongst ice hockey players, especially in the summer months, as an outlet to maintain their skills and fulfill their competitive desires all year long. In fact Sanborn native, Thomas McCollum, 2008 first round draft pick to the Detroit Red Wings has been an avid inline hockey player and supporter since his childhood. Additionally, Canisius College ice hockey star, Cory Conacher, now currently the AHL’s 4th leading scorer represented Buffalo at inline hockey’s national grandstand NARCh Finals, helping his team win the Junior National Championship. So for hockey lovers of all ages don’t let the summer blues get you down, come on out, lace up the skates, the inline version, and try your hand on the sport court!


Back cover with Front Cover in Separate FileHPHD ad is bleed

wny hockey report - march 2012

Documents

neurologic disorders

children of camp good

hockey club boys

wny nonprofit

youth hockey players

needs of children

honor of children

treatment success rate