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Volume 3 Issue 25
April 27, 2016
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ILLINOIS TAKES CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE AT AMERICA'S SHOWCASE
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By Mike Mullally ~ Team Illinois accelerated into the finals of the America's Showcase, held at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center in Pittsburgh, PA, this past weekend, defeating a great Wisconsin team on Monday (4-2) to bring home the Championship title.
The showcase team was led by coaches, Jon Grzbek (Benet Academy), Dave Dyson (OPRF), Nick Iaciancio (Providence Catholic) and Mark Mullally (Naperville Central), who brought together a tremendously talented and unselfish Illinois squad who just a month earlier were fierce opponents. The players were not led by any one individual, but came together to "be the best team Illinois has ever had", as one veteran observer put it. Jake Rott was named tournament MVP, and any number of Illinois players could have followed him to the podium. Click HERE for Team Illinois Roster. The pride and performance of every player was noted by the number of hockey scouts outside the locker room after each and every game. Each player and their parent should be extremely proud of the performance both on and off the ice of these young men. READ MORE>>
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SAVE THE DATE!
The AHAI Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2016. More information will be coming soon! |
TIER I TRYOUT SCHEDULE
Please click the Tier I logo above to view/print the 2016 Tier I Tryout Schedule.
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AHAI COMPLETES BOYS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT CAMP!
The 2016 Amateur Hockey Association Player Development/ Identification Tryout Camp concluded the weekend of April 8th. As determined by the ranking process which started in January, the Head Coaches of Tier I, Tier II. Prep and High School Varsity, assembled the top IL players in the 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 birth years for this Player Development Camp. The players who participated should be very proud of their accomplishments. Only 36 Forwards, 24 Defensemen and 8 goalies were selected per birth year to participate in this AHAI Player Development Camp. READ MORE>>
Click HERE for the list of players who received an invitation to attend the Central District Select 14, 15, 16 and 17 Player Development Festivals/Camps.
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PLAYERS, CLUBS & LEADERS IN THE NEWS
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 MURRAY RECEIVES PEGGY FIKIS BEST GOALTENDER AWARD AT AMERICA'S SHOWCASE Amelia Murray received the Peggy Fikis Best Goaltender Award on Saturday, April 16, 2016, at the America's Showcase in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Murray, who backstops for both the Chicago Young Americans 19U AAA and Upper Fox Valley Girls High School teams, was a member of Team Illinois/Rocky Mountain District. AHAI congratulates Amelia on receiving this prestigious award!
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 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS BLIND HOCKEY TEAM CONCLUDES INAUGURAL SEASON By Sandra Di Monte ~ The Blind Hockey season started quietly as a try-hockey event on November 14, 2015, to gauge interest in the sport. The response was so positive, AHAI, USA Hockey and the Chicago Blackhawks threw their support behind the team, and the Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey team was born. The players are all legally blind and range in age from 5 to 40-plus.
 They arrive with experience from learn-to-skate to some players having played on a hockey team previously. The Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey Team skates out of Center Ice of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Over the ten-week season the players got to know how to put on their gear, hit the ice and work with one another, passing the puck, communicating position and having fun. The remarkable progress made by the players in such a short time can be credited to their hard work and practice, as well as the excellent coaching staff lead by Mike Svac. READ MORE>> |
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HEARING IMPAIRMENT NO FACTOR FOR NAPERVILLE'S HANNAH GARCIA
By Wright Wilson ~ Hannah Garcia's take on hockey sounds like typical advice for any budding young player. "Make sure you know where the puck is, and your head is up, and you know what's going on around you," she said. "Just make sure you're in a good spot where you can hear and see what's going on. The main idea is just to make sure you know what's happening." Garcia isn't a coach - not yet, anyway - she's a teenage hockey player with a hearing impairment. READ MORE>>
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GULSTENE & KLICZKO TO ATTEND
WOMEN'S NATIONAL GOALTENDING DEVELOPMENT CAMP
By USA Hockey ~ USA Hockey announced that it will conduct its second annual U.S. Women's National Team Goaltending Development Camp from May 12-15, 2016 at Schwan's Super Center in Blaine, Minnesota. The camp consists of 18 of the top female goaltenders who are eligible for international play, including Alex Gulstene (Evanston, Ill.) who led Team USA to gold at the 2016 IIHF Under-18 Women's World Championship. READ MORE>>
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 CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS SPECIAL HOCKEY SENDS 35 PLAYERS TO ANNUAL DISABLED HOCKEY FESTIVAL
Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey (CBSH) had 35 players attend the 12th Annual USA Hockey Disabled Hockey Festival in Fraser, Michigan over the extended weekend of April 7-10, 2016. CBSH fielded three teams in the Special Hockey Division, one at each level, A, B and C. Each team played 3 games against teams with similar skills from across the nation. The mission of the Festival is to provide a fun and exciting weekend of hockey as well as promote and grow disabled hockey throughout the country.
"This event is such a wonderful opportunity for our kids to be a teammate, to be competitive, and to be with their friends playing the sport that they, and their families, love so much. It also provides the opportunity for families to spend time together and be full of pride for what their special athletes can do," said Angi Paravola, CBSH Registrar and Executive Director. Paravola's son, Cole, has played for CBSH for 11 years, but this was his first time attending the Disabled Festival. READ MORE>> |
AURORA UNIVERSITY TO ADD D2 ACHA CLUB MEN'S HOCKEY FOR 2016-17 SEASON
Aurora University, an NCAA Division III institution, has announced the creation of a second men's ice hockey club team. The new club will be a D2 ACHA men's team for the 2016-2017 season, while the current team will remain ACHA D3. With this new club sport, and the potential for more on the horizon, Ryan Buchanan has accepted the role of coordinator of club sports for AU. With the new administrative duties, Buchanan will step down from his head coaching duties with the AU NCAA men's hockey program. He will now handle the day-to-day operations of the ACHA D2 team. READ MORE>> |
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CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NEWS & INFORMATION
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 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! The McFetridge camp (July 11-15) is completely sold out; however, there are a few spots remaining at other camp locations. Click HERE for more information. Still have questions? Please email youthhockey@chicagoblackhawks.com or call 312-455-7620.
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SAVE THE DATE!
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS 2016 YOUTH 3v3 HOCKEY TOURNAMENT
This year's 3v3 Tournament will be held at Seven Bridges Ice Arena on August 5-6, 2016. Registration will open May 2, 2016.
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DEAR HOCKEY PARENTS...
Want to help make hockey better for your kids? Please consider having them participate in this survey (click button below) if they play on a 14U/Bantam - 19U/Midget Major team! The survey will take approximately 15-20 minutes. Your child could win a GoPro or $25 gift card from Total Hockey for taking the survey. I am a hockey player and coach doing research at the University of Illinois looking to improve the experiences of youth hockey players. Thank you for your help to make hockey better throughout Illinois! There is more information about this study on the first page of the survey. If you have any questions about the survey or this study, please contact Erin Morris at the University of Illinois at elmorri2@illinois.edu or 952-594-9068. Thank you!
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