September, 2009 - Rubber Hockey Magazine

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 1
California’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline Hockey
September 2009
CaliRubber b com
Santana, Speelman headed to
Hockey East
Inline goaltender Urbano as
good as gold
Goldberg shines at National
Camp, again
Bigger, better program
shaping up in Oakland
All
!
d
r
a
o
Ab
Valencia’s impact on the local hockey
scene continues to pick up steam
INSIDE...
This summer, Northridge’s Cole Guttman and the California 99s advanced to the
semifinals at the prestigious Brick Tournament in Edmonton (see story on Page 8).
Photo / Brent Guttman
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California Rubber Magazine
is a production of:
Pictured on the cover:
(from left): Derian Theberge (Valencia Express),
Daniel Chang (Valencia Flyers) and Paul Fregeau
(California Heat) Cover Photo / Robert J. Meyer
USA Hockey Launches
‘Come Play Youth Hockey’
Campaign
Ads designed to
encourage kids
ages 4-8 to try
hockey
U
SA Hockey has launched its new “Come Play Youth Hockey” campaign, a program geared to educate the parents of 4- to 8-year-olds on the benefits of youth
hockey.
The campaign, designed in conjunction with Periscope advertising agency, features posters, postcards, fliers and television ads, produced by NHL Network, to be
showcased across the country.
The ads depict young hockey players with shadows trailing behind them that resemble a superhero, a rocket ship, and other childhood fantasies. The ads also include
characteristics brought out by youth hockey such as pride, responsibility and leadership, along with the phrase, “Watch your kid soar.”
“We have created consistent imaging that promotes the positives of youth hockey
participation to parents who aren’t familiar with our sport,” said Pat Kelleher, assistant executive director of membership development for USA Hockey. “We want to
show parents that youth hockey is the best youth sports option for their children.”
Youth hockey associations and rinks will also have the opportunity to customize
these advertisements in an effort to increase awareness about their own programs.
More information about the Come Play Youth Hockey campaign, its goals and the
benefits of youth hockey can be found at ComePlayYouthHockey.com. b
CaliRubber.com
3
Away From The Rubber:
Incorporate fun,
speed into dryland
training
A
Sean
Skahan
lot of times when
I’m leaving the
rink and getting into
my car after work,
I see youth hockey
teams doing dryland
training before their
on-ice practice.
And as I watch, I sometimes see things that are really
good where the coach has actually put some thought into a
progressive session with the focus on helping the players get
better in a fun environment.
But in other instances
– and most of the time, unfortunately - I see a program that,
in my opinion, isn’t beneficial
at all for young hockey players.
If you ask me, a young
player needs to be having fun
while working on the physical
components that are going to
help them become better athletes. Exercises such as agilities, plyometrics, tag games
and speed drills that promote
competitiveness and enjoyment
are what’s most important.
What I don’t like to see is
kids being told to take long
runs around the block or the
arena. Sometimes - and I still
witness this at much higher
levels - I see young players riding stationary bikes at a steady
pace for a long period of time.
Ask yourself: How many
marathon runners play hockey
to help them prepare for marathons? Or, does Lance Armstrong play hockey to prepare
for the Tour de France? It
makes no sense and, unfortunately, in a lot of situations,
today’s hockey training is
conducted this way.
At a recent seminar I attended, a speaker talked about
an athlete’s “speed window.”
He was quoting a researcher
who is the world’s expert on
young athletes and their matu-
ration process. What he said
was that boys and girls have
two age windows to develop
speed in their maturation.
For boys, the windows are
ages 7-9 and 13-16. For girls,
the windows are between 6-8
and 11-13. Basically, what
he was saying was that kids
should be taking advantage of
these windows of opportunity,
doing athletic movements as
fast and as hard as possible.
In relation hockey, it could
mean sprinting and jumping
while doing dryland training,
while also skating fast and
shooting the puck as hard as
you can on the ice. Usually,
when I see these youngsters
on these long, slow runs or
rides, guess how old they are?
They’re usually between 11
and 13. They’re training to
be slow during their optimal
window for developing speed.
It makes even less sense
now to have these youngsters
go out on these long distance
runs or long stationary bike
rides to help them play a game
in which speed is the most
important factor.
Some of the best quotes
I’ve heard from some of the
strength and conditioning
coaches I’ve learned from
include “Train Slow, Be Slow”
and “Want to run fast, then
you better be running fast
(which also applies to skating).”
Coaches should take this
into consideration when planning off-ice training sessions
and on-ice practices. b
Sean Skahan is the strength and conditioning coach of the Anaheim Ducks.
4
Cold Feet, Warm Hearts
‘Weddings on Ice’ shows plenty of love
for a worthy cause
By Joan Rakhshani
W
aiting a few feet from the
ice at the Orange County
Ice Palace in Yorba Linda,
Jenny Turcotte, 17, stood stiffly
as she listened to the familiar
grinding sound of the Zamboni.
She glanced in the mirror
and saw a stranger. Turcotte
has played ice hockey for 10
years, but on this July day she
looked a bit different. Instead
of the familiar bulky padding
of hockey gear, Turcotte was
wearing high heels, a $2,000
wedding gown and $450 worth
of hair and makeup - all topped
off with a frozen smile. She
clasped her hands at waist
level and stepped out to face
the crowd.
It was time for the “Weddings on Ice” bridal fashion
show, wedding expo and
fundraiser - the brainchild of
Westminster’s Kim Turcotte,
Jenny’s mother.
As a longtime hockey mom,
Kim knows her way around
a rink. And with 25 years of
experience in floral design and
event planning, she’s developed
a knack for thinking outside
the box.
“From all my years in the
business, whenever I see a big
space, I think, ‘How can I use
this for a wedding?’” she said.
“So I was sitting in the bleachers at the rink one day and I
thought, ‘What about a wedding on ice?’”
The events at the Ice Palace included her original idea
- couples reciting vows on the
ice - but that’s not all. Fortytwo wedding industry vendors
showcased their products and
services and the event promoted and supported a local
charity, the Second Harvest
Food Bank of Orange County.
The temperature outside
was 74 degrees and rising at 10
a.m., but most of the vendors’
wares were well preserved in
the cool clime of the rink where
flowers last longer, makeup
doesn’t melt, and cupcakes
and hairstyles stay fresh and
bouncy.
The venue suited retired
Marine James Ottens, an ice
sculpture artist for Crystal
Creations of Anaheim who
confidently stood by his handcarved ice throne and champagne luge.
Moving through the tables,
Viviana Vigil, host of NBC’s
“Open House,” and a crew from
That’s a Rap Video Productions (Orange) captured lively
interviews with the vendors.
Outside facing the dog days
of summer, Santino Rubio, of
BalloonWorks (Perris), built a
balloon arch.
Lisa Schultz, owner of
Crowning Glory Wedding Studio in Costa Mesa, rested after
styling approximately 12 heads
of hair.
The presence of lovely models, many of them hockey players, didn’t hurt, either. Making them pretty was makeup
artist Courtney Boyle, who
argues that makeup, like hair,
is very important to brides.
“Everyone will look at your
dress for the first 20 seconds
and they’ll look at your face for
the rest of the night,” she said.
Al Michaels of A. Michaels
Photography (Long Beach) said
the event is “the beginning of
something that could be really
big, and I’m going to be a part
of it.”
For Kim Turcotte, it’s all
about assisting others.
“My dream is about more
than making money,” she
said. “I want to be able to help
people, help the community.
It’s a new journey for me.”
For more information on
“Weddings on Ice,” visit WeddingsOnIce.com. b
Jenny Turcotte, who plays for the LA Selects’ U19 girls team, laced up her skates at July’s “Wedding on Ice”
bridal show and fundraiser. Photo / A. Michael’s Photography
Locals Shine at Got Skills Championships
Huntington Beach goaltender saves his way to a national title
By Chris Bayee
N
ine Southern California
Squirt and Pee Wee hockey players were among more
than 100 competitors, and one
- goaltender Ian Gibbons of
Huntington Beach - won a title
at the national 2009 Got Skills
Championships held over the
summer at the Aviator Sports
Complex in New York.
Players representing their
local NHL teams ranged from
12 states and Canada.
The Got Skills Competition
is open to boys and girls ages
9-12. The competition tests
skill levels in five different
categories: skating, shooting
accuracy, hardest shot, breakaway shootout and goaltending.
Participants are divided into
“Travel” and “House” levels to
create the most balanced, competitive environment, and there
are winners at both levels.
Gibbons, 10, won the Squirt
Travel Top Skills Goalie title.
He plays at KHS Ice Arena in
Anaheim.
Other Southern California
Players from various Southern California programs converged on Brooklyn, N.Y., to compete at this summer’s
Got Skills National Championships. Photo / Anaheim Ducks
participants (and their home
rinks) included: Squirts - Ryan
Armstrong, Aliso Viejo Ice
Palace; Arshia Mitchell, Aliso
Viejo Ice Palace; and Brady
Newton, Anaheim Jr. Ducks.
Pee Wee - Brandon
Armstrong, Aliso Viejo Ice
Palace; Timothy Ciotoli, Aliso
Viejo Ice Palace; Kevin Fry,
Anaheim Jr. Ducks; Frankie
Horowitz, LA Selects Pee Wee
AAA; Phillip Kasko, Aliso
Viejo Ice Palace.
Newton (Squirt) and Ciotoli
(Pee Wee) each finished fourth
in the Fastest Skater competition, and Armstrong (Pee Wee)
finished second in Hardest
Shot.
Gibbons and several of his
Wildcats teammates were part
of a U.S. select team that traveled to St. Petersburg, Russia,
last month to play in the 4th
Annual Puchkov International
Memorial Tournament.
Anaheim Wildcats coach
Konstantin Lodnia organized
the trip for the U.S. team,
which competed in the Pee Wee
’98 AAA Select division. In addition to the Wildcats, players
from Detroit Little Caesars and
the Minnesota Machine comprised the U.S. roster.
Other teams that participated included: Silver Lions (St.
Petersburg), Dynamo (Moscow),
Metallurg (Magnitogorsk), Finland Select (Finland), Ak Bars
(Kazan), HC Gomel (Belarus),
Locomotive (Yaroslavl) and
Czech Select (Czech Republic).
Gibbons has won the
regional competition at the
Squirt Travel level for the past
two years and advanced to
represent the Anaheim Ducks
at the last two national events.
He finished fourth at the 2008
nationals, which were held at
Boston University.
Gibbons, who has been playing hockey since age 5, started
out playing inline hockey at
Coast2Coast in Huntington
Beach before transitioning to
ice three years ago. He will begin his third season of ice playing for the Wildcats. This past
season, the Wildcats’ Squirt ’98
team, coached by Lodnia, won
the SCAHA and CAHA championships. b
CaliRubber.com
5
Next Stop: Ice Station
Skaters young and old are taking
advantage of all the Valencia facility
has to offer By Chris Bayee
T
he Ice Station in Valencia
legrini, the rink’s director of
is showing no signs of slow-
hockey operations. “From little
ing down as it nears its 10th
tykes and learn-to-play hockey
birthday.
programs on up, we hit every
avenue when it comes to that.
The three-sheet facility
north of Los Angeles, which will
We’re pretty excited about what
celebrate its 10th anniversary
we have.”
on Jan. 1, 2010, houses success-
ful in-house, youth and junior
which has A- and B-level
teams, and it participates in
programs, and the in-house
tier hockey through its part-
programs are the main youth
team won the state champion-
have a lot of players who have
kersfield.
nership with the West Valley
hockey tenants at the Ice Sta-
ship.”
a lot of potential. So our future
Wolves and the California
tion.
looks good.”
sheets also offer three different
Bears (Burbank).
bright, thanks a surge of tal-
The Express consistently
perspectives. There is an Olym-
off one of its most successful
ented players and the coach-
has had about 150 players at
pic-sized sheet, an NHL regula-
seasons ever, said Sebastien
ing expertise of coach Larry
levels from Mites to Midgets
tion surface, and The Pond - a
Garden in Lakewood and
Azra, the club’s head coach.
Levasseaur, who specializes in
in its program since the rink
100-foot by 60-foot rink that is
Iceoplex in Escondido - that can
players ages 5-9, Azra said.
opened, Azra said. About 90
utilized for skating schools and
boast that variety of hockey-
accomplished something that
percent of the players come
Mini-Mites, among other uses.
playing options.
it had never accomplished: We
year after coaching Mite last
from the Valencia area, al-
sent all nine teams to the play-
year,” Azra said. “At the young-
though there are some who
there,” Allegrini said. “The kids
offs,” Azra said. “Our Midget 18
er ages we’re very talented; we
drive from as far away as Ba-
(at all levels) have a great time
It is one of just three rinks
in the state - along with Glacial
“We’ve got a little bit of
everything,” said Scott Al-
The Valencia Express,
The Express is coming
“Last year the Express
The Valencia Ice Station will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2010.
And the future appears
“He’s coaching Squirt B this
The Ice Station’s three
“We play a lot of 3-on-3
on it. They are learning passing,
puck control, working in tight
spaces. It’s a nice advantage to
have.”
Reaching Out
Another important element
at the Ice Station is introducing
people of all ages to the game
of hockey through the young
children’s in-house leagues and
adult leagues. Allegrini and his
staff have reached out through
outside channels as well.
“Another thing we’ve done
is put our learn-to-play program
in the park districts to expose
those kids to the game,” he said.
Added new new Valencia
Flyers junior coach Bill Muckalt: “We are in the process of
enhancing our learn-to-play program, that’s where we are really
trying to ramp up. Offering
kids an opportunity to play and
learn hockey with out all of the
startup costs is a key component to growing the game we all
Scott Allegrini, the Ice Station’s director of hockey operations, notes that his facility “has a little bit of everything” when it comes to accommodating
players of all levels.
6
love so much. We anticipate the
launch of the enhanced program
this winter.”
One of the rink’s biggest
success stories has been its
spring high school league.
“We have an eight-team
high school league that stretches from Burbank to Bakersfield,” Allegrini said. “That
gives kids who are hockey
players a chance to compete for
their school. It’s not CIF sanctioned, but we do run the same
parameters, just as any high
school league would in terms of
eligibility and sportsmanship.
“It’s in its ninth season
and we run it after the SCAHA
season. That way kids playing
in SCAHA don’t have to worry
about conflicts. It started out
where it was just unskilled, but
the level of play has improved
every year. West Valley was
our league champion this year.
“We’re looking to do more
with that because the high
school league is one of our biggest successes. We fill up the
building - there is not a seat to
In addition to developing their players on and off the ice, Valencia’s youth programs put plenty of emphasis on fun. Photos / Robert J. Meyer
be had when there is rivalry
game.”
Another way the facility is
reaching out is through its justcompleted training center.
“The purpose of it is two-
fold,” Allegrini said. “There
is a lot of training available,
whether private or through LA
Fitness or 24 Hour Fitness, but
one of the things that is tough
to find is hockey-specific training. Where can you go get that
without breaking the bank?”
Enter Muckalt, a veteran of
five NHL seasons and graduate
of the University of Michigan.
“Bill has a kinesiology degree from Michigan,” Allegrini
said. “With hockey-specific
training you can create the correct habits with kids - not just
for hockey but for a lifetime
of physical fitness. And that’s
important in this day and age
when physical education is being cut out of schools.
“It’s another opportunity
to offer something for kids and
parents. Eventually it will be
available for families. So if they
are waiting for a player who is
at practice, they have this option.”
The benefits of having such
a facility in-house made sense
to Muckalt.
worked out well. We were able
Flyers’ general manager, said,
didn’t have the time. I really
strengthen our A- and B-level
“We are working much more
missed coaching.
off-ice training for the junior
teams.”
closely with the Heat. The goal
team,” he said. “But also once
with the Flyers is that we have
and be together, I felt this was
we establish programs, every-
AA teams at the Bantam,
the talent here, let’s move them
the best opportunity. I’m real
one in the family can use it,
Midget 16U and 18U levels and
along to Tier II or college. It’s
excited about this year’s team
whether adults or siblings, it
a 16U AAA team.
a nice option to have it right
and some of the programs we’re
will be all-inclusive. That’s go-
here.”
implementing. And the building
ing to be kind of neat.
Heat’s 18U AA team this past
is first-rate.”
“It’s a huge benefit for
This season the Heat has
Dustin Doty played for the
Speaking of the Flyers,
“To be able to move out here
season and spent much of early
they pulled off somewhat of a
we could have some success
hockey career learning the
coup by hiring Muckalt, who
that’s dear to Muckalt is power
with. When you build a hockey
game in the Express program.
in addition to his college and
skating classes, starting for
program, the training starts off
pro playing experience, has two
players as young as 6 or 7 years
the ice. It prepares players for
team during the inaugural
seasons as an assistant coach
old.
higher levels.”
season, and I stayed until my
at Eastern Michigan under his
Pee Wee year then I played
belt and maintains strong ties
kids in this program,” he said.
for the Wave with (coach)
throughout the hockey world.
“Skating is the biggest fundamental in hockey, and one that
“I felt (fitness) was an area
Moving Up
The Flyers are one av-
“I played on the Squirt BB
One of those new programs
“It’s only going to benefit
Mike Lewis,” Doty said. “But
enue that players can utilize
Valencia was always a home
ens our program,” Allegrini
is often overlooked. You have to
to advance their careers, and
for me, and they made me love
said. “We’re lucky to have his
have good fundamentals, and
another emerged in 2008 - the
hockey. The coaches are nice
expertise and experience help
skating is an essential funda-
California Heat.
and are like your friends. Marc
develop these players. We
mental. There is a reason pros
The Heat is a tier-level
Albrent, my first coach for the
wanted to take ourselves to the
are working on their skating
organization that draws players
Express, was the No. 1 reason
next level. It worked itself out.”
during the summer. It’s some-
from the Express, the West Val-
why I stayed.
thing I’ve had success with.”
ley Wolves and the California
California – a desire to get back
Bears program in Burbank. Its
friends played out of there. Be-
into coaching and a fiancée in
closer to its second decade, its
Midget 16U AA team reached
cause of the Express I became
Los Angeles.
operators have a goal clearly in
the USA Hockey National
friends with people that are my
mind.
Championships in April.
best friends today.
to have that opportunity to get
back into coaching was what I
so there is no reason to leave
“We’ve had a lot of players
“It was also nice that all my
“The Heat was amazing
“Coach Muckalt strength-
Two things led Muckalt to
“At the end of the day, just
So as the Ice Station draws
“We’re trying to set this up
move on (to the Heat),” Azra
from the start. Everyone got
was looking for,” Muckalt said.
this facility as long as the level
said. “Some from the Heat
along; it was great.”
“I was in real estate develop-
is right for the player,” Allegri-
have moved on from there. It
ment in Michigan, and I just
ni said. b
Allegrini, who also is the
CaliRubber.com
7
Remembrances From Brick
The California 99s staked a semifinal berth at the Edmonton tournament, considered one of the world’s elite summer showcases
Compiled by Chris Bayee
T
he California 99s, the state’s entry
into the prestigious Brick Tournament, played annually at the West
Edmonton Mall in Alberta, earned a
semifinal spot in the event for just the
fifth time in 20 years and the first time
since 2003 in early July.
The Cal 99s were coached by Igor
Nikulin of LA Hockey Club and Konstantin Lodnia of the Anaheim Wildcats. The Cal 99s went 4-1 in round-robin play en route to winning their division
and compiling a plus-9 goal differential.
The team was comprised of players from seven California clubs - the
Anaheim Wildcats, California Stars, LA
Hockey Club, LA Jr. Kings, OC Hockey
Club, San Diego Ice Arena and Valencia
Express - plus players from Calgary,
Alaska and Las Vegas.
Forward Jake McGrew (Orange)
was named a First Team All-Star after
leading the tournament with seven goals
and tying for second in scoring with 11
points. Forward Sasha Chmelevski
(Huntington Beach) was selected to the
Second Team and led the Brick with 13
points (three goals, 10 assists).
“It was a great showing for California. Many eyes were opened and
the skill level of all our kids got a lot of
respect,” said Andrew Cohen, who has
been California’s Brick program director
for two decades. “The most exciting thing
for me is how much the players improve
by the Brick Tournament experience.
“When the tournament is over, the
kids come back home inspired.”
What follows are remembrances
from the players and their parents.
I
t was a lot of fun and the best
part was meeting new hockey
friends and trading jerseys at
the end of the tournament. I
was so happy we made it to the
semifinals! It was a really good
experience. I was proud to be
part of the California team with
some great players and coaches.
Because I moved to California
from Michigan five years ago, I
was really happy that our team
beat the Detroit Red Wings!
- Goaltender Josh Pack of
Irvine
T
he Brick Tournament was by
far the best hockey experience that my son has participated in during his young hockey
career. The training, level of
play and overall atmosphere was
fantastic.
We were all very impressed
by the abilities of the kids from
all of the teams. It was also very
Players and parents alike had nothing but good things to say about this year’s Brick Tournament
nice to see our California kids
experience. Photo / Brent Guttman
compete at the highest level.
- Brent Guttman, father of deWe did extremely well, considering the
ur son, Jesse (Lycan), tried out for
fenseman Cole Guttman of Northridge number of hockey players to draw from
the team and, although he had only
in California is far less than the other
had
one
year of SCAHA play, amazingly
any past Brick participants who
Brick teams (i.e. Toronto, Montreal,
he
was
selected
to play for the team. The
have gone on to the NHL have
Minnesota, Alberta, etc.). The team’s
whole experience is definitely the pincommented that the Brick Tournament
success was largely because our top four
nacle of his young hockey career so far.
was one of their biggest highlights
forwards were more skilled than the
The two months of preparation driving
growing up. It’s considered to be the
top four forwards on all the other Brick
up to Anaheim 2-3 times a week providbest 10-year-old hockey tournament in
teams. I think with a little more depth
ed him the an opportunity to skate with
North America. For many of these young we could have won the tournament. Big
many of the best 1999 birth year players
hockey players, this is their NHL and
kudos to the kids and coaches who are
in California. With Igor, Konstantin and
that’s how the tournament is run. developing these players!
- Jerry Setoguchi, father of defense- their staff, he was exposed to some exman Ayden Setoguchi of Calgary, who ceptional coaches and we definitely saw
2009 California 99s Roster
played for the Cal 99s him improve as a hockey player over his
tenure with the team while playing at a
Goalies
level well above what he was accustomed
noticed early on - almost immediately
Rhett Bruckner (Las Vegas), Anaheim Wildcats
to.
- that the team had a special element.
Joshua Pack (Irvine), OC Hockey Club
The tournament itself exceeded our
The chemistry from Day 1 was immedivery high expectations. The way they
ate, honest and real. The parents were
Defensemen
treated the teams and players was alall fantastic, all very grateful to be part
Dexter Russo (Laguna Beach), OC Hockey Club
most like it was an NHL or international
of the program.
Cole Guttman (Northridge), Valencia Express
tournament. The ice cuts, announc I thought I would share a few fun
Brannon McManus (Upland), LA Hockey Club
ers, national anthems, videos of all the
facts about this year’s team:
Andrew Beckett (Eagle River, Alaska), Eagle River Mustangs
games, an emphasis on friendly competi1. Tournament semifinalist
Brett Rudy (Huntington Beach), LA Hockey Club
tion and the uniform swap on ice with
2. First place in their division
all the tournament players at the end
3. Best American team finish
Forwards
of the championship game all made it
4. Tied for most tournament wins
Jacob McGrew (Orange), Anaheim Wildcats
an unparalleled experience for the kids
5. Tied for most tournament points
Sasha Chmelevski (Huntington Beach), Anaheim Wildcats
and their families. The hockey itself was
6. Most goals scored in tournament
Vanya Lodnia (Anaheim), Anaheim Wildcats
the highest caliber one could imagine for
7. Three out of top four individual scorAyden Roche-Setoguchi (Calgary), Shaw Meadows
9-10-year-old players. I think most of us
ers in tournament
Mac Fair (Anchorage), Alaska All Stars
feel the kids represented California well,
8. Second in team goal differential
Jason Robertson (San Marino), LA Jr. Kings
and while the semifinal loss was a heart9. Tied for second in fewest penalties
Cayla Barnes * (Corona), California Stars
10. Second in Skills Competition
breaker, we think the team exceeded
Jesse Lycan (San Diego), San Diego Ice Arena
11. Two all-star selections
most outsiders’ expectations.
- Barry McManus, father of defense- Paul Lycan, father of forward
* Just the third girl to compete in 20 years of California entries.
man Brannon McManus of Upland
Jesse Lycan of San Diego
O
M
I
8
LA Selects
Chalk Talk:
Bobby Ryan is a role
model for all
A
naheim Ducks forward Bobby
Ryan, a Calder Trophy finalist
as the NHL’s rookie of the year
last season, took time out from his
summer training schedule to discuss
his Pee Wee and Bantam AAA years
in Los Angeles.
“I was lucky in the sense that I
came to the California area at a time
when coaches were just starting
to put a AAA team together in my
category,” he said. “I was fortunate
that my mom got to run a rink in
the area (Westminster), and I spent
a lot of time around those coaches
everyday. I was able to learn from
them and got an opportunity a lot of
kids really didn’t get.”
Always a very polite and
appreciative young man who got
along well with everyone, Bobby
played for Igor Nikulin and me
for two of our three AAA national
championships teams.
“Our team won two national
championships within three years,
and I think that started to put
California hockey on the map,” he
said. “It proved to everyone that
hockey was something kids could
take seriously out west. We started
to raise some eyebrows everywhere,
and I think it opened the doors for
players coming out of this area.”
Bobby, a home-schooled student
who was able to do his homework
at the rink and train on and off the
ice during the day (with Bobby’s
mom working at the rink, it made it
easier for her to assist Bobby with
his academics), also talked about his
road to making the Ducks.
“I went through some emotional
times,” he said. “It’s obviously a
tough jump into professional hockey.
You’re playing against kids your
age and then you come into training
camp and it’s a whole new level
you’ve never prepared for.
“For me, I had to learn a lot.
I had to get leaner, quicker and
stronger all at the same time, and,
Williams’ skill,
character earn praise
B
rian Williams took one step backward this past
season, and as a result, the LA Selects’ Pee Wee
AAA team took a giant step forward - all the way to
a bronze-medal finish at the USA Hockey National
Championships in April.
Williams, a 5-foot-7, 130-pound 1996 birth year
HOCKEY CLUB who served as his team’s captain, was moved from
center back to defense midway through the season by
Selects coach James Gasseau to take advantage of his puck-handling skills.
“I had said to James, ‘You know he’s only skated forward’,” said Brian’s dad,
Guy Williams. “James said Brian is a great athlete and he will adapt well. And he
did.”
Brian’s adaptability and patience - on and off the ice, including during the 99mile, one-way drives to practice in Lakewood from his family’s Mira Mesa home
- have paid off. They come wrapped in a package of seemingly never-ending energy.
“Brian is the ultimate leader and team captain on any team,” Gasseau said. “He
is such a competitor and a pleasure to coach. His work ethic is excellent. He is a nice
kid who gets along with everyone. He is a class act.”
This past season was Williams’ sixth in ice hockey after two years of roller
hockey only. He continues to play roller and participated in the State Wars final in
Cincinnati last month.
His skill development has come at a cost - to the Williams family garage. “He has
torn up my garage with pucks,” his father said. “He’s done a lot of damage working
Williams continued page 11
James Gasseau
LAHockeyClub.com • LASelects.com
if I didn’t, it was made clear to me
by the Ducks that I wasn’t going to
play in this league.
“I had a few chances and got a
few games here and there before
last season and I always used those
as steppingstones, hoping to get a
little bit better every time out. It’s
important not to lose any confidence
in yourself, when sometimes it
seems like the people you work for
have.”
Bobby also offered several tips
to youngsters aspiring to reach the
next level.
“One thing I would stress is to
take care of your body,” he said. “On
and off the ice, make sure you’re
doing the right things to prepare
yourself the nights before games
and the days at the rink.
“Don’t take your situation for
granted, get better everyday, be
open to change and be a sponge
around the locker room. Coaches at
those levels are obviously coaching
because they know the game, and
they take pride in graduating
players to the next level.” b
James Gasseau is president of the LA Hockey Club/LA Selects youth hockey
organizations. He is also head coach of the program’s Pee Wee AAA team.
CaliRubber.com
9
Buzz building as Monsters’
season draws near
W
ith their home-opener slated for
Sept. 19 against the Bakersfield Jr.
Condors, the Fresno Monsters are nothing
but excited to usher in a new era of hockey
in Northern California.
And, if all goes according to plan
against its Western States League
competition, the junior team will be the
talk of the town in no time.
“Early indications are that we have
fairly fast, dynamic team with decent size
and skill,” said Monsters co-head coach
Brandy Semchuk. “We were able to
pick up a couple of talented imports from
Finland and Sweden, as well as some other
great players from nine different states.”
Among them Matt Anderson, a
goaltender from Michigan who stopped
pucks in the NAHL (Tier II Junior A) last
season.
Semchuk credits co-coach Eric
groomed
countless college
and professional players, for assembling
such a solid cast of players.
“Personally, I’ve been involved in the
game playing professionally and coaching
at many different levels for over 20 years
and have never known anyone who’s more
well connected in the hockey community
than Eric,” said Semchuk. “Not only is he
a great coach, but he’s also a great guy and
we’ve become good friends.”
And buzz is starting to build around
Fresno. With season-ticket sales strong,
the team has also found its way onto local
radio and television on a regular basis.
“We’re really starting to build a
tremendous amount of excitement around
Ballard, and accomplished junior coach
the city,” said Semchuk. b
and recruiter from Minnesota who has
- Brian McDonough
Hockey Returns to San Diego
Sports Arena
Charity game to benefit U.S. Military slated for October 2
Williams’ skill,
character earn
praise
A
- continued from page 9
on his stickhandling.”
Brian is following in the
footsteps of his older brother,
Matt, who is a defenseman on
the San Diego Gulls’ Midget
16U AAA team this season. The
two played together on a Squirt
AA team when Brian was a
Mite.
Both brothers have played
for California’s entry in the
Brick Tournament in Edmonton
and the Quebec Pee Wee Tournament. Brian scored four goals
in a Brick game in 2006.
- Chris Bayee
10
Brian Williams captained the LA Selects’
Pee Wee AAA team that won a bronze
medal at April’s USA Hockey National
Championships.
shroud of mystery still surrounds the untimely demise of the San Diego Gulls
following the 2005-06 ECHL season, but the team lives on in the fond memory
of its fans - and the good deeds of its former players.
The Gulls Alumni will reunite for a second consecutive year to battle the U.S.
Military in a benefit game, this time on the pro team’s former ice. The charity game
is scheduled Saturday, Oct. 2, at the San Diego Sports Arena. Faceoff is 7:30 p.m.
Funds will benefit local military charities.
The rosters will feature former Gulls players and active military players.
The Gulls lineup will feature notables Martin St. Amour, Stephane St.
Amour, Brad Belland, Jonathan Shockey, Al Murphy, B.J. MacPherson,
Jason Courtemanche, Justin Silver, Brian Morrison, Grady Moore and Don
Gravelle, among others.
“We’ve played the military in the past, but never at the Sports Arena,” said St.
Amour, the team’s first marquee player during its initial days in the West Coast
Hockey League and the event’s organizer. “Last year with simple word of mouth,
nearly 1,500 diehard hockey fans came to the San Diego Ice Arena and the fire
marshal made us quit selling tickets.
“The Sports Arena ice and our great fan base should make for a huge turnout
for a great cause. We’re all getting in shape the best we can. It’s going to be lots of
fun seeing the guys and we know our Gulls fans have been asking to do an alumni
game.”
Besides the Gulls Alumni game, the San Diego Gulls of the Junior A Western
States Hockey League are also slated to take the Sports Arena ice in games
sandwiched around the charity game.
Hockey Returns continued page 17
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Girls Fare Well at National Development Camps
Plenty of Californians left their mark at the
prestigious summer festivals
By Lindsay Czarnecki
C
alifornia had its fair share of girl
representatives from USA Hockey’s
Pacific District attend this summer’s
annual and prestigious National
Development Camps.
This year’s girls camps were held in
St. Cloud, Minn., for 16- and 17-year-olds
and Rochester, N.Y., for 14- and 15-year
olds.
For some of the Lady Ducks players
attending the camp in Rochester,
familiarity with the rink helped ease
some of the nervousness and hype of the
event. In past years, the Lady Ducks
have competed at Nationals at the ESL
Sports Centre.
“Some of the unknowns just get
crossed off the list,” said Lady Ducks
program director Kathy McGarrigle,
who flew to watch some of her 94s in
action at the camp. “They know what
the locker rooms are like and things like
that.”
The Lady Ducks’ Anne Pankowski,
who will attend Vermont’s North
American Hockey Academy this fall,
was the seventh-highest scorer at the 94
level, finishing with two goals and two
assists in three games.
Emma Tani finished 18th with one
goal and one assist in three games and
LD Kaliya Johnson also added a goal.
LD goalie Celine Whitlinger played
a total of 46 minutes over two games,
stopping 25 of 28 shots she faced while
finishing with a goals-against average
of 3.00 and a .893 save percentage. Also
participating was Sarah Robello.
For the 95 birth years, the LA
Selects’ Megan Whiddon was the
standout Californian, finishing 12th in
scoring with two goals and one assist in
three games. The Royal team she suited
up for went undefeated during the camp.
Defenseman Sarah Chen and
Bridget Baker each had one goal and
one assist and Paige Gast also was
selected for the 95s. Elizabeth Aveson
and Hannah Oganeku were chosen as
alternates.
Chelsea Goldberg of the LA Selects
stormed in the 93 division held in St.
Cloud by finishing as the seventh-highest
scorer with three helpers in three games
(see more on Goldberg on Page 19).
Maddie Christoff also was selected Anne Pankowski of the Lady Ducks finished her USA Hockey National Development
to compete in the 93 division. b
Camp with two goals and two assists in three games. Photo / Photography66
CaliRubber.com
11
Bears Building Momentum in Oakland
Parental Guidance:
The many hats of a
hockey parent
Cean
Burgeson
H
ockey parents fulfill many
roles for their children.
First and foremost, we are
parents, nurturing our kids
and making decisions that are
in their best interests.
These decisions include
which teams they should play
on, how we’ll get them to practices and games, and how we’ll
pay for their season, equipment, tournaments and other
hockey-related expenses.
At times, it seems like
chauffer and financier are
the only roles we play in our
hockey players’ lives. But don’t
underestimate your influence.
Some parents are also
coaches or assistant coaches.
With this comes the added responsibility of the welfare and
development of not only our
own player, but an entire team
full of other players.
But even if you don’t coach
your son or daughter’s team,
there’s a good chance you’re
coaching your child at home by
playing street or inline hockey
and going to stick-and-puck
sessions. This type of involvement has an incredibly large
impact on your child’s growth
and ability as a hockey player.
Another hat we wear
as hockey parents is that of
trainer. We have to make
sure our athletes get enough
sleep, eat the right foods and
stay healthy. Part of this may
involve helping a child recover
from an injury by taking them
to doctor’s appointments and
supervising rehab exercises.
And after the healing process
is over, taking the proper steps
to prevent further injuries.
An additional
role that all hockey
parents fulfill - but
may not think about
- is that of sports
psychologist, especially with younger
athletes. We have to
keep them mentally prepared
and prop them up a bit when
they get cut from a team, take
a tough loss, or perhaps don’t
perform as well as they had
hoped. Goalie parents are probably the best amateur sports
psychologists on the planet.
We are also agents and
managers. I’m not saying we
should be grooming our kids
for the NHL; I’m talking about
being an advocate for your
young athlete. This means
being involved with their
development in an active and
constructive way by maintaining a good relationship with
the coaching staff.
This doesn’t mean arguing
ice time or telling the coaches
how much better your kid
is than the rest of the team.
Instead, carefully watch their
development and pursue a
healthy dialogue with the
coaches as it relates to what
your child needs to work on in
order to develop most effectively.
And lastly, we are public
relations specialists, sending
out relentless e-mails, Facebook postings and pictures to
grandparents, friends and family members, probably to the
point where they think we’re
mad for spending so much time
on hockey. It’s great, isn’t it?
So, as we set out on yet
another hockey season, I’d
like each one of you to pat
yourselves on the backs for
successfully wearing all of
these hats during the course
of this season. You deserve it,
and probably don’t get praised
enough for all that you do. b
Cean Burgeson is a hockey parent in the
Capital Thunder youth association.
12
Association continues to blossom under Fazzi’s watch
By Scott Linesburgh
I
an Fazzi learned a few
things during his hectic first
year in charge of the Oakland
Bears.
He had a lot of fun running
the youth program and even
coaching a couple of teams. He
also continued to help instruct
the San Jose State team and
managed to find enough time to
make his debut in professional
hockey, although it was only
one game.
When asked how he
handled all those things at the
same time, Fazzi laughed.
“I have no idea,” he said.
“I’m still wondering that myself.”
Yes, he enjoyed himself and
is looking forward to leading
the Bears in the future. But he
will do things a little differently this season.
“I’m having such a good
time with everything I’m doing, but yeah, you can’t put
too much on your plate,” Fazzi
said. “It’s been a busy, great
year or so.”
Fazzi, the head of the
Bears and the manager at the
Oakland Ice Center, said he
will not be coaching any of the
Bears’ six teams this year and
will concentrate more on overseeing the club’s entire operation.
Jason Rivera, a
friend of Fazzi’s who
coaches the Bantam
team, believes Fazzi is
doing the right thing by
stepping back from his
coaching duties.
“I think it’s a good
thing, because last year
he was running around
a lot, and he’ll get to
concentrate on running
the club overall a little
bit more,” Rivera said.
“Ian has a lot of energy
and good ideas. He really
wants to make the program enjoyable and fun
for the kids.”
Fazzi, 26, brings
plenty of youthful
Bears hockey director Ian Fazzi, who
exuberance and experi- coached last season, will focus this year on
growing the program while getting more
ence to the job. He
parents involved.
began directing the
Bears’ activities last
to teach them how the game is
season, and has concentrated
played. That’s the way it was
on recruitment and stressing
when I was young. You go out
fundamentals.
and play.”
And most of all, he loves
The Bears will ice six
hockey and wants to make
teams this year, including an
sure the young members of the
18 Midget squad, which they
Bears have a chance to do the
did not do in 2008. Fazzi is parsame.
ticularly happy that the older
“The most important goal is
Bears will have somewhere to
always for kids to learn and to
play.
have fun,” Fazzi said. “That’s
“I just started last year and
what they are here for. So you
I know they’ve had the 18 team
want an environment where
in the past. So we all think it’s
they are having a good time,
important that those kids have
and I think it makes it easier
a place to go to after they’ve
played at the other levels,”
Fazzi said. “We’re very happy
we have enough players to fill
the team. I think it’s an important team for any club.”
Rivera agrees.
“We want to make sure
we have a place where these
younger kids can look up to
these older kids and say, ‘I
want to play for that team,’”
Rivera said. “It’s also great for
the older kids to still go out
there and have fun while they
can because life comes at you
really fast after you’ve stopped
playing hockey. Maybe you
have to get a job and all that
good stuff. So the more fun
they can have while they’re finishing up school, I think that’s
all for the best.”
The Bears, who play out of the Oakland Ice Center, will put six teams
into action this season. (Pictured: Andres Ascencio) Photos / Mitch Kopelman
Bears continued page 17
Setoguchi Takes Flight of His Life
Sharks forward feels the need for speed with
U.S. Navy Blue Angels
S
an Jose Sharks forward Devin Setoguchi took the ride of his life this
summer when he flew with the world
famous U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
There may have been a tiny bit of
nerves before the flight, but Setoguchi
took the ride for all it was worth, maxing
out at 7.5 Gs, feeling more than seven
times his body weight.
The morning began with
briefings to discuss the flight
plan and the signing of a
waiver saying the government
wasn’t responsible if the plane
crashed (which brought a good
laugh from the flyers). During
the meeting, Setoguchi was
taught proper breathing techniques to avoid passing out,
what to do in case his morning
breakfast was coming back up
and how to react in case of a
“bonus ride” (an emergency
ejection).
In reality, flying with the
Blue Angels is about as safe
as a passenger can be. In
Setoguchi’s case, he was in
the capable hands of Lt. Ben
Walborn, his pilot in the F/A
18 Hornet fighter craft.
If the flight was a test,
Setoguchi passed with flying
colors.
“We pulled 7.5 Gs, rolled him and
looped him,” Walborn said. “We got him
supersonic.”
By “supersonic,” Walborn was referring to the fact that Setoguchi traveled
beyond the speed of sound: 768 mph.
Setoguchi had no need for the airsickness bag or to ask the pilot to ease
off during the adventure.
“It was a walk in the park for him,”
Walborn said. “He was so calm.”
Maybe on the outside, anyway.
“I was a little nervous before I got
there,” Setoguchi said.
If anything, the experience has
changed the way Setoguchi thinks about
fighter pilots.
“You get an appreciation for what
they can do,” he said.
Walborn immediately took Setoguchi
to 4.5 Gs with a takeoff that immediately moved the nose up towards the sky
at hundreds of miles per hour.
“The takeoff was pretty cool,” Setoguchi said. “It feels like you were shot
right back into your seat. It was incredible.”
The scenery wasn’t bad either.
“We went out over the ocean and it
felt like we were within five feet of the
water, even though it was about 200
feet,” he said.
Setoguchi acknowledged feeling a bit
of tunnel vision at one point as he felt
the blood leaving his upper body, but he
used the breathing exercise he learned
to refocus.
“If you’re not breathing the
right way, you can pass out,”
Setoguchi said.
Upon landing, like all flyers,
his legs weren’t quite ready for
solid ground.
“I was a little queasy the
first steps off the plane,” Setoguchi said. “My legs felt pretty
tired.”
Besides having a newfound
respect for fighter pilots, Setoguchi sincerely appreciated
Walborn’s skills.
“He was a great guy, plus
he got me up and down safely,”
Setoguchi said with a laugh.
For a person whose life
has included representing his
country internationally and an
early life in the NHL, this event
ranked high for the 22-year-old.
“It’s right up there with
pretty much anything,” he said.
b
Devin Setoguchi traveled beyond the speed of sound during his flight with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels over the
summer. Photo / San Jose Sharks
CaliRubber.com
13
Picture Perfect
Submit your favorite hockey
photos at CaliRubber.com!
The Oakland Bears’
Ryan Kopelman
takes a breather
between shifts
during a Mite game
last season.
Photo / Mitch Kopelman
Wins were the only thing the California 99s were shopping for at the West Edmonton
Mall during this summer’s Brick Tournament. Photo / Brent Guttman
Livermore’s Amber Carey helped lift the U.S. Women’s
National Team to a goal medal at this summer’s FIRS
Inline Hockey World Championships in Varese, Italy. See
more the women’s success at CaliRubber.com. Photo / USARS
The Mission Habs captured the Division I men’s Platinum Division title at
this year’s NARCh Finals. Photo / NARCh
SDSU’s Tommy Neer skated to a pair
of medals at this summer’s NARCh
Finals: a silver in Division I Platinum
with AKS and a bronze in the NCRHA
all-star tournament with the WCRHL’s
team (see more on NARCh Finals on
Page 21). Photo / Phillip Brents
Velocity Hockey captured a coveted Platinum Division title at
NARCh Finals by winning the Midget championship over New
York’s Tour Excitement in a battle of undefeated teams.
The Oakland Bears’ Nathan
Chin looks to make a pass
during a Mite game last
season. Photo/Mitch Kopelman
Photo/NARCh
Hockey parents Tony and Tina Route, of Temecula, renewed
their vows at July’s “Wedding on Ice” bridal show and
fundraiser held at the Orange County Ice Palace (see story on
Page 4). Photo / A. Michael’s Photography
The California 99s celebrate a goal at
the Brick Tournament in Edmonton (see
more on the Cal 99s at Brick on Page 8).
Photo/ / Brent Guttman
14
Everything Lines Up for Rowe
The defenseman’s
persistence leads
to junior notoriety
and a scholarship
to the University of
Massachusetts
By Chris Bayee
G
Simi Valley’s Darren Rowe is headed east to begin his Division I college
career this fall. Photo / USHL Images
etting cut by one of his
future coaches might have
been the best thing that happened to former Los Angeles Jr.
Kings player Darren Rowe.
Rather than pout, Rowe,
a nimble defenseman who is
headed to the University of
Massachusetts on a hockey
scholarship after two standout
seasons of U.S. junior hockey,
became more determined to
reach his goals after getting cut
by then-California Wave coach
Jack Bowkus from a Bantam
AA team.
“He said, ‘I’m going to keep
working harder, and I’m going
to make that team next year,’”
Rowe’s father, Tom, said. “Cutting him probably was the best
thing that could have happened
because everything he’s gotten
since he’s worked his behind off
for.”
Said Darren Rowe, a 1989
birth year: “It really opened my
eyes.”
Rowe began his hockey
career with the West Valley
Wolves and continued it for
teams based out of the Valencia
Ice Station. Two of his early influences were Larry Bruyere
and Barry Bartholomay.
“Darren Rowe is one of
those young hockey players
who you know is going to do
very well at the game from the
first time you see him on the
ice,” said Bruyere, now general
manager of Channel Islands
Ice Center and a coach for the
Channel Islands Riptide. “I remember when he first started to
skate at the original Iceoplex in
the Valley along with his buddy
Shane Harper, who has done
well in the WHL with Everett.
“Darren really enjoyed the
game and from an early age,
he took it a little more seriously than some of his friends.
I remember how well he did initially in the in-house program
and it didn’t take him long to
realize that he needed to play
travel hockey to be challenged.”
Rowe ended up making
Bowkus’ Wave Bantam AAA
squad the season after getting
cut.
“The Wave was a big step
for me,” Rowe said. “It was
when I first played AAA hockey.
It was great organization. We
won a national championship
there, and I played with so
many great players. It was a lot
of fun.”
Despite playing on Wave
teams that were loaded with
talent – 11 of the 13 skaters on
those ’89 teams are still playing
hockey at higher levels – Rowe
said Bowkus, now the Jr. Kings’
18U AAA coach and director of
tier hockey operations, didn’t
just toss a bag of pucks on the
ice.
“He’s a tough coach, but he
really helped me,” Rowe said.
“There were times it was really
tough, and I had to work hard
to get through it. But it really
helped me a lot in the long run.
I had a tough time making that
team for a couple years, then I
finally made it.”
Rowe continued page 24
CaliRubber.com
15
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Joey Hejza of the Inland
Valley Wild’s Squirt B Team
Joey wins a FREE
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Warrior Hockey!
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Santana Ready to Bark With Terriers
Yorba Linda native’s road well traveled continues with a Division I deal in Boston
By Matt Mackinder
R
yan Santana never gave up on his
got back and offered me a spot and I ac-
dream of playing college hockey at
cepted.
the highest level.
when I was a senior in high school, BU
Even when he bounced around be-
“It’s actually kind of funny, because
tween three junior leagues and conclud-
had written me a couple letters asking
ed his last season of junior eligibility,
what my intentions were, but we never
Santana didn’t have anything quite set
really had serious talks.”
in stone.
is one thing, but as far as being able
That all changed rather quickly over
Playing Division I college hockey
the past few months as the Yorba Linda
to step in and play right away for the
native and talented forward will suit up
national champs, Santana said there is
for the defending NCAA national cham-
no pressure, only excitement.
pion Boston University Terriers this fall.
I was hearing from early in the playoffs,”
Santana calls the situation a dream
“There were a few other schools that
come true.
said Santana, who turns 21 on Nov. 22.
“But then when I found out BU wanted
“At the end of the season and at the
Royal Bank Cup, the coaching staff (with
me, that was pretty much it. For a while,
the Vernon Vipers of the British Colum-
I’ve pretty much wanted to go there and
bia Hockey League) told me that the
had my heart set on BU.”
BU coaches wanted me,” said Santana,
whose Vipers won the Royal Bank Cup,
that is becoming more and more common
symbolic of Canadian Junior A suprem-
nowadays.
acy. “One of the assistant coaches there,
Mike Bavis, called me the day after we
16
The story of Santana’s travels is one
Santana continued page 27
Boston University-bound Ryan Santana won BCHL championship with the Vernon
Vipers last season.
Bears continue to build momentum in
Oakland - continued from page 12
Fazzi understands how much fun the
game can be. A native of San Jose, he’s
been playing most of his life and found he
has a knack for teaching the game.
Like most that take up the sport, he
doesn’t expect to make a living with his
skates on. But last season, for one game,
he got to be a pro and appreciated the
experience.
Fazzi is a longtime acquaintance of
Matt Thomas, currently the coach of
the Stockton Thunder of the ECHL. They
both attended and played for Rochester
Institute of Technology (albeit at different times) and coached together at summer camps.
Last season when the Thunder was
short on defensemen, Thomas needed
someone who could come in on a shortterm basis and help out.
He immediately thought of his friend
from the hockey camps.
“I knew Ian could handle it because I
know what he’s capable of and his knowledge of the game,” Thomas said. “I knew
he understood how to play the game. He
has very good fundamentals, and he has
a good fundamental shot. He’s a California kid, and he’s been taught by a lot of
good coaches, and he passes that knowledge on to the kids that he coaches now.”
Fazzi got to play a few shifts in one
game.
“At first I thought it might be a
couple of games, and I told Matt I was
there if he needed me,” Fazzi said. “He
was able to get in a player after I played
one game. It was a lot of fun, and of
course who wouldn’t want to suit up for
a pro hockey game. It was an interesting experience, and I’d do it again if they
thought I could come in and help them
out.”
Fazzi also spends time helping out
the San Jose State squad, and he played
a season with the Spartans in 2006-07.
“I love working with (Spartans head
coach) Ron Glasso,” Fazzi said. “I‘m
learning a lot.”
So, Ian Fazzi is a busy guy, but he
doesn’t mind because it’s hockey, and he’s
having fun. And he believes things will
only get better for the Oakland Bears
and at the Oakland Ice Center.
“It’s a really good situation,” Fazzi
said. “Our recruitment is up, and I’m getting more and more parents that want to
be involved. In fact, one of my main tasks
recently is to find ways for the parents to
get involved and to help. That’s such an
important part of any program like this,
and we have a lot of good parents who
want to make sure that this is a fun and
educational situation for all the kids.” b
Charity game brings hockey back to San Diego
Sports Arena - continued from page 10
Stephane St. Amour donned his former pro jersey for last year’s Gulls Alumni-U.S. Military
charity game at the San Diego House of Ice in Mira Mesa. The teams are scheduled to rematch
Oct. 3 at the San Diego Sports Arena in another fundraising contest. Photo / Phillip Brents
The WSHL’s Gulls are scheduled to
play the first-year Fresno Monsters on
Friday, Oct. 2, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday,
Oct. 4, at noon and 3 p.m.
Tickets for the Gulls Alumni game
are $15 and are available at the Sports
Arena ticket office and at all Ticketmaster locations. For more information on
the Gulls Alumni game, visit the San
Diego Sports Arena website at:
SanDiegoArena.com.
View From The Ice:
Now is when hockey
takes priority
T
he school year is here, unfortunately, which means the best
part of my year is also upon us:
hockey season.
Travel hockey is a yearlong
sport with minimal time off, but all
the intense games and moments
with my teammates and closest
friends make up for the sacrifices
we all must make to play for a national-bound team.
Once the season gets into full
gear and the endless tournament
schedule kicks off, it’s hard to manage anything other than hockey all
the time.
School, as bad as this might
sound, seems to become a second
priority at times. We have to leave
for weeks at a time, skip classes
here and there, have “sick days,”
leave early, show up late, and fail
tests the day we get back from a
long weekend of hockey because we
forgot to study, or simply had no
time while away at a tournament.
Last year we played in the Midwest Elite Hockey League (renamed
the Tier I Elite Hockey League for
2009-10), as we will this season,
and by participating in this league
our schoolwork and attendance suffered more than in previous years.
We had to leave class early on a
Thursday, catch a redeye flight East
that night, miss school Friday, and
play five games over the course of
the three-day weekend. After all of
that hockey, we would fly home on
a Sunday night and wake up bright
and early for school on Monday.
Not only did we play in these
tournaments, but we also had to go
away for districts, nationals and
other showcases. After getting home
from these tournaments, I would,
apprehensively, check my grades
online to see that I had straight
D’s and countless tests and assignments to make up.
My teachers become very irritated with all the assignments I
Dylanne Crugnale
turn in weeks late and the make-up
tests they have to grade. They begin
to wonder where I go all the time
and refer to me as a “part-time”
student.
Because of how much class
time each player misses during
the school year, all of us struggle
to make up our work and keep our
grades up. Once we finally have
turned in all the late work and have
respectable grades again, it’s time
to go away for another tournament
and the cycle starts all over.
There are sacrifices that have
to be made by each member of the
team in order to be successful at a
national level and missing a lot of
school is something we all have to
deal with. We also miss a lot of time
to be normal teenagers, hanging out
with our friends all the time and
just being at home. However, the
desire to play the sport keeps us all
going when it seems like we can’t
anymore.
In the end, the people that I’ve
become closest to are the girls on
my team. I’ve built friendships that
I never want to lose, and I can relate to them more than anyone else
I know. b
Dylanne Crugnale is a guest columnist for Califorina Rubber. Crugnale is a
’94 forward on the Anaheim Lady Ducks’ 16U AAA team.
Visit CaliRubber.com to find out how you can submit
your “View From The Ice.”
- Phillip Brents
CaliRubber.com
17
Balancing Hockey, School a Tall Order
For the best of both worlds, many California girls are exploring the prep school route
By Lindsay Czarnecki
L
ast season, Kaliya Johnson and Ali
Pankowski were caught up in a balancing act like most elite hockey players
are during the school year.
School, hockey, assignments, practices, tests, tournaments - you name it
- and the continuous loop of activities
while trying to maintain a tight grip on
academics and hockey wasn’t easy.
To ease the situation for Johnson,
who is from Arizona, the Pankowski’s
opened up their home. Johnson lived last
season with the family and the two Lady
Ducks players tackled the challenges of
balancing schedules together.
Well, sort of.
The new living situation allowed
Johnson to put the brakes on her rough
commute from Arizona and be much
closer to the LDs. But Pankowski attended Santa Margarita, a private
Catholic high school, and Johnson attended Laguna Hills High School.
Johnson had built a relationship
with her teachers in Arizona, where administrators were understanding when
it came to her busy hockey schedule,
particularly when it came to missing
school for tournaments.
“In California, it was little bit different,” Kelli Johnson, Kaliya’s mother,
explained. “Kaliya didn’t get as much
slack as she would have received (in
Arizona).”
For her to get independent physical
education credit because she was playing
so much hockey, they had to present her
case to the board.
“It took a semester for that to happen, it was a process,” said Kelli.
Ali Pankowski, whose younger sister, Anne, also plays in the Lady Ducks
program, faced similar challenges with
her high school.
“(The school) allows some number
of non-excused absences, and if you
exceed those days they threaten to not
allow you to make up missed work,”
Rich Pankowski, Ali’s father, said.
“So, if you’re in Chicago the day of the
big physics exam, the girls live with the
possibility of taking a zero.”
All this strife was part of the reason
- but not the main one - both girls will
attend North American Hokey Academy
(NAHA) prep school this year in Stowe,
Vt., an institution that has become a hub
for California’s elite girls players.
A new hockey experience away from
California was the biggest factor why the
two have decided to move on, and they
can’t be any more excited.
“Improving my hockey play is the
reason I’m going to prep school,” Ali
said. “I can maintain a 4.1 with missing
school and play hockey at a lower caliber
in California, or I can go to Vermont
while hopefully keeping my 4.1 in an
easier and more forgiving manner and
develop into a Division I college hockey
player.
“Having both hockey and school in
the same place definitely is easier and
way less stressful.”
And the pair won’t be going it alone.
LD teammate Jessica Hon will be at
NAHA this year, too.
The moves are encouraged by Lady
Ducks program director Kathy McGarrigle. Even though she’s now lost
a solid core of players for most of the
season, she’s proud of their accomplishments.
Fortunately for her, Pankowski
and Johnson will be dual-rostering for
the season, along with Hon and Allie
Hughes, who will also be attending prep
school this season.
“They need to (go to prep school) to
get seen and to get recruited,” McGarrigle said. “They’re on the radar for
the Olympic development program and
the stress on school and hockey is more
friendly.”
Rich Pankowski believes that the
NAHA is a good overall fit for his daughter because she can still remain with the
LDs and come back when the prep school
season concludes.
“Going back East in an environment
where she would skate everyday and be
seen regularly by Eastern schools sealed
the deal,” he said. “The ability to work
around her hockey schedule is a huge
plus with both the training and tournaments. And then being able to return
home to complete the school year is a
bonus,” he said.
For Johnson, who is already a bit
out of her element after leaving home
An Arizona native,
Kaliya Johnson didn’t get much
support from administrators
at her high school in California
when it came to managing her
demanding hockey schedule.
last season, she’s a step ahead of the
rest when it comes to adjusting to new
surroundings. A year in California away
from her family was a good test run for
the year to come.
“Kaliya was ready to do it and she
adapts so well, socially,” Kelli Johnson
said. “She’s not shy and she’ll go up and
meet and greet and find her way.”
That type of self-confidence and the
excitement of starting a new chapter has
LD’s Fall Classic returns to Anaheim Ice
F
or years, the Lady Ducks Fall Classic has served
as the first big event of the season for girls’
hockey teams in California. With teams traveling
out of state to compete for much of the rest of the
year, the local showcase gives squads a chance to see
where they stand early on.
But the tournament, slated for Sept. 25-27 at
Anaheim Ice, is taking a hit this time around. Lady
Ducks program director Kathy McGarrigle believes the poor economy has had a sour effect on girls
programs in the West, and, as a result, fewer teams
have registered.
In the past, clubs from as far as Colorado and
Arizona have attended the Fall Classic.
18
“I think a lot of clubs in our state and nearby and
Colorado are just pulling back their budgets, whether
it be the addition of the second tier (USA Hockey will
crown Tier II national champions at the women’s
level for the first time this year) or the financial
constraints of families in the hockey community,” she
said. “It’s a double whammy.”
Teams from the LA Selects and Lady Sharks and
the newly formed Lady Reign are expected to attend,
but with fewer teams in each program, the divisions
at the tournament will be shared.
This means 16s playing against 19s and 14s
possibly playing against 16s. It’s all for the sake of
creating a competitive round robin.
all involved enthusiastic and anxious.
In the end, it came down to calming the
academic chaos and pumping up the
hockey.
“I’m looking forward to the high
intensity and high quality of play that
NAHA will bring me,” Pankowski said.
“Also, I am excited to have a less stressful academic atmosphere to deal with
than what I’ve experienced in the past.”
b
“We want it to be competitive, but not just divided by ages,” McGarrigle said. “The greater priority is
on competitiveness and we will continue to be flexible
up until the last entry.”
One aspect of the tournament that has McGarrigle excited is the addition of a women’s division,
which the event will carry for the first time this year.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances in the
girls divisions, the tournament still continues to
serve its purpose as a tune- up for all the participating teams, not just the Lady Ducks. b
- Lindsay Czarnecki
Summer Equals Opportunity for Goldberg
A three-time USA Hockey National Development Camp participant, the Agoura Hills
native has evolved into one of the state’s elite
By Lindsay Czarnecki
C
helsey Goldberg is no stranger
to USA Hockey National Development Camps. In fact, one of the greatest
achievements for youth hockey players
has become a common summertime occurrence for the 16-year-old from Agoura
Hills.
Goldberg, a forward who played up
an age division last season with the LA
Selects’ 19U team, was chosen for her
third consecutive national camp this
summer.
“I had a lot of fun at national camp,”
she said. “My team was really close on
and off the ice. Everybody got along.
The return (to the camp) wasn’t hard
because I knew what to expect.”
At the camp, which was held in St.
Cloud, Minn., Goldberg finished as the
seventh-highest scorer after tallying
three assists in three games.
The camp consisted of two practices
in the morning for the first few days before transitioning to a morning practice
and a late game.
Off the ice, the camp put the girls
through strength and conditioning workouts as well as lectures about subjects
vital to hockey players like nutrition and
training.
Being part of the elite in her age
group at the national camp for yet another year taught Goldberg a key lesson
as her game continues to progress.
“Hard work and determination will
get you where you want to be,” she said.
Goldberg, whose twin brother, Chad,
plays for the LA Selects’ 18 AAA team,
started playing roller hockey at age 7
and made the switch to ice when she was
9. She’s played youth hockey with the
defunct Cal Selects, the Anaheim Lady
Ducks and finally last season with the
Selects.
During the 2008-09 season with LA,
she helped the program win its second
Pacific District championship and its
first in the 19U division.
Although small in stature, Goldberg
made up for her youth by being one of
the team’s fastest and most tenacious
forwards.
Playing up an age division last season, 16-year-old Chelsey Goldberg was a key contributor on the LA Selects Girls’ 19U Pacific District
championship team.
“I started playing for the U19s when
I was 15. Playing in an older age group
was great,” Goldberg said. “Playing
against top teams and hard competition
only helped me improve.
“The biggest thing that I learned was
the importance of being a team. We were
really close friends on and off the ice. We
did bonfires at the beach, sleepovers…
everyone really rooted for everyone else
to succeed. That sense of team helped us
do really well last season.”
At Nationals in Rochester, N.Y.,
Goldberg scored a crucial overtime goal
with less than a minute remaining
against Chicago Mission to help clinch a
spot in the quarterfinals for LA in a 3-2
victory. Mission went on to play in the
championship game, losing to ShattuckSt. Mary’s. In four games at Nationals,
Goldberg registered one goal and one
assist.
Playing under a hardnosed coach
like the well-known Jeff Turcotte gave
Goldberg a new edge and different perspective on hockey.
“Jeff pushed us really hard to be our
best,” she said. “He made us skate more,
even when we thought we couldn’t skate
one more stride.”
To be able to continue playing at a
high caliber at season’s end, Goldberg
had a busy summer on top of attending
the national camp.
She spent a total of five weeks at
camps over the summer, including Rinksport in Rhode Island, Jessica Koizumi’s Tsunami Camp in Blaine, Minn.
(Koizumi is a National Team member
and native Californian), a two-week stay
at the Northern American Hockey Academy (NAHA) in Stowe, Vt., and the USA
Hockey Development Camp.
When home in California, she made
time to work out at a training center on
a regular basis.
Her showing at one camp gave her
the chance to take yet another huge
stride in her hockey career. While at
NAHA, she was offered a spot on the
prep school’s White team for this coming
season.
While Goldberg appreciated the offer, she and her family didn’t jump to a
hasty decision, but Agoura Hills is quite
a trek from LA’s home rink in Lakewood
and that had a lot to do with her eventually choosing to join NAHA.
“It was a really hard decision because I love my team and my coaches
here,” Goldberg said. “We made the
decision because I spend a lot of time in
the car. We live about 60 miles from the
rink, but the problem is the traffic.
“Most days it takes two hours to get
there. Sometimes it takes even more; the
most that it’s taken was three and a half
hours just to get there.”
NAHA provides an all-inclusive opportunity. All the players live together,
train together and go to school together
in one central location in a cabin that
used to serve as a ski lodge.
“NAHA will give me the chance to
practice daily and also have more time to
do my schoolwork. It was really hard to
do homework in the car while driving to
and from practice,” Goldberg said.
“I want to be on the ice more and
know that to reach my dreams I need to
be on the ice more.” b
CaliRubber.com
19
Book Closes on Successful Inline Season
California clubs do plenty of damage at NARCh Finals and beyond
By Phillip Brents
T
ORHS, AAU/USARS,
NARCh. Whatever the
tournament’s acronym might
stand for, they all spelled
national championships for a
select cadre of teams to close
out the 2008-09 competitive
inline hockey season.
California teams and players once again left their imprint
on the sport no matter where
on the North American continent they may have ventured,
braving hot and humid weather
conditions, lightning storms
and opponents’ slap shots.
NARCh Finals
The first NARCh Finals
held in 1994 at the Al-American
Sports Mall in St. Louis attracted 39 teams. In the intervening
15 years, the youth portion of
the tournament has grown to
become the largest youth indoor
sporting event in the world.
According to Wikipedia, the
annual division champions of
NARCh are widely accepted
as being the best roller hockey
teams in the world.
That said, California teams
and players represented themselves exceedingly well at the
self-proclaimed “world’s greatest roller hockey” tournament
that took place July 10-26 in
Missassauga, Ontario, and included teams from six nations.
Teams from the Golden
State collected 19 medals, in-
cluding six gold and six silver in
a tournament flush with teams
from Canada and nearby Michigan and New York - all hockey
hotbeds. To say that California
teams faced off against the
some of the best talent on the
planet - and went toe-to-toe
with them - is an understatement.
This year’s tournament was
divided into four competition
tier levels. They included - in
descending order - Platinum,
Gold, Silver and Club. Platinum
is considered the elite tier while
Club is designed for emerging
teams that want to get a taste
of big event tournament action.
Teams qualify through regional
tournaments and are seeded to
provide a balanced playing field
at the Finals - something for
which NARCh is particularly
noted.
“To have 343 teams in
Canada with this economy is
a major accomplishment and a
testament to how loyal NARCh
players are,” said NARCh president Daryn Goodwin, a North
San Diego County resident.
“Games through all divisions
were extremely competitive and
the event was a huge success.”
Best of the Best
California teams have
helped set the standard in the
Platinum tier since its debut
and that was no different again
this season as four teams from
the Golden State skated to
world championships.
Two Platinum finals
featured all-California matchups. In the Women’s Division,
Eschelon Reflexion topped Mission Syndicate, 2-1, while the
Mission Habs out-dueled the
Mission AKS 88s, 4-2, for the
Division I men’s title. Pat Lee
of the Habs earned High Scorer
honors in the 24-and-under
division by collecting 20 points
on 12 goals and eight assists
while the duo of Tommy Tartaglione and Zachary Lane
combined to post an .853 save
percentage to share the Top
Goaltender award. Meanwhile,
Eschelon Reflexion rallied
behind the play of Top Goaltender award-winner Genevieve
Lacesseum (.902 save percentage).
Tartaglione doubled by
capturing the Top Goaltender
award for runner-up Mission
Syndicate SE in the NARCh
Pro Division with a .900 save
percentage.
Other Platinum champions
from the West Coast included
Velocity Hockey (Midget Division) and San Clemente High
School (High School Division).
Velocity and its finals opponent, New York’s Tour Excitement 90, met in a NARCh rarity: Both teams were undefeated
in the tournament. The Califor-
Eschelon Reflexion players show off their gold medals and championship trophy after skating to the Women’s
Platinum Division title at this year’s NARCh Finals.bench. Photo / NARCh
20
Skills Award Winners
NARCh also bestows individual skill awards in each of the
youth divisions - best sniper, top goaltender and fastest skater.
Numerous Californians left their marks here as well.
Best snipers: Ray Mesa (AKS 92, Bantam Gold), Jason Lee
(Thousand Oaks Bruins, Mite Silver), Clay Gleaton (Revision
Mustangs, Squirt Silver), Kyle Dresser (Revision Mustangs,
Bantam Silver), Tyler Benfield (Bandits, Midget Silver) and
Spencer Marquis (Revision Mustangs, Bantam Club).
Top goaltenders: Connor Duffy (949 Anarchy, Atom Gold), Josh
Fowler (Team Eschelon Gemini, Pee Wee Gold), Adam Quolas
(Nor Cal Riot, Bantam Gold), Adam Fisher (Team Eschelon,
Midget Gold), Ryan Strohbach (Thousand Oaks Bruins, Mite
Silver), Ian De Vries (Revision Mustangs, Squirt Silver), James
Tillman (Revision Devil Dogs, Bantam Silver), Denny Damerjian
(Bandits, Midget Silver) and Tommy Tartaglione (Mission
Syndicate SE, NARCh Pro).
Fastest skaters: Carly Marquis (Revision Mustangs, Squirt Club),
A.J. Cato (Revision Mustangs, Bantam Club) and Itan Chavira
(Pama Cyclones, NARCh Pro).
nia squad remained unbeaten
with a 4-2 win and also swept
the top individual awards in the
18-and-under division. Brandon Pirri captured the High
Scorer award with 13 points
(nine goals, four assists) while
the tandem of Taz Viloria and
Andrew Barletta combined
to post a .886 save percentage
to share the Top Goaltender
award.
San Clemente, which
defeated Loyola High School
from Ontario, Canada, 6-4, in
the championship game, was
braced between the pipes by
Top Goaltender award recipient Bijan Ford. San Clemente
repeated as the NARCh High
School Division champion.
Overall, seven California
teams reached championship
games in the Platinum tier,
with the L.A. Pama Prospects
(Junior Division, 21-and-under) joining Mission Syndicate
(women), Mission AKS 88s (Division I) and Mission Syndicate
SE (NARCh Pro) with silver
medals in their respective divisions.
John Siemer led Pama
with nine goals and 17 points to
win the Junior Platinum High
Scorer award. The Prospects
finished runner-up via a 7-5
setback to the Mississauga Mission Rattlers.
This year’s NARCh Pro finale between Mission Syndicate
SE and the Pennsylvania-based
Tour Mudcats was one for the
ages, with John McGuinness
- fresh off a gold-medal performance with Team USA at the
FIRS Senior Men’s World Inline
Hockey Championships in Italy
- scoring both goals in the Mudcats’ 2-1 overtime victory.
The 14 teams entered in the
Pro Division was the largest in
tournament history.
Three California teams
earned bronze medals in the
Platinum tier: L.A. Pama
Cyclones (Division I), Mission
Magic (Men’s) and the Rockets
(Men’s 35-and-older).
With their third-place
medal, the Cyclones completed
a top-three sweep by California
teams in Division I. In fact, the
top four seeded teams in the
division were from the Golden
State, with Eschelon Reflexion
(fourth seed) joining the Mission Habs (first seed), Cyclones
(second seed) and AKS (third
seed). AKS upended the Cyclones in overtime in the semifinals to make it an all-Golden
State final against the Habs.
Meanwhile, Joe Timpona
and Adam Awermanke combined for a .852 save percentage
to share the Top Goaltender
award in the Men’s Platinum
Division to help propel Mission
Magic.
California teams racked
up five medals in the Gold tier
- two firsts, one second and two
thirds.
Team Eschelon Gemini
proved to be among the biggest winners at this year’s Gold
Finals by claiming championInline continued page 25
Urbano Leads U.S. to Top of the World
Huntington Beach netminder backstops Americans to inline gold in Italy, Chinese Taipei
By Phillip Brents
H
untington Beach’s Michael Urbano said
making the Team USA roster for the 2008 FIRS
Senior Men’s Inline Hockey World Championships in
Duesseldorf, Germany, was literally a dream come
true.
That the underrated Americans won the gold
medal was icing on the proverbial cake.
“It was a great feeling just to be part of
something so huge,” he said. “I’ve played roller
hockey for so many years and never really won any
big titles - always second or third in all the national
tournaments I’ve played in - and last year in
Germany was the biggest achievement of my life for
roller hockey by winning the gold while wearing the
Team USA jersey.”
Since then, it appears that Urbano’s touch has
been nothing but golden.
When he returned from Germany, he was
promptly off to the NARCh Finals in San Jose where
he won gold medals in the Junior Platinum and
NARCh Pro divisions - his first championships ever
at a NARCh Finals.
In a span of three weeks this July, the 2005
Marina High School graduate experienced the thrill
of a lifetime by winning back-to-back gold medals at
the 2009 FIRS world championships in Varese, Italy,
Photos / USA/Roller Sports
and the World Games in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei.
That’s five gold medals at major international
Team USA’s first gold medal of the summer came at the FIRS Senior Men’s Inline Hockey World Championships in Varese, Italy.
tournaments in the span of 12 months.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Team USA coach Joe
“As for our offense, in every game a
that way every game that no team
Brian Yingling,” Urbano said. “But
Noris said that Urbano has “clearly emerged” as
different guy stepped forward.”
we knew that if we started to gel as
could stop us,” Urbano said. “That
the team’s No. 1 goaltender. “He was exceptional
Urbano said the aura of
a team, we had so much speed and
win for me was the sweetest win of
in every game he played,” Noris said of the Orange
international competition clearly
skill that we knew we could be a real the tournament because I played
County native.
added a new component to his game.
contender.”
the year before when we lost 8-1 and
Overall, four players with California ties
“When you have so many people
Noris admitted he drew a big
coming back this year and shutting
suited up for Team USA in the two world-class
from all the different countries
sigh of relief after it was all over
them out was an amazing feeling.”
events this summer. Joining Urbano were fellow
cheering for you and against you, the because “as a coach you hope all the
Urbano said winning the gold
AIHL Huntington Beach Blades teammate Josh
noise is nothing I have experienced
things you plan come out right and
medal in Italy helped silence
Laricchia, Murrieta’s Chris Connole and
before,” he said.
they did.”
the team’s critics who doubted
Brandon Barnette, formerly of Corona. Noris
While Urbano said he “was
In other words, everyone bought
the ability of the young and
resides in La Jolla, furthering the Golden State
very excited to repeat what we
into the system.
inexperienced American unit.
connection.
accomplished last year” after being
“We had some practices before
The World Games, held a
The team’s California crew produced in huge
selected to compete in the 2009 FIRS we took off for Italy and I was very
week
later, was an event beyond
fashion.
World Championships, there were
nervous about our chances after the
amazing,
Team USA members said.
Connole, Laricchia and Barnette combined to
some very big obstacles to overcome.
practices,” Urbano said. “But after
Held
every
four years, the event is
score 15 goals and six assists in Italy. Connole,
Only five players returned from
a few days spending time as a team
a
proving
ground
for sports with
a 6-foot-4, 240-pound defenseman with a cannon
the 2008 gold-medal team, none of
and another practice, the confidence
Olympic
aspirations
- inline hockey
shot, racked up four goals in the Americans’ 5-4
which were from the U.S. team’s
started to return. As we played our
championship game against Canada, including the
among
them.
The
scope
of the
experienced veteran core. Urbano,
games, you could see (the players)
game-winner. Connole led Team USA in scoring with who played more of an understudy
event included 4,500 athletes from
getting better and better as a team
10 points in its five games in Chinese Taipei.
role at the 2008 championships,
every game. Everyone started to
105 countries and 31 sports. Noris
Urbano compiled a 2.00 goals-against average
suddenly found himself as one of the
trust one another more and more.”
described the World Games second
with a scintillating .934 save percentage in the
team’s go-to “veteran” players.
The game that turned everything only to the Olympics in terms of size.
FIRS finals and bettered that with a 1.00 GAA
He rose to the occasion.
around was a 7-0 semifinal win over
Urbano called the World Games
in the World Games. He posted a shutout in each
a Czech Republic squad boasting
“We had a very inexperienced
the “Olympics” for roller hockey.
tournament and allowed one goal or less in five of
and young team without some of the
several NHL players.
the eight games he played.
great leaders and players we had
“When we beat the Czech
Team USA continued page 24
“Our goaltending was fantastic,” Noris said.
the year before like C.J. Yoder and
Republic, I knew that if we played
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21
20 0 8
20 0 9
C a li for nia Alumni
PROFESSIONAL HOCKEY
Division III - Men
ECAC East
Chris Chelios (San Diego) - Detroit Red Wings
Ryan Hollweg (Downey) - Toronto Maple Leafs
Richard Park (Rancho Palos Verdes) - New York Islanders
Bobby Ryan (El Segundo) - Anaheim Ducks
Landon Wilson (Los Angeles) - Dallas Stars
Aaron Blades (Chino) - Salem State College
AHL
ECAC Northeast
NHL
Hans Benson (Menlo Park) - Springfield Falcons
Robbie Earl (Los Angeles) - Houston Aeros
Matt Ford (West Hills) – Hartford Wolfpack
Gabe Gauthier (Torrance) - Manchester Monarchs
Raymond Macias (Long Beach) - Lake Erie Monsters
Ryan Murphy (Van Nuys) - Lowell Devils
Travis Ramsey (Lakewood) - Manitoba Moose
Brian Salcido (Hermosa Beach) - Iowa Chops
Garrett Stafford (Pasadena) - Grand Rapids Griffins
Brett Sterling (Pasadena) - Chicago Wolves
Zach Tarkir (Fresno) – Portland Pirates
CHL
Chris Tarkir (Fresno) - Wichita Thunder
ECHL
Mark Adamek (Hollister) - Stockton Thunder
Itan Chavira (Upland) – Ontario Reign
Tim Kraus (Garden Grove) - Ontario Reign
EPHL
K.C. Caudill (Tustin) - Danbury Mad Hatters
Mykul Haun (Oakland) - Danbury Mad Hatters
Alex Redmond (San Jose) - Danbury Mad Hatters
Drew Sanders (Modesto) - Jersey Rockhoppers
IHL
Jess Corby (Truckee) - University of Massachusetts Boston
Kris Kranzky (Glendora) - University of Massachusetts Boston
Jeffrey Sawhill (San Jose) - Salem State College
CJ Viso (San Jose) - Norwich University
Jamie Armstrong (Lincoln) - Suffolk University
Mike Caprio (Valencia) - Becker College
Matt Cattivera (Encinitas) - Westfield State College
Kyle Cook (Chino Hills) - Suffolk University
Reed Garetto (Burbank) - Assumption College
Jeffrey Hazelwood (Dublin) - Curry College
Steve Jakiel (Santa Clarita) - Curry College
Skylur Jameson (Long Beach) - Wentworth Institute of Technology
Steven Mohler (Anaheim) - Curry College
Tyler Monteros (Diamond Bar) - Wentworth Institute of Technology
Will Munson (Corona) - Nichols College
Kevin Richardson (Temecula) - Nichols College
Kyle Richardson (San Jose) - Wentworth Institute of Technology
Mitch Sabo (Bell Canyon) - Suffolk University
Dave VandenBerg (San Juan) - Suffolk University
Marcus Wilhite (Torrance) - Curry College
Jordan Yindiphol (Redwood City) - Westfield State College
ECAC West
Russell Anderson (Riverside) - Utica College
Bryce Dale (Fresno) - Utica College
Kregg Guestin (Kingsburg) - Utica College
Kyle Guestin (Kingsburg) - Utica College
Matt Jimenez (Santa Rosa) - Utica College
Adam Bartholomay (Agoura Hills) - Muskegon Lumberjacks
Justin Cross (Camarillo) - Kalamazoo Wings
Jeremy Stevenson (San Bernardino) - Kalamazoo Wings
Shaun Mathur (Laguna Hills) - Lebanon Valley College
World
MCHA
Noah Clarke (Agoura Hills) - Rauma, Finland
Alex Kim (Los Angeles) - Korea
Justin Morrison (Los Angeles) - Hamburg Freezers, Germany
Billy Ruggiero (Simi Valley) - Finland
COLLEGE HOCKEY
Division I - Men
Atlantic Hockey
Nielsson Arcibal (Vista) - American International College
Anthony Barela (Beverly Hills) - Sacred Heart University
Derrick Burnett (Corona) - Air Force Academy
Andy Georkyan (Glendale) - American International College
Jon Glant (Garden Grove) - University of Connecticut
Jason Krispel (Cypress) - University of Connecticut
Chris Ochoa (Santa Monica) - University of Connecticut
Blake Page (San Clemente) - Air Force Academy
Gregg Rodriguez (Sunnyvale) - Sacred Heart University
Kevin Wright (San Jose) - Air Force Academy
CCHA
Adam Cardwell (Long Beach) - University Alaska-Fairbanks
JJ Crew (Placentia) - Western Michigan University
Alex Hudson (Corona) - University of Nebraska-Omaha
Jared Katz (San Jose) - Western Michigan University
Peter Kavaya (San Clemente) - Western Michigan University
John Kemp (Arcadia) - University of Nebraska-Omaha
TJ Miller (Placentia) - Northern Michigan University
Nathan Sigmund (San Diego) - Northern Michigan University
Scooter Vaughn (Placentia) - University of Michigan
ECAC
Billy Blasé (Santa Monica) - Yale University
Kevin Crane (Irvine) - Princeton University
Spencer Heichman (Yorba Linda) - Quinnipiac University
David Inman (San Diego) - Yale University
Corbin McPherson (Folsom) - Colgate University
Tim Potter (Bakersfield) - Clarkson University
Josh Rabbani (Woodland Hills) - RPI
Hockey East
Mike Beck (Long Beach) - University of New Hampshire
Kyle MacKinnon (Walnut) - Providence College
Kevan Miller (Los Angeles) - University of Vermont
Casey Wellman (Brentwood) - University of Massachusetts
WCHA
Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach) - University of North Dakota
Ryan Lasch (Lake Forest) - St. Cloud State University
Brad McCabe (San Diego) - University of Alaska Anchorage
Dan Quilico (Thousand Oaks) - Colorado College
Rhett Rakhshani (Huntington Beach) - University of Denver
Andreas Vlassopoulos (Los Angeles) - Colorado College
Brian Volpei (Burbank) - St. Cloud State University
22
Blake Rielly (Newport Beach) - Manhattanville College
Nicholas Schultz (Lakewood) - Lebanon Valley College
Chase Haubursin (Santa Rosa) - Minnesota Crookston
Jesse Jacobs (Pacifica) - Lawrence University
Josh Lopez (San Diego) - Northland College
Steve Marino (Torrance) - Northland College
Nick Prange (Actonv) - Concordia University Wisconsin
Corey Stark (San Diego) - Concordia University Wisconsin
Michael Wyenn (Thousand Oaks) - Concordia University Wisconsin
MIAC
Jimmy Becker (Wildomar) - St. Mary’s University
Scott Cohen (Culver City) - St. Olaf College
Evan Mackintosh (San Jose) - St. Thomas University
Ian McDougall (Mission Viejo) - Augsburg College
Justin Thomas (Belmont) - St. Olaf College
NESCAC
Issa Azat (South Pasadena) - Tufts University
Matt Draheim (Coto de Caza) - Williams College
Ian Drummond (Del Mar) - Middlebury College
Kurt Fairless (Orange) - Hamilton College
Brett Haraguchi (Cupertino) - Williams College
Thomas Herd (Los Angeles) - Bowdoin College
Doug Wilson (Saratoga) - Tufts University
Brent Winship (Manhattan Beach) - Wesleyan University
NCHA
Cory Patterson (Huntington Beach) - St. Norbert College
SUNYAC
Colin Sarfeh (Laguna Niguel) - SUNY Fredonia
Hank Van Boxmeer (Orange) - SUNY Oswego
Division I - Women
CHA
Jessica Frump (Saugus) Syracuse University
Alison Lee (Los Altos) Syracuse University
Julie Rising (Milbrae) Syracuse University
Amanda Rowe (Santa Cruz) Niagara University
ECAC
Joy Joung (Torrance) - Brown University
Antoinette Maldonado (Glendora) - Quinnipiac University
Brittany Martin (Torrance) - Harvard University
Amber Moore (Sunnyvale) Cornell University
Hayley Moore (San Jose) - Clarkson University
Jenny Niesluchowski (Camarillo) - Cornell University
Paula Romanchuk (San Jose) - Princeton University
Jessi Waters (Menlo Park) - Colgate University
Hockey East
Lauren LeMond (Vista) - University of Connecticut
Alyssa Wohlfeiler (Saugus) - Northeastern University
Autumn Prouty (Temecula) - Northeastern University
Kristi Kehoe (Bakersfield) Northeastern University
Laura Veharanta (La Verne) - Providence College
Jenniefer Friedman (San Gabriel) - Providence College
Danielle Ramirez (Huntington Beach) - Providence College
WCHA
Olivia Jakiel (Santa Clarita) - University of Wisconsin
Kelly Nash (Bonita) - University of Wisconsin
Jaime Rasmussen (Garden Grove) - University Minnesota Duluth
U.S. WOMEN’S NATIONAL TEAM
Chanda Gunn (Huntington Beach)
Jessical Koizumi (Simi Valley)
Angela Ruggiero (Simi Valley)
Adam McKenzie (Petaluma) - Wenatchee Wild
Billy Miller (Morgan Hill) - Wenatchee Wild
Jason Nash (Oxnard) - Wichita Falls Wildcats
Matt Nieto (Long Beach) - U.S. Under-17 Team
Bryon Paulazzo (Redwood City) - Topeka RoadRunners
Troy Puente (Thousand Oaks) - Owatonna Express
Mark Pustin (Northridge) - Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Dan Radke (Orinda) - Traverse City North Stars
Shane Sooth (Canyon Country) - U.S. Under-17 Team
Travis Stevens (Montclair) - Topeka RoadRunners
Randy Swank (Nuevo) - Topeka RoadRunners
Branson Yost (Capistrano Beach) - Wichita Falls Wildcats
SJHL
Cameron Gibson (Valencia) - Humboldt Broncos
USHL
Division III - Women
ECAC East
Erica Garcia (Highland) - Manhattanville College
Michelle Kaufman (Irvine) - Manhattanville College
Kameron Klauber (Carlsbad) - MIT
Cheryl Winter (Cupertino) - Nichols College
Aly Zappen (Huntington Beach) - St. Anselm College
Amy Zappen (Huntingon Beach) - St. Anselm College
ECAC West
Kaitlyn Denton (Tracy) - Chatham University
Jamie Huntley (La Jolla) - Elmira College
Elyse McGinnity (Temecula) - Utica College
Ashley Reid (Chino Hills) - Chatham University
MIAC
Kelly Biddle (La Mirada) - St. Olaf College
Brittany Vander Kooy (Redlands) - Concordia College
NESCAC
Michelle Chee (San Francisco) - Trinity College
Domi DiDia (Studio City) - Trinity College
Courtney Hanlon (Fullerton) - Amherst College
Caroline Hu (Cerritos) - Amherst College
NCHA
Shana Katz (San Jose) - University of Wisconsin-Superior
JUNIOR HOCKEY
Alberta Junior Hockey League
Kyle Moffett (Calabasas) - Canmore Eagles
Atlantic Junior Hockey League
Travis Owens (Burbank) - Walpole Express
BCHL
Kyle Bigos (Upland) - Vernon Vipers
Brady Horn (Yorba Linda) - Langley Chiefs
Adam Hout (Ladera Ranch) - Alberni Valley Bulldogs
Cory Kane (Irvine) - Vernon Vipers
Kevin Kraus (Garden Grove) - Vernon Vipers
Ilya Kravtchouk (Encino) - Burnaby Express
Brett Mohler (Anaheim) - Alberni Valley Bulldogs
Mark Morikawa (Redondo Beach) - Alberni Valley Bulldogs
Josh Pineiro (Huntington Beach) - Prince George Spruce Kings
Ryan Santana (Yorba Linda) - Vernon Vipers
Steve Weinstein (Los Angeles) - Vernon Vipers
Loren Barron (Glendora) - Indiana Ice
Brett Beebe (Redondo Beach) - Chicago Steel
Dennis Brown (Cypress) - Omaha Lancers
Jeff Ceccacci (Placentia) - Green Bay Gamblers
Dakota Eveland (Anaheim) - Omaha Lancers
Luke Greiner (Newport Beach) - Sioux Falls Stampede
Donnie Hallmark (Ontario) - Sioux City Musketeers
Taylor Holstrom (Yorba Linda) - Omaha Lancers
Nick Hopper (Culver City) - Tri-City Storm
Brady Horn (Yorba Linda) – Sioux Falls Stampede
Steven Hoshaw (Vista) - Waterloo Black Hawks
Matt Leitner (Los Alamitos) - Fargo Force
Joe Marciano (Alta Loma) - Omaha Lancers
Nick Maricic (Alta Loma) - Tri-City Storm
Jake Newton (San Jacinto) - Lincoln Stars
Max Nicastro (Thousand Oaks) - Chicago Steel
Ami Peled (Encino) - Des Moines Buccaneers
Troy Power (Camarillo) - Omaha Lancers
Brandon Richardson (San Clemente) - Indiana Ice
Darren Rowe (Simi Valley) - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Chad Ruhwedel (San Diego) - Sioux Falls Stampede
Dalton Speelman (San Jose) - Green Bay Gamblers
Matthew Tennyson (Pleasanton) - Cedar Rapids RoughRiders
Matt White (Whittier) - Omaha Lancers
WHL
Jonathon Blum (Rancho Santa Margarita) - Vancouver Giants
Brandon Brossoit (Los Alamitos) - Lethbridge Hurricanes
Adam Brown (Yorba Linda) - Kelowna Rockets
Mitchell Callahan (Whittier) - Kelowna Rockets
Cameron Cepek (Huntington Beach) - Prince George Cougars
Shane Harper (Valencia) - Everett Silvertips
Matthew Konan (Tustin) - Medicine Hat Tigers
Ryan Letts (Newport Beach) - Spokane Chiefs
Colin Long (Santa Ana) - Kelowna Rockets
Uriah Machuga (Norco) - Kamloops Blazes
Tyler Maxwell (Manhattan Beach) - Everett Silvertips
Markus McCrea (Canyon Lake) - Everett Silvertips
Todd Mathews (Covina) - Lethbridge Hurricanes
Jon Parker (Solana Beach) - Seattle Thunderbirds
Tyler Parker (Livermore) - Everett Silvertips
Colin Reddin (Corona del Mar) - Portland Winter Hawks
Matt Sokol (Los Angeles) - Saskatoon Blades
Parker Stanfield (Orange County) - Prince George Cougars
CJ Stretch (Irvine) - Kamloops Blazers
Garrett Taylor (San Diego) - Lethbridge Hurricanes
Brandon Underwood (San Marcos) - Kamloops Blazers
Tyler Vanscourt (Corona) - Kootenay Ice
Mitch Wahl (Seal Beach) - Spokane Chiefs
Marcus Watson (San Jose) - Prince George Cougars
GMHL
Brenden Kelso (Lake Isabella) - Brock Bucks
Derek Rodgers (Los Angeles) - South Muskoka Shield
Tim Wender (Thousand Oaks) - South Muskoka Shield
MJHL
Justin Apcar-Blaszak (Valley Village) - Hudson Crusaders
Morgan Sanchez (Corona) - Minnesota Ice Hawks
NAHL
Chris Annunziato (Alto Loma) - Kenai River Brown Bears
Chase Balisy (Fullerton) - U.S. Under-17 Team
Austin Block (Northridge) - Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Junior Cadiz (Los Angeles) - Wenatchee Wild
Kyle Delaurell (Mission Viejo) - Wichita Falls Wildcats
Gage Emerson (San Jose) - Motor City Machine
Emerson Etem (Long Beach) - U.S. Under-17 Team
Jake Fallon (Orange County) - U.S. Under-17 Team
Jeffrey Harris (Simi Valley) - Bismarck Bobcats
Kevin Harris (Simi Valley) - Bismarck Bobcats
Jake Hutt (Menlo Park) - Topeka RoadRunners
Shawn Jameson (Long Beach) - St. Louis Bandits
Soren Jonzzen (Mountain View) - St. Louis Bandits
Michael Juola (Lake Forest) - Fairbanks Ice Dogs
Brett Kaneshiro (Laguna Niguel) - Wichita Falls Wildcats
Andy Kitt (Corona) - Springfield Jr. Blues
David Kurbatsky (San Ramon) - Wenatchee Wild
PREP SCHOOL
Division I - New England
Jake Abrahams (Los Angeles) - Exeter
Max Balaban (San Diego) - Tilton
Michael Basist (Aliso Viejo) - Kimball Union
Tucker Dayton (San Francisco) - Deerfield
Stefan Demopoulos (San Diego) - Avon Old Farms
Grant Dennis (Newport Beach) - Deerfield
Lucas Digati (Santa Monica) - Milton
Raphael Durand (Menlo Park) - Governor’s
Max Edson (Hermosa Beach) - Salisbury
Evan Hutson (Pasadena) - Tilton
Doo Soo Kim (Los Angeles) - Milton
CM Liotta (Menlo Park) - Taft
Ryne Lubert (Yorba Linda) - Tilton
Vinnie Smith (Fresno) - Kimball Union
Andrew Mason (Manhattan Beach) - Proctor
Sean Okita (Newport) - Milton
Xavier Reed (Oakland) - Taft
Division I-US/Canada
Daniel O’Maley (Lincoln) - Gilmour Academy
Matthew Robertson (Rohnert Park) - Stanstead College
Send additions, deletions and corrections to info@calirubber.com
Local Development Pays Off for Speelman
San Jose product makes Jr. Sharks history with scholarship to UNH
By Scott Linesburgh
D
alton Speelman’s parents offered him a deal when he approached age 7 and told them he wanted to play hockey.
Brian and Barbara Speelman said yes, with one condition: If
Dalton wanted to play, he had to agree to stick with it.
Dalton agreed to their terms, which turned out to be a great
deal for him, his parents, the San Jose Jr. Sharks and now the
University of New Hampshire.
The school in Durham, N.H., signed Speelman to a hockey
scholarship, making the 19-year-old from San Jose the first Jr.
Shark who played in the program from the beginning to the end of
his youth career to get a four-year scholarship.
His success is considered a sign by many in the region that the
quality of players and coaches in Northern California continues
to improve. Brian Speelman said he’s proud his son is the first Jr.
Shark to accomplish the feat, but is confident there will be many
more.
Dalton Speelman, who believes the same thing, can’t wait to
begin his college career in New England.
“This is great, I’m really looking forward to going and it’s a
beautiful state,” he said. “The campus is great, and it seems like
the whole state is behind New Hampshire hockey.”
His father said several schools took a look at Dalton, and he
is very happy with his decision. New Hampshire is traditionally
a very strong hockey program that competes in the Hockey East
conference against the likes of reigning national champion Boston
University.
“It’s fantastic. We’re very
proud of Dalton, and he’s put in
a lot of hard work to get to this
point,” Brian Speelman said.
“Of course, you always wish he
would be a little closer to home,
but this is a great opportunity
for him.”
Dalton Speelman already
has some experience playing
away from home, having had
an outstanding season for the
Green Bay Gamblers of the
USHL in 2008-09 where he
recorded 42 points (21 goals, 21
assists) in 57 games.
“I am extremely happy for
Dalton,” said Gamblers head
coach Jon Cooper. “Not only is
he going to get a chance to play
at a major Division I institution,
but he is also going to get his
four years of education paid for.”
Dalton Speelman said the
experience in Green Bay can
only help him now that he’ll
Dalton Speelman, who graced the inaugural cover of California Rubber
Magazine (pictured in back), played his entire youth hockey career with the
San Jose Jr. Sharks. He played junior hockey for the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers
be 3,000
last season. Photo / USHL Images
miles from home.
“Having spent that time in
Green Bay, I feel better prepared to go into college as a
freshman,” Speelman said. “I’ve
lived away from home. I’m more
used to it, and that will help.”
His success doesn’t come
as a surprise to his Jr. Sharks
coaches, including Tony Zasowski, who coached Speelman
on the Sharks’ 18 AAA team in
2007-08 and is the program’s
director.
“(New Hampshire) is an
elite Division I program, but
Dalton has always been an elite
player,” Zasowski said. “He
always had the ability, and he
works extremely hard.”
For Speelman, it all started
with a simple commitment to
the Jr. Sharks, and the commitment of the coaches through the
years to try to help him become
a better hockey player.
“My parents told me that
if I decided to play hockey, I
had to go all the way through.
I couldn’t quit,” Speelman said.
“I loved it, so I agreed, and my
parents encouraged me to learn
the game and have fun. They
were behind what I wanted to
do the entire time.”
Derek Eisler, who coached
Speelman during the 2006-07
season, observed the young
player through most of his
career with the Sharks and said
there was one important attribute which separated Dalton
from other players - and it had
nothing to do with physical
abilities.
“I guess one of the best
things I can say about Dalton is
that he always listened,” Eisler
said. “He listened to his coaches,
and he has always been a very
smart player. Obviously he has
physical ability, but what really
helped him is that he learned
how to play the game and he
plays smart. It’s a real asset.”
Eisler called Speelman’s
scholarship to New Hampshire
a “feather in the cap” for the
Jr. Sharks, which has been in
existence for 10 years. Zasowski
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said it’s proof that the organization’s plan to build slowly
through local youngsters has
been successful.
“From the beginning, there
was a decision not to go for a
quick fix when forming the Jr.
Sharks. They wanted to build
through local kids and not bring
in a bunch of players from the
outside to form an 18 team,”
Zasowski said.
“The kids were promoted
from within. And now you have
the players who were there
from the beginning, like Dalton,
reaching the 18 level and you
can see the skill level and the
benefits of the coaching they
have received.”
Eisler said the improvement isn’t just evident in the
Jr. Sharks program, but in
Northern California in general.
Regional players are getting
more opportunities than in the
past.
Corbin McPherson, a
Folsom native who played a
season with the Jr. Sharks, is
at Colgate University and was
selected by the New Jersey
Devils in the third round of the
2007 NHL draft, and Eisler said
he expects the trend to continue.
“You continue to see better
coaching and better players
emerge throughout Northern
California,” Eisler said. “The
important thing is to have a system which can help the young
players succeed.”
Speelman took advantage of
his chance, and it’s worked out
well for him. He plans to pursue
a degree in business, and hopes
to play professionally after college.
And he has his priorities in
order as prepares to go to UNH.
“I want to play well, help my
team win and take advantage
of my educational opportunity,”
Speelman said. “The education
is so important. And hopefully
after college, there will be opportunities for me at the next level.
But right now I’m just so excited
to go to New Hampshire.” b
CaliRubber.com
CaliRubber.com
23
Urbano leads U.S. to pair of gold medals
- continued from page 21
The U.S. squad won all five of its games en route to gold at the World Games in Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei. Photo / USARS
The local population
responded in kind to the
“big-event” atmosphere, with
crowds at I-Shou University
averaging 2,000 fans per game.
The final contest against
France attracted 4,000 overly
enthusiastic onlookers.
“We had so many people to
our games - the fans cheered
for anything,” Urbano said.
“The noise level when a goal
was scored would be deafening.
It was a great time playing in
front of all those people when
you were on the winning side,
but not when I would get scored
on. That would sting all the
more because the fans would
erupt into noise. I didn’t want
to let a goal in to hear that.”
The size of the rink - short
and wide - forced the Americans
to alter their game plan, adding
an extra element of surprise
to each matchup. “We were
playing on a small rink, so our
speed really could not help us
much,” Urbano said, “So our
teamwork and skill had to play
more of a role.”
Team USA won all five
of its games in the six-team
tournament, capping it with
a 5-1 victory over France in
what turned out to be the
championship game.
“We continued to play
as a team and kept our
determination strong,” Urbano
said. “We played our game
and came out to win. The fans
Everything lines up for Simi Valley’s Rowe
Darren Rowe played for the LA
Jr. Kings before his two seasons
of junior hockey. Photo / USHL Images
24
Said Bowkus: “He tried out
for me for minor Bantam, then he
made the team the following year.
I just remember seeing him on
another team the same year I cut
him and seeing how talented he
was with the puck. The following
year, he showed up at our tryouts
and deserved a spot on the Bantam AAA.
“He reminded me of the old
Paul Coffey. He loved to rush the
puck and it really got him noticed.”
What Rowe, who is 5-foot-10
and 180 pounds, might lack in size
on the blue line he makes up for
with a versatile skill set.
“The fact that he actually
enjoys playing defense hasn’t hurt
him either,” Bruyere said. “Whenever you ask a bunch of young
players what they play, invariably
out of 10 players, eight of them
will respond that they are centers.
Darren was never one to need
the limelight, and by developing
his skills at defense, he actually
became a valuable commodity at
every level he played.”
One of his former defense partners, Jonathon Blum (Rancho
Santa Margarita), agrees.
“He was a really smart kid
cheered so loud; it was great
winning a medal in front of so
many people.”
Urbano said the gold medal
at the World Games was most
meaningful to him personally,
calling it the “highest honor”
playing the game he loves.
But the Olympic-style
experience was far from over.
The closing ceremonies were
held in a sold-out 40,000-seat
venue, with another 20,000
people gathered outside the
stadium. It was there that the
full impact of the Americans’
achievement finally hit them.
“We walked out in front of
40,000 people with TV cameras
watching our every movement,”
Urbano said. “Walking behind
the U.S. flag was a great
feeling. We walked with our
gold medals draped around our
necks showing we won not only
for us, but for the USA.”
Simply spine-tingling. b
- continued from page 15
with the puck,” said Blum, a 2007
first-round draft choice of the
NHL’s Nashville Predators and
the CHL’s top defenseman this
past season. “He can really skate
well with the puck.”
Rowe’s calling card is his puckhandling, and to develop it, he hit
the books and then headed to his
family’s garage in Simi Valley.
“He got that from reading
about Canadian players practicing
in their basements,” Tom Rowe
said.
So Darren Rowe would put on
his inline skates and set up cones
and go to work, often after his ice
hockey practices.
Rowe continued honing his
game for the Jr. Kings, and he
experienced an unusual situation
during the 2006-07 season – his
coach got called up. Ray Bennett
joined Andy Murray’s staff with
the St. Louis Blues in December of
2006, so Mike Pilon finished out
the season behind the bench.
“Two really good coaches,”
Rowe said. “I learned a lot from
both of them.”
He made the Springfield Jr.
Blues of the North American
Hockey League after attending
a tryout camp in the summer of
2007, and did so well that season
(36 points in 57 games) he was
selected to the league’s all-rookie
team and taken in the first round
of the USHL draft by the Cedar
Rapids RoughRiders.
Rowe’s upward trajectory continued this past season. He made
the U.S. Junior Select Team that
won a gold medal in the World
Junior A Challenge in Nelson,
British Columbia, and helped the
RoughRiders to the second-most
points in the USHL. Along the
way, he scored 23 points in 52
games and four more in five playoff games. His plus-16 rating was
the second best on the team.
None of this surprises Bruyere.
“Darren can also be described
as a ‘coaches player,’” Bruyere
said. “He shows up, works very
hard, follows instruction and loves
to compete. He does all this without ever questioning authority.
Who could really ask for more?
“I am so pleased when I see
that one of those great kids with
a passion for the game and very
little self promotion has continued
to do well with the game.” b
Locals do plenty of damage to close inline season
Team Eschelon Gemini made it a sweep of the Junior and Midget (pictured)
Gold Division titles at this year’s NARCh Finals. Photo / NARCh
ship titles in two divisions: Midget and Junior. The
Californian team finished ahead of two Canadian
teams in the Midget Gold medal standings, defeating the hometown Missassauga Rattlers, 5-2, in
the championship game. Eschelon Gemini captured
the Junior Gold title with a 5-4 OT victory over the
top-seeded Tour Roadrunners 89 from New York.
The AKS 90s gave California teams two of the three
medals awarded in the Junior Gold Division with its
bronze-medal performance, losing to the eventual
gold medalists in the semifinals.
The Pink Ponies galloped to a silver medal in
the 16-and-under Bantam Gold Division behind Top
Goaltender award-winner Logan Guerrerro (.922
save percentage). The third-seeded Pink Ponies shut
out the second-seeded Red Deer Cougars, 4-0, in
the semifinals but fell short of another upset bid in
a 2-1 loss to the eventual champion Sherwood Park
Stealth, also from Alberta, Canada.
Bronze medalists in the always-competitive Gold
tier, besides the AKS 90s, included the 949 Anarchy
in the Mite Division.
The Anarchy finished behind teams from New
York and Pennsylvania but swept the 8-and-under
age division’s top individual awards. Ethan Pittman collected 15 goals and 16 points to win the High
Scorer award while Connor Duffy dazzled opponents with his .886 save percentage to claim the Top
Goaltender award.
California teams grabbed two medals in the Silver tier.
The Bandits Hockey Club finished runner-up to
the champion Georgetown Bar Down Billionaires
all four tiers.
- continued from page 20
from Ontario, Canada, in Midget
Silver as Patrick Seckington (15
goals, 19 points) brought back the
High Scorer award to the Golden
State.
The Thousand Oaks Bruins
made quite a bit of noise with
their bronze medal in the Mite
Silver Division. The California
team finished behind a pair of
Michigan squads but swept the
top individual awards. TO’s Isaac
Breault racked up 17 goals and
20 points to win the High Scorer
award while Ryan Strohbach
earned Top Goaltenders honors
based on his .827 save percentage.
The Revision Mustangs
White team rolled to the bronze
medal in the Squirt Club Division,
giving California representation in
On Top of Their Game
While their teams may not have skated home
with a medal, a number of Californians excel with top
individual awards in their divisions.
Daniel Inouye of the Nor Cal Riot captured the
Junior Gold High Scorer award with 15 points (5
goals, 11 assists).
Kodi Snyder of Mission Pandemonium earned
the Top Goaltender award in the Girls Platinum
Division based on her .853 save percentage. Pandemonium placed fourth in the division.
Fran Bertagni won the Men’s Platinum High
Scorer award with seven goals and 12 points for Mission Revision.
UC-Irvine’s Jordan Tasch earned the High
Scorer award with eight goals and 10 points in the
National Collegiate Roller Hockey Association’s
annual all-star tournament. Tasch represented the
Western Collegiate Roller Hockey League, which
earned the No. 2 seed in the playoffs but finished
with the bronze medal after a 3-2 overtime loss to the
Eastern Collegiate Roller Hockey Association in the
division semifinals.
Tasch and SDSU standout Tommy Neer scored
the WCRHL’s goals against the ECRHA.
Loren Baron led Mission AKS Empire as far as
the NARCh Pro quarterfinal playoffs as the division’s
high scorer with six goals and 12 points.
Who will be on top in 2009-10? The new season
faces off in November. b
TORHS Finals spell runner-up finish for Cyclones
T
ORHS (Tournament of Roller
Hockey Series) is a competitive
inline hockey tournament series
best known for its cash prize
payouts of up to $50,000 for its
Tier I Pro Division. This year’s
finals were held from June 26-July
5 in West Palm Beach, Fla., and
in some cases served as a proving
ground for the upcoming NARCh
Finals in Canada.
Teams from Missouri, Florida
and New York dominated the 26
divisions, with St. Louis teams
skating to 12 championship titles
alone. However, there was some
significant California representation, particularly by the Pama
Cyclones’ runner-up finish in the
marquee Pro Tier I final.
The Cyclones went 5-0-1 in the
15-team bracket, with only a 4-3
overtime loss to the Tour Mudcats
in the championship game blemishing their record at the Florida
tournament.
Both squads brought full rosters, with at least a dozen skaters
on both benches. The California
crew battled back from deficits of
2-0 and 3-1 to send the game into
the extra sudden-victory period.
Zach Walters, Nathan Sigmund and Dan Comrie - the latter
two former high school standouts from San Diego - provided
the goals for the Cyclones, with
Comrie’s clutch game-tying goal
coming with just 14 seconds left in
regulation play.
But the Mudcats claimed the
title - and the first-place prize of
$14,000 - on an OT goal by John
McGuinness in an eerie prelude to
his heroics at the ensuing NARCh
Finals. b
- Phillip Brents
2008-09 California Inline Hockey
Honor Roll
North American Roller Hockey Series Championships
NARCh Finals 09 - Mississauga, Ontario
Gold Medalists (6)
•Velocity (Midget Platinum)
•Mission Habs (Division I Platinum)
•Eschelon Reflexion (Women’s Platinum)
•San Clemente High School (High School Platinum)
•Team Eschelon Gemini (Midget and Junior Gold)
Silver Medalists (6)
•L.A. Pama Prospects (Junior Division, Platinum)
•Mission AKS 88s (Division I Platinum)
•Mission Syndicate (Women’s Platinum)
•Mission Syndicate SE (NARCh Pro Platinum)
•Pink Ponies (Bantam Gold)
•Bandits Hockey (Midget Silver)
Bronze Medalists (7)
•L.A. Pama Cyclones (Division I Platinum)
•Mission Magic (Men’s Platinum
•Rockets (Men’s 35-and-older Platinum)
•949 Anarchy (Mite Gold)
•AKS 90s (Junior Gold)
•Thousand Oaks Bruins (Mite Silver)
•Revision Mustangs White (Squirt Club)
Top Individuals
The NARCh High Scorer award is presented to players
with the most points (goals, assists) in preliminaryround play. This year’s recipients included:
•Brandon Pirri (Velocity, Midget Platinum)
•John Siemer (Pama Prospects, Junior Platinum)
•Pat Lee (Mission Habs, Division I Platinum)
•Fran Bertagni (Team Revision, Men’s Platinum)
•Kodi Snyder (Revision Pandemonium, Girls Platinum)
•Jordan Tasch (UC-Irvine, Collegiate All-Stars)
•Loren Baron (Mission AKS Empire, NARCh Pro)
•Ethan Pittman (949 Anarchy, Atom Gold)
•Daniel Inouye (Nor Cal Riot, Junior Gold)
•Isaac Beault (Thousand Oaks Bruins, Mite Silver
•Patrick Seckington (Bandits Hockey, Midget Silver).
Top Goaltender
The Top Goaltender award is presented to players with
the best save percentage in each division, based on
preliminary-round games. This year’s award winners
included:
•Taz Viloria and Andrew Barletta (Velocity, Midget
Platinum)
•Tommy Tartaglione and Zachary Lane (Mission Habs,
Division I Platinum)
•Joe Timpona and Adam Awermanko (Mission Magic,
Men’s Platinum)
•Genevieve Lacessem (Eschelon Reflexion, Women’s
Platinum)
•Bijan Ford (San Clemente High School, High School
Platinum)
•Tommy Tartaglione (Mission Syndicate SE, NARCh Pro)
•Connor Duffy (949 Anarchy, Atom Gold
•Logan Guerrerro (Pink Ponies, Bantam Gold)
•Ryan Strohbach (Thousand Oaks Bruins, Mite Silver)
CaliRubber.com
25
Driving the ‘Net
Here’s a sampling of stories that ran recently on CaliRubber.com
Compiled by Chris Bayee
J
onathon Blum was selected the CHL Defenseman of
the Year for the 2008-09 season,
the top honor for a blueliner in
Canadian Major Junior hockey.
Blum was selected by a CHLmandated committee, which
includes several NHL scouts.
Blum (Rancho Santa Margarita) scored 16 goals, had
a career-high 50 assists and
compiled a plus-53 rating to
help lead the Vancouver Giants
to their fourth consecutive British Columbia Division title and
the second-best record in the
Western Hockey League.
Blum, 20, was the first
California-born and trained
defenseman to be drafted in the
first round of the NHL’s Entry
Draft, going 23rd overall in
2007 to the Nashville Predators. He made his professional
debut this past spring for the
Predators’ AHL team, playing
five playoff games for the Milwaukee Admirals.
Blum, who captained the
Giants this past season, had
63 points during the 2007-08
season and 51 in 2006-07, when
Vancouver won the Memorial
Cup.
S
everal California boys
fared well at USA Hockey’s
Player Development Camps
held in Rochester, N.Y., over
the summer.
In the Select 17s, forward
Max Edson finished second in
scoring with 11 points (6 goals,
5 assists) and forward Vahe
Zakaryan was in a tie for sixth
with eight points (5-3). Edson
played for Salisbury Prep in
Connecticut this past season,
while Zakaryan played for the
California Wave’s 18U AAA
team. Both were all-stars at
the event. Goaltender Cameron
Bigelow of OC Hockey Club
finished tied for third in goalsagainst average with a 2.82
mark and added a .904 save
percentage.
LA Selects defenseman
Garrett Haar (3 goals, 2 assists) and forward Adam Reid
(1-4) were among a large group
of players in the Select 16s who
had five points in six games. LA
Selects goaltender Brendan
Jensen had the second-best
save percentage (.933) and the
third-best goals-against average
(2.00).
In the Select 15s, a trio
of LA Selects forwards and a
former teammate were in the
scoring charts. Forward Dennis Kravchenko was tied for
sixth with six points (3-3), and
Michael McNicholas and
Nikolas Kerdiles each had
five points (1-4 apiece). Miles
Koules, who played this past
season at Shattuck-St. Mary’s
Prep in Minnesota, had four
goals, tied for second-most in
the tournament.
Forwards Jake Romo of
the Jr. Kings and Chase Deleo
of the LA Selects finished in a
tie for 11th with six points in
the Select 14s. Romo had four
goals, while Deleo had four
assists. Selects forward Adam
Erne had five points and teammate Andrew Oglivie added
four.
U
niversity of Denver senior
forward Rhett Rakhshani (Huntington Beach) was
named team captain for the
2009-10 season. Rakhshani
Brett Kaneshiro, from
Laguna Niguel, will
begin his college career
at Massachusetts’ Curry
College this fall.
earned the “C” after serving
as an alternate captain last
season.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound
winger earned All-WCHA
Third-Team honors last year after finishing second on the Pioneers in scoring with 37 points
on 15 goals and 22 assists.
Rakhshani, who played for
the California Wave, surpassed
the 100-point barrier during his
stellar DU career last season
and is the team’s active career
scoring leader with 101 points
(39-62).
D
efenseman Brett
Kaneshiro (Laguna
Niguel) will play college hockey
for Division III Curry College in
Milton, Mass., this fall.
Kaneshiro, who played
the past two seasons with the
Wichita Falls Wildcats of the
NAHL, had 18 points (4 goals,
14 assists) in 47 games this
past season and 35 points overall (7-28) during his two seasons
in Wichita Falls.
Kaneshiro will join three
other Californians on Curry’s
roster: senior goaltender Steven Jakiel (Santa Clarita),
sophomore forward Steven
Mohler (Anaheim) and senior
defenseman Jerry Hotarek
(Foster City).
T
he San Diego Lady Saints
added former Elmira College and Cal Selects standout
Jamie Huntley to their coaching staff.
Huntley, of San Diego,
finished her senior season at
Elmira with 40 points in 30
games, finishing fifth nationally in Division III points while
leading her team to back-toback ECAC titles and into the
NCAA championship game.
Huntley was an ECAC West
All-Conference Second Team
selection her senior season.
I
n early August, the Lady
Ducks attended the prestigious Chowder Cup tournament
in Boston, where a group of 92s94s played in the prep division.
The team won its first two
games, defeating Nichols College (a Division III program),
San Diego’s Jamie Huntley
has joined the Lady Saints’
coaching staff.
8-2, and the Rhode Island
Revolution, 10-0. The LDs also
bested a tougher Vermont team
to win their pool.
The LDs advanced to the
playoffs in the 35-team event,
but fell to the eventual-tournament champion, the USA
Selects, 3-2.
T
hree former San Jose Lady
Sharks have made college
commitments for the coming
season: Denise Perez will play
for Division III Lake Forest
College in Chicago; Rachel
Llanes, a former Lady Shark
who played in prep school last
season at North American
Hockey Academy, will attend
Division I Northeastern University in Boston; and Cori Myers
will join Division III St. Anselm
in New Hampshire.
R
od Romanchuk will
return behind the San Jose
Lady Sharks’ bench after taking
a one-season break. Over the
past seven years, Romanchuk
has helped coach the Sharks
in the 12U, 14U, 16U and 19U
divisions. He played collegiately
with the University of Wisconsin and his daughter, Paula,
a former Lady Shark, plays at
Princeton.
Tanya Silva, who played
in the 2002 Salt Lake City
Olympics for Uzbekistan, will
coach the Lady Sharks’ 12U
team, and Louise Pietrangelo
comes to San Jose after a year
of coaching with the Lady
Ducks’ 16U team. Pietrangelo
graduated from Dartmouth in
2004.
E
verett Silvertips left wing
Markus McCrea, of Canyon
Lake, is ranked as a WHL B
list prospect on NHL Central
Scouting’s summer watch list of
North American players for the
2010 Entry Draft.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound McCrea played in 44 games for the
Silvertips this past season, netting six goals and one assist. He
played the 2007-08 season with
the Yorba Linda Blackhawks’
Midget AAA team, scoring 35
points in 33 games.
T
wo new directors have been
elected to the CAHA state
board and eight others have
been re-elected to two-year
terms. The two new directors
are Jim Burcar (South), the
president of OC Hockey Club in
Yorba Linda, and John Thompson (North), the president of
the California North Stars in
Sacramento.
Jim Burcar
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Yorba Linda’s Santana readies for Boston University - continued from page 16
Growing up, Santana started his
hockey career with the South Coast
Sabres’ Mite A team when he was 6,
then moved onto the Jr. Ducks for a
season before finding a niche with the
California Wave, where he played all the
way through his Midget Minor season.
For his first Midget Major year, Santana went to the LA Selects. and then
for Year 2 ventured halfway across the
country to play for Team Illinois.
“After our Midget Minor year, all the
guys pretty much split off and went their
separate ways,” explained Santana.
“Some guys stopped playing and some
guys left the state. I wanted to keep
playing and wound up away from home
in Illinois.
“I had a great billet family. I actually
lived with (current Miami-Ohio forward
and San Jose Sharks prospect) Tommy
Wingels and his family. They really
made it easy for me living away from
home.”
And in a bit of irony, Wingels and
Miami played BU in last season’s national championship game. While Santana
and Wingels have lost touch over the
years, a rematch next April in Detroit at
the Frozen Four could change that.
“Yeah, that would probably give us a
chance to catch up,” laughed Santana.
After his year with Team Illinois,
Santana said that even though
the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Santana was
the stereotype of hockey players from
drafted by the Green Bay Gamblers
California has been changing even as
in the United States Hockey League
recently as the past two or three years, it
(USHL) Futures Draft and that’s when
was still important for him to note that
the hockey travels started.
there were five California natives on
He was then
Vernon’s roster.
He also noticed a
acquired by the
“I think I’m a skill
USHL’s Des Moines
hockey stereotype in
and energy guy, but
Buccaneers before
Vernon to be true.
I’m going to a team
“All of the cities I
finding his way on
that just won the
the NAHL’s Fairplayed in were a little
banks Ice Dogs
different,” said Santana.
national championroster and ulti“Vernon was a little bit
ship, so I know I have
mately into Western
like the Midwest and the
to earn anything I get.
Canada with the
fans were very knowlNothing is going to be
Vipers.
edgeable about hockey in
handed to me. It never
The venture to
general. Vernon, too, was
British Columbia,
a great city, right on the
has.”
though, is the expeOkanagan River. Just
- Ryan Santana
rience Santana said
beautiful.”
And as if jaunting
paid off the most.
“A couple of the coaches up there
back and forth across North America
knew some of my coaches down here (in
wasn’t enough, Santana also had the opCalifornia) and they thought that league
tion when he was 15 to opt to play Major
would be a good fit and I’d have fun and
Junior hockey in the Western Hockey
develop,” Santana said. “To be able to go
League with the Portland Winter
out on top, I think at any level, whether
Hawks.
“They asked me what my intentions
it’s youth, Midgets or pro, I think that’s
the way to go out. Being bounced around
were,” Santana said. “Education has
for a couple years, it was a pretty cool
always been important to me and my
way to end my junior career.”
family. I needed a plan for after hockey.
Only a small percentage of players get to
make a living out of hockey.”
Getting to Boston, which had its
share of roadblocks when Santana had
to piece together transcripts from three
high schools, will be a time he’s long
been yearning for, but as for his class
load, it’s anyone’s guess.
“My major? That’s a tough question
and one I get asked a lot,” said Santana.
“I don’t know. Maybe history or economics. I’m not sure, but I guess I have some
time to think about it and decide.
“The hockey tradition at BU and the
coaches and the history, their top-notch
workout guy (Mike Boyle)… nothing
beats that. The fact that the school is
so hard to get into and seeing guys who
have played there - Chris Drury, Keith
Tkachuk - I’m really looking forward to
this season.”
As for his role next season, Santana,
showing his humble side, will accept
whatever situation comes his way.
“I think I can be a third- or fourthline guy and wear down the other team,”
Santana said. “I think I’m a skill and
energy guy, but I’m going to a team that
just won the national championship, so
I know I have to earn anything I get.
Nothing is going to be handed to me. It
never has.” b
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