more good things in store for jr. kings unassuming

AMERICANU.S. National Team calls on four of California's finestBEAUTIES

CaliRubber.com

California’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline Hockey

More good things in store for Jr. KingsUnassuming Laricchia the wheel dealHigh hopes reign at San Jose StateSemchuk leads Fresno’s youth charge

INSIDE:

VOLUME 2 ISSUE 2 October 2008

CaliRubber.com 3

Inside...Billy Faust and the entire LA Jr. Kings program have plenty to look forward to this season (see story on Page 14).

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On the cover:California’s USA Hockey National Team Development Program contingent, from left, Shane Sooth, Emerson Etem, Chase Balisy and Matt NietoPhoto / Robert J. Meyer

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More Californians head north to WHL

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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1 January 2008California’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline Hockey

inauguralissue

ave of opportunityCalifornia continues to groom emerging talent

Haley works way to Division I deal

PIHA rolls into Northern CaliforniaInterview: CAHA’s Charles Fuertsch

SDSU evolving into national power



Locals rally to save Berkeley Iceland

Jr. Kings’ McColgan on fast track

Interview: AHC’s Ben Frank

Ducks’ Marchant one of the good guys

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 4 April 2008

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Path to PromiseThe LA Selects have established themselves as one of the top developmental programs in the country

California’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline HockeyVOLUME 1 ISSUE 5 Spring 2008

Interview:Kevin Culbertson

Inline student-athletes honored

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S UTHERN

Hockey’s future in San Diego is brighter than ever

LA Selects celebratenational title

Stoddardrecognized for charitable work

EXP SURE

Photos / Frank Deines III/Everett Silvertips

California players’ presence is being felt in the Western Hockey

League more than ever this season. A California Rubber study of ros-ters from team Web sites and news releases reveals that 20 of the 40 U.S.-born players in the WHL at the start of the 2008-09 season are Cali-fornia natives or played their youth hockey in California. That’s up from 16 last season. The percentage also climbed from 42 percent of U.S.-born players to half. Three Southern California clubs

- L.A. Hockey Club/L.A. Selects, the Los Angeles Junior Kings and the California Wave - provided seven newcomers. Everett forwards Tyler Parker and Markus McCrea and Koote-nay defenseman Tyler Vanscourt played for LA Hockey and Selects. Everett forward Tyler Maxwell and

Kamloops defenseman Brandon Underwood played for the Junior

Kings and the Selects. Kamloops forward Uriah Machuga and

Lethbridge forward Brandon Brossoit played for the Wave.

Two Californians switched teams. Defen-

seman Cameron Cepek, a 2006

Montreal Canadiens

draft pick who attended Detroit Red Wings training camp as a free agent and played on their prospects tourna-ment team in Traverse City, Mich., last month, was acquired in a trade by Prince George after playing last season in Edmonton. Center Matt Sokol signed with Saskatoon after splitting last season with Portland and Prince George. Two Californians aged out: Moose Jaw goalie Joey Perricone and Regina center Tim Kraus. Perricone signed with the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL. Kraus’s younger broth-er, Kevin, is playing with Vernon in the British Columbia Junior League this season. Other notable returnees among the Californians are three recent NHL Entry Draft picks: Kelowna center Colin Long, whose 100 points were second in the WHL by one point; Vancouver defenseman Jonathon Blum, whose 63 points were second among defensemen; and Spokane center Mitch Wahl, who was 21st in the league in scoring (73 points) but more importantly helped the Chiefs win the Canadian Hockey League’s Memorial Cup in June. See the complete list of Califor-nians playing in the NAHL, USHL and WHL at CaliRubber.com.

- Chris Bayee

Manhattan Beach’s Tyler Maxwell is playing for the Everett Silvertips this season.

CaliRubber.com 5

Interview

A hockey dad turned administra-tor, Lance Burrow was recently

appointed president of the Northern California Junior Hockey Association. California Rubber’s Brian McDonough caught up with Burrow to get his take on where hockey is headed up north. California Rubber: How did you first get involved in the California hockey scene?Lance Burrow: I became involved like most others - as a hockey parent when my two sons decided they wanted to play the game, first as in-house players and later as travel and tier players. Being a resident of San Jose and having friends who were already play-ing in-house at Sharks Ice San Jose, it was just natural that my boys started their hockey with the Jr. Sharks. I had previously been heavily involved in Pop Warner football and was fa-miliar with youth sports organizations, both as a coach and as an administrator, so it was a natural transition into the organizational structure of the Jr. Sharks organization. I first volunteered to be the vice president of the organization, which involved ice scheduling and other duties. When Jill Miller decided to step down as presi-dent, I became the travel president until recently when I was elected president of NorCal. CR: Talk about your role as NorCal’s president? Have you set any expectations or goals?LB: My role is spelled out in our Bylaws and to be blunt, it sounds like a boring job when one reads the actual job description. However, I would like to see the organization become more involved in the growth and prosperity of youth hockey in Northern California. While I come from the Jr. Sharks organization, which has been described as the “1,000-pound gorilla” or the “Walmart” of youth hockey in the North, I don’t bleed Sharks teal. I recognize that for the sport to prosper, all of the youth hockey organizations in the North have to prosper as well. We’re lucky in that there are a number of excellent youth hockey organizations with lots of tradition behind them. The Santa Clara Blackhawks, the Tri-Valley Blue Devils and the California Cougars are excellent organizations with long traditions of winning and hockey excellence, not to mention the Santa Rosa Flyers and the Fresno Jr. Falcons, as well as the Capital Thunder and the Stockton Colts. Recently, the Vacaville Jets have come on the scene and so too has South Lake Tahoe. Despite the fact that youth hockey has suffered lower turnouts nationwide, such is not the case here in California, which is experiencing continued interest in and growth of the sport.

Interview Continued / Page 26

Wave Makersb Kyle Delaurell, from Mission Viejo, finished as the NAHL Show-case Tournament’s leading scorer last month in Minnesota with nine points (three goals) for the Wichita Falls (Texas) Wildcats. He was named to the All-Tournament Team for his efforts. b San Clemente native Brandon Richardson finished tied for the top spot in scoring at the last month’s USHL Fall Classic in Sioux City, Iowa, striking for three goals and three assists in three games for the Indiana Ice. b Long Beach’s Shawn Jameson was named to the NAHL Showcase All-Tournament Team after record-ing five assists from the blue line for the Wichita Falls (Texas) Wildcats. b Forward Sam Cimino and defen-seman Ben Paulides were named to the NAHL Future Prospects All-Tournament Team after leading the San Jose Jr. Sharks’ U18 squad to the event’s championship game last month in Minnesota.

Lance Burrow

NorCal president

Play Hockey in College: RightFitHockey.com

LA Hockey Club President James GasseauLos Angeles Kings Prospect Gabe Gauthier

Anaheim Jr. Ducks President Art Trottier

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By Matt Mackinder

It used to be that players from tra-ditional hockey hotbeds dotted the

rosters of the United States National Team Development Program. But in looking at this year’s Under-17 lineup, four players from California are listed, giving notice that the Golden State is slowly, but surely, becoming a place to be looked at for hockey development and recruiting. The players - forwards Chase Balisy, Emerson Etem, Matt Nieto and Shane Sooth - all bring a different ingredient to the NTDP, all played together with LA Hockey Club and all are held in high re-gard by the program’s staff and junior scouts alike. Ed Roberts, scouting coordina-tor for Red Line Junior, believes that this California foursome might just be the proverbial tip of the iceberg when it comes to the state’s development of quality players. “As more California kids have the chance to play for their country, the incentive for younger players grows,” said Roberts. “They see that carrot of playing internationally for the U.S. more tangibly, as it’s ‘one of us’ play-ing now, someone you may know or have seen around the rinks. That’s a great incentive for a young kid, having heroes and goals that you know and are attainable.” And that local success will most likely translate into even more of a fertile breeding ground, says Roberts. “Kids aren’t being forced to leave at young ages in order to continue their hockey development, so in a way players at the Midget and even Bantam level can stay and become role models of sorts for the younger kids in the local youth programs,” he added.

Each player also has his own story to tell about humble beginnings and the trek to Ann Arbor, Mich., with an eye on the future as well.

Chase Balisy Balisy played last year in Canada and won the OHL Cup showcase tournament in March with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens. He said he hoped to get noticed enough to earn a tryout for the NTDP and when that time came, Balisy didn’t disappoint. “The moment they offered me a spot I was extremely excited because my goal the whole year was to

make this team and I couldn’t have been any happier the way that it played out,” said Balisy, a Fullerton native. “This season, I really want to focus on getting stronger, quicker and just become a better overall hockey player. I think that this program gives you everything that you need to become better. You just have to take advantage of everything that you’re given and con-tinually work hard everyday in practice and during the off-ice workouts.” In his home state, Balisy played minor hockey for the Long Beach Jr. IceDogs, South Coast Sabres and the Anaheim Jr. Ducks. Things he remem-bers most are all the friends he made and all of his coaches who continually pushed him to become the player he is today. “I also miss showing up to the rink in the winter with sandals, shorts and a T-shirt on,” quipped Balisy, the senior member of the California quartet. Roberts found very little to com-plain about in Balisy’s game. “Balisy is a very high-skill for-ward,” said Roberts. “He has uncanny vision and can thread passes on the

tape as well as anyone in this age group.” It’s with his skill that Balisy hopes to take his career as far as he can. “College hockey is one of my goals, but I would have to say that my biggest goal would be to play in the NHL,” Balisy said.

Emerson Etem According to Roberts, Etem is “a very smooth, skilled player with excel-lent speed who can make things hap-pen with very limited space.” And he also impressed the NTDP brass in very limited time. “One weekend I was off playing games with Shattuck St. Mary’s and then at the end of the season during the NTDP final 40 tryout, I seemed to squeeze in two days where I could show all I had and then headed back over to Shattuck to complete the rest of my season,” Etem said. “After the tryout when I was noti-fied that I had made the team, I was excited and ready for a new challenge. Little did I know there would be four native Californians on the team, though.” Etem played on teams growing up in Long Beach with Balisy, Nieto and

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The Fab Four

Chase Balisy

Emerson Etem

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The Fab FourPh

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Sooth starting nearly 13 years ago. “Me and Nieto started roller hockey together at age 3 at the local YMCA,” said Etem. “From there I switched to ice and played for the Huntington Beach Sun Devils for Mite BB and then with Balisy with the IceDogs’ Squirt A team. “Then after a year rivaling with Matt’s team, we came together for the next four years playing up for the IceDogs’ Peewee AA team and after that for three years, me, Matt and Shane played for Sandy Gasseau’s LA Hockey Club’s Peewee and Bantam teams.” Etem also said deciding to play at Shattuck was for a new experience, but it’s worked out well to see where he is now. “I had a great time there and was fortunate to have Murray Eaves and Tom Ward as coaches,” Etem said. “Now the four of us are all back on this new and exciting team. It’s kind of fun to see everyone separate, then come back and all be on the same team again.”

Matt Nieto Being select-ed by the NTDP only furthers the fact that Nieto, the youngest of the four Califor-nia natives, has a desirable passion for the game. “It was a feel-ing I can’t explain,” Nieto said when he found out he made the Under-17 roster. “It was a huge goal of mine and to be able to represent my country in the sport I have a passion for is amazing.” What the Long Beach native wants most this season is to with the World

Under-17 Hockey Challenge, which will be held Dec. 29, 2008 – Jan. 4, 2009 in Port Alberni, British Columbia. “It’s the biggest tournament this year for us and to win that would be amazing just because you contributed to making your team the best in the world,” said Nieto. Nieto played for several high-level teams as a youth in California, but found his niche with LA Hockey Club from his Peewee AAA year through his Bantam AAA season. He played last year with Sooth at Salisbury Prep School in Salisbury, Conn. “The thing I remember most [about playing hockey in California] is how my coach, Sandy Gasseau, led us to nationals four years in a row and being a finalist each year,” said Nieto. College hockey is on Nieto’s mind for a future option, but warned against planning too far into the distant future. “Right now, my biggest goal is per-forming well at the NTDP the next two years and take it day by day,” he said. “I want to keep my head focused on the

present and not look to the future.” But whichever choic-es come Nieto’s way, one thing is for certain - the kid can play. “Nieto isn’t the big-gest kid (5-foot-11, 170 pounds), but has been one of the hardest-work-ing players on the ice each time I’ve watched him,” said Roberts. Shane Sooth Sooth is another alumni of the LA Hockey Club and also starred on the West Valley Wolves and Sylmar Tigers grow-

ing up in Canyon County. “What I remember most about playing hockey in California is that I always had a good time when I

went to the rink,” said Sooth, who also said he still cannot believe how far he’s come in such a short amount of time. “The feeling I had when I got the call that I made the squad cannot be put into words. It’s my dream to play for my country and it was a dream come true when that call came through saying I made the team. “I hope to win every single tourna-ment we enter and become the best team that we can be. For myself, I hope to better myself as a player and be the best as I can.” Roberts said Sooth has many solid attributes that could make him a top scorer for the NTDP this year. “Sooth has great size (6-foot, 170 pounds) and is one of the top snipers in his age group,” said Roberts. “He’s money when he gets the puck down low.” The NCAA route is a for-sure situ-ation Sooth intends to pursue before he starts to get pro hockey in his head. “College hockey is my biggest goal right now because you have to take one step at a time and college is the next step after the program,” Sooth said matter-of-factly. Sooth is also experiencing a reunion of sorts with Nieto and Etem as the three of them formed a potent line four years ago and led the L.A. Hockey Club to the 12-and-under Tier I national title game, where L.A. lost to the North Jersey Avalanche. b

Locals reunite for dream opportunity in Ann Arbor

Matt Nieto

Shane Sooth

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LA Jr. Kings

The Los Angeles Jr. Kings’ Midget 16 AAA team overcame a rough start en route to a championship at the Junior

Sharks AA/AAA Labor Day Kickoff Tournament. The Jr. Kings lost to the California Stars, 6-2, in their opener, but LA turned the tables in the title game, edging the Stars, 3-2. Nicholas Church made 40 saves against the Stars in the finale, Patrick Salmas had a goal and an assist and Kyle Schwartz, who had four goals and five assists in the tournament, scored what proved to be the winning goal. The Jr. Kings bounced back after the opening loss with round-robin victories over the Jr. Ducks (3-1), the Houston Wild (5-2) and Arizona Hockey Union (6-2). Jaren Taenaka, who had five goals and four assists for the tournament, rang up a goal and an assist and Joseph MacConnell stopped 17 of 18 shots in LA’s 3-1 semifinal vic-tory over Team Ohio. The Jr. Kings’ Midget 16 AA and Peewee AA teams both advanced to the championship games in their divisions. - Chris Bayee

16 AAA’s takes Labor Day tourney

California Heat

It was a productive trip to the San Jose Jr. Sharks’ Labor Day Kickoff for the California Heat, especially considering

it was the debut for the organization, which is the product of a tier alliance between the West Valley Wolves and the Valencia Express. The Bantam AA team set the first official win for the Heat organization in its first game, with the Midget 18AA and 16AA teams both following suit to win their first con-tests. Each Heat team reached the playoff, with the Bantam AA squad winning its division title. The Bantams beat the Beach City Lightning (9-4) in the semis and the California Wave (2-1) in the finals. “The boys came out a little slow in the tournament,” said Bantam AA head coach Peter Torsson, “but turned it on in the third game of the round robin and there was no stopping them from there.” The Wave game was a little nail-biter, admitted Torsson. “Our defense made very few mistakes,” he said. “We just had a hard time putting the puck in the net.”

- Joshua Boyd

First season starts on winning note

The Early Bird got the Oilers, and the Oilers got the worm.

That’s how it worked out for the SDIA Hockey Club’s Mite B team in the Anaheim Jr. Ducks’ Early Bird Tourna-ment over Labor Day Weekend. “This event is pretty well-known as it’s the first one of the season for most of the teams,” said Oilers hockey director Craig Sterling. In pool play, the team went 4-0 and then beat the Los Angeles Jr. Kings in the final, 5-2. Several players impressed Sterling during the tourna-ment. Eight finished in the top 25 in scoring, which reflects well on the Mite B team’s scoring depth. Tanner Kelly was the scoring leader for the tourna-ment and nabbed MVP honors, while Connor Noon (second overall in assists), Ryan Antonakis (two shorthanded goals) and Boyd Hall all finished in the top eight in tournament scoring. Forwards Seamus Radley and Stewart Pond and defensemen Tanner Gates and Cole Parker also finished in the top 25. Jack Thornton, Kamo Matsuo, Cole Rorick, Jake Belland, Ryan Lampeer and Oskari Vakki also delivered strong performances in Anaheim, with goalie Alec Clair posting the most saves in the tournament.

- Joshua Boyd

The Oilers’ Mites went a perfect 5-0 at the Anaheim Jr. Ducks’ Early Bird Tournament last month.

San Diego Ice Arena Hockey Club

Mite B’s celebrate Early Bird championship

CaliRubber.com 9

‘Shoot for Cure’ draws rave reviewsThe inaugural Orange Coun-

ty “Shoot for the Cure” fundraiser held last month at the 949 Roller Hockey Cen-ter in Irvine was a hit, rais-ing over $40,000 for cancer research. At the event, Anaheim Ducks defenseman Joe Di-Penta led a group of team-mates in hosting a skills clinic for hundreds of kids. “It was very successful,” said 949 president Eddie Limbaga. “Our goal was 100 participants and we had 130 plus a lot of family members, friends and other attendees.” Other Ducks in attendance were Chris Pronger, Scott Niedermayer, Ryan Getzlaf, George Parros, Andrew Ebbert, Todd Marchant and Brad May. Also at the event was Ducks forward Bobby Ryan, a longtime roller hockey player who was drafted into the NHL right behind Sidney Crosby in 2005. “Ryan lived in Upland and played for Team Dangerous of the Gretzky Center in La Verne,” Limbaga noted. The 949 pro shop was converted into the “VIP Club-

house” where Ducks players posed for pictures and signed autographs for fans. For the skills camp, all participants were provided with any hockey equipment they needed. “The players were awe-some; they interacted with the kids in such a candid way,” said Limbaga. “Each partici-pant had an opportunity to get up front and personal with almost every player, not just a select few.” Participants paid $100 and spectators paid $10 to have Ducks players work with the kids. There were trophies, hockey sticks, gift certificates and T-shirts given out in each age group.

Ducks mascot “Wild Thing” was also in attendance and a silent auction was held with Ducks tickets and autographed jerseys up for grabs. Proceeds from the event benefited the Children’s Hospital of Orange County and the American Cancer Society of Orange County.

- Alex Dodt

Brad May, left, and Scott Niedermayer interact with young fans at last month’s “Shoot for the Cure” fundraiser at 949 in Irvine.

ad_7.25x4.96.indd 1 8/8/08 10:35:31 AM

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San Jose Jr. Sharks

The San Jose Jr. Sharks hosted their fifth annual Labor Day Kickoff last month. Over 50 teams from across the

United States competied in seven different classifications. “The event was a great success; we saw great competi-tion over the course of four days,” said Jr. Sharks director of coaching Tony Zasowski. “It was the first time the event was played in a tournament format and that just added to the excitement.” Of the seven divisions, the Jr. Sharks brought home championships in four. San Jose won the Peewee AA, U18 AA and U18 AAA divisions. What’s more, the Bantam AAA team defeated the LA Jr. Kings two out of three games. Away from home, the Jr. Sharks’ U18 team advanced to the championship game of last month’s NAHL Future Pros-pects Tournament in Blaine, Minn. All-Tournament Team selection Sam Cimino finished with a team-high five points (three goals) in six games. “We’ve made a lot of changes coming into the season and we hope it’s a rewarding one for all our players,” said Zasowski.

- Brian McDonough

Four teams place first at Kickoff classic

Santa Clara Valley

Several teams from the Santa Clara Valley Hockey As-sociation got an early start on the season at Labor Day

tournaments throughout the state. Four Blackhawk teams - Bantam A2, Peewee A, Peewee B and Squirt B - took to the ice at the Ganza Tournament in Valencia, with the Peewee A team taking top honors in its division by beating the host Express, 5-1. “It was obviously a great way to start the season, but more importantly it was good to see the kids having fun and playing well together their first time out,” coach Ray Kel-lam said. The Peewee B Blackhawks took runner-up honors in their division, losing to the Bakersfield Dragons, 5-2, in the championship game. At the San Jose Labor Day Kickoff tournament, the Ban-tam A1 team finished 3-1 in the round robin before losing to the California Wave 14AA team in the semifinals, 6-2. And while some teams opted to stay idle, the Squirt A club headed to Lake Tahoe for a full slate of drills and team-building activities. - Norbert Tydingco

Seasons commence at Labor Day tourneys

For those growing up in the Midwest, Canada or on the East Coast, play-ing ice hockey is as easy as shoveling off a lake or pond and lacing up the skates.

In Northern California, transplants from these cold weather regions have a different option when introducing their own children to the sport of ice hockey - roller hockey. “Roller hockey may be the best forum in starting to play the game of hockey,” said Jerry Orlando, manager of Vacaville Ice Sports, home of the Vacaville Jets hockey program. One of the barriers to starting ice hockey for younger players in California as opposed to playing out east is the premium price paid for ice time. “Ice hockey is very expensive in California because of the cost of making and keeping ice,” said Orlando. “Roller hockey obviously doesn’t have these costs. This makes it affordable to the average family.” For kids wanting to move up to ice hockey, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later, though, as Jets’ Squirt Travel assistant Coach Matt Morton advises. Both of his sons, 9-year-old Sam and 11-year-old Tim, played roller before ice hockey. “It’s best to get them moved over by around 8 or 9 years old,” he said. “After that age, there are some ingrained habits that players have from roller hockey that are harder to break for ice hockey, such as using a foot-drag stopping method rather than a proper hockey stop.” Mark Longshore, whose 8-year-old son, Gabe, switched from roller to ice hockey as a Mite this year, says that the transition has been pretty smooth. “The skating transfers over well, but for the stopping and tight corners there’s a bit of a learning curve. Passing and shooting is the same. There wasn’t offsides where he played roller hockey, either, so he’s still learning that.”

- Cean Burgeson

Gabe Longshore wears one roller and one ice hockey skate. This is his first year skating on ice as a Mite for the Jets.

Vacaville Jets

Roller translates into success on ice

Photo / Tiana Burgeson

CaliRubber.com 11

FINatical Kids Club kicks off seasonThe San Jose Sharks’ FI-

Natical Kids Club (FKC) kicked off the new season by holding a skate session last month at Sharks Ice at San Jose. Nearly 200 members and guests of last year’s FKC had the opportunity to skate with fun-loving mascot S.J. Sharkie, win raffle prizes that included autographed jerseys, sticks and a Zambo-ni ride, and most important-ly, sign up for the 2008-09 FKC. “We’ve been to almost all of the skate sessions with Sharkie this year,” said one enthusiastic parent whose two kids have been in the FKC since 2006. “And they’ve all been different and fun! We’ve already signed up for next year and my kids can’t wait!” This year, Sharks fans 16-and-under will receive

a custom FKC backpack, water bottle, birthday card, folder, puzzle poster, the official 2008-09 Sharks year-book and much more all for only $20. In addition, each month, members will automatically be entered into a raffle to

win autographed Sharks memorabilia. Members will also receive access to the FKC Web site that features exclusive stories, player interviews, games and more. As if that wasn’t enough, the FKC also honors one member each month as the

FKC “Captain of the Month.” The “CoM” receives tickets to a Sharks home game, the chance to watch warm-ups from the penalty box and a prize package that includes a Jonathan Cheechoo-signed puck, game program and a gift from Sharkie. “We say this every year, but this truly is our best membership package to date,” said FKC coordinator Erin Buchanan. “We’ve received nothing but positive feedback about our merchan-dise and already have over 500 members in less than a month. These kids joining the FKC are proving why the Sharks have the best fans in the NHL!” For more informa-tion, visit sjsharkie.com, e-mail [email protected] or call the FKC Hotline at (408) 999-5824.

Close to 200 youngsters got the chance to skate with S.J. Sharkie at Sharks Ice at San Jose last month.

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Mane of the Month

He wins a FREE composite stick, compliments of Warrior Hockey!

Winchester’s Zack Lopez of the San Diego

Jr. Gulls’ Bantam B team

Beach City Lightning

Beach City Lightning Peewee B team manager Kirk Green is nothing short of excited for the new season.

“We have a good group of kids and parents on our team,” said Green.

One of those players traveled quite a ways to be involved with the Lightning this year is Parker Clare. Originally

from Vancouver, Clare and his family moved to California this summer.

“He came all the way from Ottawa because he heard the ice hockey was more fun in California,” said Lightning

president Kevin Culbertson. The excitement of a new season has spread throughout the organization. The Bantam AA, Midget 16 AA 93’s and Midget 16 AA 92’s all took part in the Jr. Sharks Labor Day Tournament. The Midget 16 AA 93 team is the youngest in the AA division of SCAHA this season with four 1994-born players and the rest 1993’s. “The ‘Young Guns’ are taking to the challenge well,” said Culbertson.

The team is training at a newly opened private facility in San Clemente with Craig Lyons, an 11-year pro veteran.

- Joshua Boyd

Excitement builds as season begins

San Diego Saints

Hockey is on the rise in San Diego, and the Saints are happy to be pulling in higher numbers, especially in the

in-house league run by the organization. “Never before has the Saints program begun a season with so much excitement and so many new faces to the game,” said Saints hockey director Jason Galea. “This should prove to make the Greater San Diego Metro Hockey League very exciting this year.” The GSDMHL is travel hockey on a smaller scale than what most Saints players are used to. San Diego-area teams in the league travel only around San Diego County rather than up into Los Angeles or Orange Counties and beyond. “It’s a great introduction for players and families into the world of travel hockey, being that participants are required to travel to the various arenas each week for their in-house games,” said Galea. “At first, programs throughout San Diego didn’t want to be a part of such an endeavor, and now it’s merely something that patrons in every venue have come to expect.” - Joshua Boyd

GSDMHL gaining momentum locally

West Valley Wolves

The West Valley Wolves’ Midget A 18U team captured a well deserved championship banner at the Valencia

Ganza Labor Day Tournament. According to coach Tyler Goeckner-Zoeller, the title was made possible with the squad coming together so quickly. “We’ve been clicking early with the line of Cody Staves, Peter Larson and Jeff Barash leading the team in goals,” said Goeckner-Zoeller. Netminder Amanda Durrer, who came on strong after a shaky start to shut out the Valencia Express for the final two-and-a-half periods for the victory and the title, was stel-lar between the pipes. Nate Garcia was singled out for his “game-changing” goals in the tournament, a trend Goeckner-Zoeller hoped Garcia would continue throughout the season. The Wolves also announced a change in leadership with the appointment of Jocelyn Langlois as the club’s new president. He replaces Paula Frankel, who served two years as president and will continue on with the program as registrar. Langlois is a rink manager at Panorama City’s Valley Ice Center and has coached the Wolves for six years.

- Joshua Boyd

Midget 18’s crowned Ganza champions

To enter, send a photo of your hockey hair to [email protected]

CaliRubber.com 13

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“We love our ice rink...the boys go out in the morning and skate until after dark.”

John Rockwell, Coach of the Jr. Sharks, Pee Wee AA ‘96

LA Hockey Club and the Los Angeles Kings have joined forces on principal terms of a marketing affiliation.

As part of the affiliation, the two organizations will work in unison to promote hockey through outreach programs. Also, LA Hockey Club will work closely with the Kings’ training facility, El Segundo’s Toyota Sports Center, in expanding the popular “Kings Kids First” youth hockey pro-gram. “One of the goals of the Kings is to continue to improve and expand youth hockey in Southern California, and our affiliation with LA Hockey Club/LA Selects is a great step forward in continuing to make that happen,” said Kings president of business operations Luc Robitaille. “Both of our organizations are committed to the rapid growth of amateur hockey in our area. It’s all about the kids and the next generation of hockey players and fans.” Said LA Hockey Club/LA Selects Club president James Gasseau: “We’re very pleased to partner with the LA Kings. Their reputation in the community and their commitment to growing hockey - especially fan development - is second to none.” Last month, LA Hockey Club relocated its rink office and ice-skating programs to the Glacial Gardens Skating Arena in Lakewood. “We look forward to the relocation of our business,” said

Gasseau. “The three ice-sheet facility and our affiliation with the Kings is exactly what we wanted in order to continue to grow the sport and service our cus-tomers.” LA Hockey Club occupied Westminster Ice Arena since 2001 and in that time has grown tremendously with its skating school, adult leagues and the LA Hockey Club youth program. LA Hockey Club, which features 21 teams, began the transition from Westminster to Lakewood in September of 2007 in order to satisfy the ice program’s demand. The company’s long-term plan is to integrate Westmin-ster’s skating school/figure skating, youth programs and adult league into Glacial Gardens’ programs as well. At the facility in Lakewood, Phase 1 renovations to extend Rink C to an NHL-sized ice surface have been com-pleted to give the facility three full-sized ice sheets. Phase 2, which is planned for the spring/summer of 2009, will include the completion of NHL-2 (formerly Rink C) renovations. LA Hockey Club/LA Selects has helped produce a num-ber of local players who have been drafted by NHL clubs. It has also been associated with numerous players currently playing in the American Hockey League, ECHL and juniors and college ranks.

LA Hockey Club

Partnership with NHL club takes shape

By Chris Bayee

If you ask Los Angeles Jr. Kings program officials

and coaches, the club’s glass is definitely half full for the 2008-09 season. Among the positive changes are entry for the Midget AAA 18U team into the prestigious Midwest Elite Hockey League, the addition of AAA teams at the Bantam and Pee-wee levels and continued participation in the Positive Coaching Alliance. All are important steps in what Jr. Kings club pres-ident Rosemary Voule-likas termed a “rebuilding” of the program. Major Move for Midgets The 18U team’s ad-mission to the MWEHL (mwehl.pucksystems2.com) came as the league expanded to add a 20-team Midget Major division for this season. 18U coach Jack Bowkus’s connections with league officials and coaches helped the Jr. Kings gain entry in the league. “Having kept in contact with coaches back there that I played for helped,” Bowkus said. “We kept looking for opportunities for the program that would be very positive, and we caught a lucky break.” Bowkus said the league might ex-pand again to include 16U teams next season. The Jr. Kings are part of the West Division - one of four five-team divi-sions. The West includes teams from Colorado, Dallas, Kansas City and Phoenix. The Jr. Kings and Toyota Sports Center will host one of the league’s showcase events on Dec. 27-29. The entire West Division, as well as all five teams from the Detroit Division (Belle Tire, Little Caesar’s Compuware, Victory Honda and Honeybaked) will participate. “We’ve never had the five best

teams from Detroit out here before all at once,” Bowkus said. By the Numbers The Jr. Kings have approximately 280 players playing on 15 teams this season. The number of teams declined from 17 last season because of a lack of availability of ice time, Voulelikas said. Two of the 15 teams, however, are new to the program - the Bantam AAA and Peewee AAA teams. In the past, the club fielded AAA teams at the 16U and 18U levels only, 16U coach Frank Salcido said. Bowkus and former NHL player Brandon Convery, who joined the Jr. Kings program during the summer, coach the Bantam AAA team. Convery’s 10-plus professional seasons included stints with the Kings and the IHL’s Long Beach Ice Dogs in 1998-99. The Peewee AAA team is coached by former pro Tomas Kapusta, a

former Edmonton Oilers draft pick who played three seasons with the Ice Dogs when they were members of the West Coast Hockey League. Kapusta also coaches Squirt A and Mite A teams for the club. “We have some key coaches in house, including Tomas,” Voule-likas said. “He’s building a farm system for us. His approach is disciplined and strong, yet embracing. The young teams are getting good coaching.” Positive Approach The Jr. Kings also are in Year 2 of their membership in the Positive Coaching Alliance, an organization whose stated mission is transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth. Voulelikas said the club already is reaping numerous benefits for players, coaches and parents from the program. “I strongly feel the culture of sports has to change,” she said. “Using positive reinforcement, kids learn life lessons, not just sports lessons. It builds confi-dence.” The interest of Voulelikas and others was sparked by some growing - and alarming - trends.

“In Montreal, there is a team for every player; here it’s very elite,” she said. “Even a bench warmer has to feel important. Being a parent and a club administrator, I saw a lot of kids who fell through the cracks. “Not everyone is a star. What about the kids who want to be better? Even if they’re not a superstar, it’s a way of making them feel just as important (as the star player).” Since the PCA program was imple-mented, another benefit has come from it. “We’re proud of our young teams, and a lot of Midget and Bantam play-ers now volunteer to help the younger kids,” Voulelikas said. “They get their community service done and they love the sport.” For more information about the Positive Coaching Alliance, visit positivecoach.org b

14

Photo / Tom Faust

Triple Crown Jr. Kings embrace new league, new teams, positive lessons

One of many standouts in the Jr. Kings program, Beau Bennett finished second in scoring at last summer’s USA Hockey Select 17 Festival in Minnesota.

CaliRubber.com 15

Proper training cures need for speedThe most coveted quality in athlet-

ics is speed. Some are blessed with impressive bursts of it and others aren’t. Those who need to work on im-proving their speed and quickness can with a training program focusing on specific jumps, sprint technique and leg strengthening exercises. With the Sharks, we stress single leg exercises for improving leg strength. Exercises like leg squats, spilt squats, elevated split squats and lunges are very important to in- and off-season training. Doing these exercises twice a week will improve and maintain high levels of leg strength, but be sure not to do them the day before a game or you’ll feel sore-

ness in the legs. Our “jump” training or plyometric training is based on a specific progres-sion of teaching our players how to land quietly and softly with both straight-ahead jumps and side-to-side jumps. Some of the straight-ahead jumps we do are box jumps, tuck jumps, broad jumps and jump squats. The lateral jumps we include are skater jumps and hurdle hops with a low hurdle. We perform one exercise three times a week and vary the exercise each train-ing day. Jumps are great for explosive power and foreleg power, but be sure your technique is perfect; perform your

jumps with a soft, quiet landing and with your knees in good position so you don’t feel pain. The final phase of our speed training is sprint technique. We perform get-up sprints and reaction-type sprints twice a week and focus on body position and leg mechanics. Ten yards is the maximum distance we run and only perform four-to-six reps once or twice a week, prefer-ably on a soft surface like rubberized flooring or turf (never on concrete). Performing these types of exercises a couple of times a week will give you an advantage and help improve your speed and leg power. Adding some of these exercises into your training program will also ensure you maintain your speed and quickness throughout the season - some-thing every hockey player values to the fullest. b

Mike Potenza is the San Jose Sharks’ strength and conditioning coordinator.

Away From The Rubber with Mike Potenza

16

College Hockey

After a frustrating regular season marred with injuries and ineligi-

bles, a resilient San Jose State Univer-sity team rallied but came up just short of its fourth straight national tourna-ment appearance. Anything less than a nationals bid this season - make that a nationalchampionship, says team president Andy Dickerson - will be a disappoint-ment. “Expectations for this season are extremely high,” he said. “For the third straight year, we have a hefty rookie class (12 first-year college players), but they bring with them a ton of experi-ence. “Add that to our corps of veterans and you can understand why we have our sights set on our first national title.” The ACHA Division II Spartans, who are led behind the bench by Ron Glasow, like what they have com-ing back, in particular speedy senior winger Sean Scarbrough, who has scored 30-plus goals his previous four seasons. Scarbrough is the program’s

all-time leading scorer with 242 points in only 124 games. Sophomore center Robert Vaughan, the team’s top-scoring rook-ie a year ago, is also back in San Jose. Vaughan became the first freshman in team history to capture the Gordie Turner Award as the team’s most-dedi-

cated player. Gritty junior winger Mickey Rhodes returns, and junior defense-man Jeff Sawhill is back in the Bay Area after playing NCAA Division III hockey in Mas-sachusetts last season. The Spartans are also high on the scoring potential of freshman winger Jeff Sanders, who played Midget 18A and 18AAA hockey in Northern Califor-nia before heading to Canada to skate for the Manitoba Junior League’s Winkler Flyers. “Our biggest improvement this year is depth,” said Dickerson. “We’re so deep that we had

to cut players that previously played for Midget Tier andjunior programs. Our fourth-line play-ers could legitimately play on someother teams’ top lines. “Having so much talent will create better competition in practice and force our players to earn every second of ice come game time.” And the Spartans are in good hands with Glasow at the controls. The deco-rated coach is entering his 18th season at the helm of the San Jose State program, the only coach in the team’s history. Glasow, the ACHA National Coach of the Year in 2005-06, has led the Spartans to eight national tournament appearances. “Ron is certainly accustomed to winning,” said Dickerson. And so are the fans who pack the Spartans’ home rink, Sharks Ice at San Jose. Drawing over 1,000 a game in at-tendance, the program puts on anentertaining, fan-friendly in-game pre-sentation that rivals someprofessional teams. “They don’t call it the ‘Loudest Barn in the West’ for nothing,” saidDickerson of Sharks Ice. “Opposing teams are in for a unique experience.” For more information on the San Jose State University program, visitsjsuhockey.net b

- Brian McDonough

Spartans have sights set on national titlePhoto / San Jose State University Hockey

This year’s San Jose State team has the makings of a national championship contender.

CaliRubber.com 17

Junior Hockey

WESTERN STATES HOCKEY LEAGUECommissioner/President: Ron White • [email protected]

1000 E. Cerritos Ave. • Anaheim, CA 92805 • (714) 502-9185 x 240 • www.wshl.org

WESTERN DIVISIONBay Cities BombersGlacial Gardens Arena2400 E. Carson Ave,Lakewood, CAContact: Nick GangaE-mail:[email protected]

Phoenix Polar BearsPolar Ice Arena2001 W. Alameda Dr.Chandler, AZ 85282Contact: Tyler RamseyE-mail: [email protected]

San Diego GullsIceoPlex555 N. Tulip StEscondido, CA 92025Contact: Bruce MillerE-mail: [email protected]

Valencia FlyersIce Station Valencia27745 N. Smyth Rd.Valencia, CA 91355Contact: Larry BruyereE-mail: [email protected]

Capital ThunderSkatetown Ice Arena1009 Orlando Ave.Roseville, CA 95661Contact: Bob ArmandoE-mail:[email protected]

MIDWESTERN DIVISIONDallas HawksAddison Square Garden15100 Midway Rd.Addison, TXContact: Brad LasonE-mail: [email protected]

Tulsa RampageOilers Ice Center6413 South MingoTulsa, OK 74133Contact: Julie WilsonEmail:[email protected]

San Antonio DiablosIce Center @ Northwood17530 Henderson PassSan Antonio, TX 78232Contact: Ryan EganE-mail: [email protected]

Texas RenegadesNYTEX Sports Centre8851 Ice House DriveNorth Richland Hills, TX 76180Phone: (907) 452-1643E-mail: [email protected]

Colorado Outlaws10710 Westminster BlvdWestminister, CO 80020Phone: (303) 499-9610Contact: Jeremy ChatmanE-mail: [email protected]

El Paso Rhinos4100 E. PaisoniaEl Paso, TX 79905Phone: (915) 479-PuckContact: Cory HermanE-mail: [email protected]

Junior A Tier III

Northern expansion still in the cardsWith four

Western States Hockey League teams in California,

there’s always talk of expansion and bringing even more organizations to the state to compete with the existing teams. The Bay Cities Bombers, Valencia Flyers and the new San Diego Gulls are all within a reasonable travel distance from one another, leaving just the Capital Thunder near Sacramento as the northernmost team. “Like most junior leagues across the country, traveling is a big part of the game,” said Joe Sheehy, former head coach of the Bombers now serving in an advisory role with the team. “For the teams situated in Southern California, they look forward to the away games that are within an hour or two of their home rink. “San Diego, Valencia and the Bombers share that luxury. Expansion in the northern part of the state would

greatly relieve some of the pressure on a team like Sacramento.” Expansion talks keep coming up and the Thunder keeps listening and offering hope. A move to the Northern Pacific Hockey League, which is based in the Upper Northwest, is not an option, according to Thunder GM Bob Armando. “Northern expansion would help the Thunder in several ways,” Armando said. “The first is that it would help to eliminate some of our rapidly growing travel expenses. Our shortest road trip is a seven-hour bus ride to Valencia, which also includes two nights of lodging for 25 players and three coaches. “By adding another team up north, we could possibly eliminate a road trip or two down south thus saving the club several thousand dollars in travel costs. Also, another team up north would help to create a regional rivalry such as the one Bay Cities, Valencia and San Diego enjoy.

“I know that (WSHL president) Ron White is holding preliminary talks with several organizations in hopes of finding a solid partner to join us up north. Hopefully, something can come of the talks and a new team can join us by next season.” Sheehy added that California expansion would be a way to maintain and develop some of the state’s homegrown players. “Expansion could also help keep some of California’s great talent within the state for their junior years,” added Sheehy. “With the influx of talented coaches from places like Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and Canada, just to name a few, California has produced some extremely talented players that have gone on to play Tier I juniors, Division I and Division III college, minor pro and even the NHL.” The WSHL is operating as an 11-team league this season.

- Matt Mackinder

18

Rags-to-riches tales can become realityThe two different paths to success

- the “chosen way” and the “other way” – are both fun to examine. The chosen way for most is to go into college as a true freshman with a degree of entitlement or via the junior ranks for seasoning with a degree of adversity mixed in. And then there’s the other way, which prepares you for any form of ad-versity. Value-paid/value-received camps, programs and organizations translate into rags-to-riches stories. They are obligated to create awareness of and expose both assets and liabilities so every athlete has the opportunity to not only

define their game, but to develop a game within their game and refine themselves as a person and an athlete. I know at our camps we treat hockey as being something more than a sport; hockey is people-driven as much as it is player-driven. Athletes moving through the ranks need to understand that hockey is two games in one: the game with the puck and the game without it. There are guidelines to surviving in each of those games, whether it’s sharing a puck or being hard to play against. The athlete also has to learn, un-derstand and respect each person’s role

on a team. You may be the best on your team in your own little world, in your own league, but we all know it’s a bigger world out there and you may have to settle for less just to be able to earn the right to compete as you move through the levels. Going through this process is the only way to improve, catch and pass your opponents in life. Most every athlete in the game is in a catch-up-and-pass mode because there are only so many roster openings as you move through the process. Personally, I’ve witnessed NHL players like Ryan Malone, T.J. Oshie, Matt Greene and Scott Hartnell all take the “other” path to success, and the end result was multi-million dollar contracts - all rags-to-riches stories. b

Chuck Grillo is an amateur scout for the Pitts-burgh Penguins and the owner of Minnesota Hockey Camps (www.mnhockeycamps.com).

Scout Speak with Chuck Grillo

SoCal Titans

There’s more practice time for the SoCal Titans and Ventura Mariners, and organization president Dave

Marzullo couldn’t be happier. “Our expectation is that, as the season moves forward, the additional sheet of ice will begin to accelerate the progress of each player and the competitiveness of the teams overall,” said Marzullo. “We expect that each team will remain at the level that it was originally slated to play.” Almost every Titans and Mariners team played in a Labor Day Weekend tournament with competitive games in each division. “This is especially pleasing since nearly every team in the club is young as we work towards our goal of player development,” Marzullo said. The Midget Major team, headed by coach Eric Ballard, played in the NAHL Futures Prospects Tournament in Minnesota, its first AAA tournament of the year. The Titans’ Midget 18AA team competed in the Little Caesars Motor City Midget Major tournament. “Although they didn’t come away with any victories, they were very competitive as a AA team playing in a prestigious AAA tournament,” Marzullo added.

- Joshua Boyd

More ice a bonus for both programs Twenty-four Californians began their

seasons at the North American Hock-ey League Showcase Tournament last month in Minnesota. The Wichita Falls (Texas) Wildcats had a league-high five Californians compete, with the Topeka RoadRunners and Wenatchee (Wash.) Wild right behind them with four apiece. “Being able to recruit California players has been in-strumental in the make up of my teams,” said Wichita Falls coach-GM John Bowkus. “I know the coaches very well, especially in the LA area, and I give them all the credit in the skill development of these players.” Last season, Long Beach native and University of Alaska-Fairbanks (CCHA) recruit Adam Cardwell won the NAHL scoring title as a member of the Wildcats. “More and more you’re seeing California teams winning major championships, and I don’t think that California play-ers are given the credit they deserve,” Bowkus added. “All I know is that I’ll continue to scout and recruit these players as long as I possibly can.” Among those Californians playing the in NAHL this season is Air Force Academy recruit Adam McKenzie, a Petaluma product who is skating for the expansion Wild. The NAHL is the only USA Hockey-sanctioned Tier II Junior A league in the country.

Two dozen locals start seasons in NAHL

CaliRubber.com 19

Made to Mentor Semchuk right at home teaching Fresno’s youth

The name Brandy Semchuk seems destined to be connected to that of Wayne Gretzky.

The bond started with a dramatic run by the Los Angeles Kings to the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals and exists today in Fresno as the popularity of ice hockey in California shows no signs of slowing down. “California wasn’t even on the radar when I was growing up and playing,” said Semchuk, a Calgary native who turned 37 last month. “When I was in the Kings organization in the early ‘90s, hockey was in its infancy in L.A. Gretzky kind of got the ball rolling. But never I could have imagined the explosive growth of hockey in California and the amazing talent that is coming out of the state now.” A 6-foot-1 right winger with speed to burn, Semchuk’s love affair with ice hockey began at age 6 and is evident still now with the Jr. Fal-cons in Fresno. In 1988, at the age of 17, Semchuk became the youngest player ever

chosen to play with the Canadian National Team - part of a four-year program aimed at taking the gold in France in 1992. Also in the pro-gram were the likes of EdBelfour, Eric Lindros and Joe Juneau. Two years later, the Kings selected Semchuk 28th over-all in the 1990 Entry Draft, and he made the decision to turn pro. Two years after that, Semchuk was back in Calgary, this time traveling and practicing with the Kings, who were in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. A 21-year-old suddenly surrounded by Gretzky, Luc Robitaille, Jari Kurri, Tomas Sandstrom and company, Semchuk didn’t know what to expect. “Seeing how these guys prepared themselves, what they do off the ice and just getting to know them, it was just a fantastic situation,” Semchuk said. After beating the Flames, it was on to Vancouver. After beating the Canucks, it was on to Toronto. After beating the Maple Leafs, only Montreal stood in the way of the Stanley Cup. After winning Game 1, the Kings found themselves up 2-1 late when Marty McSorley was given two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct when his stick was ruled to have an illegal curve. The Canadiens tied things up on the power

play and went on to win the first of three consecutive overtime games.

Semchuk remembers the moment after the pregame skate, with the team

back in the hotel, when the stick boys from Montreal shuffled

through the Kings’ locker room.

“We didn’t think anything of it at the

time,” Semchuk said. “Little did we know they were looking at curves. Just to look back and see how it all played

out, if they don’t make that call and the

Kings win that game, they probably win the series and I get a Stanley Cup ring. That’s

a whole new story.” Injuries kept his NHL career quite brief. Semchuk suited up once for the Kings, a game fit-tingly played in Calgary. He spent two minutes in the penalty box and didn’t notch a point. The next season a detached retina took away tremendous

amount of vision from his left eye and the Kings let him go after his contract expired.

Over the course of nine years, Semchuk spent time in seven different pro leagues. Under doctor’s advice fol-

lowing a fractured orbital bone in his right eye, Semchuk re-tired in 1999 after a second season with the Fresno Falcons of the WCHL. Thanks to youth hockey, Semchuk and Bernadette, his wife of 11 years, never left. “I would’ve never guessed that Fresno, California, would be my home,” Semchuk said. “But we’ve been here for 10 years. My daughter is in a great school. We have great friends, great jobs. We’re here to stay.” Early on, though, Semchuk had to commute two to three times a week to the Bay Area. But the drive eventually took its toll, and five years ago the Jr. Falcons made the decision to hire a permanent hockey director. Semchuk didn’t need to think about it twice. “It’s a fantastic situation getting to stay home and do what I love to do, which is coach and teach hockey,” Semchuk said. “I certainly don’t miss the drive, that’s for sure.” Another Semchuk is also involved with the Jr. Falcons, 8-year-old daughter Emma. “It took her forever,” Semchuk said. “She wanted nothing to with skating. So I had just given up on it, and kind of out of the blue probably eight or nine months ago she said she wanted to start playing hockey.” It’s a chance to share his love of hockey with Emma. As if he needed another reason to spread his knowledge and passion of the game in a place he never thought he’d be. “A lot of people don’t even know that there’s hockey in Fresno,” Semchuk said. “It’s a constant battle, but it’s cer-tainly worthwhile getting people involved in this game.” b

Brandy Semchuck, who played one

game with the Los Angeles Kings,

finished his pro career with the Fresno

Falcons in 1999.

By Vytas Mazeika

20

Photo / Robert J. Meyer

Admittedly not its best performance, the Orange County Hockey Club’s U16 team finished with a 2-2 mark at last

month’s NAHL Future Prospects Tournament in Minnesota. “We were average at best, but good enough to have gone 3-1,” said co-coach Ken Moyseyev. “We didn’t compete at our level and I think this was a great lesson to our team that you always have to play your best hockey regardless of who, where and when you play.” Matthew Zendejas, Chris Parker and Travis Meyer led OC with three points apiece in the four games, with Zendejas, Scott Cornfield and Christian Merritt each striking for two goals. “Matthew is a very skilled player who will find himself on the scoreboard just about every game,” Moyseyev said of Zendejas. “But he needs to get better defensively and he will.” Overall, Orange County was nothing short of satisfied with the event itself, which is quickly becoming one of the premier Midget and Bantam showcases in North America. “This was a great tournament,” said Moyseyev. “It was well run, tons of scouts, a great hockey environment. “Scouts were able to see players 14-years-old and up. What more can you ask for? I saw scouts from the NHL to Junior B; it was amazing.”

- Brian McDonough Chris Parker was one of three OC players to finish with three points at last month’s NAHL Future Prospects Tournament.

Orange County Hockey Club

U16 squad finishes 2-2 at NAHL Prospects Tournament

Consistency, communication make for smoother gameReferees have a lot of responsibilities.

A complete knowledge of the rules is a basic starting point, and of course being a strong, athletic skater is critical to keeping up with the play. But if you ask any hockey player or coach, the two most important quali-ties they want to see from an official are consistency and communication. Players and coaches are quick to learn the tendencies of particular offi-cials. Some refs may be lenient in terms of a hook or a hold while others will make calls strictly by the letter of the rulebook. The new obstruction rules, in

effect since 2006, are often very difficult to call, which is why consistency is a vital ingredient in every official’s game. With regard to obstruction calls, not only must officials determine if a player’s progress is impeded, they must do so in a manner that sets a consistent standard throughout the entire game. In most instances, it’ll be the de-fender who is the guilty party, as goal prevention often calls for drastic and sometimes desperate measures. While often overlooked in the past, the offen-sive player who impedes the progress of an opponent to secure puck position is equally at fault, and a call will be made.

Regardless of who performs the obstruction, the official must make his judgment calls without hesitation and with consistency. It’s also a good idea for officials to establish a good rapport with players and coaches, because effective commu-nication will most likely result in overall player cooperation with fewer questions of an official’s judgment. Being able to discuss and explain situations in a cool, level-headed manner makes the game easier for everyone. If a situation arises on the ice which calls for multiple penalties or something out of the ordinary, it behooves officials to go to each bench and explain the ruling directly to the coaches. This will eliminate the chance of a misunder-standing by having a captain relay the message second hand. bMichel Voyer is the director of the California Referee School, an NHL video goal judge and the director of officials at El Segundo’s Toyota Sports Center.

Official Business with Michel Voyer

CaliRubber.com 21

The California Cougars’ 18AA team joined over 10,000 other volunteers last month to take part in California’s

annual “Coastal Cleanup Day.” At the community initiative, volunteers from Northern to Southern California come together to clean up the state’s beaches and lend a helping hand to the environment and the wildlife that thrives in the coastal habitats. “It gives you a real sense of accomplishment when you do this kind of stuff,” said team captain Ricky Niday. Close to a dozen bags of beach trash were collected by the Cougars, who sported rubber gloves, trash claws and garbage bags as they gathered up garbage at San Mateo’s Coyote Point State Park. Instead of making glove saves while doing the splits, goaltender Mario Retana collected an empty bottle of bleach, as rookie Derek White stood by and collected bottles, cans and cardboard. “At first you don’t really know what you’re getting into, thinking what has coach got us doing now, but by the end of it it’s a great feeling for all of us,” Niday added.

- Brian McDonough

California Cougars

18AA’s active at ‘Coastal Cleanup Day’

It hasn’t been easy, but the Fresno Jr. Falcons have put together Mite, Squirt, Peewee, Bantam and Midget 16U

team this season. “Our numbers are down considerably, but once again we’ve managed to scrape together teams and give our kids a place to play,” said Jr. Falcons director of hockey-coaching Brandy Semchuk. That’s good news and bad news for Fresno, as many players have left town to play at higher levels. Among them are Nick Goodenough (LA Selects’ 16AAA team); Kyle McAlister (San Jose Jr. Sharks 16AAA’s); Devin Linker (LA Selects 14AAA’s); Micheal Evans (Jr. Sharks 14AAA’s); Cameron Coburn, Eric Scarborgh and Anthony Charo, all of whom are with the Vacaville Jets’ 16AA squad; and Cody Key (LA Hockey Club Peewee AA’s). Others have moved onto junior and college club teams. “It seems like we’re just a farm program for the rest of California, but it’s certainly worth it when I see these young players that I’ve spent so much time with move on to bigger and better things,” said Semchuk. “That’s what it’s all about.”

- Brian McDonough

Fresno Jr. Falcons

Advancements leave cupboards bare

We want to see it!

Mane of the Game ContestSubmit a digital photo of yourself showing off your lovely locks to [email protected] and be sure to include your name, hometown and team you play for!

We’ll publish your photo in the next issue of California Rubber Magazine, and you’ll receive a FREE composite stick, compliments of Warrior Hockey.

One winner will be announced each month.

22

The China Sharks have officially located in Shanghai. According to Charlie Faas, executive vice president and chief

financial officer of Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment (SVS&E), locating the Sharks franchise in Shanghai - China’s largest city with a population of more than 20 million - provides a strong impetus for the team and for hockey. “The goal of SVS&E and the Asian League is to expand and grow the Chinese market,” said Faas. “It makes sense for our first international franchise to be in Shanghai. The city has a reputation of being a cosmopolitan center and has a strong desire and acceptance of new cultural and sporting activities with the added benefit of an international fan base already familiar with hockey.” In collaboration with the Chinese government, SVS&E, the San Jose Sharks parent organization, acquired the rights to professional ice hockey in China last year. A significant rationale behind thee collaboration is based on the Chinese government’s desire to build a national presence in China to become competitive in the worldwide hockey market. “As a global city and a showpiece of the world’s fastest growing economy, we feel it provides a perfect storm of momentum to launch this team and further popularize the sport,” Faas said. Over the next five years, SVS&E will work with the government and local Chinese investors to build youth leagues and industrial leagues, in addition to developing hockey venues across the country. “The Sharks’ and SVS&E’s move into China demonstrates that the Bay Area’s and Silicon Valley’s innovation and envious global connections extend beyond the realm of business, and now into the world of sport,” said Jim Wunderman, president and CEO of the Bay Area Council. The China Sharks, part of the Asian League, played their first game at the new, 6,000-seat Songjiang Stadium this month against the Seibu Prince Rabbits. b

SVS&E’s Charlie Faas is bullish on growing hockey’s popularity in China.

Photo / Norbert Tydingco

China Sharks relocate to Shanghai

Twenty players from California competed in the USHL’s preseason Fall Classic last month in Sioux City, Iowa.

San Clemente native Brandon Richardson finished tied for the top spot in scoring at the showcase, striking for three goals and three assists in three games for the Indiana Ice. Last season, Richardson, 20, was a dominant offensive force for the Central Ontario Junior League’s Pembroke Lumber Kings. In that circuit, he ranked fourth in overall scoring with 31 goals for 99 points in 54 games. He also led all playoff scorers with 32 points on 13 goals as the Lumber Kings went on to win the CJHL’s Art Bogart Cup. Other Californians who showed well at the USHL Fall Classic included Indy defenseman Loren Barron, a Glendora product who chimed in with a goal and three assists from the blue line. Defenseman Max Nicastro, a Detroit Red Wings draft pick and Boston University recruit from Thousand Oaks, finished the Classic with two goals and an assist for the Chicago Steel. Other Division I recruits to open their seasons in the USHL included Redondo Beach’s Brett Beebe (Waterloo Black Hawks, Western Michigan); Culver City’s Nick Hopper (Tri-City Storm, Nebraska-Omaha); Vista’s Steven Hoshaw (Waterloo, Alaska-Fairbanks); Alta Loma’s Joe Marciano (Omaha Lancers, Colorado College) and Nick Maricic (Tri-City, Yale); and Whittier’s Matt White (Omaha, New Hampshire). The 12-team USHL is the only USA Hockey-certified Tier I junior league in the country. b

San Clemente’s Brandon Richardson proved to be an offensive force at last month’s USHL Fall Classic.

Plenty of Californians take to USHL ice

Photo / Robert J. Meyer

CaliRubber.com 23

What’s wrong with a little competition?As the season hits full swing, I’m

always brought with the challenge of teaching my team how to compete. In my opinion, somewhere along the way we’ve lost site that competition is a vital component of athletics and let’s face it: it’s a vital component of life. We’re so concerned with everyone getting equal ice time, not getting cut and losing that sometimes I feel like we’re breeding players to have a fear of failure instead of a hungry instinct to succeed. I’ve taken the opposite approach. I push my team everyday to pride itself in its game and how it competes, and

that means competing in every aspect, whether it’s scoring, winning puck battles or keeping the other team from scoring. Some people might ask, how does this foster sportsmanship and develop-ment? And I’d remind them that kids get graded in school. In fact, kids are graded in almost every aspect of their lives. The point is they shouldn’t be afraid to come up short when they try their hardest, but they should be afraid of not giving their best effort. With that in mind, practices should be set up so players can work on their skills along with learning

about what it means to compete. The competition can come in the form of races, games or something as little as counting the goals they score in every drill. As players compete against themselves and their teammates, you’ll see personal development and skill development. With my team, I’ve come up with 10 game objectives where we try to win each category in every game. Our belief is that if we win the 10 mini-competitions over the course of a game, we’ll not only be developing positive hockey habits, but getting bet-ter as a team. In the end, I know we’re going to compete and, with that, win some games along the way. But what’s most important is that we teach our kids how to succeed, not how not to fail. b

Tony Zasowski is the director of coaching and the U18 AAA head coach of the San Jose Jr. Sharks.

Chalk Talk with Tony Zasowski

California Gold Rush

The California Gold Rush’s 18AA squad doesn’t plan on laying down for anyone this season.

“I’ve heard we’re one of the easy teams to beat, but being the underdog has its advantages; it makes you hungry,” said Carol Bloomfield of the Gold Rush association. The Rush finished 0-3-1 at last month’s Labor Day Week-end tournament in San Jose, with the goaltending tandem of Mathew Bloomfield and Logan Guerrero standing tall between the pipes. In the team’s first game against the San Jose Jr. Sharks, Bloomfield faced 60 shots in a 5-2 loss. In Game 2, Inland Valley fired 37 shots at Guerrero in a 3-2 defeat. “We showed we have some raw talent, we just need to find our legs and gel as a team,” said Bloomfield. The Gold Rush is practicing three days a week with extensive dryland training and workout programs away from the rink. “Once they become a conditioned, disciplined, hungry team, they’ll prove they’re worthy of a state title,” said Bloomfield. “ And that’s our goal, there is no other.” - Brian McDonough

Rush improving one day at a time

24

Inline Hockey

California ‘99 team takes State Wars crownThe California 1999 State

Wars team came into this year’s event knowing it would face some tough competition, and it rose to the occasion to take gold over the summer in Cincinnati. The team, coached by Nabeel Gerges, carried only six skaters and a goalie. Five of those skaters - Casey Rhodes, Cooper Haar, Lukas Uhler, Cayla Barnes and Brett Rudy - all play on the Tour OC Blades ‘99 team. Joining them was defenseman Zack Lycan, of San Diego, and goaltender Zach Strohecker, of San Dimas. “I had coached these kids the year before and was aware of their talent levels,” said Gerges. “But you¹re never sure how a team will come out having not coached them for a year.” After winning the first three games of the round robin in dominating fashion, the Californians suffered their first loss against Team Missouri, 7-5. The next day, California came back focused in the quarterfinal, making quick work of Colorado, 9-1. Then, just

a few hours later, they matched up in the semifinal against Missouri one more time. This time around, Team California got on the board first and never looked back, rolling to a 6-3 triumph. “In the semfinal, the players committed all their efforts to the defensive side of the puck,” said Gerges. “Our ability to excel when our opponent had the puck won us that game.” In the championship, California took down last year’s AAA champions, Team Florida, 8-2, with Barnes earning the championship game MVP award as California won the gold. “The last thing you want

is a big win in the semifinals followed by a letdown in the championship game,” said Gerges. “So, even though we had the lead, I was confident but never comfortable.” Both Haar and Rhodes were named to the All-Star Team while Rhodes also earned the High Scorer Award and a spot on Team America.

- Alex Dodt

The California 1999 team only needed seven players to capture its State Wars title.

&arizona

rubbercom

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 8 April 2008From Kids to Coyotes, the Desert’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline HockeyThe U14 Lady Coyotes

make Arizona hockey history

Chang’s, CAHA strengthen

partnership

New Rollerplex owners

step to forefront

Notre Dame again

crowned state champs

Inline’s AZ ‘92 cop Winter

State Wars title

Captain Shelby Stringer

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 8 April 2008Captain Shelby Stringer


Locals rally to save

Berkeley Iceland

Jr. Kings’ McColgan

on fast track

Interview: AHC’s

Ben Frank

Ducks’ Marchant

a good guy


calirubber com

Path to PromiseThe LA Selects has established themselves as one of the top

developmental programs in the country

calirubber com


Path to PromisePath to PromisePath to PromisePath to Promise

The LA Selects has established themselves as one of the top






VOLUME 3 ISSUE 9 May 2008From Kids to Coyotes, the Desert’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline Hockey

arizonarubber com

. All-American Flaishans

an Arizona first

. Senior Coyotes celebrate

national title

. Inaugural PIHA season

comes to a close

. Mesquite High helps

fallen teammate

arizonarubber

.. All-American Flaishans

All-American Flaishans





an Arizona first an Arizona first an Arizona first an Arizona first an Arizona first an Arizona first

.. Senior Coyotes celebrate

Senior Coyotes celebrate





national title national title national title national title national title national title national title national title


VOLUME 1 ISSUE 5 Spring 2008

Interview:

Kevin Culbertson

Inline student-

athletes honored

calirubber com

S UTHERN


LA Selects

celebrate

national title

Stoddard

recognized for

charitable work

EXP SURE

LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 5 Spring 2008

S UTHERN






Belland in the business of giving

Maley Rollin’ in San Jose

Speelman, Watson doing NorCal proud

Interview: Pacific-Ice’s Jeff Strachan

Chosen

CaliRubber com

Ones

Belland in the business of giving

Maley Rollin’ in San Jose

Chosen


VOLUME 1 ISSUE 6 Summer 2008

The

Seal Beach’s Mitch Wahl leads California’s

charge at the NHL Draft

Interview:Interview:Interview:Interview:Interview:Interview:Interview:

Kevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin CulbertsonKevin Culbertson

Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-Inline student-

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LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects LA Selects



Chosen

CaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubberCaliRubber comcomcomcom

Ones



ChosenOnes


The

Seal Beach’s Mitch Wahl leads California’s Seal Beach’s Mitch Wahl leads California’s

charge at the NHL Draft

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. Peoria’s Kelner a champion in Spokane. Coyotes keep building through NHL draft. Goltz the new boss behind ASU’s bench. P.F. Chang’s joins elite Midget circuit

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10 Summer 2008 From Kids to Coyotes, the Desert’s Authoritative Voice of Ice and Inline Hockey

Phoenix Dragons are PIHA’s national champions!

TOP ‘DOGS!Second-year Sundogs waste little time winning fi rst CHL titleArizona Sundogs captainChris Bartolone

CaliRubber.com 25

Inline Hockey

Josh Laricchia was named MVP of last summer’s PIHA Finals after helping lead the Phoenix Dragons to a national championship.

Huntington’s Laricchia comes through in clutchFor those in the roller hockey world who didn’t know

Josh Laricchia already, this past year was a quick introduction to one of the most underrated and skilled players in inline.

“Josh is a quiet guy who just goes out to play the game,” said Mike Urbano, Laricchia’s longtime friend and

teammate. “He never plays to get recognized.” Born in Huntington Beach, Laricchia grew up playing for OC Blades and Marina High School. Despite having a lot of success, he never won NARCh Finals, roller hockey’s holy grail, and was never as well known as some of his peers. All that changed in 2008. Laricchia lived in Arizona for the 2008 ice hockey season, putting up 119 points in 48 games for the Phoenix Polar Bears and leading them to the national semifinals. Living in Arizona also provided Laricchia with the opportunity to play roller hockey for the Phoenix Dragons of the Professional Inline Hockey Association (PIHA).

“Josh was an incredible asset to our team all year long,” said Dragons coach Dave Marmorstein. “When we needed

the big play he was our go-to guy.” Laricchia is a playmaker and a sniper, but most of all he is clutch. “I’ve played with Josh a long time and I see him make clutch plays all the time,” said Urbano “He’s by far the smartest player with or without the puck.” In only 24 games with Phoenix, Laricchia had 57 assists and 101 points. Phoenix developed a reputation as a comeback team, winning 21 games after falling behind. Most of the time, it was Laricchia who jumpstarted those comebacks. Despite his incredible track record in big games, Laricchia says he still gets butterflies come crunch time. “I do get nervous, but that’s all before the puck drops,” he said. “Then those feelings go away and even if it’s in overtime it just feels like a normal game to me.” Laricchia’s PIHA playoff performance took the league by storm. As Phoenix defeated teams from San Jose, St. Louis and Connecticut, players from across the country quickly learned the name Laricchia as he tore through opposing defenses while leading Phoenix to the league finals. Despite trailing at some point in every game at PIHA Finals, Laricchia and Phoenix beat the Connecticut Blaze in a best-of-seven series, 4 games to 2. Laricchia was golden in overtime again, setting up both of Phoenix’s overtime goals. In the decisive final game, Laricchia set up the championship-clinching goal in the final minute. For his efforts, he was named PIHA Most Valuable Player.

“Before PIHA Finals everyone knew Josh was a good player,” said Dragons teammate Cody O’Reilly. “But after

it was over, he showed he was way better than anyone else.” His accomplishments in Phoenix were just the start of an incredible summer for Laricchia. The crowing achievements came at NARCh Finals, where he played Junior Platinum and PRO for Revision Vanquish. With his team trailing 3-1 late in the Junior semifinal, Laricchia started the hurried comeback with a power-play goal. A last-second goal sent the game into overtime and once again it was Laricchia who stepped up.

After winning the opening faceoff, he took the puck wide and made a saucer pass through two opponents onto the stick of teammate Nathan Sigmund for the game-winner. Later that day, Vanquish won the Junior Platinum title over Laricchia’s former team Mission AKS, his first NARCh Finals title. “I’m still friends with all those AKS guys,” said Laricchia. “But winning definitely felt like a weight off my shoulders.” Despite all of those accomplishments, the biggest game of Laricchia’s life so far was still yet to come. In the PRO final, he and Vanquish matched up against Mission Syndicate. Right off the bat, Laricchia made his mark by sniping Revision’s first goal of the game just a few minutes in. A late goal by Vanquish sent the game into overtime and, as advertised, Laricchia delivered again. Seven minutes into sudden death, he threaded a perfect pass through the legs of a Syndicate player, setting up Charlie Middleton for the championship-winning one-timer. “On that play I was just trying to draw the top defender,” he said. “Charlie was in the right spot and he rarely misses from there.” The same can be said for Laricchia when it comes to stepping up when itcounts. b

By Alex Dodt

26

Interview from Page 5

SVSE and SJAM are presently preparing to build yet another four-sheet ice rink in Pleasanton, which will provide an opportunity to develop and grow youth hockey in the East Bay and Central Valley and this is truly an exciting time for the sport. I want NorCal to capi-talize on this opportunity. I intend to appoint sev-eral committees to establish and maintain a dialog on various issues. Soon I’ll be establishing a Tier Com-mittee and a Girls Hockey Committee for the purpose of discussing these aspects of youth hockey and to recom-mend any rule changes that will enhance them here in the North. There are a number of changes in the wind at USA Hockey that will impact tier hockey across the country. There’s a lot of untapped talent here in the North and these new tier rules are going to impact the develop-ment of that talent for those players that want to take their hockey to the next level. I see a real need to em-phasis girls’ hockey, which hasn’t been done in the past. Frankly, girls’ hockey is a precarious thing. I’ve been in discussion with some individuals who are inter-ested in working to establish a stronger girls’ presence in the California and particu-larly in the North and I’ll elicit their services soon. CR: What kind of strides is NorCal making in terms of popularity and participa-tion?LB: As I indicated previ-ously, despite lower partici-pation nationally, I get the sense that youth hockey in

California continues to enjoy slow and steady growth. This is due in part to the success of the NHL teams that populate our state. The Sharks have created consid-erable interest in the North and continue to do so. We’re lucky that we have so many Midwest and East Coast transplants here in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley who not only provide continued interest in the sport, but also bring talented hockey players to our area. Unfor-tunately for Northern Cali-fornia programs, there’s tre-mendous allure associated with the Southern California programs that has from time to time attracted some of our better tier-level players. For the life of me, I cannot completely understand why a family would want to send a 12-year-old away just to play the game when there are plenty of opportunities here in theNorth for those players, but it does happen. I’ve heard the reasons stated as better coaching, better exposure, etc. Wheth-er or not that’s true is not for me to say, but it does make the case for continuing to establish “street cred” here in Northern California by continuing to build our pro-grams by creating more op-portunities for talented play-ers to play at tier level. This means that our in-house and travel programs must also thrive. In-house gets players in the door, travel develops their skill and tier provides them with exposure. I realize that we need to build the sport from the ground up. Fortunately, we have a strong base to build upon. Unfortunately,

there are a number of rink operators who aren’t as hockey friendly as I would like. I intend to work with our programs to see if there are things that can be done with those rinks to establish a better relationship from a hockey perspective. We have a number of good people administering the various programs and I’m confident that we’ll con-tinue to increase participa-tion in the sport at all levels.

CR: How important is it for NorCal hockey for

other local programs to rival the Jr. Sharks?LB: The Jr. Sharks are not the Alpha and Omega of youth hockey here in the North. In fact, there are a number of health rivalries between the Jr. Sharks and other NorCal teams. All of our programs can continue to grow and de-velop. I’d be ecstatic if every NorCal organization had a full compliment of competi-tive teams at every level of play. Alas, that’s not going to happen, but each organi-zation can get stronger and bigger. With the build out of new rinks, there’s going to be growth outside of San Jose and this is a great thing. CR: For the most part, does each NorCal association work well together for the betterment and growth of the sport up north?LB: For the most part, yes. One of the things that I’ve helped change at San Jose is making the program work more like a business rather than a social program, which a lot of youth sports organizations tend to be for

whatever reason. I hope to have the same influence at NorCal. I do know that there’s a lot of new blood managing our organizations and I’m encouraged by their commitment to the sport and to growth. CR: Talk about the NHL Sharks and their influence on helping grow hockey in Northern California?LB: There is a common misconception that the Big Shark only cares about the Jr. Sharks. Not so! I’ve recently learned that the Big Shark is interesting in doing more for youth hockey and I want to capitalize on it. I plan to meet soon with man-agement and encourage a better working relationship with NorCal. It will happen. Again, I have to give a lot of credit to (Sharks Ice GM) Jon Gustafson for helping to create and nurture a bet-ter relationship between the Big Shark and youth hockey. CR: So what else keeps you busy when you’re not think-ing hockey?LB: I’m a civil trial lawyer with a busy and interesting practice. Additionally, I en-joy duck hunting, fly fishing, gun sports and motorcycles. My wife, Vada, recently accepted the position of NorCal’s roster manager, which will keep her busy and in my face for at least the next two years. I look forward to the challenge of working with the NorCal teams and trulyappreciate all the efforts of our executive board, particu-larly Carla Dickerson, our vice president, and John Hamer, our general manger. Read the entire interview at CaliRubber.com!

USA Junior Hockey Magazine USAJuniorHockey.com

Rubber Interview: NorCal president Lance Burrow

more good things in store for jr. kings unassuming

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