No turning back - Amateur Athletic Unionimage.aausports.org/dnn/hockey/pdf/weeklyarticles/2011/Hockey... · hockey. Hockey Michigan is a governing body that is an alter-native to

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Hockey Weekly photos by John Castine

Hockey Weekly photos by John CastineAbove, from left, MAHA Coach-In-Chief Jack Witt, MAHA Attorney Steve Stapleton, Parliamentarian Maurice Henderson andMAHA Executive Secretary Kerin Wear tally the votes for the proposal that made the ADM principles mandatory at the 8 andUnder levels in Michigan. At right, MAHA Wes Danielson Award winner Tyler Anderson is presented the award by MAHADirector-at-Large Larry Johnson. HW Editor Paul Harris’ stories and more coverage of the MAHA Summer Meetings are onPages 3, 5, 8 and 25.

No turning back

RedWingsintrainingAt right is action from the Red Wingsprospects camp, which was heldJuly 7-14 in Traverse City. left to right, in front of the net duringa no-defense drill on goalie EvanMosher are Mitchell Callahan (65),Brooks Macek (50), Sebastien Piche(54) and Jake Chelios (77). HW EditorPaul Harris’ column Is on Page 4.

RedWingsintraining

2011 MAHA SUMMER MEETINGS HOCKEY WEEKLY JULY 20, 2011 PAGE 3

By Paul HarrisHockey Week ly Editor

Repercussions were already being feltonly a few days after the long talked-aboutand long-debated American DevelopmentModel proposal was passed at the MichiganAmateur Hockey Association’s 50thAnniversary Summer Meetings, held at theGrand Traverse Resort July 7-10.

The proposal, which makes the ADMprincipals mandatory at 8 and Under levelsin Michigan, got three more than the neces-sary two-thirds of the MAHA directors’votes (39-16) on July 10 in a roll-call vote,after being amended several times.

The most contentious issue of the pro-posal is that it mandates almost exclusivehalf-ice and cross-ice play for Mites (7- and8-year-olds). The debate has split MAHA –the District 4 Council ran ads against theproposal in Hockey Weekly – and hadsparked a threatened movement from MAHAto another governing body by many if theADM proposal passed and families didn’thave the choice to allow their Mites to playfull-ice hockey.

District 4 Council Chair Rick Rogow hadno comment after the vote. But the nextday, an organization called HockeyMichigan had its website – www.hock-eymichigan.org – up and run-ning.

Hockey Michigan is the orga-nization that has been puttogether by longtime Trentoncoach Keith Kloock, who hasbeen against limiting 7- and 8-year-olds to cross- and half-icehockey. Hockey Michigan is agoverning body that is an alter-native to MAHA. Instead ofbeing an affiliate of USA Hockey– which MAHA is – HockeyMichigan’s national governingbody is the Amateur AthleticUnion (AAU).

“I’ve got quite a lot of people expressinginterest and wanting information,” Kloocksaid. “I know where I stand with 2003 (birth

year) teams. But the 2004 teams were wait-ing to see what MAHA did before.”

When everything shakes out, he says hethinks he’ll have more than 20 teams.

Kloock said he’s also gettinginterest from Mite B coaches.

“I don’t have any comment,”MAHA’s President GeorgeAtkinson said. “It’s been prettyquiet since Sunday.”

But there was also more strifefrom within MAHA.

In a letter to the editor toHockey Weekly (see Page 5 forthe full letter), Dale Buss, St.Clair Shores HockeyAssociation coach, Travel repand ice convener, expressed out-rage at the District 3 Directorswho voted for the proposal after

assuring the district’s association presi-dents – who were against it by a wide mar-gin – they would vote against it.

But just after the vote in Acme, which isnear Traverse City, USA Hockey ADMRegional Manager Bob Mancini was obvi-ously happy the proposal was passed.

“Now we can take up the challenge of pro-viding the best program for the kids,” hesaid

Kloock disagrees with that, at least where8-year-olds are concerned.

A longtime member of the TrentonHockey Association, Kloock actually start-ed District 2’s Michigan Half-Ice League,which features three-on-three half-icegames for Mini-Mites (6 & Under) andyounger. He started the league before USAHockey originally announced the ADM andwas formerly a member of the MAHA ADMcommittee.

He resigned during MAHA’s AnnualWinter Meetings in Southgate last winterbecause of differences over the original pro-

ADM 8U proposal passage ripples across Mich., MAHA


With his British accent, knack for sayingwhat’s on his mind and razor-sharp tongue,Dr. Steve Norris might remind many of tele-vision chef Gordon Ramsay.

But Dr. Norris isn’t concerned aboutrecipes or fixing failing restaurants, butwith the age-appropriate development ofyoung athletes.

Dr. Norris, who is a physiologist withthe Canadian Olympic Program, was thekeynote speaker during Saturday’s generalmeeting at the Michigan Amateur HockeyAssociation Summer Meetings, which wereheld at Grand Traverse Resort July 7-10.

And while many have been convincedthat the American Development Modelprinciples is the best way to develop hock-ey players, Dr. Norris’ presentation is defi-nitely the most compelling argument forthe ADM.

The basics of the ADM is the scientificdata that there are certain age windows thatyoungsters best learn and develop the vari-ous athletic abilities.

And with the vote on the ADM 8U propos-al coming the next day, that age group wasthe focus of his presentation. But he alsotouched on all levels of youth development.

“Every kid coming though a youth sys-tem ought to be able to say two things,” Dr.Norris said. “1) I had a great time and 2) Ilearned a lot.”

And for 8 and Under athletes, much of that

athletic learning has to be while they’rehaving fun and continually moving …without the rules of traditional games.

He told a story about talking to a motherwho didn’t like the half- and cross-icegames and stations of the ADM principles.

He asked why she didn’t like that system forher child and her answer was that it was bor-ing for her and she wasn’t entertained.When Dr. Norris asked but what about yourchild, her response was she was the onepaying the bills, so she deserved to be

entertained by her child’s participation inhockey.

“I ask you, exactly who are those rulesfor?” he asked at the MAHA meetings. “I beta great majority of them have nothing to dowith children.”

He also pointed out that many great ath-letes, before they were teenagers, were main-ly trained by either creating their own spaceand regimen – Tennis legend Bjorn Borg hit-ting thousands of balls off his garage everyday – or just playing with their friends whereall of the kids gather – kids in African coun-tries who develop incredible skills by justplaying soccer in a field every day, some-times with an improvised ball, urban youthsin the United States who play basketball ona court every day and Canadian kids playingstreet hockey.

“Adults need to get a life. Stopping chil-dren from having fun,” Dr. Norris said. “It’spathetic.”

He also spoke during the ADM committeemeeting later in the day.Briefly

Former District 3 Council Chair JimCosgrove was elected MAHA Executive VicePresident to fill the year left on SalGiacalone’s term after he resigned recently.

Cosgrove�defeated former Immediate PastPresident Mickey Jesue, MAHA DisabledDirector Carol Schwanger and District 7Council Chair Mike Corso in an electionthat took two ballots.

Speaker doesn’t pull any punches about parents, coaches

Hockey Weekly Photo by John CastineDr. Steve Norris during his presentation at the MAHA General Meeting makes his pitch infavor of the ADM half-ice mandates for 8 and under players.

Hockey Weekly photos by John CastineFrom left, Wyandotte Warriors Hockey Association President Lee Shifflett gives his opinion on the ADM principles proposal. Standing tohis right are District 3 Director Brian Garves and Novi Youth Hockey Association President Bob DeSpirit.

National champion coach Joe Smaza discusses the pros and cons of ADM on Page 25

MAHA President George Atkinson knowsthat people have a lot of questions aboutthe proposal that was passed.See MAHA, Page 8

Keith Kloock

After reading District’s 4 article (adver-tisement - see note at bottom) �on limitingMites to Cross- or Half- Ice, I find the arti-cle full of untruths.�

First and foremost the rule is NOT ANADM PROPOSAL. There is nothing in therule proposal that mentions ADM or man-dates the use ADM guidelines. The rule sim-ply states that 8U Mites must skate on alimited ice surface. If Associations do notwant to participate in ADM principles, theycan do their own means for their 8U kids.The rule just simply states that the ice sur-face is limited.�

Also, the rule states that the 2011-12 sea-

I have been to many meetings regardingmatters involving hockey.�

This was my second MAHA summer meet-ing; however, this meeting was especiallydisappointing for several reasons.�

First, we had a District 3 meeting monthsprior to the MAHA meeting regarding ourposition on the Mite ADM� Proposal.During that meeting the presidents of thevarious associations of District 3 stronglyadvised their District Council that they wereagainst the proposal. I believe the vote ofthose presidents in attendance was 10 to 1against the proposal. �

At that time the Council stated that itwould vote consistent with the desire or themajority of the constituents and voteagainst the ADM proposal. �

Following that district meeting and priorto the MAHA Summer Meeting an e-mailwent out again requesting our position. Theconstituents of District 3 again voted toreject the Mite ADM.�

It is unfathomable to me that four District3 representatives and our USA Hockey rep-resentative then went on to vote for theADM proposal at the meeting, despite thealmost unanimous rejection by the District3 associations.�

Another disappointing aspect of theweekend were statements made by MAHArepresentatives that, in summation, parents



Tyler Anderson has participated in sportsfor his entire life.

In addition to playing hockey, basketballand soccer, the 20-year-old Grand Rapidsresident and student at Grand RapidsCommunity College also skis, plays ten-nis, kayaks, snowmobiles and cycles.

It all seems pretty normal until you learnthat Anderson was born with Spina Bifidaand has been in a wheelchair all of his life.

Anderson is the Michigan Amateur HockeyAssociation's 2011 Wes Danielson Awardwinner.

The award is presented annually to some-one in the state who, "overcomes a majorhandicap or diversity and continues to par-ticipate in – or make a major contributionto – the game of ice hockey."

“My parents just wanted to raise me likemy brothers (who are now 22 and 16) ,” saidAnderson, who is also a member of the U.S.Sled Hockey Junior Development Team.“They didn't want me to feel any different. Ihad to work at it but I was always able to doeverything myself, just like other kids.”

Dan and Jodie Anderson always wanted

2011 MAHA AWARDS

WES DANIELSON AWARDTyler Anderson

KELLOGG AWARDBob Yohe

EARL PIPER AWARD(COACH OF THE YEAR)

Glenn Patrick

LOWELL MCCOY AWARD(REFEREE OF THE YEAR)

J.P. Parmentier

THIRTY-FIVE-YEAR AWARD Dave Wiitanen

THIRTY-YEAR AWARDWillie Floyd

Gerald Ludden

TWENTY-FIVE-YEAR AWARDMike Cruickshank

Tim McIntosh

JOHN VARGO AWARD(FIFTEEN-YEAR AWARD)

Mickey Jesue Michael Fornes (Referee)

LARRY CAIN AWARD(TEN-YEAR AWARD)

Jim BolovenRob Boone

Joe NewoodBill Peterson

CHARLIE AUTORE AWARD(FIVE-YEAR AWARD)

James CosgroveDavid Dupre Ron Hayes

Larry Marshall Rick Rogow

Cathy Starrett

DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT Carol Schwanger

SPECIAL RECOGNITIONBob Mancini

For photos of all award winners,go to www.hockeyweekly.com

and Hockey Weekly's Facebook Page.

Spina bifida hasn’t slowed Danielson winner

their son to be independent.“We tried to make him as self sufficient as

possible,” Tyler's father Dan said. “Healways played when his brothers and theother kids played sports.”

Dan recalled that even when his brotherswere playing soccer in the front yard, Tylerwould wind up being the goalie in hiswheelchair.

Always a Red Wings' and Grand RapidsGriffins' fan, Tyler started playing SledHockey when he was 11.

“When I had the opportunity to play, I fig-ured I might as well give it a shot,” he said.

Jodie saw an immediate difference in himafter he hit the ice.

“From the first time he tried Sled Hockey,his personality changed when he put thathelmet on,” she said, adding that he becamemore confident.

Tyler says he does just about everything.“Pretty much anything I think I can do

and even if I think I can't do it, I give it atry,” he said.

So clearly, there's no feeling sorry forhimself.

But people still sometimes make it obvi-ous that they feel sorry for him when theymeet him.

“When people feel bad for me, I'm like,'You don't need to feel bad for me because Ican do everything. And if I can't, I'll figure itout.' ” Tyler said. “It bothers me if I can't.”

do not know what is best for their kids.Devoted and interested parents are whatmakes youth hockey possible. They told usto watch out for the parents, but obviouslywe should have been watching out for ourrepresentatives.�

The irony of the matter is that whilecoaching Mite and Midget hockey thisyear, I don’t recall seeing any of those whowere speaking out in support of the ADMMite proposal coaching a Mite team.People are making decisions as to what isbest for others without actively being

involved in the process. I thought our rep-resentatives were supposed to represent ourinterests, not unilaterally decide what wasbest for us.�

In the end, had our council members votedas promised the proposal would not havepassed. Those who voted against the will ofthe very body they are supposed to repre-sent should step down from their posi-tions.�

Dale Buss�St. Clair Shores Hockey Association�

Coach, Travel Rep & Ice Convener�

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

MAHA reps went against constituents’ wishes�

son is a transition year phasing out 8U fullice hockey with the 2012-13 season. I donot have a problem of someone expressingtheir disagreement with the rule. I do have aproblem when untruths are used to supportone’s opinion.�

DON’T READ INTO THE RULE PROPOS-ALS, READ THEM AS THEY ARE INBLACK AND WHITE!�

Gordon Bowman�Vice President of Coaches�

Author of rule proposal 9-11�EDITOR’S NOTE: Mr. Bowman’s

response is to an�ad run in Hockey Weeklyby the MAHA District 4 Council.

Setting record straight on proposal�

Hockey Weekly photos by John CastineTyler Anderson with his parents, Dan andJodie Anderson.

Ralph Bammert and Judy Niemi present the 35-year serviceaward to Dave Wiitanen (middle).

Bob Yohe (left) receives MAHA's prestigiousKellogg Award from Ray Kraemer.

Donna Piper presents the Earl Piper Coach of the Year Award toGlenn Patrick (left) along with Gordon Bowman.

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posal that came out of the committee.One of the basic principles of the ADM is

that small-area games – particularly at theyounger ages – improves the developmentof skating and puck handling skills anddevelops hockey sense better than full-icegames because players have to make deci-sions quicker in closer quarters.

Kloock says that among first-year Squirts(9- and 10-year-olds), those who playedhalf-ice as 8-year-olds aren’t as fast as 8-year-olds who played full ice.

But the proposal that did pass has a full-ice component, otherwise it might not havepassed. A compromise proposal allowed forfull ice beginning with the 2012-13 sea-son, but only after Dec. 20, each season for8-year-old Mites.

For the upcoming 2011-12 season, 8-year-olds whoplayed full-ice as7-year-olds thispast season willbe allowed toplay full ice forthe entire 2011-12 season.

The proposalwas amended sev-eral times evenafter that replacedthe previousProposal 9.1.Atkinson said thatMAHA wouldrelease a synopsisof the final rule

proposal that passed, a time line and theanswers to the questions that have been mostfrequently asked by July 15 or 16.

“We know people have questions,”

Atkinson said.During the discussion of the proposal

before the vote in the general meeting onJuly 9, Novi Youth Hockey AssociationPresident Bob DeSpirit said the proposal isunmanageable.

“From an administrative standpoint, Ifeel it will bring chaos to our program,” hesaid.

DeSpirit also added that he thought theNYHA would suffer catastrophic member-ship losses from Hockey Michigan if theproposal passed.

Wyandotte Warriors Hockey AssociationPresident Lee Shifflett said it was too soonfor the proposal to pass.

“This one-size-fits-all rule has not givenus enough time to adjust to the new coach-ing standards,” he said.

During discussions in the general meet-

ing the following day, former NHL playerand Red Wing Dallas Drake – now a Pee WeeAA and Bantam A coach with the GrandTraverse Hockey Association and a memberof the MAHA ADM Committee – gave animpassioned speech in support of the pro-posal.

At one point he said, “We’re talkingabout 8-year-old kids! Are you guys out ofyour mind?”

He also added that an NHL game is actual-ly a series of small-area games.

MAHA also elicited support for the pro-posal from Red Wing stars HenrikZetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk.

Even before the proposal passed, theADM’s 8U cross-ice and half-ice principleshad been embraced by many associationsacross MAHA. Many opponents of the pro-posal, in fact, agree with them and think

Proposal passage has potential consequences for MAHAMAHA, from Page 3

that the ADM 8U principles would onlygain acceptance with time. But they don’tthink families should be forced into it andthey wonder what’s the rush to make itmandatory at 8U now?

Kloock intimated that things may haveworked out better for MAHA if the proposalhad not passed.

“I didn’t really want to do the AAU stuff,”he said. “But they played right into myhands.”

Another opponent of the proposal wasLivonia Hockey Association PresidentMark Paulus.

“This rule has evolved in many differentways and it’s going to take time to see theeffect it will have on associations overall,”he said.

Ten other new rules proposals werepassed during the Summer Meetings.

ADM RegionalManager Bob Mancini

Above, District 4 Director Kim Gearns speaks against the proposal. Right,former NHL player and Red Wing Dallas Drake – a member of the MAHAADM Committee – made an impassioned case for passing it. Hockey Weekly photos by John Castine

ONYOURMARKThe Red Wings havealready begun theirinformal practices inpreparation fortraining camp andthe 2011-12 NHLseason. During thefirst skate, on Aug.29 at City SportsArena, Danny Cleary(left to right), TomasHolmstrom, DougJanik and DrewMiller are lined upfor a drill. HW EditorPaul Harris’ RedWings column is onPage 4.

Hockey Weeklyphoto by John

Castine

HOCKEY WEEKLYSEPTEMBER 7, 2011 Vol. 37, Issue 27



Ilitch Charities golf outing raises$250,000+ for local groups - P. 9Ilitch Charities golf outing raises

$250,000+ for local groups - P. 9

MITE COACHES MULL OPTIONS – PAGE 8

Hockey Weekly photo by John CastineMNHL continues scholarships: Nine of the 10 2011 MNHL Scholarship winners pose withGale M. Cronk, MNHL chairman and treasurer, at the scholarship dinner Aug. 14 in Fenton. Cronk is seated andsurrounded by (left to right kneeling) Will Dawson and Dalton Hammond and standing (left to right) JonathanJepson, Chris Stansik, Alex Jakubic, Andrew Lay, Michael Crowder, Aaron Jakubic and Jonathan Castine. Not pic-tured is John Kennedy Jr. See story and more photos on Page 3.

EVERY HOCKEY PLAYER’S DREAM: BobEssensa, goaltending coach of the Stanley Cup-Champion BostonBruins, brought the Stanley Cup to the Detroit Skate Club, where hecoaches the Midget A USA Eagles. Above the Squirt AA USA Eaglespose with the Cup with Essensa in the background. Bruins TimThomas and Steven Kampfer also treated Michiganians to other Cup visits. More pictures are on Page 5.

HE’S NO. 1: The Washington Capitals’Alexander Ovechkin is Hockey Weekly’s TopNHL Player. See HW Editor Paul Harris' storyon Page 5 for the rest of the Top 10.

‘IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT THE KIDS’‘IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT THE KIDS’

PAGE 8 SEPTEMBER 7, 2011HOCKEY WEEKLY

There is a huge difference between tal-ent and skill. Talent is something thatis natural. Saying that a player is tal-

ented implies that they just threw skates onone day and were a natural out there.�

There are certainly players out there witha lot of natural talent. And it sure is helpfulif you have it. But if you want to play at theelite levels of hockey, being naturally tal-ented is not essential. � Skill, on the otherhand, is absolutely critical.

Skill is something you have to acquire through hours,days, and years of training, practicing and learning. It’shard work spending hours upon hours working on yourshot, practicing your stick handling, or working out in thegym.�

The truth is that to be really, really good takes more timeand effort than most players are willing to commit.�Mostplayers simply aren’t driven or dedicated enough to do thework that is necessary to develop the skills needed to suc-ceed.

It’s hard not to get frustrated that you don’t have the samenatural talent as other players. �It’s even more frustrating toknow that you have to put in twice as much time (or more)

to achieve the same level ofskill mastery as those play-ers. Sometimes it seems asthough those naturally talent-ed players get all the breaks.

But natural talent only getsyou so far.� It may give you ahead start, but it won’t get youover the finish line. Nevergive up on your goals and

dreams because you don’t have “talent”.� There are a lot of naturally-talented players who don’t put

in the time and effort to become elite players and plateauvery early on.� And there are many players who start out asmediocre but put in the time and effort needed to excel andleapfrog over those with natural talent but no drive.Greatness comes from skill cultivated through hard work,not talent.

Forget about talent and focus on skill. � Grab hold of ded-ication and drive instead.� Push yourself every single day tobe better than you were the day before.�Outwork everyone.Spend these last few weeks of the summer getting better.Instead of sitting back and relaxing your way into the sea-son, crank up the intensity. Take those extra shots in the

A discussion of Talent versus Skill


With Mite players and coaches now being allowed to par-ticipate in leagues outside of the Michigan AmateurHockey Association, Mite teams who want to play full-icehockey are taking various approaches to the options avail-able to them.

Because of the passage of the American DevelopmentProgram Proposal – which eliminated most full-ice hockeyat the Mite (8 & Under) and below levels – at the MAHASummer Meetings in early July at Grand Traverse Resort,Mite teams that want to play full-ice have joined theAmateur Athletic Union-affiliated organization HockeyMichigan.

At press time, 15 Michigan Mite teams (12 in MiteMinor Travel and three in Mite B) were listed on www.hock-eyhichigan.org as participating in the organization for the2011-12 season. Two teams from Indianapolis and onefrom Pittsburgh were also listed.

Also, according to Hockey Michigan-founder KeithKloock, a separate AAU league of eight teams is also inexistence in the western Detroit-area suburbs.

While the Michigan teams had to disassociate them-selves from their associations, which are still underMAHA's umbrella, MAHA President George Atkinson saidlast month that individual players and coaches could com-pete in both MAHA and outside leagues as long as it wasn'tthe same team.

That means that a team can remain in MAHA and partici-pate there, but also can call themselves another name, puton different uniforms and participate with an outside orga-nization, like Hockey Michigan.

Ron Wantuck's 2004 Mite team is doing just that.The team, which plays out of Canton's Arctic Edge and

has been traditionally known as the Canton Wings, willcontinue to play in MAHA and the cross-ice program with-in the Canton Victory Hockey Association.

But those same players will also form the Phantoms,which will have no affiliation whatsoever to the CVHA orMAHA. The Phantoms will play full-ice in HockeyMichigan (Mite Minor Travel) and, according to Wantuck,all the costs (registration, ice-time, uniforms, etc.) and

support of the Phantoms will come from himself, his assis-tant coaches and the other families (Wantuck's son playson the team).

“The kids are going to have the best of all worlds,”Wantuck said. “My practices are always going to be on theADM scale, MAHA didn't have to mandate that.”

He went to say that he believes in the ADM principles ofstation and small-area drills, etc., but also thinks thatplayers and parents should have the choice of playing full-ice hockey.

Wantuck added the decision to play in both MAHA andMichigan Hockey, which Wantuck says will put players onthe ice two-three times per week, was driven by the parents.

On the other hand, the Taylor Wings are one of the teamsonly playing in Hockey Michigan.

“My son is on the team and, basically, it (playing bothMAHA and Hockey Michigan), would be a lot. We decidedto go the full-ice option,” said Taylor Wings coach KevinPaden. “It would be a lot. I would probably say you'll be atthe rink at least four-to-five times a week for both.”

That team is also playing in Mite Minor Travel, as arethe Michigan Hornets, who are from Troy.

They seem to have found a compromise, according tocoach Brian Howard.

He says his players will play in a partial MAHA Housecross-ice program along with full ice in Hockey Michigan.

“Kind of the best of both worlds to accommodate all par-ties,” Howard said.

In ADM debate, Mite teams are selecting different options

driveway. Do an extra stick handling session (or two).� Dothat extra set of sprints at the end of your workout. Pushyourself to a whole new level.

Don’t just be willing to do the work.� Get excited aboutdoing it. � Know that it will give you a serious advantageonce the season starts. � Because hard work leads to skill,which trumps talent every time.

RESOURCE BOXWith the new season just around the corner weeks away,

it’s time to get in game shape - fast.You can use the same body-weight workout circuits that

my athletes and I use in the park to get in great hockeyshape before the season.� To help you get fast, strong andfit enough to dominate during training camp, you can getyour copy at � http://www.totalfemalehockey.com/game-shape.shtml.�

Kim McCullough, MSc, YCS, is an expert in the devel-opment of aspiring female hockey players. �She is a formerNCAA Division I captain at Dartmouth and played in theNational Women’s Hockey League for six years.� She is cur-rently the Girls Hockey Director at the PEAC School forElite Athletes in Toronto and is the Director and Founder ofTotal Female Hockey.

By Kim McCulloughMSc, YCS

COACHKIM’SCORNER

Grinding away

Hockey Weekly photos by Rena LavertyTwo-thirds of the Wings’ Grind Line – Kris Draper, left and above, and Kirk Maltby, above right – give youngplayers a few pointers during the annual Kris Draper Hockey School at the Troy Sports Center and CoreSports Fitness Aug. 22-25. Also at the clinic was the third Grind Line member, Darren McCarty.

Mite coach RonWantuck will havehis team play both cross- andfull-ice. “The kidsare going to havethe best of allworlds,” he says.

HOCKEY WEEKLYSEPTEMBER 21, 2011 Vol. 37, Issue 28 $2.00



BOX LACROSSE COMING TOORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S - P. 2

BOX LACROSSE COMING TOORCHARD LAKE ST. MARY’S - P. 2

CRASH STUNS HOCKEY WORLD – PAGE 5

Photo by John ElftmannThe Port Huron Fighting Falcons’ Kody Polin (8) goes after a loose puck against Brian Christie of the TopekaRoadRunners in the North American Hockey League Showcase in Blaine, MN, Sept. 15. The Falcons beat Topeka2-1 in a shootout, their second win in two days for a 2-0 start to the 2011-12 season. Read about more NAHLNorth Division openers on Page 8.

Hockey Weeklly Photo by John Castine

ADM SCHEDULING BEGINS: The new MAHA mandated American Developmental Modelprogram got underway Sept. 10 in District 2 with “an exchange meeting” to schedule half-ice games betweenD2’s Hockey Associations with Mini-Mite and Mite teams, known as units. Around the Mite table at the meetingat the DISC Arena in Dearborn are clockwise from front left Kathy Benko (representing Grosse Ile HockeyAssociation), Jeff Steffin (Grosse Ile), Jason Greig (Dearborn), Cindy Monzon (Allen Park), Dave Monzon (AllenPark) and Tony Palumbo (Trenton). For a story and more photos see Page 3.

Hockey Weekly photo by John Castine

LIKE IT NEVER ENDED: The Motor City CupTournament kicked off the thrills and spills of the 2011-12 AAAHockey Season with a Midget Major and Midget Minor Tournament inMetro Detroit. Above Jaleel Rosemond of the Oakland Grizzlies goesairborne for a loose puck against HoneyBaked's Logan Gatza.HoneyBaked won the U-16 Midget Minor game, 4-0. For more photosand a story by AAA reporter Chuck Klonke and for Hockey Weekly'sfirst AAA Rankings of the season see Page 9.


GOOD START: The Motor City Chiefs opened the Great LakesJunior Hockey League season with a pair of wins. Above are Chiefs JohnHultgren and Tim Muhsman in a pre-game skate. For more on the Chiefsand other GLJHL action, see Page 22.

Falconsareflying

Falconsareflying

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011 PAGE 3HOCKEY WEEKLY


Wyandotte Warriors Hockey AssociationPresident Lee Shifflett was one of the mostvocal opponents of the AmericanDevelopment Program proposal, whichoutlaws full-ice hockey for most players 8and under, before it was passed at theMichigan Amateur Hockey AssociationAnnual Summer Meetings in early July.

So it now seems ironic that Shifflett findshimself overseeing the scheduling of manyof Downriver and District 2's Mite andMini-Mite half-ice games, jamborees andexchanges for the 2011-12 season.

But he doesn't see the turn of events as abig deal.

“I've been president of our associationfor seven years and there's a lot of new pres-idents, at least seven in District 2,”Shifflett said. “And with all the crazinessgoing on, I figured they could do somethingto get their organizations in trouble and Ididn't want to see that.”

The participating associations are: AllenPark, Dearborn, Wyandotte, Trenton,Woodhaven, Monroe and Wayne.

Shifflett had already been involved withthe scheduling of the Mini-Mite Half-IceHockey League, which has operated as a co-operative venture by several Downriver

associations for the last few seasons.The “craziness” Shifflett referred to are

the administrative challenges presented toassociations by the rule change.

He added there are also the challenges oflost players and the lost revenue that hasdisappeared with them.

“What I thought would happen and what Iwarned them of at the MAHA meeting hashappened,” Shifflett said. “Teams are erod-ing and people are taking their kids else-where”

Seven Downriver or District 2, 2003 and2004 teams have left MAHA to join HockeyMichigan, which is backed by the AmateurAthletic Union, so their Mites can playfull-ice hockey, according to www.hock-eymichigan.org.

Shifflett said the Wyandotte Warriors'Hockey Association has lost 13 Mite play-ers from the spring. He said that translatesto a loss for the association of $11,185(registration fees, fundraising, ice bills andmonthly association fees).

“You don't like seeing your business lose$11,000,” Shifflett said. “You don't like tosee your business lose that kind of money.”

He added that District 2 has shrunk from16 full-ice Mite teams in the spring tothree-and-a-half half-ice teams and sevenfull-ice squads.

“The people are voting with their feet as Ithought they would,” Shifflett added.

He was assisted in his leadership of theMites who remained by MAHA ImmediatePast President Mickey Jesue. Shifflett andJesue conducted the "District 2 Exchange"scheduling meeting at the Dearborn IceSkating Center (DISC) on Saturday, Sept.10.

“Lee Shifflett and I happened to have aconversation and I offered to help facilitatea meeting, as well as schedule associationexchanges with the teams,” Jesue wrote inan e-mail. “Lee and I were very pleased tosee everyone come together, exchangeideas and procedures they would abide by

while having these exchanges.”The process began with nine Mini Mite

teams, which were broken up into 20 seven-player units with the players divided amongthe units by talent.

Six units of half-ice Mites (2004) remainafter the losses.

Second-year Mites (2003) are allowed toplay full-ice this season and they will playin the Little Caesars Amateur HockeyLeague.

"I would like to thank Lee for taking theinitiative to get the associations together,share ideas and procedures, and move in adirection that everyone could live with,"Jesue added.


A total of 25 Mite teams had left the USAHockey-backed Michigan Amateur HockeyAssociation for two Amateur AthleticUnion-supported organizations as of presstime.

The teams have chosen to play full-icehockey, which was outlawed for most ofMichigan's Mite players (8 and under) bythe American Development Model propos-al, which was passed at the MAHA AnnualSummer Meetings in early July.

The AAU organizations are HockeyMichigan (www.young-guns-hockey.com)and the Full Potential Hockey Academy(ht tp : / /www. eteamz. com/ful lpoten t ial -hockeyacademy/).

According to Hockey Michigan founderKeith Kloock, 17 teams are a part of hisorganization. The other eight teams arewith the Livonia-based Full PotentialHockey Academy. That organization wasfounded by Dennis Desantis and all of itsteams are from Livonia. Desantis could notbe reached for comment.

“Originally, I thought we'd get 10 or 12(for AAU) and I was looking for basically25 or more in Year Two,” said Kloock, whosaid he has no problem with Full PotentialHockey Academy going it on its own withAAU. “.. . Now we'll see how good a job wedo and if we get more in year two.”

He added the Hockey Michigan Travel andMite B teams were in the process of doingtheir scheduling.

In addition the Hockey Michigan site hadtwo Mite Major (2003) Travel teams listedfrom Indiana, the Indiana Jr. Ice of Carmeland the Midwest Express (Indianapolis)with a note to say "more out of state AAUteams are welcome."

And the site also noted Canadian teamscan participate.

"Teams may join AAU throughout the sea-son in order to compete within Mite Full-Ice tournaments. Teams may be fromMichigan or other States, as well as Canada(yes Canadians may join AAU)," the sitenoted. "Travel tournament teams may beSelect (All-Star) teams, compiled fromexisting Cross-Ice programs."

25 Mite teams now membersof two AAU organizations

Downriver, D-2 groups make best with remaining Mites

Hockey Weekly photos by John CastineDistrict 2 Hockey Association reps use laptop computers, cell phones, calendars andnotebooks during their scheduling of cross and/or half ice exchanges between theirMini-Mite players for the upcoming season.

Wyandotte Hockey Association President Lee Schifflet (left) and MAHA Executive BoardPast President Mickey Jesue discuss the meeting they organized and ran for the District2 Exchange scheduling between half-ice Mini-Mite and Mite Programs.

PRESIDENTJeff Spedowski

231-796-0728 (h) 231-629-0435 (c)E-Mail: [email protected]

ADRAY OFFICERS

Adray 2011/2012 Hockey Season Information can be found on the web site.

www.adrayhockey.org

TREASURERJoe Spedowski231-796-2565

E-mail: [email protected] SPECIALIST

VICE PRESIDENTSteve Miller

[email protected] EAST

VICE PRESIDENTBrandon Spedowski

989-486-1511 (h) 231-250-7031 (c)E-mail:

[email protected]

GIRLS HOUSEVICE PRESIDENT

Dina Howe989-429-2653 (c) 989-435-7080 (w)

E-mail: [email protected] VICE PRESIDENT

Bobby Mitchell248-302-0913

E-Mail: [email protected] WESTVICE PRESIDENT

Kevin Wood616-560-6503

E-Mail:[email protected]

CORE Holiday Hockey Camp! See Page 12 for details

CORE Holiday Hockey Camp! See Page 12 for details

HOCKEY WEEKLYNOVEMBER 23, 2011 Vol. 38, Issue 5 $2.00



AAU HOCKEY LOOKING TO GROW – P. 8

2011-12HIGH SCHOOLPREVIEW

2011-12HIGHSCHOOLPREVIEW

AAAActionBelle Tire’s PaulIngles has ColoradoThunderbirds goalieChase Horton in aprecarious positionas he lets a shot goduring the Tier 1Elite League MidgetMajor ShowcaseNov. 11-13, hostedby the OaklandGrizzlies at the TroySports Center. SeeTier 1 Elite’sCommissioner Larry Johnson'sCorner and ChuckKlonke’s reports onPages 19-21.

Hockey Weeklyphoto by

John Castine

Last season’s three Boysstate champs – fromleft, DI Novi, D2Wyandotte and D3Grand Rapids CatholicCentral – must deal withhow to defend theircrowns. Meanwhile,last season’s Girls statechamp, Grosse PointeSouth, near left, will bechallenged by fourbrand new head coaches in theMMGHSHL. Get ready –it’s Prep Season! SeePages 3 and 5.

AAAAction

PAGE 8 NOVEMBER 23, 2011HOCKEY WEEKLY

“If that happens, Katie, bar the door,”said Noll, who said that the organizationhas been getting calls about Adult hockeyfrom both potential leagues and arenas.

Michigan has traditionally had more reg-istered Adult players than any other state.

Noll also emphasised that AAU is not try-ing to usurp USA Hockey’s position.

“We’re just hoping, more than anything,that we can keep more people playing icehockey and have more play and learn thegame,” Noll said.

Kloock is also looking for HockeyMichigan to grow even larger in 2012-13.

“My concern next year is trying to addSquirts,” he said.


Hockey Michigan con-tinues to add more teams.

That’s the word from thecreator of the organizationthat began as an alternativeto the Michigan AmateurHockey Association’sAmerican DevelopmentModel rule that limits thenumber of Mite teams thatcan play full-ice hockey inMichigan.

“It keeps growing,” saidKeith Kloock, adding thatAmateur Athletic Union(AAU)- backed HockeyMichigan had surpassed the30-team mark at the MiteMinor level alone.

He said six new teamshad joined in the pastmonth alone, including acontingent from the St.Louis area.

According to Kloock, there has also beeninterest from teams in Kansas City andChicago areas as well. Teams fromIndianapolis were already involved.

AAU has been getting a lot of inquiriesfrom hockey leagues from across the coun-try.

“We’re getting a lot of calls from coast tocoast,” said AAU National ChairpersonHockey Keith Noll. “I was recently was on aconference call with groups from Illinois,Indiana, Missouri, Michigan and Ohio.”

He also added that, within the week, AAUwould hold a vote to determine if it wouldsanction Adult hockey.

By Kim McCulloughMSc, YCS

At this point of the season, I’m sureyour team has been in at least one ortwo tournaments – I know some

players and teams who have been in threeor four.

There is no doubt that tournaments aregreat fun. You probably remember just asmuch about whathappened off the iceas what happened onthe ice. It’s a terrificway for the team tobond and get somegames in againstopponents you don’tface on a regularbasis.

But there is noth-ing worse thanshowing up at a tour-nament and under-performing. Youspend all that time,energy (and money)only to give amediocre effort. � It’sfrustrating for thecoaches, players and parents. Playing yourbest all tournament long is tough.Especially when you’ve got games that arejust a few hours apart or when you have totravel a long way. In order to perform yourbest, and make sure you’re still playing onSunday,� you’ve got to take care of all thedetails. You can’t just expect to show up andwin. You’ve got to prepare.

I want to help you make your next tour-nament the best one ever.� That’s why I am

offering you a free copy of the “BestTournament Blueprint.”� In this free report,you’ll find a step-by-step plan thatwill�help you to be at� your best both phys-ically and mentally, whether it’s your firstgame of the tournament or your fifth.

And, as an added bonus, I have alsoincluded the “Blue-print Basics,” anaudio recording inwhich I talk youthrough the entireblueprint and showyou exactly how touse it so that youplay your best everytime you hit the ice.

But before you gograb your free copyof the report andaudio, I want to makesure you are gettingthe one that is rightfor you. � I createdthree different ver-sions of the plan:One is for coaches,

one for players and one for parents.� Each ofyou are going to have slightly differentroles in making sure the tournament is asuccess, so I personalized the audio for eachof you.� Make sure that you use the correctlink below to get the Blueprint that hasbeen designed with you in mind.

Pass these links along to your fellowcoaches, parents and teammates so that theycan have their best tournament too. Enjoyand good luck at your next tournament.

Have yourbest

tourney ever

COACHKIM’SCORNER

Here are links to three specialized“blueprints” to help you have yourbest tournament ever:COACHES, go to:http://totalfemalehockey.com/tourna-ment_blueprint_coach_dl.shtmlPLAYERS, go to:http://totalfemalehockey.com/tourna-ment_blueprint_player_dl.shtmlPARENTS, go to:http://totalfemalehockey.com/tourna-ment_blueprint_parent_dl.shtml

Go blue

Hockey Michigan, AAUgrowing, looking to expand

AAU’s Keith Noll:“We’re getting a lotof calls,” includingabout Adult hockey.

Michigan Hockeyfounder KeithKloock: “It keepsgrowing.”

EAST STANDINGSSQUIRT WHITE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GABAY COUNTY 1 2 0 0 4 12 0TAWAS 1 1 0 0 2 4 0SAGINAW 1 1 1 0 2 5 6MIDLAND 1 0 1 0 0 0 5MT. PLEASANT 1 0 1 0 0 0 4SAGINAW 4 0 1 0 0 0 6SQUIRT RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAMIDLAND 2 1 0 0 2 4 2BAY COUNTY 2 2 0 1 5 12 7MT. PLEASANT 2 0 0 2 2 6 6SAGINAW 5 1 1 0 2 4 6SAGINAW 3 0 1 1 1 3 5SAGINAW 2 0 2 0 0 3 6PEE WEE WHITE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAMIDLAND 3 1 0 0 2 4 1MT. PLEASANT 2 1 0 0 2 7 1BAY COUNTY 1 2 0 1 5 17 5BAY COUNTY 3 3 1 0 6 14 9SAGINAW 1 1 0 1 3 8 5GLADWIN GLAD #2 2 4 0 4 10 23MIDLAND 1 0 2 0 0 1 10SAGINAW 3 0 3 0 0 5 12PEE WEE RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAMIDLAND 2 1 0 0 2 4 3MT. PLEASANT 1 2 0 0 4 12 3GLADWIN GLAD #1 1 0 1 3 4 2BAY COUNTY 2 2 1 0 4 8 9SAGINAW 4 0 1 1 1 4 7TAWAS 1 0 1 0 0 2 6SAGINAW 2 0 3 0 0 4 8BANTAM WHITE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GABAY COUNTY 1 3 0 0 6 12 2MIDLAND 1 1 1 0 2 5 3SAGINAW 1 0 2 0 0 2 10SAGINAW 3 0 1 0 0 0 4MIDLAND 3 0 0 0 0 0 0BANTAM RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAGLADWIN GLADS 3 0 0 6 18 1TAWAS 1 2 0 0 4 10 3MT. PLEASANT 1 1 1 0 2 12 8MIDLAND 2 0 2 0 0 0 10

SAGINAW 2 0 1 0 0 0 6SAGINAW 4 0 2 0 0 4 16

METRO STANDINGSMITE WHITE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GABRUINS 4 0 0 8 24 3TROY SABRES 3 0 1 7 20 6SCS BRUINS 4 1 0 8 25 8BIRMINGHAM 1 3 1 0 6 19 8TROY SHARKS 1 1 1 3 8 8TROY LIGHTNING 2 2 0 4 10 15SCS JETS 1 2 0 2 8 18BLACKEAGLES 0 5 0 0 0 30SCS 3 0 3 0 0 3 15SCS ICE HAWKS 0 2 0 0 5 10FRASER N STARS 0 1 0 0 3 4SQUIRT RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GARED WINGS 3 0 0 6 23 7SHARKS 4 0 0 8 17 5TROY BLUE JCKTS 4 1 3 11 36 18KINGS 3 2 2 8 31 24TROY RED WINGS 2 2 0 4 16 15TROY FLYERS 1 1 1 3 9 10TROY MAPLE LFS 2 3 0 4 15 20POLAR BEARS 1 2 2 4 16 15ACHL 2 1 2 1 3 23 29BHAM 1 BARRAS 1 3 0 2 18 30BHAM 2 SPITFIRES 0 3 2 2 15 28USA GRIZZLIES 0 3 1 1 8 26SQUIRT BLUE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAMCHA BULLDOGS 6 0 0 12 39 4BRUINS 4 2 0 8 25 18ICE DOGS 2 1 0 4 17 11SCS MAPLE LEAFS 3 2 0 6 16 13TRAVELERS 1 2 2 0 4 12 12PHMHA 2 0 1 2 2 6 7BWHA 1 1 3 1 3 7 24SCS PREDATORS 1 3 0 2 7 20PHMHA 1 0 3 1 1 2 12SCS GIANTS 0 2 0 0 2 12BWHA 2 0 0 0 0 0 0PEE WEE RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GANORTHSTARS 4 0 0 8 23 8GRIFFINS 4 0 0 8 18 4MACHINE 4 1 0 8 26 13

USA TIMBERWLVS 3 1 0 6 25 16CAPITALS 1 3 1 3 13 16TROY PENGUINS 1 3 0 2 6 21PENGUINS 0 2 1 1 4 14USA FALCONS 0 2 0 0 3 8TROY BLCKHWKS 0 5 0 0 13 31PEE WEE BLUE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAWILD 2 0 0 4 10 2GPHA BRUINS 1 0 0 2 8 2TRAVELERS 1 3 1 0 6 16 12SCS PENGUINS 3 1 0 6 26 20BULLDOGS 1 1 0 2 6 5PREDATORS 1 1 0 2 11 10CHIEFS 2 3 0 4 18 26PHMHA 1 0 2 0 0 4 11EASTSIDE CREW 0 2 0 0 13 15SCC LONGHORNS 0 2 0 0 1 10BWHA 3 0 0 0 0 0 0BANTAM RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAFRASER BRUINS 5 0 0 10 29 1WARRIORS 5 1 0 10 37 15FLYERS 3 2 0 6 20 17MTC 2 4 4 0 8 27 31BLACKHAWKS 3 3 0 6 16 15USA KNIGHTS 0 5 0 0 1 28TRAVLERS 1 0 6 0 0 11 40BANTAM BLUE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GABW BLUE JACKETS 2 0 0 4 14 2MTC 1 4 0 0 8 21 6BULLS 2 0 1 5 15 4PHMHA 1 2 1 0 4 16 12SCS BRUINS 0 1 1 1 4 7BLAZERS 0 3 1 1 12 25GROSSE POINTE 0 4 1 1 5 25

WEST STANDINGSSQUIRT WHITE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAMUSKEGON 3 2 0 0 4 14 6HAWKS 1 5 1 0 10 26 9GRAHA 1 3 1 0 6 16 5MNHA 1 2 1 0 4 12 10BIG RAPIDS 2 3 2 0 6 14 9WEST SHORE 1 0 2 1 1 8 20GRAND VALLEY 4 0 5 1 1 17 32CC PRIDE 1 0 3 0 0 4 20

SQUIRT RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAMUSKEGON 2 4 0 0 8 19 6KOHA GOLD 2 0 1 5 11 4BATTLE CREEK 1 2 1 0 4 13 4GRAHA 4 2 2 0 4 12 16GRAND VALLEY 3 1 1 0 2 7 8KENTWOOD 1 0 1 1 1 3 4CC PRIDE 2 0 2 0 0 4 14HAWKS 3 0 4 0 0 6 19SQUIRT BLUE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAGRAHA 3 5 0 0 10 30 6GRAND VALLEY 1 1 0 0 2 2 1BIG RAPIDS 1 4 2 0 8 25 22EGRAHA GOLD 2 2 0 4 14 19HAWKS 2 1 1 1 3 12 10MUSKEGON 1 1 3 2 4 16 20ROCKFORD RAMS 1 4 1 3 16 31KENTWOOD 2 0 3 2 2 13 19SQUIRT GREEN DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAHOLLAND 1 1 0 0 2 2 0GRAHA 2 3 0 1 7 25 12SQUIRT SILVER 1 1 0 2 3 6EGRAHA BLUE 0 0 1 1 4 4KENTWOOD 3 1 2 0 2 8 9KOHA BLACK 1 3 0 2 11 20BERRIEN 1 0 1 0 0 0 2PEE WEE WHITE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAEGRAHA BLUE 7 0 0 14 32 5BATTLE CREEK 1 2 0 1 5 11 7MUSKEGON 3 4 1 0 8 27 9GRAHA 2 3 1 1 7 20 14KOHA WHITE 1 2 1 3 7 12KOHA GOLD 2 4 1 5 16 24GLAHA 3 1 5 0 2 9 16HOLLAND 1 0 4 0 0 0 21GRAND VALLEY 2 0 3 0 0 7 21PEE WEE RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAGLAHA 1 1 0 0 2 3 0MUSKEGON 2 3 0 0 6 13 3MNHA 1 2 0 0 4 15 3HAWKS 1 2 0 0 4 7 0KOHA BLACK 1 1 0 2 7 7KENTWOOD 1 0 2 0 0 2 14BERRIEN 1 0 3 0 0 2 13

GRAND VALLEY 1 0 3 0 0 3 12PEE WEE BLUE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAMNHA 2 5 1 0 10 28 8WEST SHORE 1 4 1 0 8 26 11KOHA BROWN 2 1 0 4 12 9HAWKS 2 2 1 0 4 14 10BIG RAPIDS 1 1 1 1 3 10 11GRAHA 1 2 3 1 5 15 22MUSKEGON 1 1 3 0 2 9 10GLAHA 2 0 6 0 0 2 35BANTAM WHITE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GABIG RAPIDS 1 5 1 1 11 32 10GLAHA 2 6 2 1 13 38 18EGRAHA BLUE 3 3 1 7 20 20MUSKEGON 1 1 1 1 3 4 7GRAND VALLEY 1 1 1 1 3 7 8WEST SHORE 1 2 3 1 5 18 19KOHA GOLD 2 3 0 4 9 16HAWKS 2 1 2 0 2 9 13KOHA BROWN 1 2 0 2 4 10KENTWOOD 1 0 4 0 0 3 23BANTAM RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GAGLAHA 1 6 0 0 12 35 5HAWKS 1 4 2 0 8 27 17ROCKFORD 1 2 1 1 5 12 10HOLLAND 1 2 1 2 6 15 8EGRAHA GOLD 1 2 1 3 5 15GRAND VALLEY 2 2 4 0 4 14 26GRAHA 1 1 3 0 2 14 17BERRIEN 1 0 5 0 0 3 27KOHA BLACK 0 0 0 0 0 0GIRLS STANDINGSWHITE DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GACHARLIE’S ANGELS 2 0 0 4 10 5GLDWN G-FRCE 19U 3 1 0 6 22 11ALPENA GIRLS 19U 1 3 0 2 11 15TC GIRLS 16U 0 2 0 0 5 17CHEBOYGAN 0 0 0 0 0 0RED DIVISIONTEAM W L T PTS GF GACHLS LGHTNG 16U 2 0 1 5 9 5USA WILDFLOWRS 1 0 1 3 6 5HARTLAND WARRS 0 3 0 0 10 15KALA GIRLS 19U 0 0 0 0 0 0SUB PANTHRS 19-U 0 0 0 0 0 0

ADRAYCommunity Hockey League

Website: www.adrayhockey.org

The Summit in Lansing has new owners - See ad on Page 5


HOCKEY WEEKLYDECEMBER 7, 2011 Vol. 38, Issue 6 $2.00



WHALERS TRY OUT JOE LOUIS ICE – P. 6


SILVER STICK HEROICS: Patrick Guzzoscores an overtime goal at the International Silver StickMidland Regional to defeat the Michigan Nationals and sendthe Blue Water Stars Squirt AA team to the finals in January.See Silver Stick and Thanksgiving tournament results andphotos on Page 17.

REMEMBERING DAVID: David Mannino, 18,loved life, family, hockey and being a shoveler at Red Wingsgames. It’s those things the hockey community will remem-ber about him after he lost his battle to cancer. Read aboutthis remarkable young man’s life on Page 12.

Hockey Weekly photo by Rena Laverty

HANGIN’ WITH HANK: The winners of the 2011 Henrik Zetterberg High School Scholarship – Derek Pierceand Taylor Moody – chat with Zetterberg in the Red Wings’ locker room after a recent game. Story is on Page 3.

FULL-ICE MITESFULL-ICE MITES

Hockey Weekly photo by John CastineThe Trenton Spitfires celebrate their 2-1 win over the Livonia Bulldogs in the Mite B championship game of the LivoniaThanksgiving Challenge. Both teams play full-ice games under the umbrella of AAU Michigan. HW Editor Paul Harris’ storyis on Page 5.

DECEMBER 7, 2011 HOCKEY WEEKLY PAGE 5

UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP!

The Summit Sports And Ice Complex9410 Davis HighwayDimondale, MI 48910

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WINTER ACTIVITIES:Youth Tournaments (see tournament calendar)Adult Leagues and TournamentsDrop-In HockeyStick and PuckPublic SkatePrivate Lessons

CAPITAL CENTREKING’S CUP TOURNAMENT

JANUARY 13-16. 2012(For details, see listing in

TOURNAMENT CALENDAR on Page 14)

For more informationCall 517-319-1000

www.thesummitsportsandice.com


The Trenton Spitfires defeated theLivonia Bulldogs 2-1 in the Mite B champi-onship game of the Livonia ThanksgivingChallenge Tournament, which was held atEddie Edgar Arena.

Those facts would only be significant tothe players, coaches and parents of thosetwo teams except for one thing: Both teamsare playing under the banners of AAUMichigan and the Amateur Athletic Unioninstead of the Michigan Amateur HockeyAssociation and USA Hockey.

Of course, they are among the teams wholeft MAHA and USA Hockey after theAmerican Development Model rule propos-al was passed at MAHA's Annual SummerMeetings in July. The rule outlawed mostfull-ice hockey for Mites in Michigan.

Among the tenets of the ADM is thatMite-aged players should play on eitherhalf-, or cross-ice surfaces and concentratemainly on skill development and not full-fledged games.

And Trenton Spitfires head coach DaveStark agrees that those things will help toimprove the skill development of players.

“I have no issues as far as cross ice goes,”Stark said. “We use a lot of the ADM stuff inpractices. But what we don't like is the man-dated stuff.”

He went on to explain that he thinksplaying on a smaller surface at the Miteages (7 and 8) better develops skills likestickhandling and passing, but doesn'tdevelop the stride for speed as well as play-ing full ice does.

Livonia Bulldogs' coach Paul Fretter saidthe contest proved a point.

“It was a good game,” he said. “It hadsome passing, a couple of good plays. Andthey said there was no passing in full-iceMite hockey.”

There are 33 full-ice Mite teams (20 MiteB and 13 Mite Travel) in AAU Michigan.They represent three leagues: Downriver-based Hockey Michigan (which includes theSpitfires), Livonia's Full Potential HockeyAcademy – where the Bulldogs are one ofeight teams - and the recently added Ice MiteHockey Club, which is based in CopperCountry of the upperpeninsula.

There were 12 teamsin all in the Mite BAAU Division of thetournament which hadfive other divisions ofMAHA teams, includ-ing Mite AA, Squirt B,Pee Wee B, Midget Band Midget BB.

The parents attend-ing seem to like play-ing under the AAUumbrella as there waslarge enthusiasticcrowds for both teamsand the Bulldogs evenposted on the arenawall a set of hugedrawings of Bulldogsjerseys with the nameand number of each oftheir players on them.

“I think it's work-ing out really well,”said Livonia Bulldogs'parent Angela Warner.“The kids are enjoy-ing the full-ice playand we're happy.”

Trenton Spitfiresparent Dale Holbrookenjoys another featureof the AAU ice hockey experience.

“I like it because they're doing linechanges,” he said. “In MAHA, you have twominutes on, two minutes off. Here, theychange lines.”

Taking it all in with a very interested eyewas Hockey Michigan founder and AAUMichigan originator Keith Kloock.

"I coached 80 percent of those kids at onetime,” said Kloock, referring to the TrentonSpitfires.

Despite his opposition to forcing half-and cross-ice on most Mites, Kloock was

one of the founders ofa downriver Mini-Mite Half-Ice League afew years ago.

Kloock said neitherthe Spitfires orBulldogs had lost aleague game yet thisseason and they hadn'tfaced each other untilthe Livonia tourna-ment. In the roundrobin game they tied2-2, so the loss forthe Bulldogs was theirfirst. They fell behind2-0 on two secondperiod goals from theSpitfires (one unas-sisted by LukeCrapanzano and theother by TylerPlassman fromCainan Harrison), butclosed the lead to agoal with 1:44 left inthe second on DustinFretter's goal (assiststo Louden Santo andNoah Turner). Thegoalies, Blake Benderfor Trenton andBryant Riley forLivonia, both made

excellent saves throughout the game andthe scoreless third period.

“It was a fun game to watch,” Kloock saidof the Mite B championship contest. “Thisis what it's supposed to be about: The kids.”

Above, Livonia Bulldogs goalieBryant Riley makes one of sev-eral tough saves he had duringthe AAU Mite B championshipgame with three TrentonSpitfires banging away at thepuck, from left to right, KeeganHarrington (13), Jack Czarnik(10) and Cainan Harrison (7). Atleft, parents and fans from boththe Livonia Bulldogs andTrenton Spitfires Mite B AAUteams packed the stands andcheered loudly in support oftheir players.

Hockey Weekly photos by John Castine

2 AAU Mich. teams meet in tourney championship game

“I think it’s working out really well. Thekids are enjoying the full-ice play andwe're happy,” said Angela Warner, abovewith her Livonia Bulldog Mite-aged son,Owen.



HOCKEY WEEKLYDECEMBER 14, 2011 Vol. 38, Issue 7 $2.00



FOUR LOCAL TEAMS HEAD FOR QUEBEC – P. 5

’TIS THE SEASON –FOR TOURNAMENTS’TIS THE SEASON –FOR TOURNAMENTS

Silver sticks and goldmedals go to area winnersSilver sticks and goldmedals go to area winners

Gage Parsons tackles Trevor McIntyre after he scored the OT winning goal for the Squirt B Midland Hornets in the Midland Silver Stick final. They won 4-3; Parsons scored the other three.

Above, the Belle Tire 12U Girls storm the VictoryHonda net at their final of the 7th Annual NorthAmerican Friendship Tournament. Belle Tire won,7-6, in double OT. At right, the goaltender for theNovi Predators makes a save against the SummitIce Dogs during the Squirt B title game at theTrenton Silver Stick Regionals. See more photosand read about the Friendship tourney and SilverStick regionals on Pages 5 and 17.

Above, members of the ’99 Compuware team hoistthe Nations Cup after defeating Barrie 7-1 in the final.The win gave Team USA a total-points victory overTeam Canada. See how the other Selects HockeyNations Cup divisions finished on Page 17.

Top photo by John Castine. Other photos by

Hockey Weekly Action Photos

DECEMBER 14, 2011 HOCKEY WEEKLY PAGE 5

MIDGET MAJOR1. SHATTUCK ST. MARY (MN)2. TEAM ILLINOIS3. NEPONSET VALLEY RIVER RATS (MA)4. BUFFALO JR. SABRES5. CAPE COD WHALERS (MA)6. HONEYBAKED7. MID-FAIRFIELD BLUES (CT)8. ALASKA WOLVES9. CHICAGO FURY

10. CHICAGO MISSION

MIDGET MINOR1. BELLE TIRE2. CHICAGO MISSION3. LONG ISLAND ROYALS4. COLORADO THUNDERBIRDS5. CLEVELAND BARONS6. CHICAGO FURY7. HONEYBAKED8. PITTSBURGH HORNETS9. LA JR. KINGS

10. ALASKA WOLVES

BANTAM MAJOR1. ST. LOUIS BLUES2. WLKS-BARRE/SCRNTN JR. KNIGHTS (PA)3. BELLE TIRE4. COMPUWARE5. CHICAGO MISSION6. VALLEY JR WARRIORS (MA)7. SHATTUCK ST. MARY (MN)8. LITTLE CAESARS9. LONG ISLAND GULLS

10. LA SELECTS

BANTAM MINOR1. HONEYBAKED2. ST. LOUIS BLUES3. LITTLE CAESARS4. CHICAGO MISSION5. NEW JERSEY COLONIALS6. TEAM COMCAST (NJ)7. NEW JERSEY DEVILS8. SOUTH SHORE KINGS MA)9. MADISON CAPITOLS (WI)

10. VICTORY HONDA

PEE WEE MAJOR1. LITTLE CAESARS2. CHICAGO MISSION3. ST. LOUIS BLUES4. NEW JERSEY COLONIALS5. COMPUWARE6. PROVIDENCE CAPITALS (RI)7. NEW ENGLAND JR. FALCONS8. PHILADELPHIA JR. FLYERS9. SOUTH SHORE KINGS (MA)

10. MID-FAIRFIELD BLUES (CT)

PEE WEE MINOR1. CHICAGO MISSION2. MINUTEMEN FLAMES (MA)3. LITTLE CAESARS4. HONEYBAKED5. WESTCHESTER EXPRESS (PA)6. LONG ISLAND ROYALS7. MID-FAIRFIELD BLUES (CT)8. NEW JERSEY COLONIALS9. CLEVELAND BARONS

10. COMPUWARE

SQUIRT MAJOR1. MINUTEMEN FLAMES (MA)2. BELLE TIRE3. MID-FAIRFIELD BLUES (CT)4. HONEYBAKED5. NEW JERSEY COLONIALS6. LITTLE CAESARS (NORTH)7. CHICAGO MISSION8. MERCER CHIEFS (NJ)9. NEW JERSEY DEVILS

10. HIGHLAND PARK FALCONS (IL)

SQUIRT MINOR1. SOUTH SHORE KINGS (MA)2. MID-FAIRFIELD BLUES (CT)3. NEW JERSEY COLONIALS4. BAY STATE BREAKERS (MA)5. MINUTEMEN FLAMES (MA)6. MERCER CHIEFS (NJ)7. TEAM COMCAST (NJ)8. MIDDLESEXS ISLANDERS (MA)9. SYRACUSE NATIONALS (NY)

10. LA HOCKEY CLUB

NATIONALAAA RANKINGSRatings compiled by Hockey Weekly.

Michigan teams are in italic.Rankings as of December 6, 2011

Six different players scored goals in abalanced attack as HoneyBaked, HockeyWeekly's No. 1 Bantam Minor team, defeat-ed Compuware 6-2 in a High PerformanceHockey League Bantam Minor game atCompuware Arena on Dec. 5.

Mark Pastujov, Dalton Messina andMitch Eliot each had a goal and an assist,and Noah Lalonde, Brendan Morgan andSean Day also scored for HoneyBaked.

Keegan Howdeshell and JonathanPrecopio had a goal and an assist each forCompuware and Nick Macan assisted onboth goals.

…. Lester Lancaster scored twice to give No.1 Belle Tire a 6-2 win over the DC Capitals in

a Tier I Elite Hockey League Midget MinorShowcase game at the Pennsauken (N.J.)Flyers Skate Zone on Dec. 4.

Damian Chrcek had a goal and two assistsand Anthony Patella, Dylan Pavalek andKyle Conner each added a goal and an assistfor Belle Tire. Cody Gibson made 26 saves.

Daniel Dolliver stopped 37 shots for DC.… The No. 2 Pee Wee Major team in the

country, the St. Louis Blues, hammered theNo. 9 Madison (WI) Capitals in a two-gameseries the weekend of Dec. 4.

The scores of the games were 9-1 and 12-2 as the Blues' Clayton Keller, LoganBrown, Ty Farmer and Trent Frederic contin-ued to impress.

No. 1 HoneyBaked BantamMinor defeats Compuware

By Chuck KlonkeHockey Week ly Staff Writer

The Quebec International Pee WeeHockey Tournament has traditionally been ashowcase for Detroit area AAA teams.

Four of this year’s 1999 teams are hopingthe string of success gets a bit longer.

Little Caesars, No. 1 in Hockey Weekly’snational rankings, Compuware (No. 5),Belle Tire and Victory Honda are the fourDetroit area teams that will participate inthis year’s event, which will be mainly heldat the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec from Feb.9-19.

Last year, Little Caesars was runnerup,losing to the New York Rangers 4-2 in thechampionship game. In 2010, Compuwarebeat Burnaby (British Columbia) 1-0 in thefinal.

Belle Tire is playing excellent hockeyand first-year head coach Jason Lawmasteris excited to have the chance to play in oneof the most prestigious tournaments inNorth America.

Belle Tire is 11-1-3 in the Tier 1 EliteHockey League and is unbeaten in its lastnine league games.

“It was great to hear that we were invit-ed,” Lawmaster said. “The kids have workedhard and played hard all year. This is a nicereward for that. Getting invited to Quebecwas one of the short-term goals that theteam set for themselves.”

Other coaches who have participated inthe tournament say that it’s like no othertournament that 11- and 12-year-olds haveplayed in. The crowds -- the Coliseum isoften filled to capacity – and the atmos-phere are different from any other youthhockey tournament.

“We’re just going to get ready to play likewe do for any other game,” Lawmaster said.“It’s a great experience for the kids to get achance to play in the Quebec Coliseum andin the same tournament that players likeSidney Crosby played in when he was theirage.

“It’s going to be a preview of things tocome for a lot of these kids who are going

to be playing in front of big crowds if theyplay in college or play Junior. My messageto them is to work hard, but to take it all inand enjoy the experience. It’s somethingthey’ll never forget.”

Lawmaster retired in 2010 after playingprofessional hockey for 10 seasons. He gota taste of coaching as an assistant last sea-son and accepted the head coaching jobwith Belle Tire.

“I think it’s great to coach at this level,”Lawmaster said. “The kids listen to everyword. They soak it up like sponges. It’s sorewarding to see them go out and use whatwe’ve told them. I’ve got a great group ofkids. They’re outstanding students and goodpeople.”

Lawmaster is the only one on the coach-ing staff that isn’t a parent of one of theplayers. He thinks that’s a positive. He saidthat the parents agree with him.

“I think being a non-parent head coach isan advantage,” he said. “I think there’s

BT, LC, Compuware, VH head to Quebec

more respect for what you’re teaching whenthe kids know that you’re not there justbecause you have a son on the team. You’rethere because you want to teach them thegame. That’s how I felt when I was play-ing.”

Lawmaster said that the team he inheritedhasn’t changed much from the Belle Tireteam that competed at the Pee Wee Minorlevel last season.

The biggest change has been in goal withnewcomers Brian George and DominicBarton fitting in well. The defense has alsobeen solid so far this season. The defense-men are Josh Martin, Camden Odegard,Hunter Payment, Reagan Wortz, MichaelFaremouth, Jake Young and RyanDickinson.

The forwards are Alex Lycett, BrendanMurphy, Matthew Schaumburger, GregoryPine, Jared Hoerle, Josh Wildauer, HughAnderson, Jason Brancheau, ThomasHernandez and Matt Stokes.

In a recent showcase hosted by Belle Tire,the team notched four victories and a tie. Itstarted with a 5-1 victory against theMadison Capitals. After skating to a 3-3 tiewith the Chicago Fury, Belle Tire beat theOhio Blue Jackets 10-1, defeated thePittsburgh Hornets 3-1 and edged theMilwaukee Jr. Admirals 4-3.

Lawmaster said that one of the pivotalgames of the season for Belle Tire wasagainst the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals in theCleveland showcase in early October. BelleTire went into the third period trailing 3-2,but came away with a 4-3 victory.

“We got the lead and managed to holdon,” Lawmaster said. “The kids showed a lotof character in winning a tough game likethat.

“It’s like I told them at the start of theyear. If you’re willing to listen, I’ll tell youwhat I know about hockey.”

If Belle Tire’s record is any indication,the players are extremely good listeners andLawmaster knows quite a bit about hockey.


The Amateur Athletic Union still had not decided whether it wouldmake a foray into Adult Hockey.

The organization, which is the national governing body for 33Mite teams in Michigan that play under the state umbrella of AAUMichigan, is considering making itself available to Adult teams.

That would be a significant move in Michigan, which has moreAdult players than any other USA Hockey region. According toMichigan Amateur Hockey Association Vice President Seniors RayKraemer, Adult players make up 40 percent of MAHA.

AAU National Chairperson, Hockey Keith Noll said – with AAUNational President Bobby Dodd traveling - the organization hopedto make a decision on Adult hockey by Dec. 14.

But if a decision wasn't made by then, it would likely not comeuntil after Christmas.

Kraemer talked about MAHA and USA Hockey's potential compe-tition for grown up hockey players.

“Especially here in Metro Detroit, they're (Adult players, teamsand leagues) all USA Hockey and they're happy,” he said. “ … Ibelieve the guys are happy, but that doesn't mean that some won'twant to go (to AAU, if they have that option).”

Arctic Edge general manager Craig O'Neal said he hasn't heardanything concerning AAU and Adult hockey, but:

“It wouldn't surprise me that they (AAU) would try to get into theadults,” O'Neal said. “With having the 7-8 year-olds, and I heardthey were planning to get into Squirt next year … it wouldn't sur-prise me at all to see them try to get into the Adult level.”

AAU hopes to decide on Adult hockey soon

Photo by Hockey Weekly Action PhotosThe 1999 Compuware team poses with the Selects Hockey Nations Cup championshiptrophy after helping Team USA win the title over Team Canada at Great Lake Sports CityDec. 4. Compuware will be joining Victory Honda, Belle Tire and Little Caesars in travelingto Quebec in February to contend for the Pee Wee Major title there.

Documents

No turning back - Amateur Athletic Unionimage.aausports.org/dnn/hockey/pdf/weeklyarticles/2011/Hockey... · hockey. Hockey Michigan is a governing body that is an alter-native to