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Volume 3 Issue 23
March 30, 2016
16 TEAMS TO REPRESENT ILLINOIS AT
USA HOCKEY'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS!
GOOD LUCK TEAMS!
TIER I GIRLS
Chicago Mission 14U
Chicago Young Americans 14U
Chicago Mission 16U
Chicago Young Americans 16U
Chicago Mission 19U**
Chicago Young Americans 19U

TIER II GIRLS
Chicago Bruins 14U
Vikings 16U
Sabre Hockey 19U
TIER I YOUTH
Chicago Mission 14U*
Team Illinois 14U
Chicago Mission 16U*
Chicago Fury 18U*



TIER II YOUTH
Falcons 14U
Chicago Blues 16U
Cyclones 18U

**Denotes 2015 defending National Champion
*Denotes 2016 Central District Kohlman Cup Champions
Our 2016 Special Edition State Champions Newsletter! It includes a complete wrap-up of all Tier I and Tier II Girls and Youth State Champions as well as High School Varsity and Junior Varsity wrap-ups by Ross Forman.
AHAI NEWS & INFORMATION
AHAI ANNOUNCES BOYS INVITEES TO USA HOCKEY PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CAMP TRYOUTS
AHAI announced the players to be invited to the AHAI Player Development Tryout / Identification Camp Weekend that will be held the weekend of April 8th - 10th, 2016 at the AHAI Center in Bensenville, Illinois. Players from the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 birth years were selected from recommendations from coaches and evaluators from around the State of Illinois. Players selected from this Camp will move onto the Central District Player Development Camp to be conducted May 6-8, 2016 in Darien, Illinois. Players will then be selected from this Camp to attend one of the USA Hockey Player Development Camps to be conducted over the summer at various locations.

 
2016 TEAM ILLINOIS AMERICA'S SHOWCASE ROSTER
AHAI congratulates the young men and women chosen to represent Illinois at the 2016 America's Showcase April 14-18, 2016 at the Robert Morris Island Sports Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

2015 - 2016 AHAI AWARDS & HONORS
Join AHAI in congratulating the following individuals on their achievement during the 2015-2016 hockey season. Awards were presented to recipients on Friday, March 18th at the United Center during the Illinois State High School Hockey Championships. Pictured left to right: John Dunne, AHAI President, Jacob Rott, Katelynn Russ, Conor Sedam, Nick Iaciancio, Jackie Kooistra, Steve Maltais and Annie Camins, Blackhawks Youth Hockey Director.

Jacob Rott - Providence Catholic High School
JJ O'Connor Boys' H.S. Player of the Year

Katelynn Russ - Upper Fox Valley H.S.
Cammie Granato Girls' H.S. Player of the Year

Steve Maltais - Chicago Jets
Youth Coach of the Year
Jackie Kooistra - St. Jude Girls Hockey
Girls' Coach of the Year

Nick Iaciancio - Providence Catholic H.S.
Boys' H.S. Coach of the Year

Conor Sedam - Loyola Academy
Girls' H.S. Coach of the Year
MARCH PHOTO OF THE MONTH TOP 5!
Your votes have been counted and the Top 5 Photos for March have been selected! Congratulations to our winners! Click HERE to view our 15 Finalists and visit AHAI's Facebook Page to see all photos submitted in March!
Max Cook
St. Jude, Squirt
Nathan Tracy
St. Jude, Squirt


AHAI's Photo of the Month contest is over for the season, but will be back in the Fall of 2016!

Still want to share your pics? We are happy to post them on our Facebook Page. Email photos to Gretchen Cockey at gretchen@ahai2.org!
Nathan Novak
Canlan Rebels, Squirt
Jakob Malasig
Northern Express, PeeWee Major
Donovan Hicks
Midwest Blackbirds, 
Squirt 2
ASK THE OFFICIAL BY DAVE ZEDNIK
QUESTION: During play, Team A inadvertently plays while having six players plus a goalkeeper on the ice. When the team gains possession of the puck the Referee stops the play and assesses a bench minor penalty for "too many players on the ice." The Coach vehemently protests the call and is subsequently assessed an additional bench minor penalty before the ensuing face-off. May the Coach designate the same player to serve both bench minor penalties?

ANSWER: No. Rule Reference 402(b). The team must designate two players who were on the ice at the time of the infractions, except a goalkeeper, to serve these penalties. READ MORE>>
ILLINOIS HOCKEY HALL OF FAME BIO SERIES
TIM MATTILA, BUILDERS CATEGORY
Tim Mattila was born in San Bernardino, California in 1958. He moved to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin in 1969 where he was introduced to ice hockey. Tim was on the very first Varsity high school hockey team in Sun Prairie in 1974. He was a multi-sport Varsity athlete, also playing quarterback on the football team and catcher on the baseball team. In college, he played 2 years of baseball and 2 years of hockey at UW-Eau Claire while completing a comprehensive major in marketing. Tim married his high school sweetheart, Tammy, in 1981 and moved to Rockford, Illinois to pursue his career in dental sales. READ MORE>>
TOM MILLER, BUILDERS CATEGORY
Tom Miller grew up in Northbrook, IL where he started hockey after he saw his older brothers play. At age 5, he started playing for the Northbrook Blues, now the Bluehawks at Meadow Hill outdoor rink. He played his youth hockey for the Blues and high school hockey for Glenbrook North. Tom started coaching at Glenbrook North as an assistant coach for the varsity team. He coached at Glenbrook North for the following twelve years, nine of which was with his older brother Bob Miller. He then became the hockey director of the Northbrook program and started working with the younger kids. READ MORE>>

PLAYERS, LEADERS & CLUBS IN THE NEWS
RICH BUTERA RETIRES FROM USA HOCKEY
Rich Butera, who has been the USA Hockey Central District Risk Manager since the position was created in 1989, recently retired after four decades of service. Mr. Butera's dedication to service was celebrated at a luncheon at the Rose Garden Cafe in Elk Grove on March 20, 2016. Jim Smith, President of USA Hockey (standing right) and Norm Spiegel (standing left) presented Mr. Butera (seated) with USA Hockey's Lifetime Achievement Award for his 40-plus years of service to Illinois, the Central District and USA Hockey. AHAI Congratulates Rich Butera on this great honor!
DR. ELIZABETH PIEROTH RECEIVES USA HOCKEY'S 2016  EXCELLENCE
IN SAFETY AWARD
AHAI congratulates Dr. Elizabeth Pieroth for being named the 2016 recipient USA Hockey's Excellence in Safety Award. Dr. Pieroth is a Board Certified Neuropsychologist and the Associate Director of the Sports Concussion Program at NorthShore University HealthSystem. She is also the Concussion Specialist for the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bears, Chicago Fire, and Chicago White Sox. Dr. Pieroth was instrumental in creating the A Step aHead Program, AHAI's free baseline testing initiative to combat one of the most common head injuries: concussions. READ MORE>>
KENDALL COYNE WINS 2016 PATTY KAZMAIER MEMORIAL AWARD
Kendall Coyne (Palos Heights, Ill.), a senior forward from Northeastern University, was awarded the 2016 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award here today at Wentworth By The Sea as part of the NCAA Women's Frozen Four weekend. The award, which is in its 19th year, is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey by The USA Hockey Foundation. Coyne was selected from a group of top-three finalists that included senior forward Alex Carpenter (North Reading, Mass./Boston College) and junior goaltender Ann-Renee Desbiens(La Malbaie, Que./University of Wisconsin). READ MORE>>
AURORA UNIVERSITY TO ADD WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY AS VARSITY SPORT IN 2017-18
By Aurora University Athletics ~ Aurora University, an NCAA Division III institution, announced the addition of women's ice hockey to the varsity sport offerings at AU. Women's ice hockey will begin in the 2017-2018 season and become AU's 23rd collegiate sport. "Women's hockey was a natural fit as we continuously look for ways to accommodate the interests and abilities of prospective students," said Director of Athletics Jim Hamad. "We recognize that there are many high school students looking for an opportunity to play competitive hockey at the intercollegiate level while enjoying a quality educational experience. Hockey roots run deep in the greater Chicago area and this is another exciting opportunity for students at AU and the campus community." READ MORE>>
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NEWS & INFORMATION
IT'S SUMMER CAMP TIME!
Registration for the 2016 Youth Hockey Summer Camps is NOW OPEN! Camp highlights include 2 on-ice sessions per day which will focus on individual skill development, positional and team play through combination drills, stations and controlled scrimmages, daily off-ice training sessions, high staff-to-player ratio which include Blackhawks Alumni and staff and a jersey for every camper! Click HERE for more information. Still have questions? Please email youthhockey@chicagoblackhawks.com or call 312-455-7620.
FEBRUARY CAPTAINS SPOTLIGHT:
REGOVIC, WILKE, CROWLEY & CUTRONE
The Captain Spotlight is a Youth hockey initiative that features 4 local high school hockey captains per month. These captains are invited to a Blackhawks game and are interviewed on the defining characteristics of what makes a good leader. 
FEBRUARY REFEREE SPOTLIGHT:
AJ RAHM & JEREMY BILECKI
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 fifth spotlight are AJ Rahm and Jeremy Bilecki. They attended the game vs. the San Jose Sharks on February 9, 2016.
BMO HARRIS BANK PLAYER, COACH & VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH
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. Congratulations to Joey Jaloway (Geneva Cyclones) - Player of the Month, Rick Rooney (Chicago Hawks) - Coach of the Month, and Shannon Wright (HIFE, Puck Cancer) - Volunteer of the Month!

(Pictured left to right: Alex Dousmanis-Curtis, Group Head, U.S. Retail and Business Banking, BMO Harris Bank; Joey Jaloway, Geneva Cyclones; Rick Rooney, Chicago Hawks; Shannon Wright, HIFE and Puck Cancer; Spencer Montgomery, Blackhawks Youth Hockey Coordinator; Annie Camins, Blackhawks Youth Hockey Director

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