January, 2007

www b arizonarubber b com
NLL season
kicks off for
Dan Dawson
and the Sting
THE WHEEL DEAL
AZ’s inline programs ready to roll in 2007
VOLUME 2
ISSUE 5
January 2007
From Kids to Coyotes, the Desert’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline Hockey
Names Ice Den
a ‘Top 10’ Rink in Nation!
• Public Skating
• Radio Disney Family Nights
(Sat. 6:15pm)
• Learn-To-Skate Programs
• Figure Skating
• Youth & Adult Hockey Leagues
• Birthday Parties
• Private Corporate Events
• School & Group Fundraisers
• Coyotes Curling Club
Now open inside the Ice Den...
™
480-585-RINK
COYOTESICE.COM
Alltel Ice Den... Official Training Center for:
9375 E. BELL RD.
SCOTTSDALE
JUST EAST OF
THE LOOP 101
ON BELL RD.
4
6
10
13
15
23
30
THE LINEUP:
...................Editorial
...................Cover Story
Inline Hockey....................
..............Coyotes
Sundogs........................
...............RoadRunners
College Hockey.............
...............Junior Hockey
Associations.................
...............Features
Inline Hockey...............
.............Lacrosse
5
8
12
14
16
26
34
Rubber Interview...............
Taking Liberties..........
Arizona Rubber Magazine
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Visit our Web site at: www.arizonarubber.com
Photo /Sean Gulley
publisher: Brian McDonough
editor: Cameron Eickmeyer
design: Jayson and Jennifer Hron
On The Cover
Main Photo:
1. Arizona Phlyers-Tanner Tuohy 2. Casey’s
Crushers-Lincoln Mann 3. Crazy 8’s-Wyatt
Eason 4. Arizona Heartbreakers-Connor Bu 5.
Tour Outcasts-Nic Spinasanta 6. Team Excalibur-David Marmorstein 7. Rolerplex PanthersMorgan Davis 8. Prescott Storm-Mitch Eastman
9. Arizona Phantoms- Austin Clark 10. Mission
Arizona Stars-Daniel Amimoto
Insert Photo:
Dan Dawson, Arizona Sting
3
T
hree players from
Arizona ’s two
minor-pro teams were
chosen to participate
in their respective
league’s all-star games
this month.
Arizona Sundogs forward
Brent Kelly was named to the
Southern Conference starting
lineup for the 2007 Dodge CHL AllStar Game in Bossier City, La. The
game is scheduled for Wednesday,
Jan. 27 at the CenturyTel Center.
“Brent has played very well for
us this season and his numbers are
proof of that,” said Sundogs coachGM Marco Pietroniro. “We’re
excited and proud to have Brent
represent our club during the AllStar Game and we’re confident he
will showcase his skills and talent.”
Kelly ranked third in league
scoring with 38 points (17 goals)
after 22 games.
Phoenix RoadRunners center
Scott May and defenseman Dave
Pszenyczny were selected to the
National Conference roster that
will participate at the 2007 RBK
Hockey ECHL All-Star Game on
Wednesday, Jan. 17 at Qwest
Arena in Boise, Idaho.
T
he NHL All-Star Game is
scheduled for Wednesday, Jan.
24 in Dallas. Phoenix Coyotes forwards Shane Doan and Ladislav
Nagy are on the all-star ballot.
Editor’s Column:
Hockey resolutions for 2007
W
elcome to 2007 and all the good potential should be enough reason
for some new rinks.
I hope it brings to you, your
4. Make this the year Arizona
families and your hockey teams.
begins to dominate - not just sur In the spirit of New Year’s resolutions, I’ve been thinking about a
prise - other teams at national
few things I’d love to see happen in
tournaments. We’re close on this one
the hockey community this year. I’m and there are some great teams this
also interested in what you’d like to
season that could begin something
special.
see this year (send me your resolutions at editor@arizonarubber.com).
5. Increase the hockey commu Hockey resolutions in Arizona
nity’s exposure in the state. This
always start with growth,
starts with associations
working together to sponin my opinion, and it’s fitting my list of New Year’s
sor events, like a 10K
resolutions starts here:
race or a charity walk up
1. Continue to deSouth Mountain. These
events get your names
velop the state’s base by
out and serve the area in
constantly improving
a way people won’t soon
each association. Every
league and association in
forget.
the state does a great job
The last resolution apand you’re the bread and
plies
to the 2006-07 and
Eickmeyer
butter of our future.
2007-08 seasons, since our
2. Break ground on at least two
professional teams play through the
more rinks in the Valley. With the
New Year. It would be a great bonus
latest high-tech Polar Ice complex
to the hockey community if all of the
coming to Gilbert, we only need one
pro teams make the playoffs in the
more entrepreneur to take the inisame year.
tiative to build an ice or inline rink.
There’s nothing that energizes a
3. On that note, build more rinks fan base more than playoff hockey,
outside of the Valley. With a Tucso what do you say boys? b
son rink closing and the Sundogs
in Prescott Valley, there is ample
Reach Cameron Eickmeyer at camopportunity to serve some unrepreeron@arizonarubber.com
sented markets. Just looking at the
b Team of the Month
T
he Phoenix Polar Bears’ Midget U-18 AA team
secured gold at the Rocky Mountain District
Silver Stick Championship in December.
Playing against teams from Colorado, New
Mexico, Omaha and Texas, the Polar Bears
fashioned a 4-0-1 record, blanking Littleton, Colo.,
in the title game, 4-0.
The squad, coached by Jason Wright, will
participate in the Silver Stick International
Tournament in Ontario, Canada, from Jan. 18-21
as the Rocky Mountain District winner.
Pictured: Front Row (left to right) Kyle Dietrich,
Steven Birt, Justin Kim, Tyler Wible, Trey
Summers, Adam Hodgins; Middle Row: Coach Nick
Karastamatis, Eric Watters, Mikey Krieg, Nicholi
Roach, Michael Hansen, Jordan Clarke, Coach
Jason Wright; Back Row: Jordan Weatherly, Danny
Parks, Jamie Cobb, Taylor Dornbier, Matt Krieg,
Mark Chadwick
4
Phoenix Polar Bears Midget U-18 AA
Letters to
the Editor:
M
Turbulence in Tucson
y son started playing Mite hockey
in Tucson in 1999 and loved it!
We played three years there before
moving to Rapid City, S.D. After three
years playing in Rapid City, we moved
back to Tucson.
What a mistake! The hockey program in Tucson is in shambles!
The Tucson Tilt mess (see more
on the Tilt on Page 15) doesn’t help
anything and hurts a lot of good kids!
No Tucson ice rink… what a shame!
Another year driving and playing on a
Phoenix hockey team.
I feel sorry for all the good hockey
players in Tucson with no place to play
or skate.
- Tim from Tucson
We couldn’t agree more. See our story in
this issue for what’s next. We hope to see
a new rink in Tucson so the players can
get back on the ice.
A
AIHA coverage top notch
fter reading every Arizona Rubber
Magazine almost cover to cover, I
have to say my favorite writer is Alex
Dodt. I play roller hockey and to see the
way he passionately writes about the
sport is great!
- Kevin from Scottsdale
Thanks for the props and we’ll strive to
bring you the latest in AIHA news as
well as the rest of the happenings in the
state’s hockey scene.
Corrections
In our December issue, it was incorrectly reported that Chris Woodall
designed the Web site for the Sonoran Youth Hockey League. Woodall
designed the site for the SouthWest
Youth Hockey League.
Also in our December issue, Steve
Clark’s name was spelled incorrectly.
He is the Arizona Phantoms’ inline
program director.
Arizona Rubber Magazine corrects errors fully and promptly. Please notify
the editor of any errors at: editor@
arizonarubber.com.
Rubber Interview:
Keith Blase
Scottsdale resident Keith Blase was recently named head coach of the
2006-07 U.S. National Sled Hockey Team by USA Hockey and U.S. Paralympics. AZR Magazine’s Brian McDonough caught up with Blase to learn
more about sled and how the U.S. stacks up against the rest of the globe.
AZR Magazine: How did your
involvement with the sled program
begin?
Keith Blase: When I was working for
the Coyotes (as the team’s director of
amateur hockey development) back
in the late ‘90s-early 2000s, we had
a young man that worked at the Ice
Den, Corbin Beu, who had participated in some of the early national
team programs for sled. He used to
come out in his sled and practice and
it was always intriguing.
And then when the opportunity arose to get involved on a more
formal basis in 2003 as coach of the
U.S. program, I thought it would
be a fantastic opportunity for me.
From everything I had seen, it was a
very exciting sport and, an opportunity to work with disabled athletes
U.S. National Sled Hockey Team head coach
- although it was new to me - was
Keith Blase.
something that interested me.
AZR: Is there much difference coaching sled hockey as opposed to ablebodied hockey?
KB: No, not really - that’s been the great part about it. We’ve taken the
approach that it is the game of hockey; it’s just played with different
equipment. Certainly, there are little things where you have to adjust
and adapt, but we found that treating it as able-bodied hockey has been
successful and very well received by the athletes. And the athletes themselves want to be treated just like any other athlete; they want to be
pushed and want to have the same level of competition.
AZR: What’s makes an elite sled player?
KB: The primary difference between able-bodied hockey and sled hockey
is that you’ve got two hands you’ve got to use at all times, not only in order to propel yourself around the rink, but you also have two sticks, so you
can stickhandle with either hand or shoot with either hand, so the elite
player has the ability to be ambidextrous.
And that’s something we’ve really worked on with the athletes, because many of them, when they first get involved, have a tendency - as
most people do - to use one hand more than the other. So one of the things
we’ve done is to get them to stickhandle equally well with both hands and,
in particular, be able to shoot with either hand. And that’s a real advantage – as you can imagine – when you’re coming in on a goaltender: You
can change the angle of your shot rather dramatically by being able to
move the puck from one side of your sled to the other and shoot.
Interview continued / Page 22
5
Inline’s growth, strength rests on players,
coaches and fans
By Alex Dodt
N
6
Growing at the
grassroots level Young players like Tanner Tuohy of the Arizona Phylers are
essential to growth of inline hockey.
For any sport to
Koressel points out an imporcontinue to grow and
tant misconception in the game
prosper, there must be new players
today: There may be a lot of shiftcoming into the game. Ask anyone
ing
of players from team to team,
in the scene and they’ll surely have
but
there’s a lack of new players
an opinion on why roller hockey
coming
in. Too often, teams focus
suffers from a lack of new players.
on
getting
new elite players rather
But there is no shortage of soluthan
developing
them.
tions to the problem; it’s just a mat
The
issue
of
too
many tournater of implementing them successments
is
debatable,
but few realize
fully.
the
consequences
of
this over-satu Dean Koressel is the tournaration
affects
more
than
just the
ment director of the Arizona Inline
travel
players.
Now,
house
leagues
Hockey Association (AIHA), a club
and
developmental
programs
are
hockey tournament series that
suffering.
focuses on the grassroots level, and
“There are too many tournabelieves the dilemma lies within
ments on too many weekends,” said
the rinks.
Domintrovic. “It takes away from
“Rinks need to adopt a true recthe house leagues and we need to
reational program,” said Koressel.
regulate how many there are.”
“Places that do that - places that
Introducing new players to the
work with the kids who can’t tie
their own skates - are the ones who game is something that all can
agree needs to be worked on.
will succeed at bringing new play “We need leagues to run learners in.”
Photo / Sean Gulley
othing marks the beginning
of travel roller hockey season
quite like NARCh WinterNationals.
For the 11th year in a row,
hundreds of hockey fans forget for
a moment that it’s the height of ice
season and come from across the
country - and, for a few teams, the
world - to compete in the secondlargest roller hockey tournament of
the year.
With every age division and
skill level playing at the same time
over the course of five days, the
atmosphere promises to be electric.
All of the activity has roller hockey
on the minds of many this month
and makes for an ideal time to
reflect on where the sport is today.
The state of the game
Today, there is some talk of the
game slowly declining, and while
those thoughts can’t be entirely dismissed, there aren’t many people
raving about how great the sport is
doing. Gary Del Vecchio, director of USA Hockey Inline, sees the
sport somewhere in between.
“It seems to be in a stabilizing
place right now,” said Del Vecchio.
“There are leagues doing well and
there are leagues that are struggling.”
NARCh president Daryn
Goodwin believes the ones with
good intentions are going to be
alright in the long run.
“There are so many variables
and reasons why rinks succeed or
fail,” said Goodwin. “But, generally,
rinks that have a great atmosphere
and run things professionally are
doing just fine.”
Given that roller hockey is an
adapted version of the ice game,
comparisons between the two are
unavoidable. One that always
shows roller hockey in a negative
light is the level of organization in
the sport, which is lacking.
“There is not
enough management
or involvement from
above the rinks themselves,” said John
Black of Pacific Cup
Hockey.
Since it is still such
a young sport, roller
hockey continues to
struggle to be taken seriously by those outside
the game. A lot of that
begins with the players, coaches and fans.
“We need to make
it so that when people
look at roller hockey,
they see it as a credible sport,” said Jason
Domintrovic of State
Wars hockey. “It can’t
just be something for
ice players to do in the
off-season.”
to-play programs,” said Del Vecchio. “We need manufacturers to
promote the game any way they
can and we need to raise public
awareness of the sport.”
Photo / Sean Gulley
Nick Spinasanta and the Tour Outcasts have
a lot to look forward to in 2007.
High school, college, and
beyond
The development of high school
and college roller hockey is undeniably a vital part of keeping the
sport healthy and growing it for the
future. Establishing unified programs and organizations at these
levels are essential for the game.
“The entire marketplace needs
to be part of the advancement
ladder, especially levels like high
school and college inline hockey,”
said Del Vecchio. “The sport needs
clear advancement opportunities.”
The state of the game at the
high school level still varies from
one region of the country to the
next. There are some states, like
Missouri and Colorado, with very
well-run, established high school
leagues.
Other states, Arizona included,
are in transition phases. Locally,
the Arizona Interscholastic Inline
Hockey Association (AZiiHA) is trying to find its place and establish
itself in the Arizona roller hockey
community. This next year will be
vital for the state and its hopes for
a unified high school league.
“Arizona, as well as many other
regions, will benefit tremendously
from the formation of these types
of programs,” said John Marr,
AZiiHA president. “High school
hockey will be what legitimizes and
brings the sport of inline hockey
together.”
Growth continued / Page 8
AZ in line for action-packed 2007
By Alex Dodt
T
his year is sure to be another
exciting roller hockey season,
packed with exciting, high-stakes
tournaments. Here is a month-bymonth look at the big events coming at you in 2007.
January
NARCh WinterNationals comes
to town as the best in the country
play at Arizona Sports Complex
from Jan. 11-15 to compete in one
of the premier roller hockey tournaments in the game’s history.
Over the next two weekends,
the local scene takes over again
with the season-opening tournament for the Arizona Inline Hockey Association (AIHA).
The AIHA slate kicks off at one
of Arizona’s original rinks, Casey’s
At The Bat.
“Casey’s is a great place to
start the year,” said AIHA tournament director Dean Koressel.
“Everybody is ready to get this
season started already.”
February
The first weekend of the
month, Bladeworld will host its
fifth annual Super Bowl Ironman
tournament, which is always a big
draw for players across the state.
The following weekend provides a chance for a little travel, as
Pacific Cup Hockey hosts a qualifying tournament at Irvine’s California Roller Hockey Center, one
of the state’s top facilities, for the
first time this season.
The AIHA concludes February
with its second qualifier of the year
in Yuma. The weather should be
beautiful at Yuma’s outdoor rink
and a lot of the younger teams will
make the trip.
“We love hosting the AIHA
tournaments,” said Jeff Johnson
of the Yuma Blaze. “It’s always a
fun weekend.”
March
If you like your months littered
with tournaments, then mark your
calendar for this one.
Last year’s host of the AIHA
Finals, Castle Sports Club, will be
the site of another AIHA qualifier
over March’s first two weekends.
In addition, the Arizona Sports
Complex will bring Pacific Cup to
town on March 10-11 for the first
of two Arizona qualifying tournaments.
“We’re working on bringing
some teams from California out
here, especially in the older divisions,” said ASC’s Dan Maxwell.
“That would definitely increase the
competition for Arizona teams.”
The final two weekends of
March have Rollerplex playing
host to its AIHA qualifier and
Pacific Cup running another big
qualifier in Irvine, Calif.
Action continued / Page 29
7
Inline Hockey
Growth from page 7
The future
The future of roller hockey is
unpredictable, just like any other
fledgling sport. The skepticism
that so many people hold about the
future is justified in some ways, but
there is room for optimism.
“People love this sport and it’s
going to stay around,” said
Domintrovic. “It’s not going anywhere.”
And the future is in inline
community’s hands. What the sport
looks like years from now remains
to be seen, but it will take all parties involved to move it in the right
direction.
“Roller hockey is on a flat plain
right now,” said CJ Yoder, arguably the greatest player in the
game’s history. “We could go either
way, but I think the sport is going
to have an upswing soon.” b
Photo / Sean Gulley
The college level is experiencing
exceptional growth and serves as a
shining example of strong organization and professionalism in roller
hockey.
The National Collegiate Roller
Hockey Association (NCRHA) is the
governing body of college roller
hockey and the league has been
growing steadily.
College roller hockey has ballooned from 37 teams in 2000 to a
current total of 178 teams, competing in Divisions I, II and III levels,
as well as the B division.
“What the NCRHA is doing is
illustrating the fact that there is
an end goal in roller hockey,” said
Brennan Edwards, executive
director of the NCRHA. “A player
growing up playing roller now
knows that they can continue their
career in college. And if there is no
hockey program at their college of
choice, it’s not that difficult to form
a club on campus and get playing.”
It’s organizers like Edwards
who serve as exceptional examples
of the passion that exists in the
roller hockey community.
“Almost all NCRHA staff [members are] ex-college players,” said
Edwards. “They had such an amazing experience playing college roller
hockey and they want every player
to get that same experience.”
Mission Arizona’s Daniel Amimoto
GET INLINE:
AIHA in good hands with Koressel
2
006 was a growing
year for the Arizona
Inline Hockey Association (AIHA). The league
experienced trouble with
rules and organization
and saw a 14 percent decrease in teams at State
Finals.
There were a few
problems, but it wasn’t
necessarily a bad year.
There were also the
many positives to remember: the state championships were run smoothly
at The Castle and included the inaugural AIHA
Skills Competition, which
all the players enjoyed.
Although the number
of teams decreased by 10,
it was still the second
8
largest season
ficial tournain AIHA history. ment director.
This year, the
Although he
AIHA wants to
had performed
take the whole
many of the
tournament
same duties
series up a notch
before, he
and do its part to
never had
raise the sport up
an official
Dodt
as well.
title, nor did
“We learned a lot
he have the authority to
from last year,” said
maintain order like
AIHA tournament direche can as
tor Dean Koressel.
tournament director.
“There are changes to be
Koressel has a great
made, and this new seapassion for this game
son we’ll be better than
and is exactly the type of
ever.”
person we should want in
The first great step
powerful positions in this
made by the AIHA this
sport. He puts the good of
summer to get the league the tournament - and the
ready for 2007 was to
game - before anything
hire Koressel as the ofelse. This year, we’ll see
where he can take the
AIHA now that he is in a
well-defined position.
First up on the tournament director’s agenda: making sure there is
an increase of teams at
State Finals.
“You know, roller
hockey is such a great
sport,” said Koressel.
“There is just no reason
it shouldn’t be drawing
more players and more
interest. We’ve just got to
work at it.”
Early examination of
the state’s teams show
that there should be a
modest increase of three
or four teams in the
AIHA this season.
Dodt continued / Page 27
Casey’s out to crush in 2007
Inline Hockey
Phlyers’ sights set high this season
By Alex Dodt
By Alex Dodt
C
W
asey’s Crushers had a strong year in
2006, winning state championships
in the 8-and-under A and 12-and-under B
divisions, and taking second place in the
10-and-under B division.
“The year went really well overall,” said program
director Jim Curley.
Curley’s son, Bobby, was one of the star players
on that 8-and-under team. Last year, at the age of 7,
Bobby earned a spot on Team USA Southwest
10-and-under team. “Bobby had a great season last
year,” said Jim. “That whole 8-and-under team was
great for the program.”
The Crushers will have eight teams in 2007: five
youth teams, from 8-and-under up to 16-and-under,
and three adult teams, including women’s and 35-andover.
“We’re really trying to build the program up this
year,” said Curley. “Hopefully, it will be as good as last
season was.”
The Crushers kicked off their season at Rollerplex’s
OctoberFest, with all three teams making it to their
division’s championship game. The program will be out
in full force this month when their home rink, Casey’s
At The Bat, hosts the AIHA season-opening tournament, Jan. 19-21 and 26-28. b
ith only one team, the Arizona Phlyers are the smallest travel program
in the state. But that team, created out
of a house league team at Casey’s At The
Bat in 2002, has achieved a lot of success in
a short time.
In 2003, the Phlyers’ first season, they cruised to
the 8-and-under state championship. They repeated as
state champions the following season in the 10-and-under division.
“We had a lot of success those first few years,” said
team founder and coach Tom Tuohy. “It was surprising since our players were all new to travel hockey.”
2006 wasn’t quite as successful for the Phlyers, but
they still did well, finishing second at both the AIHA
Finals and Pacific Cup Finals.
For this coming season, Tuohy is trying to bring
new players into the organization and into the sport of
roller hockey.
“We’re working to get some of our players’ ice teammates to come out and play,” said Tuohy. “We’ve had
several come out already; it was their first time playing roller, and they loved it.” b
9
Laraque all smiles away from the rink
O
10
Photo / Norm Hall
with Edmonton.
fight, I’ll be fine with that.”
“I love to give my
Laraque is also one of the best
at playing practical jokes on his
time to charities
Coyotes mates.
and I hope to do
“I love to play pranks on my
that here.”
teammates, especially when it
Laraque is
catches them off guard,” Laraque
involved with
said. “It’s all done in good fun as
“Cool School Assemblies,” which
long as everyone can laugh at it.”
teaches kids the
Another place you might be able
importance of
to find “Big Georges” on his days
safety when playaway from Jobing.com Arena is at
ing sports or ridthe movie theatre or watching films
ing bicycles, and
at home.
“Coyotes Causes,”
“I have a huge collection (of
which helps
movies) and always watch them on
the plane with my laptop.”
specific charities
Some of his favorite flicks inevery month with
a certain project.
clude “Pay it Forward” and “Pirates
When you
of the Caribbean.” Laraque loves
don’t see Laraque
any movies starring Johnny Depp,
giving back to the
whom he calls his favorite actor.
community, you
While he was growing up,
might hear him
Laraque’s parents were adamant
on your radio dial. their son pursued an education
Laraque serves as
rather than a career in the NHL.
a relationship ad “My parents were very seriviser on Wednesous about (my education) and they
day mornings on
didn’t care about sports,” said
XTRA
910
Sports
Laraque. “Education, as I learned,
Coyotes forward Georges Laraque is a feared fighter on the ice,
with
Dan
Bickley
was way more important.
but doles out relationship advice off the ice.
and
Mike
Jurecki.
“In life you become someone
By Russell Brooks
He answers callers’ questions about important not with sports, but with
relationships during a 15-minute
education and knowledge, and I
n the ice, Georges Laraque is
segment.
was on my way to becoming a lawknown as the Phoenix Coyotes’
“I
enjoy
giving
people
relationyer and still intend to do it when I
enforcer. Off the ice, he’s a whole
ship
advice
because
I
feel
I
have
a
retire.” b
different character.
lot
of
experience
when
it
“I love to laugh and smile all the
comes right down to it,”
Coyotes In January
time,” said Laraque. “If someone
said
Laraque,
who
had
a
isn’t smiling, I’ll go over to them to
Mon., Jan. 1 @ Washington, 12:00 p.m.
similar radio gig while he
try to make them feel better and
Thu., Jan. 4 @ Carolina, 5:00 p.m.
was
in
Edmonton.
put a smile on their face.”
Fri., Jan. 5 @ Atlanta, 5:30 p.m.
He
might
be
known
as
Since being acquired in the offSun., Jan. 7 @ Chicago, 1:00 p.m.
an intimidator on the ice,
season from the Edmonton Oilers,
Tue., Jan. 9 @ Dallas, 6:30 p.m.
but, in reality, “Big GeorgLaraque, a Montreal native, has
Thu., Jan. 11 vs. Detroit, 7:00 p.m.
es” would rather not get
Sat., Jan. 13 vs. San Jose, 7:00 p.m.
been a tremendous asset to the
involved in the rough stuff
Mon., Jan. 15 vs. St. Louis, 2:00 p.m.
Phoenix community, always willall together.
Wed., Jan. 17 @ Colorado, 7:00 p.m.
ing to donate his time to charitable
“I
don’t
like
to
fight
at
Thu., Jan. 18 @ San Jose, 8:30 p.m.
functions around the Valley of the
Sat., Jan. 20 @ Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m.
all,
but
I
do
it
because
it’s
Sun.
Fri., Jan. 26 @ Colorado, 7:00 p.m.
my
job,”
said
Laraque,
who
“I did a lot of charity work when
Sat., Jan. 27 vs.Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
has
registered
859
penI was in Edmonton,” said Laraque,
Wed., Jan. 31 @ Anaheim, 8:00 p.m.
alty minutes in 521 NHL
who won the Oilers’ Community
Service Award the last four seasons games. “If I never have to
Coyotes’ charitable efforts continue
By Russell Brooks
good times and family.
“I know it’s just a short time and it’s little, but
he Phoenix Coyotes have always placed a strong
to them it means a lot,” he added. “It’s funny, there
emphasis on putting time and effort back into the
are few things we can do as professional athletes to
community, and this season is no different.
brighten up people’s days.”
“Coyotes Causes” is in its inaugural season. It’s a
“Street Coyotes” is a free street hockey program
monthly program dedicated to partnerships among the that allows thousands of kids to learn the basic rules
Coyotes and various organizations to support commuand fundamentals of hockey at no cost. Conducted
nity outreach initiatives from October through
through the Valley Boys and Girls Clubs, the Coyotes
April.
venture to different locations around Arizona educat In October, “Coyotes Causes” teamed up with the
ing children.
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to help
CoyotesFest is an annual event with free admission
raise funds and awareness for cancer research. Coythat is held before the start of the season, featuring
otes center Mike Comrie, who sported a pink stick
a wide variety of activities that allow fans to mingle
as part of the
with Coyotes playeffort, was the
ers, broadcasters and
team represenother team persontative for the
nel.
month (Comrie
Activities
lost his mother
include a “Jeopardy”
to cancer),
game with players,
which saw the
a hockey trivia game
team sponthat allows fans to
sor numerous
pair up with their
events throughfavorite Coyotes
out the month to
players and a Hockey
raise awareness.
101 seminar with
Coyotes broadcast Members
of the Coyotes
ers. The players also
organization
conduct an autotook part in the
graph and photo ses“Komen Race for
sions with the fans.
the Cure” and
“CoyotesFest
the foundation
is
a
great
way to
Coyotes players visited the Phoenix Children’s Hospital last month.
auctioned off an
kick off the hockey
autographed jersey to benefit breast cancer awareness
season,” said Moss. “Fans are able to enjoy the many
during every game in October.
activities that are available and be able to spend time
In December, the Coyotes teamed up with Habiwith their favorite players in very unique settings.”
tat for Humanity to host “Home for the Howlidays”
The “Cool School” assembly program teaches kids
month. Some of the activities included building a new
the importance of safety when playing sports or riding
house for a family and delivering toys to the Phoenix
bicycles, skateboards and scooters.
Children’s Hospital for the less fortunate.
A Coyotes player and radio/television announcer
“The fact that we can help build a home for a famconduct 30-minute assemblies for up to 300 students
ily in the Jobing.com Arena parking lot is something
at different schools around the Valley.
that the organization is very proud of and will never
The organization also hosts different signature
forget,” said Coyotes president-COO Doug Moss.
annual events such as the Golf Classic and Coyotes
Jeremy Roenick, a longtime NHL veteran who is
Luncheon with proceeds going to Coyotes Charities.
no stranger to helping the community, enjoys visiting
Coyotes Charities, which is growing yearly, awards
the children in the hospital.
over $100,000 annually to different organizations
“It’s one of my favorite times of the year, to tell you around the state of Arizona. It seeks to enhance the
the truth,” said Roenick. “I’ve done it for years and
quality of life throughout Arizona communities by
years and years and at times I’ve gone over there just
supporting non-profit organizations that promote
to go over there. There are a lot of kids in there that
healthcare, education, cultural arts and sports-related
unfortunately got the raw end of the deal, especially
programs for children. b
around the holiday season when everybody’s enjoying
Photo / Norm Hall
T
11
Kelly named to CHL All-Star Game
A
rizona Sundogs forward Brent
Kelly was named to the Southern Conference starting lineup
for the 2007 Dodge CHL All-Star
Game in Bossier City, La. The
game is scheduled for Wednesday,
Jan. 27 at the CenturyTel Center.
Starting lineups for both conferences were selected and voted
upon by ballot among all CHL head
coaches, communications departments and members of the media
representing each market.
Heading into the holidays, Kelly
ranked third in the CHL in scoring with 37 points. His 16 goals
were good enough for fourth in the
league while his 21 assists ranked
seventh. The Kitchener, Ontario,
native led the CHL in
game-winning goals with five.
Kelly sat atop the Sundogs’ leaderboard in a number of categories
as well, including goals (16), assists
(21), shorthanded goals (3) and
shots (112).
“Brent has played very well for
us this season and his numbers are
proof of that,” said Sundogs coachGM Marco Pietroniro. “We’re
excited and proud to have Brent
represent our club during the AllStar Game and we’re confident
he will showcase his skills and talent.”
The 25-year-old led all Southern
Conference vote getters, being
selected on 25 of 27 completed ballots.
Lord Stanley’s Cup makes visit
The Stanley Cup was on hand
at Tim’s Toyota Center on Dec. 30
while the Sundogs took on New
Mexico.
Fans viewed the Stanley Cup on
the concourse throughout the game
and also opted to have their photograph taken with the Cup.
The Stanley Cup, along with
12
Brent Kelly, the top vote-getter in the CHL’s
Southern Conference all-star balloting.
Stanley Cup curator Mike Bolt,
will make several stops in Central
Hockey League markets.
‘Dogs help Toys for Tots
harities raised during a Nov. 22
Thanksgiving jersey auction.
The Sundogs wore special
Christmas-themed jerseys during
the contest as part of the charity event. At the conclusion of the
game, the team held a live jersey
auction, its second jersey auction to
raise money for charity.
The $6,000 raised will be
divided among six local non-profit
agencies that have partnered with
the Sundogs in their “Team Up For
Hope” campaign in which money
raised will be distributed throughout surrounding communities to
make Northern Arizona a better
place to live.
The six charities receiving
$1,000 each are Stepping Stones
Agencies, Boys and Girls Clubs
of Central Arizona, Yavapai Big
Brothers Big Sisters, the United
Way, Yavapai Food Bank and
Prescott Area Habitat for Humanity.
“The jerseys are fun,” said Pietroniro. “We’re happy to be able to
raise money for local charities that
will put the money to use and make
our community a better place to
live.
“We will wear theme jerseys
several more times throughout the
year to continue to be able to give
back to the charities and organizations that do so much for families
in Northern Arizona.” b
The Sundogs and Toys for Tots
teamed up to collect toys and
donations for the less fortunate
in Northern Arizona this holiday
season.
The Sundogs and Toys for Tots
set up boxes at the two Tim’s Toyota Center main entrances
Sundogs In January
to collect new toys in their
original packages or cash
Fri., Jan. 5 @ Rocky Mountain, 7:05 p.m.
donations.
Sat., Jan. 6 @ New Mexico, 7:05 p.m.
The toys were distribFri., Jan. 12 @ Laredo, 6:30 p.m.
uted throughout Northern Sat., Jan. 13 @ Corpus Christi, 7:05 p.m.
Arizona communities
Fri., Jan. 19 @ Colorado, 7:05 p.m.
helping less fortunate
Sat., Jan. 20 vs. Lubbock, 7:30 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 21 vs. Lubbock, 5:00 p.m.
children have a better
Tue., Jan. 23 vs. New Mexico, 7:00 p.m.
holiday season.
Sundogs in giving mood
During the a recent
game against New Mexico, the Sundogs made a
donation of $6,000 to local
Fri., Jan. 26 vs. Amarillo, 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 27 @ Rocky Mountain, 7:05 p.m.
Sun., Jan. 28 @ Rocky Mountain, 3:00 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 31 vs. Amarillo, 7:00 p.m.
‘Captain Cam’ a natural leader
By Paolo Cruz
S
igned only 10 days prior to
camp, Phoenix RoadRunners
center Cam Paddock has returned
immediate dividends, including
taking over the role as team captain midseason.
The rare change in leadership
was predicated by the trade of
longtime veteran Joe Dusbabek
to Pensacola. Replacing the wellrespected Dusbabek as the team’s
captain would have been a tough
task for anyone, but RoadRunners
coach-assistant GM Ron Filion
new he had the right man for the
job in
Paddock.
“Although we have a lot of good
leadership in the locker room, Cam
was an obvious choice for us as our
team captain,” said Filion. “He is
well respected by his teammates
and his leadership can be seen on
and off the ice.”
Paddock relishes his role as the
team leader.
“I’ve always looked at myself as
a leader, I enjoy the role and I’m
happy to have it,” he said. “I didn’t
change much when I got the ‘C’. It
was a little weird getting it midRoadRunners In January
Photo / Phoenix RoadRunners
Tue., Jan. 2 vs. Idaho, 7:11 p.m.
Thu., Jan. 4 vs. Idaho, 7:11 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 5 @ Long Beach, 8:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 6 vs. Las Vegas, 7:11 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 8 vs. Idaho, 7:11 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 10 vs. Idaho, 7:11 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 12 vs. Idaho, 7:11 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 19 @ Idaho, 7:10 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 20 @ Idaho, 7:10 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 26 @ Fresno, 8:35 p.m.
Tue., Jan. 30 vs. Stockton, 7:11 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 31 @ Utah, 7:05 p.m.
season, but that’s
the nature of the
ECHL.”
Paddock played
his junior hockey
for the Kelowna
Rockets of the
Western Hockey
League, a circuit known for
its physical and
defensive play.
Paddock enjoyed
a successful junior
career, playing
in two Memorial
Cups - Canada’s
top junior hockey
championship while winning it in
his final season.
Being battle
Cam Paddock has quickly become a team leader through hard work.
hardened in the
WHL for four
am,” Paddock explained. “If you can
seasons prepared Paddock, a North get an advantage by talking and
Vancouver, British Columbia, nathrowing an opponent off of what
tive, for the rigors of professional
he’s trying to do, it works
hockey.
in your favor. As long as I’m focus “We played 72 games in the
ing on my game, it allows me to
WHL just like the ECHL and it’s a
talk here and there.”
grind just like in the pros, so play Filion believes that his captain’s
ing that many games - sometimes
strong play will lead to bigger and
over 100 during the Memorial Cup
better things.
runs - helped me out big time,” said “I don’t know if we’ll be able to
Paddock, a fifth-round draft pick of
keep him around all season because
the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2002.
his play has been terrific, but if we
Paddock, 23, is truly a jack of
do it will only make us a stronger
all trades. His well-rounded game
club character and skill-wise,” said
has undoubtedly helped the
Filion.
RoadRunners get off on the
For now, though, Paddock is
right foot in the first half of the concentrating on leading the Roadseason.
Runners to more victories.
“My game is a forechecking
“The goal is to be hitting your
type of game,” he said. “I chip
stride in April and May, so we’re
in offensively when I can; a lot
working towards that,” he said.
of my goals are hard-working,
“We have a strong core of playcrash-the-net-type goals, but
ers here, but we’ve never played
my specialty is the PK.”
together before so there’s going to
Paddock also has a certain
be times where we’ll be taking a
knack for getting understep back after two steps forward,
neath his opponent’s skin. but every time we’ve had adversity
He says it’s just a part of
we’ve been a better team because of
his personality.
it.” b
“It’s just the way I
13
College Hockey
ASU
UA
By Andrew Nordmeier
December not
kind to ASU
F
or Arizona State University,
December was a month it was
glad to see go away.
The Ice Devils posted a 1-5
record in the month against stiff
competition and were still in the
10th spot in the ACHA Division I
national rankings with their 8-9-1
mark.
“The Christmas break [was]
welcomed after a hectic first half,”
said ASU coach Mike DeAngelis.
The Ice Devils were swept at
home by fourth-ranked Rhode
Island in a pair of 5-4 games and
seventh-ranked Lindenwood also
broomed ASU away by 5-0 and 8-5
counts.
The odd part of the month came
when Arizona State took on the
University of Arizona in the first of
a two-game set. Leading 5-4 in the
final minute, controversy erupted
when the Ice Cats scored the gametying goal in the final seconds and
time reportedly didn’t tick away.
The score was tied at 5-5 and
overtime was looming, but Arizona
State left the ice and didn’t come
back for the extra period. Penalties
were assessed by the official for
delay of game, but the Ice Devils
failed to respond and the game was
declared a forfeit in favor of the
University of Arizona.
Luckily, the Ice Devils had their
second annual Desert Classic to
look forward to in the first week of
January. With games against Oklahoma, De Paul and Minot State,
ASU had its hands full.
“We want to start the second
half of the season on a high note,”
said De Angelis. b
NAU
By Andrew Nordmeier
By Andrew Nordmeier
Conover, Nowinski Jacks’ winning
answering call
ways continue
T
he University of Arizona
headed into the holiday break
on a hot streak, winners of three of
its last four games.
After giving Weber State the
broom, the Ice Cats picked up the
unusual split with Arizona State,
winning by forfeit and then falling
in overtime the next night. The Ice
Cats headed home for the holidays
at 10-6-1.
With Craig Irwin out of the
lineup with a shoulder injury, Leo
Golembiewski’s charges have
seen Matt Conover and Robbie
Nowinski carry more of the offensive load.
Irwin is scheduled to return
when the Ice Cats head back to the
rink after the break with a pair of
home games against St. Louis University on Jan. 12-13.
Looking back at the first half
of the season, it seemed the only
things that could stop the Ice Cats
were highly-ranked teams or very
early start times. Oklahoma and
Liberty are the only two teams the
Ice Cats have failed to tame, as
both swept the University of Arizona while in the top 10.
With all the close games the Ice
Cats play - seven of them have been
decided by one goal this season - it
should come as no shock that University of Arizona players occupied
six of the top seven spots nationally
in game-tying goals heading into
the New Year.
Conover led the nation with
four of them while Nowinski, John
Hansen, Max Sliwinski, Scott
Marshall and Bryan Meagher
each netted a pair of game-knotters. b
N
orthern Arizona University
headed into the holiday break
at an impressive 10-3-2 (8-1-0
Pacific Coast Hockey Association)
while lighting lamps all over the
league.
In the Ice Jacks’ final five
league games, they scored 50 goals
and were on a five-game winning
streak.
“These kids have more heart
than I can say,” coach Todd Schall
said. “They have a goal and it’s to
be in the PCHA Championships in
February and hopefully claw our
way up to the No. 3 or 4 spot in the
ACHA to get invited to national
tournament in March.”
The Ice Jacks were off for the
holiday break, but return to the ice
this month with three weekends
of difficult games against College
of the Canyons, the University of
California-San Diego and California State-Northridge.
The matchups are going to be
difficult as College of the Canyons
(7-1-0) averages more than 10 goals
a game, while UCSD and CS-N
always play teams tough. To wrap
up the regular season, the Ice Jacks
tangle with 7-0 Northern Colorado.
Before the break, the Ice Jacks
took on Arizona State ‘s Division II
team and played them hard. They
fell, 7-6, in overtime at Jobing.com
Arena in the first game and lost
again, 9-3, the next day.
“This is a big morale boost for
NAU hockey and the kids,” Schall
said. “They want to move to Division II and it just shows we’re only
a few steps away from making that
jump in the next year or two.” b
The Ice Devils, Ice Cats & Ice Jacks are members of the
14
Junior Hockey
Peoria
Phoenix
By Matt Mackinder
Tucson
By Matt Mackinder
By Matt Mackinder
Bright future in store Walker evolving into
for Bayer
elite d-man
Tilt, citing financial
woes, folds
t’s not easy to find positives for
the Peoria Coyotes, but Zach
Bayer is one player who does it all.
A natural defenseman, Bayer
has also spent some time upfront
this year. Now in his second season
with the Coyotes, Bayer is a go-to
guy in all situations.
Not too shabby for a 16-yearold.
“Zach is amazing player,” said
Peoria GM-assistant coach Trevor
Waagner. “He works as hard as
anybody else on the team. He has
played defense his whole career,
and this season we tried an experiment with him up at forward. His
hockey smarts are top-notch.”
With Bayer’s valuable assets,
odds are the Glendale native won’t
be spending his entire junior career
in Arizona. In fact, Waagner is
banking on Bayer bolting when the
time is right.
“I feel he has the best shot
of moving on to play at a higher
level,” said Waagner. “It would
be a devastating loss to our team,
identity and locker room, but it
would also be a tremendous accomplishment for our team and a
compliment to Zach and the years
of hard work and dedication he has
put into the game.”
Bayer, aside from obvious skill,
also possesses the all-important
intangibles on the ice.
“His hockey smarts are second
to none,” Waagner reiterated. “He
understands the game as well as
anyone I’ve ever had the chance to
coach. He’s a light-hearted kid with
a good sense of humor, and he’s
a positive influence in the locker
room.” b
wo weeks after the Thanksgiving holiday, the Tucson Tilt
ceased operations.
On Dec. 6, WSHL commissioner
Ron White met with two members
of the league’s board of governors
and Tilt managing partner, assistant coach Jon MacWilliams. At
that meeting, MacWilliams, citing
money problems within the Tucson
organization, folded the Tilt.
“A preliminary financial review,
conducted in Tucson by the WSHL
Board Members, did conclude that
the ownership of the Tucson Tilt, as
represented by Jon MacWilliams,
were not going to increase their investment in the enterprise to cover
the existing deficit in cash flow to
operate the team,” said White in a
statement.
“Based on that decision, the
WSHL had no alternative than to
act upon the purported insolvency
and suspend the team’s participation in the remaining schedule for
the 2006-2007 season.”
Tucson’s roster was immediately frozen by USA Hockey and a
dispersal draft for players meeting
their financial obligations was then
held on Dec. 13 with 14 players being selected by other WSHL clubs.
Two players – forward Mark
Gillings and defenseman Tim Andrews – went to the Phoenix Polar
Bears and another four – forwards
Alexander Bilozertchev, Ryan
MacDonald and Nikita Sasunkevich and defenseman Jake Cole
– were taken by the Peoria Coyotes.
The Tilt finished the season
17-2-0 with both losses coming to
Phoenix. Its final game was Nov.
19, a 4-2 loss at Tucson Ice to the
Polar Bears. b
I
C
hris Walker spent six years in
the Phoenix Polar Bears’ minor
hockey organization before being
called up to the Polar Bears’ Junior
B team last spring for the playoffs
and national tournament.
This year could be Walker ’s
last in his home state and native
city.
“We don’t anticipate Chris
coming back next season,” Phoenix
coach-GM Harry Mahood said
of his stud defenseman. “Lots of
teams in the NAHL and USHL
have been recruiting him and we’ve
been encouraging Chris to take
a look at his future and either of
those leagues should be his next
stop.”
Walker, just 17, but already
6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, has shown
his age at times this year, but for
the most part plays like a veteran
skater. Mahood said Walker will
mature with age and ice time.
“Chris has been getting experience at a high level this season,”
noted Mahood. “He makes mistakes, but learns from them. To
succeed, he needs that opportunity.”
Going into the holiday break,
Walker led all WSHL defenders
with 12 goals among his 42 points.
Mahood prefers to compare Walker
nationally.
“I would say Chris is in the upper half of the top 50 or 60 defensemen in his age group in the entire
country,” Mahood boasted of the
three-time participant at the U.S.
Select Festival. “Chris plays in all
situations for us and continues to
improve.
“In about three or four years,
he’ll end up at a big school and will
make an impact.” b
T
The Coyotes, Polar Bears & Tilt are members of the
15
P.F. Chang’s Tier 1 Hockey Program
First season a marathon, not a sprint
By Cameron Eickmeyer
P
F Chang’s coaches
Jim Johnson and
Kurt Goar like what
they see halfway through
the program’s first season, but know the toughest part of the schedule
lies ahead.
January alone should
be a defining month for
the Mustangs’ U-16 and
U-18 squads. Johnson’s
U-16 team faced a lateDecember California Invitational before heading to
Michigan this month for
the Victory Honda Cup
and then to Dallas at the
end of the month.
“Really our hockey
season just gets cranked
up right now,” Johnson
said. “We really see where
this team is and I expect
them to compete with
anybody.”
Johnson’s team has
notched impressive
victories lately over top
national programs such
as Detroit ’s Victory
Honda in November.
The team took its
own tournament in
December against
the likes of the Anaheim Wildcats, San Jose
Jr. Sharks and Las Vegas
Outlaws.
“This group of kids
has done some pretty
special things,” Johnson
said. “They’ve grown as a
team and they’ve gotten
better.”
Looking ahead to the
meat of the season, Johnson expects big things.
“If they continue
through the second half
of the season, they have
a chance to do something
special in the first year of
the program,” he said.
Goar’s U-18 team has
struggled to get many
wins in a pair of trips
to Colorado for tournaments, but has
played very close to
some of the elite teams
in the nation.
“When you [stay
competitive] at that level,
you’re as good as anyone
in the country,” Johnson
said. “They have a good
group of kids.”
The U-18 Mustangs
are also hitting the most
important time of the
season and Goar has his
squad prepped for a big
second half.
On top of a busy
playing schedule for the
U-18 and U-16 teams, the
players will be involved in
the PF Chang’s Rock and
Roll Marathon and Half
Marathon on Jan. 14.
Johnson’s team will be
on the road that weekend,
but any injured players
or parents not traveling
with the team will likely
join the bulk of the U-18
players and parents at
the race.
Johnson said runners
and racing fans should
keep an eye out at the water stations to see the PF
Chang’s players in their
jerseys. b
Smith a force against boys or girls
By Jeff Hoodzow
T
ell a male hockey player he
skates like a girl and you might
end up with some dirty looks and a
black eye.
But tell him he skates like 12year-old Lynndy Smith and he ‘d
take it as a compliment.
Her dazzling skills were on display in November at the Ace Bailey
Skills Competition when Smith
won the speed-skating expedition
with a blazing 13.93 seconds, easily
winning the Peewee Travel division.
“I didn ‘t even think I was skating that fast,”Smith said. “Before I
got out there, I was really nervous,
but it all went away when I hit the
ice.”
However, this lady isn ‘t onedimensional. She finished second in
the hardest shot contest, clocking
in at 52 miles per hour.
16
This former-figure-skaterturned-standout Peewee hockey
player looks like any other player
on the ice, even bigger than some
of the boys on the team. However,
once she blazes past her opponent
with her long, blond ponytail hustling to catch up, you know what
you ‘ve run up against.
But Smith is far from the dictionary version of a tomboy.
Off the ice, she listens to country music and likes to sculpt. She
attends an art-intensive charter
school in Glendale and plays the
drums. But Smith seems to have
the most fun when she ‘s lining up
someone - boy or girl - for a check.
She loves physical play, much to
the chagrin of her mother Tammy.
“Oh, I don ‘t mind when she hits
them,”Tammy said. “It ‘s just when
they hit her.”
However, hockey hasn ‘t always
been Smith ‘s passion.
When she was 6,
a birthday party at
Peoria ‘s Polar Ice
got her into figure
skating, where
she quickly
stood out.
Smith jumped
head first
into hockey
after watching
her father Ron
spend more
time watching
her two older
brothers play
for various
junior teams.
Smith
continued /
Page 33
Lynndy Smith showed why she’s one of the
top players in her age group in the state at
a recent skills competition.
Coyotes Amateur Hockey Assocation
Peewee ‘94s rebounding well
By Paulo Cruz
I
n the span of a few months, the Coyotes
Amateur Hockey Association’s Peewee
‘94 team has gone from a ragtag Bad News
Bears-type bunch to a solid hockey team.
The squad opened the season with two ugly losses
against Peoria and DYHA. Since then, CAHA’s Pewee
A team, coached by Darren Gardner, has played 25
games against 15 different A teams and has lost only
twice.
The strength of Gardner ‘s team is defense. In
those 25 games, the club has recorded an impressive
nine shutouts while giving up only 1.40 goals per
game.
“Our goalie, Chris James, may be the top Peewee
goalie in the state and our four defensemen - Landon Ulik, Blake Carter, Justin Arnitz and Eric
Grzelek - have been outstanding,” Gardner said.
Gardner credits the team’s willingness to learn
and develop as a main factor in his club’s turnaround.
Gardner has also initiated several “team-building”
activities to create a cohesiveness that was not there
early in the season. b
Desert Youth Hockey Assocation
Moffatt has DYHA soaring again
Ozzie Ice
Mites make switch to full ice
By Cameron Eickmeyer
By Paolo Cruz
he Desert Youth Hockey Association’s
Bantam AAA team continues to make
noise.
The team, coached by Kenny Moffatt,
is led by three returning players from last season’s
squad, Luke Moffatt, Colten St. Clair and Dylan
McDonald. It was the first AAA team to make it to
the USA Hockey National Championships.
Sights are set high for Moffatt’s charges again this
season.
“Kenny has a passion for the game and, over the
years, his teams have shown that they have the ability
to compete at a very high level,” DYHA president Jim
Beyer said. “We look for great things from that
group of athletes.”
The Bantam AAA’s have competed in some of
the most prestigious tournaments in North America,
including the Medicine Hat (Alberta) Tournament and
the Nike Bauer International Invitational in Chicago.
Over Christmas, the squad headed to Vancouver to
play in the Burnaby Minor Hockey Association’s holiday event. Then, for the second year in a row, it will
compete in the Silver Sticks International tournament
in Port Huron, Mich. b
or many players on Ozzie Ice’s Mite
team, this season is their first experience playing on a regular-sized ice surface.
Despite the team’s inexperience, the Mites have acclimated well.
In a Labor Day tournament, the squad, coached by
Zac Fryer, made it to the finals and, during a Thanksgiving tournament, came up just short of the finals.
Like most Mite teams, Fryer has found that skating, learning the rules and positioning pose the biggest
challenge.
“Sometimes our kids get a bit overwhelmed when
we play on a regular sheet of ice,” said the coach.
“They have to deal with a thing like offsides which
doesn’t really apply on our rink.”
Fryer credits his goaltenders for much of his team’s
success.
“Wyatt Bonneville and Gavin Juby have been
phenomenal,” said the coach. “They keep us in a lot of
games.”
Practicing at Ozzie Ice has allowed the two goalies
to face a lot of shots at each practice, which has helped
them hone their skills. b
T
F
17
Association
AWAYFlagstaff
FROMYouth
THEHockey
RUBBER:
Tucson Youth Hockey Association
T
Don’t just train right, eat
right, too
C
O
By John
Duncan
ne area
of “training”
that is usually overlooked - and is probably
one of the most important facets of a training program - is proper
nutrition.
It doesn’t matter how
good your training program is (either on-ice or
off-ice), if you don’t provide your body with the
food it needs to recover
from games, practices
and workouts, it will not
be adequately prepared
for the next time you play
or train.
Sound nutrition
practices and rest are
absolutely essential in
an athlete’s recovery and
preparation.
The timing of meals
is critical in an athlete’s
By
Brianfruit
McDonough
road to recovto drink
your drink is important
ery following a
juices or Gatoas well; research has
game or trainrade as soon as
shown that consuming a
ing session.
possible to help
carbohydrate-rich source
Immediately folreplenish those
with a small amount of
lowing a game,
energy stores.
protein actually aids in
practice or workPortable foods,
the absorption process.
out, your body is
like apples,
Milk is a great posteager to replenoranges and ba- workout drink. It has carish its energy
nanas are easy
bohydrates, protein and
Bahn
stores, specifito put in your
is loaded with vitamins
cally carbohydrates.
hockey bag so they’re
and minerals. Right be During this time,
available as soon as you
low the Gatorade in the
there’s a narrow window
get off the ice.
refrigerator in the locker
of time that it craves
You want to avoid
room are large jugs of
those carbohydrates so
soft drinks, as not only do milk, including chocolate
much, it will actually
they have low nutritional milk!
“overstuff” its normal
value, but the caffeine
Don’t forget that you
storage of them. Think
content of soda actually
also need to replenish
of being able to put 12
helps dehydrate you even fluids in addition to refugallons of gas into a 10
further at a time when
eling, so keep the water
gallon tank!
you are trying to replenflowing! b
Following games
ish fluids.
Mike Bahn is the Coyotes’
or practices, we really
Having small
strength and conditioning
coordinator.
encourage our players
amounts of protein with
Phoenix Polar Bears Hockey Association
Midgets take Silver Stick regional
Peoria Roadrunners Hockey Association
Bantams celebrate turkey title
By Steve Elliott
By Steve Elliott
I
N
njuries, illnesses and a five-goal
deficit were mere hurdles for the
Phoenix Polar Bears’ Midget 18-AA team.
The squad overcame all three en route to a Silver
Stick regional championship in December, claiming
the Rocky Mountain regional.
“They found a way to win through injuries and
sickness, which is a sign of true winners,” coach Jason
Wright said.
The Polar Bears opened the tournament with shutout wins against the NCYH Kodiaks and Arvada, both
Colorado teams.
Injuries and illnesses set in on the second day
of the tournament, and the Polar Bears trailed the
Omaha Energy, 0-4, in the third period. But the Bears
battled back late in the game and salvaged a tie with
the Nebraska team, 5-5.
Another Colorado club, the Boulder Bison, fell to
the Polar Bears, 3-2, in the semifinals. The Bears then
skunked the Littleton Hawks, 4-0, in the final game.
The Polar Bears advanced to the Silver Stick finals,
which organizers will hold in Canada this month. b
20
ovember’s Bantam AA Thanksgiving
Shootout Tournament ended with just
that, a shootout.
The Peoria Roadrunners’ Bantam AA squad ousted
the Phoenix Firebirds in overtime to capture the title.
The championship game started with a scoreless
first period. Cody Castro scored the Roadrunners’
first goal, but the Firebirds answered and forced
overtime. Each team’s goalie stymied the other team’s
shooters, and the game progressed to a shootout.
Anthony Cullen tallied for the Roadrunners, and
goalie Cody Stocker allowed only one goal. When
Nathan Kundla, the last shooter for the Roadrunners, started towards the Firebirds’ net, the shootout
was deadlocked, 1-1. Kundla potted his shot and the
Runners earned the championship.
The Roadrunners finished the tournament with a
5-0 record. Cullen led the team with five points (two
goals). Castro led the team with three goals.
Stocker won all five games, including three shutouts. Tyler Baumanis and C.J. Nussbaum each netted two goals and Danny Fazio dished three assists.b
Arizona Girls Youth Hockey Association
U-10 squad shines in Colorado
By John Duncan
T
he Arizona Girls Youth Hockey Association sent three teams, U-10, U-12
and U-14, to Littleton, Colo., for the Colorado Chill on the Hill last month.
The event was the second of the inaugural season
of the Western Girls Elite League and each AGYHA
representative played well. The clear highlight of the
event was the U-10 team, which came away victorious
in the final with a 3-1 win against the Anaheim Ducks.
The semifinals of the event were perhaps a glimpse
of the upcoming Rocky Mountain District Championships, as the Colorado Selects AAA team faced the
Arizona Selects.
The Arizona team won, 5-2, but lost to Anaheim in
the final. In all, Arizona Selects teams were involved
in two of the four championship games and a semifinal
game.
For a full standings and statistic report for WGEHL play, visit www.wgehl.org.
The AGYHA’s next big event is the Martin Luther
King, Jr., Tournament in San Jose on Jan. 12-15. Following that, WGEHL action arrives at Alltel Ice Den in
February. b
Arizona High School Hockey Association
Gilbert strong in ‘C’ division
By Russell Brooks
T
he Gilbert Tigers, led by head coach
Harvey Hiebert, went undefeated
in the month of November with four wins
and went on an eight-game winning streak to climb
near the top of the Varsity C standings in the Arizona
High School Hockey Association.
Gilbert is led by forward David Comyns, who had
four hat tricks entering the holidays and led the Tigers
in goals, assists and points. His 24 goals and 17 assists
for 41 points through 14 games this season were tops
amongst the Varsity C league in all statistical categories.
Daniel Franks has also contributed on the offensive end, chipping in 10 goals and 10 assists for 20
points in 13 games through early December.
The Tigers are led by the goaltending duo of Anthony Caruso and Drew Keller, which has provided
Gilbert with solid netminding over the course of the
season.
Caruso led the Varsity C division in goals-against
average and was top five in save percentage heading
into the holidays. b
Stephen Daniel Demchik Memorial
Scholarship established
T
he Arizona High School Hockey Association,
through the support of Behind the Mask, has created a $500 academic scholarship award in memory of
Stephen Daniel Demchik, a player in the Thunderbird High School hockey program who died in a hiking
accident in August.
Players who are current high school seniors
are eligible to apply for
this award. AHSHA’s
nominating committee
will determine the recipient based on documentation of the applicant’s
qualities of academic
success, civic character,
leadership and fair play.
Visit www.thunderonice.com to complete
the scholarship application. The deadline for
nominations is (postmarked) February 15.
More on Demchik at:
Stephen Daniel Demchik
www.stephen-demchik. September 25, 1988 - August 3, 2006
com. b
21
Sonoran Youth Hockey Association
Sonoran races heating up
BAYER ESSENTIALS TRAINING
• Personal Training
• Off-Ice Conditioning
• CPR/First Aid
By Bob Strong
N
ear the halfway point, the Sonoran
Youth Hockey League divisional races
are shaping up to be very exciting.
The VOSHA MiteA squad started hot, winning its
first eight games. In the Mite B division, it’s a threeteam race between the Polar Bears, Jr. Coyotes and
the Las Vegas Ice Cats.
Both the A and B divisions among the Squirts are
still up for grabs. The DYHA Firebirds hold a slim
one-point lead over the Peoria Roadrunners in the A
bracket, while the B bracket is very close.
The Peewee B Polar Bears have started very strong
and coach Gary Swanson is encouraged by what he
sees.
“This team never ceases to amaze me with its hard
work ethic and solid team play,” Swanson said.
The A’s have two teams battling for first place,
with the Firebirds and Roadrunners splitting a recent
home-and-home series.
The CAHA Bantam A’s are battling with DYHA
and VOSHA for the top spot, while CAHA’s Bantam
B’s are trying to pull away from the field. b
Interview from Page 5
AZR: Tryouts were held last month
for the 2006-07 U.S. National Sled
Hockey Team. How is the program
shaping up?
KB: We’ve been in transition since
2003. After the 2002 Paralympics
Games, a number of the athletes
chose to retire and move on. We
had 4-5 in the group that came
back, so we basically had to fill
roughly 10 positions on the squad
(there are 15 players on a sled
team).
We’ve transitioned to a much
younger team. Going into Torino (
Italy ) in 2006, of our 15 players, 10
were under the age of 26 and nine
were under the age of 21, so we’ve
gotten much younger. The difference is, we’ve got those 10-11 guys
back and now the new young kids
are once again 15-16 years old.
Our long-term objective, looking
down the road in four years, is to
22
15610 N. 35th Ave. Ste. #6
Glendale
For more information or to make an appointment,
contact Kathy Bayer at (623) 217-3872
or e-mail kathy@bayeressentialstraining.com
www.bayeressentialstraining.com
Pass the Puck
Practice drills for your Team!
• Pocket Drills Book
• 25-Week Coaching Planner
• Liquid Hockey Tape
• Coaching Boards
• And...more!
www.passthepuck.net
raise their level - as we did with the
other players - to their capabilities
by the time they’re 18-19 years old
and get them ready to compete in
the Paralympics Games in 2010.
AZR: Are there any Arizona players on the U.S team?
KB: Corbin is back, he’s one of the
older guys. He’s worked real hard
over the last couple of years and
has earned his spot.
AZR: Has America had much
success on the international sled
stage?
KB: No, it hasn’t, and that’s part
of what we’ve tried to accomplish
since 2003. 2002 was, in essence,
the sled hockey world’s equivalent
of the “Miracle on Ice,” with the
U.S. winning the gold medal; it had
never medaled at either a World
Championship or a Paralympics
Games prior to that.
Our objective after 2002 was
to make sure we laid a good, solid
foundation for the development of
the sport in the future, and that
meant not only the national team,
but also working hard to develop
the grassroots programs around the
United States. So in cooperation
with USA Hockey, we’ve developed
several initiatives to grow the sport
and that also includes the formation of a junior select program to
develop and feed younger players
into our national team system.
AZR: What’s a typical year look
like for the sled program in terms
of competition?
KB: We’ll have monthly training
camps and sprinkle in competitions. Again, because of the nature
of the sport being worldwide, we
can’t really compete against club
programs, because they aren’t developed enough to offer the appropriate level of competition. b
Read more of this interview at
www.arizonarubber.com
Tuscon’s rink closure puts squeeze on area skaters
day party
member of the Tucson Figure Skatnow.”
ing Club, Loebig is hoping to avoid
The rink’s
the bothersome drive to Phoenix
closing ends
for skating time. The only other
a more-thansheet of ice in town, the Tucson
a-decade-long
Convention Center and home of the
saga that has
University of Arizona Ice Cats, is
featured a myr- only open six months a year.
iad of manage “We’ve planned on car pools and
ment groups
renting out the Convention Cenand names.
ter,” Loebig said. “But it would be a
If all goes to lot easier if we had another rink.”
plan, on April
All is not lost for Tucson, how1, 2007, Tucson ever. Even if Loebig’s grassroots
Ice will make
efforts are unsuccessful, former
the way of the
management team Group Ice might
be back in the picture.
Tucson Ice will soon close its doors, stranding scores of hockey players dinosaur and
and skaters in the Tucson area.
the $1.50 gal In a statement released on its
corporate Web site in early Decemlon of gas when the sheet of ice is
Editor’s Note: To share your
expected to be turned into an office
ber, owner W. Graeme Roustan
thoughts on the rink’s closure, send
building.
left the door open for a return to
us a letter at editor@arizonarubber.
Rumors are abound about what
the Old Pueblo.
com or visit the forum at
the rink will be turned into, from
“There is a significant skating
www.arizonarubber.com to join the
an office building to completely
community in Tucson who may
discussion.
torn down. The Bourn Partners,
not have a rink this spring,” said
which own the rink, also own other
Roustan in a statement on the Web
By Jeff Hoodzow
adjacent office buildings.
site. “We want to accommodate
Even some employees joked
them, particularly after they supt’s a typical Sunday afternoon
around about getting their resumes ported Tucson Ice with so much
and Tucson Ice’s rink is packed
ready for Geico, which has a buildenthusiasm over the past year.”
with high school couples holding
ing next to the rink.
If another rink is not considhands and excited children clam The changes are already visible
ered, Southern Arizona’s hockey
bering around on the ice after a
at the rink. One of the two sheets
scene will end up like any other
birthday party. Not a care in the
has been shut down, mainly due to
chunk of ice in the desert - melted.
world for these blissful groups.
a lack of demand. Also closed is the
b
With all the smiles and near
rink’s on-site equipment shop.
falls, you wouldn’t know that the
However, one of the current emrink that has served Tucson for
ployees helping
more than a decade would be closkeep the faith
ing in just a few months, leaving
is 17-yearSouthern Arizona’s largest city
old Katelyn
without a place to skate and two
Loebig. The
dozen rink employees without jobs.
figure skater/
“Wow, I didn’t even know they
coach/party
were closing down,” said Adam
coordinator got
Eddy, 16. “It’s pretty sad. This was
her start at
a pretty cool place to hang out.”
what was for Eddy and a small group of
merly known
friends from Sierra Vista made the
as the Iceoplex
hour-long drive on a Sunday to get
when the rink
out of their sleepy town and, after a
opened up
busy day, were floored by the news.
in December
“What’s there to do in Sierra
1995.
Vista?” 16-year-old Katherine
Now an
Fisher wondered. “I don’t know
A pair of hockey players enjoy an afternoon game at Tucson Ice,
experienced
where I’m going to have my birthwhich will soon close.
skater and
I
23
Mission Arizona
Midgets falls short at Silver Stick
By By Steve Elliott
F
ortune eluded the Mission Midget AA
team in the Las Vegas Silver Stick
regional championship last month. The
team dominated the event early, but couldn’t clinch
the championship.
Mission started the tournament with an 8-0 victory
against Southern California and a 4-1 win over Inland
Valley. Mission defeated its crosstown rivals, the Peoria Polar Bears, 4-2, and secured the top seed for the
tournament’s playoffs.
Mission’s luck changed in the semifinals when it
lost to Southern California, which avenged its openinggame embarrassment.
Mission coach Jeremy Goltz and captain Karl Naaf
directed the Mission Midgets to a third-place finish in
Sin City.
“I still felt we were the best team in the tournament,” Goltz said, “and all in all we were pretty consistent.
“We came out on the wrong foot in the semifinals
and just couldn’t execute, but we’re pretty pleased at
our overall showing.” b
CHALK TALK:
Hockey is unique, should be coached as such
E
ver wonder what is
the best way to teach
the game of ice hockey?
Our sport is so very
dynamic and complicated
incredibly hard to master.
Are you an X’s and
O’s type of coach, repeating set plays like they
would in a football game?
Maybe you prefer to allow the players to roam
freely over the ice and
adjust each specific situation?
I have a different
approach in coaching my
team. I believe that a
coach can offer a blueprint to his team that
outlines general ideas
and positions that will
offer the best chance of
success.
24
What do
The quicker
a player can
I mean by a
understand
blueprint? We
will look to take
the importance
this invisible,
of timing and
pre-constructed
space in hockoutline and lay
ey, the faster
it over top of
they will sepaour hockey rink.
rate themselves
De Angelis
Inside our game
from other
plan, this will ofopponents.
fer players a specific idea I want to give playof what their jobs will
ers every opportunity to
be in certain areas while
improvise, create, adjust
competing.
and construct their own
This includes posifeel for the game in any
tional play, angles and
situation on the ice. We
certain systems on the
can lay down our bluerink. We cannot tell a for- print for an aggressive
ward to “slide down to an forechecking style, but
exact spot on the boards”
only the players at that
for a breakout pass. We
moment can decide his
can offer the player a
timing and decision makgeneral area to get their
ing.
work done.
The collegiate-age
players that I coach all
have the freedom to create on the ice, but are
instructed to do so over
an “invisible map” that
has zones/rules and limitations for each targeted
area.
The only way we
can ask these kids to
continue to improve and
understand the game is
to allow them to develop
their own style and flow
under our general blueprint that we map out for
them each game. b
Mike De Angelis is CAHA’s
director of youth hockey and
the head coach at Arizona
State University
Ice Den becoming ‘community hub’
The Peter Piper Pizza in the Alltel Ice Den recently added “The
Pub” to serve its adult clients along with the scores of kids who
visit the rink each year.
By Cameron Eickmeyer
T
ake away a professional hockey team’s
main affiliation with a
hockey rink and it usually creates a nightmare
for facility management.
Not Alltel Ice Den’s
Mike O’Hearn, the president of Coyote Ice, LLC.
When the Phoenix Coyotes moved their offices
and practice location to
Glendale and the new
Jobing.com Arena, ’Hearn
saw an opportunity to
develop the rink in north
Scottsdale.
Renovations and expansions soon began and
while the rink is always
looking to improve its
services, the facelift is
largely finished.
“We really had the
ability to change from a
one-tenant facility to a
multi-tenant facility,”
O’Hearn said. “We’ve
tried to dress it up as a
community hub. We tried
to make it more economical for people’s time.”
The amenities to
serve the spectator are
impressive. Gone is the
traditional snack bar and
in comes the Chilly Bean,
a coffee shop with food
and hot drinks to warm
fans.
The store is centralized in the rink’s lobby
between the two sheets
of ice and becomes a popular stop between periods
or to warm up during a
public skate.
“Most nights we’re
very busy in the lobby
and we look to keep lines
moving at the Chilly
Bean and offer many different products,” said
Mike De Angelis, who
coaches the Arizona State
club hockey team and is
the director of Alltel Ice
Den’s Coyotes Amateur
Hockey Association.
O’Hearn also steered
Peter Piper Pizza toward
the Ice Den and the
result is a large restaurant with popular appeal
immediately at hand. The
pizza establishment has
seen such good business
that it recently opened
a bar at its far end complete with a television,
bar stools and a liquor
license to serve the adult
audiences.
“It’s been quite
successful for them,”
O’Hearn said of the spot
regulars are calling “The
Pub.”
The rink didn’t stop
with the non-hockey-related amenities and
brought in what some
might consider an odd
choice: a bank.
What BNC National
Bank brings to Alltel is a
place for customers and
local businesses to do
their finances, as well as
a potentially huge market
of customers. The bank
and rink scratch each
other’s back, sharing
the more than 700,000
annual customers.
O’Hearn also looked
toward serving the hockey and non-hockey crowd
when he helped bring in
the Mountainside Fitness
Platinum Club. The rink
had the open space and
the fitness center provides a service to teams,
players and community
members alike.
“I very early on recognized that a fitness club
would be the perfect
addition to this building,”
O’Hearn said.
“The facility (the Ice
Den) is in a class by itself
and most customers tend
to spend a lot of time up
there every week,” De
Angelis said of people
enjoying all the rink has
to offer.
The major improvements from a hockey
standpoint are two locker
rooms that would be the
envy of any visiting team.
The rink initially used
a room adjacent to one of
the sheets of ice for visiting NHL teams. Once the
NHL squads headed to
Glendale, the Ice Den
extended the space in
part to the ASU club
team.
The room serves as a
home for the Ice Devils
and benefits both parties,
said De Angelis and
O’Hearn.
“We are very spoiled
to have such a fantastic
facility for the (ASU)
program,” De Angelis
said.
O’Hearn also built a
locker room for the Phoenix RoadRunners, which
has turned out to be another great move for the
team and the facility.
“I come from the NHL
background, so I have a
pretty good feeling for
what these teams need,”
said O’Hearn, a 15-year
veteran of NHL management. “You want to treat
these teams with a lot of
respect.”
The team has a home
of sorts and the rink now
has two extra locker
rooms to use for tournaments, big events and
whatever else it needs.
“It works out perfectly,” O’Hearn said. b
25
Inline Hockey
Pro dreams a reality through PIHA
By Alex Dodt
Canada, with 31 pro teams
and 34 minor teams,” said Yoith many failed pro
der. “It’s really taking off.”As
roller hockey leagues
the league has expanded, the
in the sport’s past, players
talent level has increased
and fans can’t help but be
exponentially.
pessimistic when it comes to
The league still includes
an up-and-coming circuit.
all the Tour Mudcats players
The failures of Roller
who were the foundation of
Hockey International (RHI)
the PIHA, including CJ and
and the Inline Hockey AsJami, Dan Costanza and
sociation (IHA) in CaliforRon Tracy.
nia, as well as the fledging
But in the past few years,
Major League Roller Hockey
more great talent has joined
The Philadelphia Growl celebrate after winning the 2006 PIHA
(MLRH), among others, have Finals in Colorado.
the league.
left doubts in everyone’s
The PIHA now boasts
ing expenses, the PIHA has sucminds about the possibility of a
players from teams like the Miscessfully jumped one hurdle that
professional league succeeding.
sion Snipers, LA Pama Cyclones,
has plagued other leagues in the
But the Professional Inline
MPH, Mission Militia, HomeCare
past.
Hockey Association (PIHA) is
America, Lindenwood University,
“Right now, teams play within
slowly changing those minds and
the World Junior Team and Team
their own division during the
making roller hockey players everyUSA Men’s.
regular season,” said Yoder. “This
where take notice.
Big names like Mike Ciolli,
reduces travel significantly.”
The PIHA started in 2002 in
Greg Thompson, Brandon Bar Teams also play double-headers
the wake of RHI’s demise, with
nette, Brad Ellis, Sean Sullivan
to make the trips more economical.
13 teams in two divisions. In that
and Jon Mosensen are lending
The playoffs and conference
initial season, there were eight pro
the league more credibility as a
finals consist of some extra travel,
teams and five minor teams.
professional organization.
but the two teams that reach the
“When the RHI went under,”
But what should really grab
PIHA Finals are given an all-exsaid Charley Yoder, founder of
the attention of those on the west
penses-paid trip to the championthe PIHA, “we took a look and
side of the country is that there are
ships. In 2007, it will take place in
thought we might be able to do
more important expansion plans in
Orlando, Fla., over Memorial Day
something to help pro roller hockey
the near future.
Weekend.
continue.”
“What we’re looking at now is
Expansion has always been a
Yoder’s two sons, CJ and Jami,
building franchises in Northern
problem for pro roller leagues, and
a couple of the premier players in
California for the 2008 season,”
the PIHA is taking growth one step
said PIHA Pacific Division repthe game, had played in both RHI
at a time.
and MLRH. With the contacts they
resentative CJ Gamble. “It has
For the 2006 season, the PIHA
had established, the Yoders began
always been a goal of the league to
expanded to Colorado, setting up
their own venture.
go out west and now we’re really
five teams in the Colorado Springs
“I own a small rink in Pennsylworking on it.”
and Denver areas.
vania,” said Charley Yoder. “I knew
Expansion plans for 2008 also
“My son CJ had just moved out
we couldn’t start RHI - we weren’t
include Florida and the Carolinas.
to Colorado and was running a rink
capable of doing something that
Then there’s Southern California.
there,” said Yoder, “so that was an
big, so we started small and grew
“Southern California is a little
easy expansion (area).”
from there.”
more unified when it comes to its
For the 2007 season, the league
That has been the league’s
roller hockey,” said Gamble. “So
has taken on more ambitious exphilosophy from the beginning and
we want to go up north to San Jose
pansion plans, more than doubling
is the reason why the PIHA stands
and the Bay Area and establish
the league’s members from 12 to
today - stronger than ever - as the
ourselves there for a season. Once
31 teams. The expansion included
only remaining hope for a true, nait gets going there, hopefully Souththe Midwest and Western Canada,
tionwide pro roller hockey league.
ern California will be ready to jump
as well as eight new teams in the
By setting up teams in close
on board.” b
East.
geographical areas to reduce travel “We are now in eight states and
W
26
Inline Hockey
Yuma blazing trail of growth
By Alex Dodt
D
Arizona’s Official Interscholastic Inline Hockey Association
Arizona Interscholastic Inline Hockey Association
In conjunction with Grand Canyon State Games
For more information visit, www.aziiha.org
Dodt from Page 8
It may not seem like much, but
more is always better in this case,
and it gets us closer to those record
numbers set back in 2005.
“There’s a lot of new adult
teams, and there’s a few teams
coming in from Lake Havasu,”
said Koressel. “That’s really great
because we want to get teams like
Havasu who didn’t play much last
year.”
Koressel is also determined to
remedy the problem of players not
being signed in properly, which
has plagued the AIHA in the past.
Koressel and the AIHA are currently working on trying to set up
a biometric finger-printing system
for registration.
But there are other, more fun
espite not having any adult teams,
the Yuma Blaze is always one of the
state’s largest programs. For 2007, it is
back with nine teams total from 8-andunder to 18-and-under.
“This year we’re gained another team,” said Jeff
Johnson, former Blaze program president. “Hopefully, we can have more success this season.”
The Blaze fell just short of winning a few state
championships in 2006, but found success in other
ways. Many Blaze players made Team Arizona for
State Wars and traveled to Chicago to compete against
other states. Several players were on Team Arizona’s
1990 and 1991 teams, which both achieved success in
the AAA division.
“A lot of our players went to State Wars and everyone just loved the tournament,” said Johnson. “It was
great.”
The Blaze kicked off its season at the Nike Quest
Cup at Rollerplex and had teams take first place in the
10-and-under and 12-and under A divisions.
All Blaze teams will compete in the AIHA this season, while select teams will participate in AAU tournaments as well. b
developments to come this year.
Those in the 18-and-under division
up through the adults will receive
shirts for winning their division,
which will be customized with
player names.
“We’re shooting for
spontaneity, excitement
and pageantry.”
- Dean Koressel
There’s also talk of more
elaborate award ceremonies at all
tournaments and setting up allstar games in the youth divisions,
with specialized jerseys for all the
players. These perks may seem
small when taken by themselves,
but, when added up, can create
a more exciting and professional
atmosphere.
“We’re shooting for spontaneity, excitement and pageantry,”
said Koressel. “Things that don’t
cost much money, so much as putting time into it to make it cooler
for the kids. We think these little
things can help push us beyond
other tournament series.”
If all these plans for improvements say anything at all, it at
least shows an improved level of
organization and professionalism
in the AIHA. With Koressel at the
helm, this season should be one of
the best yet. b
Reach Alex Dodt at alex@arizonarubber.com
Advertise in Arizona Rubber Magazine
Call (612) 929-2171 or e-mail brian@goodsportmedia.com for details.
27
THE HOCKEY MOM:
Yes, that stick is very cool, but...
I
t’s the start of a new
year, so it’s not unreasonable to say that our
wallets are a bit lighter
following the holidays.
The last thing we
may want to think about
is shelling out more cash.
But with a few years of
hockey mothering under
my belt, I have learned to
plan for that large slice
of the extracurricular pie,
better known as youth
hockey. As a first generation hockey family, I
had no warning of this
sometimes pricey sport.
Oh, well. Live, learn...
and budget for hockey!
Many of you moms
have more experience
than me, but for you
Hockey Mom newbies,
here are the major areas
of consideration: equip-
28
ment, registra Camps:
tion fees (house
These can be
or travel), camps/
great for declinics and travelvelopment and
related expenses.
well worth
Equipment:
it. Check the
Although growth
camp Web
spurts aren’t presites for costs
dictable, timing
and locations.
Wilson
your purchase is
Travel
everything. Consult your
expenses: This is the
favorite hockey shop regreat variable dependgarding periodical sales.
ing on hotels, airfare,
Unless you parent a remeals and gas costs. Save
all related receipts this
lentless hockey fashioniseason and it will help
sta, consider last year’s
model on skates/sticks for you plan for the next.
At the beginning of each
big savings. Don’t rule
travel season, make sure
out hand-me-downs.
you have a clear under Registration fees:
Check with your associastanding of anticipated
tion regarding last year’s
road trips and costs. To
expenses. Although fees
offset travel expenses,
may change, it will give
many teams seek out
you a good idea of what
sponsors and hold fundto expect.
raisers. These can be a
great financial resource.
Since some associations
are not-for-profit, the tax
breaks may be attractive to potential donors
or sponsors. Check with
your association for donation/sponsorship guidelines.
Yes, this sport can demand more of a financial
commitment than others,
but it is well worth it.
And yes, hockey tournaments count as official
family vacations. If only
that alarm clock wouldn’t
go off at 4:30 a.m.! b
Julie Wilson is a local freelance
graphic designer and copywriter. Her 10-year-old son,
Jackson, plays hockey for the
DYHA Squirt A Firebirds. She
can be contacted at Jjcjwilson@
aol.com.
Action from page 7
April
Pacific Cup returns to ASC one
more time on April 14-15. The following weekend will be Prescott’s
big day, as the city hosts its first
AIHA tournament at Pioneer Park.
The final weekend of April is
important for Arizona, as NARCh
hosts its big regional tournament
in Irvine. This will be one of the
few good chances for Arizona
teams to qualify for NARCh Finals
this year without having to do
much travel.
May
State Wars comes to town with
its Team Arizona tryouts. This
year, the tryouts have moved to
Rollerplex. The move was made
in an effort to continue breaking down political barriers in the
sport, a goal of State Wars from
the beginning.
“By moving the tryouts to a different rink,” said State Wars’ Ja-
son Domintrovic. “we’re hoping
more kids get involved. We want
to show that there are no boundaries or barriers - State Wars is for
everyone.”
From May 11-13 and 18-20,
AIHA will showcase its state
championship tournament in Tucson. Bladeworld will host the event
for the first time since the highly
successful AIHA Finals of 2003.
“We’re excited about going
down to Tucson,” said Koressel. “It
should be fun.”
Right after AIHA Finals, the
Amateur Athletic Union (AAU)
provides a chance for Arizona
teams to travel a little for some
great competition. From May 2528, the Anaheim Hockey Club will
host both the AAU West Coast Finals and AAU High School Nationals.
June-July
In July, Anaheim will once
again be the hot spot for great in-
line hockey. Many Arizona teams
will make the trip to compete at
the Pacific Cup Finals from June
30-July 1 and July 6-8.
The conventional travel season
wraps up later that month in Detroit and Estero, Fla. Detroit will
again host the AAU Jr. Olympic
Games from July 15-26, which will
include international competition
between Team USA and countries
from around the world.
And finally, from July 13-29,
the largest roller hockey tournament in the world, NARCh Finals,
will take place in sunny Florida,
just off the beaches of Estero.
Shortly after NARCh Finals,
State Wars III will take over the
roller hockey world for the final
chapter of the 2007 season, as hundreds of state teams come together
to play for border pride.
“As great as State Wars was
in 2006,” said Domintrovic, “State
Wars III will be the best yet.” b
29
Lacrosse
Youth lacrosse not just for boys
game accepted as a
varsity sport in over
150 colleges across
the U.S. The women’s
NCAA lacrosse championships for Division I schools began
in 1982; the men’s in
1971.
And it is possible
for females to compete at the higher
levels.
On example is
Ginny Cappocini,
a female goalie who
currently plays for
a Baltimore-area
Sting forward Dan Dawson spends some time with lady laxmen’s
club team. A
ers, from left, Michelle Volrich, Patty Casey, Kim See and Katie
few years ago, she was
Mazoyer.
under contract with
By Bill Casey
the professional National Lacrosse
League’s New Jersey Storm. This
hile arguments can be made
season, she tried out for the NLL’s
for and against girls playChicago Shamrox and was one of
ing in boys lacrosse leagues, most
the last goalies cut.
ladies thrive on the competition
But boys lacrosse is by far the
and camaraderie with their rival
most popular. With open rules algender.
lowing the game to flow freely with
Katie Mazoyer, 14, a box
full padding, helmets, deep pockets
lacrosse goalie from Glendale, says
and long poles for defense, the passhe feels comfortable between the
time combining many elements of
pipes.
more familiar sports attracts some
“There are only a few of us
of the nation’s best athletes.
(girls), but we are as good as or bet Many girls feel that competing
ter than the guys,” said Mazoyer,
with the boys is the ultimate chalthe starting netminder for the
lenge. Gia Caccavale, 13, plays
Glendale Lacrosse League’s Outboth girls and boys lacrosse.
laws who led the team to a 7-1
“I want to play more boys larecord this past season.
crosse because there
Although girls lacrosse is ofis better competifered in Arizona, some choose boys
tion,” she said. “Girls
lacrosse because of location or just
shouldn’t be afraid to
sheer competitive drive. The female
play against the guys,
game differs in that bodychecking
it’s the same sport
is illegal, but players may use their
and we can stand up
sticks to crosscheck an opponent
to them.”
who has the ball.
Patty Casey, a
The women’s game is one of
15-year-old, is both an
finesse. They wear virtually no
offensive and defenprotective padding and the rules
sive threat on her
disallow a deep pocket in the lasquad. Often the best
crosse stick. Yet cradling, creative
boys on the opposing
passing and shooting make the
team are tasked with
W
30
containing her. Last season, she
scored a double hat trick (six goals)
during a league game and this
season averaged over two goals a
game.
“It’s a challenge to play against
the guys,” said Casey. “I don’t consider myself one of the best, but I
know I have some skills that match
some of the guys on my team.
“I sometimes out-play guys on
my team and my opponents. As a
girl in a guy’s league, we’re appreciated and our accomplishments are
actually singled out more because
there are only a few of us out
there.”
Michelle Volrich, 14, started
playing boys lacrosse in 2005 and is
now her team’s co-captain.
“Just don’t let the guys intimidate you and show them that you
are as good as any of them,” she
said.
On the opposite of the intimidation factor is 14-year-old Kim
See, a defensive specialist for the
Outlaws. Nicknamed “Hatchet,”
she strikes fear in her opposition
with her league-leading penalty
minutes.
“I think it’s cool because usually guys aren’t afraid of girls,” said
See. “But when I go out there on
defense, it gives me authority over
the guys.
“In girls lacrosse you can’t hit
people,” she added, “and we have to
wear skirts and I don’t like that.” b
Lacrosse
Sting ready to roll in 2007
T
he Arizona
Sting announced last
month its final roster for this year’s
National Lacrosse League season.
“We are very excited about our
team going into the 2007 season,”
said Sting coach-GM Bob Hamley.
“We have a good mix of veterans
and young talent, and all of our
players are very much committed
to bringing a championship to the
Valley of the Sun.”
In total, 17 players return
from last year’s roster, including
all-pro forwards Craig Conn and
Dan Dawson. New additions to
the Sting this year include rookies Mike Grimes and Brandon
Atherton, as well as free agent
goalie Mike Attwood and trade
acquisitions Brian Beisel, Brad
MacDonald and Derek Malawsky.
The Sting opened its season on
Jan. 5 against the Colorado Mammoth, which captured the 2006
NLL Champion’s Cup after narrowly defeating Arizona by a score of
13-12 in last season’s West Division
final. Colorado ’s win over the Sting
in the playoffs was its fourth of the
season against Arizona.
By all accounts, the West Division will be extremely competitive
this season, as the
Sting is joined by perennial powerhouses
Colorado and Calgary
as contenders to capture the division.
Brodie Merril and the Portland
Lumberjax are looking
to avoid a sophomore
slump in 2007 after
finishing first in the
West with an 11-5
record last season.
The San Jose Stealth,
which missed the
playoffs last year
with a 5-11 record, is
hoping rookies Ryan
Benesch and Kyle
Sorensen, who went
Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, at September’s
NLL Entry Draft, will
put San Jose back in
the mix for a postseason berth.
The Edmonton
Rush, which went
1-15 last year, have nowhere to
look but up as it enters its second
season in the NLL. b
COACHES CORNER:
Ground balls
P
ossession, as in most
sports, is critical in
lacrosse. Often the ball is
checked out of the stick,
or a pass is missed and
the ball is on the ground
open for your opponent.
To properly “scoop” up
a groundball, it is necessary to have the right
movement and stick position. As you are running
toward the ball, slowly
bend down more and
more as you are running.
By the time you get
to the ball, your head
should be lookAs soon as you
ing slightly
gain control of
downfield
the ball, start
keeping one eye
cradling it and
one the ball. As
looking for
your stick lowpassing and
ers, the angle of
shooting opyour shaft to the
tions.
ground should be
The key to
Casey
about 30 degrees
getting good at
or less. Use two hands as groundballs is practicing
you would to shovel snow them constantly. A good
- one close to the head of
team drill is to roll the
the stick, one near the
ball to a teammate, they
butt end. Scoop through
scoop through the ball,
the ball and slowly lift
cradle to the head and
it up to your stomach.
quickly come back down
and roll the ball behind
for the next player in
line.
The team with the
most ground balls in the
stat sheet at the end of
the game is usually the
winner, so picking up
loose balls should be a
part of every team or
individual practice. b
Reach Bill Casey at bcasey@
glendalelacrosseleague.com
31
Lacrosse
Sting wraps up perfect preseason
By Richard Egan
T
he competition for the Arizona
Sting last month was as tough
as it gets. In its two preseason
matches, the Sting was pitted
against the last two National
Lacrosse League champions - the
Toronto Rock (2005) and Colorado
Mammoth (2006).
Despite facing some stiff competition, Arizona more than rose to
the occasion, besting both squads
in neutral site contests to earn a
prefect 2-0 record for the preseason.
“I’m very pleased with how we
played in both of our preseason
games,” said Sting coach-GM Bob
Hamley. “We played solid lacrosse
for eight quarters and came up
with victories against two very good
teams. I’m really looking forward to
the regular season.”
On Dec. 1, the Sting took on the
Rock at the General Motors Centre
in Oshawa, Ontario. In a back-andforth affair, the Sting saved its best
for last, outscoring the Rock 6-2
in the fourth quarter to take the
Get Lacrosse Pointers
Every Month From Sting
Forward Matt Brown
At
www.arizonarubber.com!
32
match, 11-8.
Rookie
goaltender
Brandon
Atherton
earned the
victory in net
for Arizona,
making 10
saves in the
final period
and helping
his own cause
by scoring an
empty-net
goal late in
the game.
Craig Conn, left, and the Sting downed the Mammoth in preseason acThe Sting was tion last month.
the game, as the Sting lit the lamp
led offensively
by star forward Dan Dawson, who five times with a man advantage
en route to a 16-9 drubbing of the
tallied five points on two goals and
defending NLL champions.
three assists.
Andrew Lazore and Dawson
Two weeks after vanquishing
each scored four goals in the victory
the Rock, the Sting traveled to
and Lindsay “Chainsaw” PlunWest Valley City, Utah, to take
kett dished out a quartet of assists
on the Mammoth in the inaugural
for the Sting. b
Utah Pro Lacrosse Showcase.
The awesome lethality of the
Arizona power play was the story of
Fan Fest a big success
By Richard Egan
T
he Arizona Sting’s second
annual Fan Fest took place
at Jobing.com Arena last month,
where fans of all ages were treated
to an evening of interactive fun,
highlighted by an intersquad scrimmage that pitted celebrity coaches
Howler, the mascot of the Phoenix
Coyotes, and Big Red, the mascot of
the Arizona Cardinals, against one
another.
Howler’s White Team, led by
Sting rookie Mike Grimes, ended
up taking the match by a score of
19-15, as some entertaining trick
shots were performed.
Preceding the epic clash between Howler and Big Red was a
wide variety of interactive games
that included a Sting “Jeopardy”
contest (won by defensemen Bruce
Murray and Peter Lough) and
a Be-An-Announcer-Booth (won
by 12-year-old Tom Robinson of
Scottsdale).
Fans also had the opportunity
to take shots on Sting goaltenders
and get their pictures taken with
their favorite NLL stars.
Ten-year old lacrosse fan Matthew Pineda, a Glendale resident,
was pleased to get the chance to try
out his skills on the Sting’s home
floor.
“I had a lot of fun,” said Pineda.
“The players are all really nice and
it was cool to play on the same turf
that the Sting plays on. I hope they
do this every year!” b
Training key as lax season begins
By Joe Marsit & Dan Dawson
By setting up a series of these
“sport specific” moves and running
through them for 20-30 minutes,
you can improve your conditioning,
footwork and sport skills.
A
s the lacrosse season rapidly
approaches, many young athletes wonder what they could be
doing to ensure their starting position on the team or to avoid those
nagging injuries that always seem
to occur in the middle of the year.
The following is a list of five key
exercises, each representing a different element of athleticism that is
essential to success in lacrosse.
Flexibility: Elbow to Instep +
Hamstring stretch – dubbed by
authorities in sports performance
as “the world’s greatest stretch,”
this exercise is performed by moving into a lunge position with the
back knee resting on the ground,
the arm on the same side of the
body as the front leg is lowered so
the elbow of that arm is against the
instep of the foot and the forearm is
flat on the ground perpendicular to
the foot.
To recover, both hands are
placed on the ground straddling
the front foot and the hips and leg
are thrust straight adding a great
hamstring stretch element. This
exercise should be performed as a
series of lunge/stretch steps for 1520 yards.
Smith from Page 16
Already an accomplished
skater, Smith easily moved up the
ranks and found herself playing
with boys exclusively.
While she improved immensely,
the initial shock of playing with
boys was rough, not just on her, but
on her teammates and opposition.
Smith heard the giggles from
the immature boys, but once she
stepped onto the ice, the laughs
quickly stopped and her teammates
instantly knew that she had the
edge.
Sting forward Dan Dawson, left, gets in
game shape at Velocity Sports Performance
with the help of trainer Joe Marsit.
Explosive Power: Snatch – one
of the more explosive Olympic
weightlifting movements, this
exercise places the hands on the
bar in a wider than shoulder width
grip, the bar is raised from the floor
and explosively propelled to an
overhead receiving position in one
violently fast motion.
Muscular Endurance: Metabolic
Drills – these are specific conditioning drills done on the field to mimic
a brief burst of activity during
the course of a game. An example
would be a 30-yard sprint, 15-yard
shuffle to the right, spin left and
sprint 30 yards.
Tammy Smith remembered
playing in Tempe a few years ago
and her daughter would always
come home with slash marks from
the same player on her
neck.
While Tammy wanted blood,
she could tell her Lynndy was
much more level-headed.
“I just wanted her to go level
that kid, but she wouldn ‘t,”Tammy
said. “Not that she wouldn ‘t put
somebody on their butt.”
Lynndy hopes to continue her
hockey career well into the future.
She already has plans to attend a
Muscular Strength: Squat – the
best strength development exercise
for the lower body and the core, this
exercise can be performed with the
bar on the back, across the shoulders in the front or held overhead.
The movement involves releasing
the hips and dropping the glutes
right down between the ankles.
This is a great exercise for overall strength development and most
importantly leg strength which will
translate into increased speed and
power on your shots.
Balance: One Leg Stance – an
athlete lifts one foot up and in front
of the other, slightly bends the knee
then holds this position for 20-30
seconds. A harder variation is performed by closing the eyes. Balance
is an essential skill to develop in
athletes and allows for better overall coordination and cutting ability.
By integrating drills into your
workouts that focus on all of these
key areas, you can ensure that
you’re developing as a complete
athlete and setting yourself up for
success in the future. b
private school in Massachusetts
and wants to be the first female
NHL player and play for the United
States in the Olympics.
Shannon Colucci, the team
manager for the Peoria Roadrunners, has seen Smith play everyday
and thinks if anyone could do it, it
would be Lynndy.
“I think she could do it, just
because she is so mentally stable,”
Colucci said. “When I was her age,
I wasn ‘t anywhere near her for
toughness.” b
33
Taking Liberties
with John King
T
he Phoenix RoadRunners have put together a
formidable first half in the ECHL’s West Division,
thanks in part to the leadership of defenseman Jake
Ortmeyer. Taking Liberties catches up with Arizona
Rubber’s resident Web blogger to talk everything from
PIMs to PlayStation.
Taking Liberties: So what’s it like
for a Nebraska kid playing hockey in
the desert and going to the rink in
that warm climate?
Jake Ortmeyer: It’s not normal,
that’s for sure. For me, everyday is
just beautiful. It’s easy to get up and
go to practice.
TL: Are you a golfer?
JO: As much as I can. My buddy is
a golf pro at Estancia, so I made it
out there once. It’s No. 75 on the list
of top 100 courses. It’s unbelievable.
I’ve also played The Legend of Arrowhead and I drive by the TPC on
the way to the rink. I’d like to play
that, but I think it’s probably better
if I just watch.
TL: I noticed you put up the PIMs
- over 100 penalty minutes last year,
46 already this season. Are you a
tough guy?
JO: No, that’s the funny thing. That’s just the new
rules, there’s not a single fight in there. As far as fighting goes, when it’s time, it’s time, but the opportunity
hasn’t presented itself.
TL: So all those penalty minutes are due to the new
rules. Do you find yourself nostalgic for the old game?
JO: No, I’m buying into the program, but it’s been
hard. I was always a clutch-and-grab player and my
game was to bring guys closer to me.
TL: Do you follow any of the young guys in the “new”
NHL?
JO: Who can’t follow (Sidney) Crosby? That’s the
new game. He’s just so flashy and he skates. He even
has a little grit, finishing his checks.
TL: Your brother, Jed, is in the NHL playing for the
Rangers and just came back from an injury. Do you
have the Center Ice TV package to follow him?
34
b
JO: No, but I’ll be getting it. He just got cleared to
play again.
TL: What are your favorite hockey words?
JO: I can’t tell them all to you, but I like top cheese,
cheddar, snipe, and how everyone has a crazy nickname. Mine is “Ortz.”
TL: Do you have favorite music you
like to listen to before games?
JO: We’re all over the place. We do
a lot of the classics. A lot of AC/DC,
Motley Crue, Guns N’ Roses and
some Slayer.
TL: I understand your roommate,
teammate Tommy Maxwell, is
teaching you to play guitar.
JO: No, Maxwell doesn’t play the
guitar. He’s teaching me to play Guitar Hero on the PlayStation.
TL: Really, I suppose that’s good for
creating soft hands. Is Guitar Hero
one of your hockey training tools?
JO: It has been.
TL: What do you think of the roadrunner as a mascot? Is that something people should be scared of?
JO: They should be, for our speed. We have a few guys
who can really get up and fly.
TL: If you’re the roadrunner, who is your coyote, your
arch nemesis in the ECHL?
JO: We have a couple teams. Idaho (Steelheads) is
one, and Long Beach (Ice Dogs) has had our number
lately.
TL: What advice would you give a young Arizona boy
or girl playing hockey today?
JO: The ice is the best teacher, do it as much on it as
you can. Go to public skating, play shinny with the
boys, coach. If you can’t skate, you can’t play. You’ll get
what you put into it.
TL: Any New Year’s resolutions for you or the team?
JO: For the team, I’d like us to put together a winning
streak. For myself, I’d like to help my teammates and
win. b
b
WARRIOR
PlayersCLUB