On December 28, USA Hockey and AHAI will take over the United Center for the Mid-Season Mite Cross-Ice Classic Tournament. AHAI Mite U8 teams will have the opportunity to participate in a cross-ice tournament that will include a minimum of 3 games, a championship, and lots of giveaways, including t-shirts and awards for the winners to name just a few. Participating teams will also get to watch a Chicago Blackhawks practice right in the middle of the tournament!

The United Center ice will be transformed into three ice surfaces with teams competing in three divisions: Gold, Silver, and Bronze. The concourse will be hopping; concession stands will be open and lots of activities available between games. Due to the amount of United Center ice secured, there will be a limit of 6 teams at each level. Registration will open soon and will be announced in the next issue of SNAPSHOT. If part of your team is not available due to the holidays, you can create a tournament team from within your organization. Details will be sent to each AHAI mite U8 team once finalized.

This promises to be a "can't miss event"! With the support of USA Hockey and the Chicago Blackhawks, there is no doubt it will be a great day of hockey at the United Center.

Congratulations go out to Josh Thomas, who plays on an in-house mite team at Canlan Ice Arena; he was the winner of AHAI's Stinky Hockey Gear Video Contest. Josh, and his dad, Tony Thomas, will get to watch the Chicago Blackhawks take on the Dallas Stars this Sunday at 6pm at the United Center. Josh also received an AHAI/Howies Hockey Tape T-shirt, 2 bottles of ReVitalize to keep his gear smelling like fresh linen and an Ultimate Hockey Fan Dryer courtesy of B&R Sports! Congrats again and enjoy the game! WATCH ALL VIDEOS>>

CONGRATS TO OUR RUNNERS-UP

FREE Baseline Testing is now available through November 30, 2014 for all AHAI members aged 13-18. Every athlete who completes a baseline test this year will be entered to win an official Chicago Blackhawks Jersey signed by Patrick Kane! 

A High Performance Workshop: Girl's/Women's Symposium will be held January 11-12, 2015 in Amherst, NY. This High Performance Workshop is a specialized clinic for coaching the female player ages 8U through 19U! Click HERE for more information.

By Ross Forman Scott Foster had that one moment on the ice he never will forget, one that certainly ranks among his most memorable hockey memories ever, and it added even more joy to New Trier White's 6-3 win over Deerfield on November 1 in a North Central Division game played in Buffalo Grove. Foster, 15, a sophomore who lives in Glencoe, is in his first varsity season after playing for the Trevians' JV team last season. Foster's White Trevians kicked off November with a road win. They led 2-0 after the first and 4-1 after two.  At 11:51 of the third period, Foster made it 5-1. Yes, Foster the goalie made it 5-1; he scored his first career goal as a netminder. READ MORE>>

Player of the Month

Claire Sammons - Sabre Hockey

Coach of the Month

Brian Boll - Northern Express

Volunteer of the Month

Emily Petersen

The Chicago Blackhawks and BMO Harris Bank are committed to honoring our hockey community by congratulating each month during the season, a Youth Hockey Player, Amateur Hockey Coach and a Hockey Volunteer. Click HERE for more information and nomination form.

Pictured left to right: Pam Piarowski-Senior Vice President Finance, BMO Financial Corporation, Grey Small-Oak Park River Forest player saved by Emily Petersen, Emily Petersen-Volunteer, IHOA, Claire Sammons-Player, Sabres Hockey Club, Brian Boll-Coach, Northern Express, Spencer Montgomery-Youth Hockey Coordinator, Annie Camins-Youth Hockey Director

The Chicago Blackhawks have partnered with Ice Hockey Systems to launch the Chicago Blackhawks Coaches Club (CBCC), which offers coaches over 400 comprehensive animated drills and practice plans via computer, tablet or smart phone. CBCC membership benefits include exclusive tips from the Blackhawks coaching staff, behind-the-scenes videos of the Blackhawks practices and locker rooms and monthly Blackhawks ticket giveaways. Coaching videos will feature Head Coach Joel Quenneville, Assistant Coaches Mike Kitchen and Kevin Dineen, Goaltending Coach Jimmy Waite and Blackhawks Hall of Famer Denis Savard, in addition to guest college and youth hockey coaches; Blackhawks Strength and Conditioning Coach Paul Goodman will provide off-ice training tips. Additionally, members can submit questions to the Blackhawks coaching staff online via the Coaches Blog. Proceeds from the membership will benefit the Eddie Olczyk Award, which offers funding to youth hockey players in Illinois who may not have the means to play otherwise.