Find out how YOUR team can be part of the largest youth hockey photo ever taken in Illinois! It's all happening at the High School State Championships at the United Center. Click HERE for full details! |
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Volume 2 Issue 21
February 18, 2015
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LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT: DO YOU WANT TO BE A VIDEO STAR?
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 Want to Be a Video Star?
It's that time of the season when the pressure of playoffs, state tournament, or the frustration of a not-so-successful season translates into tempers that are short and emotions that are high. Over the last 2 weeks there have been 16 reported incidents of abuse of officials. Now I'm not talking about your everyday zero tolerance that for no good reason seems to be acceptable throughout local hockey, I mean police were called, lives threatened and physical confrontations ensued. The culprits included players, coaches and parents.
AHAI records indicate that there is a very noticeable increase in incident and game reports this season. Game reports are filed by an official to report on-ice penalties that incur Game Misconducts or Match penalties. Game reports then go to the AHAI Suspension Committee for review. Players, coaches or teams that incur multiple penalties over a period of time are subject to a review meeting with the Suspension Committee.
 An incident report is also filed by the official anytime there is an incident that does not involve an on-ice penalty. Incident reports are designed to notify AHAI and the clubs of potential issues. Incident reports may include a report of an injury to a player, bad rink or ice conditions that make play unsafe, a fight in the stands or maybe a coach threatening an opposing player. But most recently the verbal and/or physical threats towards officials, coach-on-coach or parents against parents has skyrocketed.
I don't have a reason for this, but I do know it must stop! I don't think anyone goes into a rink thinking I can't wait to threaten another person. Sometimes that person is a kid who might be 15 years old. One coach asked me, "How would you feel if some out of control adult were screaming at your kid?" You get the point; bad behavior on anyone's part, whether players, coaches, administrators or parents is just wrong. READ MORE>>
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BLACKHAWKS TICKET WINNER!
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Congratulations to Jim Porter, Sabre Hockey Silver Mite 6 Dad! Jim was the lucky winner of 2 100 Level tickets to the Blackhawks vs. Panthers game on February 24th!
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Ask AHAI
QUESTION: What is up with changes to Girls Hockey in Illinois? I heard AHAI is going to get rid of AAA Girls hockey? - Concerned Parent of a AAA Girls Player.
ANSWER: What you have heard is completely false. I am often surprised at how information like this gets into the hockey community, but let me put it to rest. The AHAI Board has not and would not consider such a structural change as eliminating AAA Girls Hockey. The AHAI Board is looking for the best structure for Girls Hockey. In talking to John Dunne, President of AHAI, he stated, "the AHAI Board has been in discussion as to how to improve the structure of the girls' hockey landscape in Illinois. READ MORE>>
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Ask the Official
QUESTION: Two opposing players skate into the corner in an effort to move the puck out of the corner. During their attempts, a third player takes more than two strides and charges into the opposing player who is attempting to move the puck. Should the Referee stop play?
ANSWER: Yes. Rule Reference 632(a Note). The Referee must stop play the instant he realizes that unnecessary contact will result from allowing the play to continue. If contact is made in this instance, he must assess a penalty to the third player who entered the corner for the charging infraction. READ MORE>>
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DON'T MISS RED ARMY!
The country's top critics and hockey fans alike are raving about RED ARMY, directed by Chicago native and former Winnetka Warrior Gabe Polsky. WAYNE GRETZKY said about RED ARMY: "It truly is a remarkable show...even if you're not a hockey fan." Listen to the Great One rave about the movie here! SCOTTY BOWMAN called the film "A must see whether you like sports or not. Easily one of the best hockey films ever."
Music Box Theatre at Chicago
AMC River East 21 at Chicago
Landmark Renaissance Place at Highland Park
RED ARMY is the perfect movie for the whole family! Last week, Minneapolis fans lined up around the block to catch the film. ILLINOIS: LET'S TOP MINNESOTA!
CONTEST: Two lucky winners will receive a RED ARMY poster signed by director Gabe Polsky- just send a photo of your RED ARMY ticket stub to gretchen@ahai2.org by February 28, 2015 and you could win!
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Try Hockey For Free!
Saturday, Feb. 21, is "Try Hockey Day," sponsored by the National Hockey League. Hundreds of rinks nationwide will host Try Hockey for Free clinics, presented by Kraft, allowing thousands of children to experience hockey for the first time. In Illinois Try Hockey for Free Events are scheduled 9 Illinois Locations.
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Nominate Your Coach!
AHAI recognizes that Illinois Hockey is comprised not only of incredible players, but also of great Boys' and Girls' High School and Youth/Girls' Hockey Coaches that guide our teams both on and off the ice. Nominate your coach today. Hurry! Deadline to nominate is Friday, February 20, 2015.
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Photo of the Month
There is still time to enter AHAI's February Photo of the Month Contest. Send your pics to gretchen@ahai2.org.
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 All-Time Illinois National Champions & Runners-Up List With the Illinois State Hockey Championships right around the corner, we thought it would be fun to take a look at all the past National Champions and Runners-Up from Illinois. Since 1976 Illinois has won 31 National Championship titles and claims 31 Runners-Up finishes. Overall Illinois ranks 4th in the National Championship titles after Michigan (118), Massachusetts (84) and Minnesota (32).
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ILLINOIS STATE HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS & INFORMATION
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Check out the "Countdown to State" Special Edition e-Newsletter! It has links to all High School, Tier II, Tier I and Girls' Brackets, Midwest Pee Wee Regional info, The Cube live-streaming information for Red, White, Girls and Combined High School Varsity, a look at the Illinois State Champions from 2014 and Much More!!! READ NOW>>
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2015 Adult State Tournament Information
 AHAI announces that the 2015 Men's and Women's State Tournament at various adult levels (Multiple Men's and Women's Divisions for all skill levels, Novice/Rec, CII, CI, B, A) will take place at the Darien Sportsplex from April 23-26, 2015. The Adult State Tournament is open to Adult (21+) Men & Women USA Hockey registered players and teams who played at least 8 games together in the 2014-2015 season, or non-USA league teams and players that wish to become USA Hockey members before the Tournament. Players may play on only one team in the Tournament. This year's Adult State Tournament promises to be the best ever in the history of AHAI! READ MORE>>
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Photos by Sully Available During the Tier II & Girls "Super Weekend"
Teams, don't miss out on an exciting opportunity to take home an action photo disc of your championship game taken by official AHAI photographer, Photos by Sully. The action photo disc includes digital images from your game including photos of your players and team receiving awards as well as action shots of your championship game. Pre-orders are now being taken. Action photo disc will be available after your game. Please note that NO action shots will be taken during your game unless the action photo disc is purchased. Click HERE for more details regarding pricing and/or to download pre-order form. Questions? Email info@photosbysully.com.
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Live Stream Your Illinois Hockey State Tournament Games on The Cube!
Start capturing and watching your hockey events LIVE in HD - absolutely FREE! The Cube is so easy you can broadcast using The Cube app and your iPhone, iPad or DROID device or use the traditional broadcasting equipment you already own. Your events are automatically recorded plus you can create highlight clips so everyone can relive those moments over and over. Click HERE for more information. Check out the "Countdown to State" Special Edition for a listing of semi-final and final High School Varsity games that will be streamed live!
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Illinois High School Hockey League News
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West Round Robin Seeding Play Complete
Illinois West High School Hockey has completed the round robin seeding play following their regular season. After completing the regular season, IWHSH divides both Varsity and Junior Varsity into two brackets each for round robin play. READ MORE for Final Standings.
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Meet Jake Rott, CCHL Player of the Month
The Chicago Catholic Hockey League (CCHL) is proud to present its January Player of the Month award to Providence Catholic's sophomore forward, Jake Rott.The 6'3 right wing posted 9 goals and 4 assists in 6 league games during January helping the Celtics to a 5-1-0 record. READ MORE>>
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Scholastic Hockey League
All League Teams
The Scholastic Hockey League has announced their 2014-2015 All League Teams! Congratulations to this year's selections and honorable mentions!
Click HERE to view team selections.
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IHSHL North Central Division News
 As of this writing the Champions Varsity division is down to just 5 teams. Regular season champs New Trier Blue advanced with two convincing victories over Loyola Maroon without surrendering a goal, taking game 1 by a score of 4-0 and game 2 by a final of 6-0. Highland Park defeated New Trier White in 2 straight games. Maine also took down Crystal Lake South in 2 games. The final quarter-final series has BGHW and Evanston at 1 game apiece with the rubber game 3 set for February 17th. Below we'll preview the semi-finals series. READ MORE>>
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New Senior Night Pictures Posted! Grab a Tissue and Check Them Out!
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2015 Boys' and Girls' All-State Teams
 With approximately 3,300 young men and women playing High School hockey in the state of Illinois, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be named one of the 40 AHAI All-State players. Congratulations, skaters! Click HERE for Boys' Roster. Click HERE for Girls' Roster. Photos courtesy of Photos by Sully. Visit AHAI's Facebook Page to view more photos! Click on The Cube logo on the left to watch both games and video highlights!
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ILLINOIS CLUBS & PLAYERS IN THE NEWS
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2015 Central States Champions!
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Squirt Major
Falcons
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PeeWee Minor
Falcons
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PeeWee Major
Affton
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Bantam Minor
Chesterfield
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Bantam Major
Affton
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Midget Minor U15
Sabres
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Midget Minor U16
Cyclones
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Midget Major U18
Cyclones
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Click HERE to view Runners-up and Full-Size Photos!
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Coyne Rostered to U.S. Women's National Team
2014 Olympic Silver Medalist and Palos Heights native, Kendall Coyne has been chosen as part of the 23-player roster for the U.S. Women's National Team that will compete in the 2015 International Ice Hockey Federation Women's World Championship, March 28 to April 4, at Malmo Isstadion in Malmo, Sweden. READ MORE>>
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Small-Area Training Yields Big Dividends for Jaguars
By USA Hockey When Greg Stornello was appointed hockey director for the Jaguar Hockey Club in Joliet, Ill., he had one major goal that can be summed up in two words: player development. "Since I've been here, I've been more into player development instead of just getting teams into the building," said Stornello, who was appointed hockey director in 2010. READ MORE>>
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Mission Alum, Hartman Makes NHL Debut
According to Eric Lear of Chicago Blackhawks TV, Ryan Hartman's NHL debut was "a big hit." Check out Lear's interview of Chicago Mission Alum, Hartman on his 3-1 Blackhawks win over New Jersey on Friday, February 13.
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 Chicago Blackhawks Youth Hockey Referee Spotlight
By Spencer Montgomery
The Youth Hockey Referee Spotlight highlights two amateur hockey referees from Illinois per month and gives them the opportunity to attend a Blackhawks game and meet the NHL refs prior to puck drop. The impact and contribution of youth referees in hockey is as important as the players, and this is a great opportunity to reward them for their contributions. Featured in the third spotlight are Cory Lamasky and Justin Pirard. They attended the game vs. the Phoenix Coyotes on February 9, 2015. READ MORE>>
Pictured left to right: TJ Luxmore, Justin Pirard, Greg Devorski, Cory Lamasky, Wes McCauley, Bryan Pancich
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ILLINOIS HOCKEY HALL OF FAME
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 2014 IHHF Bio Series: John Murphy, Players' Category
My hockey career started when I was approximately seven years old. My school organized a field trip to Northbrook Ice Arena where the Chicago Blackhawks were holding a practice. I thought the Jersey and logo were the greatest symbol in professional sports, and from that point forward I imagined myself wearing a Blackhawks Jersey.
As my youth hockey days went, I could always count on a backyard ball hockey game or a basement crease hockey game after a 5:00 a.m. skate with the ever-so-famous Wally Kormylo at the Bath & Tennis Club. My brother, Bill was always organizing a game which included most of the neighborhood who, like myself, thought and played as if each game were a Stanley Cup playoff situation. READ MORE>>
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2015 Labatt Blue/USA Hockey Pond Hockey Championships!
Congratulations to the Six Illinois Champions!
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Wolfpack
Intermediate 21+
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Pepper's Lemont Auto
50 Tier 2
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Manitou Island Selects
Beginner
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Flying W
40 Tier 1
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Euroteam
Intermediate 30+
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Cheeps
Bronze 21+
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Overall there were 122 teams from Illinois in 16 Divisions. Congratulations to the Wolfpack, Euroteam, Cheeps, Manitou Island Selects, Flying W and Pepper's Lemont Auto for their 1st place finishes in their divisions. READ MORE>>
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Championship Schedule
Girls Division - 9:00 a.m.
Boys Red Division - 12:00 p.m. - live on Comcast SportsNet
Boys Combined Division - 3:00 p.m.
Guidelines
All youth hockey players wearing their current jersey at the Illinois High School Hockey Championships will take a picture on the ice after the Red Division Championship. Participants must purchase a $5 ticket to the Illinois High School Hockey Championships through the youth hockey organization's link provided by the Chicago Blackhawks (ask your team manager for your organization's code). Call 312.455.7000 for more details.
Youth Hockey Organization Awards
Organization with the highest attendance will receive a full game-day scrimmage experience at the United Center during the 2015-16 season. Organizations with the 2nd and 3rd highest attendance will receive a private tour of the Chicago Blackhawks Locker Room. Organizations with the 4th and 5th highest attendance will watch a Chicago Blackhawks practice at the United Center.
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Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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