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Breaking news throughout the West -- Send in your Ticker notes to lee@toprank.com
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THE TICKER....
Tuesday, Feb 27 - Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u will have their first Pacific District Championship regional game on Thursday night. First up for the Outlaws is Matt Bardsley's tough AA Portland Jr Hawks followed by the Whatcom Warriors and the Northwest Admirals.
To loosen up over the weekend, the Outlaws players played a pickup baseball game, then went to team barbecue. The team will head out to Southern California on Thursday morning.
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There is a note on Socal-Hockey.com that Anatoli Semenov will launch a new AAA Cal Stars midget team for 2007-08. His AA Stars midget minors, who skate out of Ontario, Ca., are the California State Champions and are in the Pacific District regionals.
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Good news for some of coach Eric Ballard's AAA Rocky Mountain Wranglers 18u skaters: Simon Olsson, who started the season with the team, is playing extremely well with the USHL Chicago Steel Jr A; Tyler Currier is committed to the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A for next season and teammate Alex Carlson is committed to the NAHL North Iowa Outlaws Jr A.
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On the schedule: the AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors, who have qualified for the Pacific District Championships, will take on the AAA L.A. Selects 16u in Westminster, Ca., on Saturday night. Faceoff, 6:30 pm.
Monday, Feb 26 - Stat of the day: Since the spring of 2002, there have been over 3,000,000 hits on Vegashockey.com.
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This a huge week for coach Pokey Reddick who is preparing his AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors for the Pacific District regionals. The Outlaws have been on a very hot run but, as evidenced by the shock scores coming out of the Arizona, California and Colorado state championships, there will be no easy route for any team at the regionals.
This is a powerful Las Vegas team led by the greatest goal scorer in club history, Kyle Clay. He is working on a top line with Robbie Silvernail - a skater who has scored on every level he's ever played - and Ryan Townsend who is hands down the most improved player in the city.
The Outlaws have one of the best goalies in the West in Ryan Sutliffe and have gotten a sensational effort and a surprising burst of scoring from Junior-A level defenseman Ryan Scheafer. Plus, the addition of a very tough, solid player in Ray Leroux compliments a Las Vegas team which is rested and appears to be eager to go into this huge tournament.
We are working on an Outlaws story which will be posted early this week.
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We were checking our notes and forgot to mention a few things. There have been some incredible websites which have been posting scores as soon as games are completed. We want to thank Derek Eisler and whoever else is responsible for the San Jose Jr Sharks website and particuarly the hard work they did during the recent California State Championships.
Also, Ron White's Southwest League website is vastly improved and scores were posted very quickly and accurately during the championships.
This takes a lot of hard, dedicated work and for that, we thank you.
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If anyone knows about the whereabouts of Colorado skater Tanar Nobles please email me at lee@toprank.com. We last saw Tanar as a Las Vegas Showcase and we lost track of him.
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Sunday, Feb 25 - Cleanin' the weekend clipboard....
There is rinkboard talk that goalie Adam Kraus (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) of the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A is being recruited by major colleges. He is having a spectacular season, playing extremely well for an Avalanche team which has dealt some of their top players. Skaters tell us that Kraus is one of the top goalies in the NAHL and he protects the net well and is very hard to score against...
He's always been one of the best hockey Dads -- now Dave Munson is on the road with son Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) who is taking a 40-hour car trip from Canada to Southern California. Will's season came to a sudden end when the Sequin Bruins Jr A were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the Ontario Provincial League....
Las Vegas playmaker Conrad Trimbath said his mom came in from Las Vegas and was in the bleachers when he and the Northern Cyclones Jr. A in Hudson, N.H. out-shot the New Jersey Rockets 70-18 during a 6-4 win last weekend. Conrad dealt an assist on the fourth goal.
Ian Armstrong, head coach of the AA Tucson Stampede midget majors, sends along a nice email noting how proud he was of his team and how hard they worked throughout the season. The Stampede, rated in the Top 10 West all season, wound up in a battle for the Arizona State championship with the AA Phoenix Polar Bears...the Polar Bears won in OT and as a result are qualified for the Rocky Mountain District regionals...
Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, whose Butte Roughriders Jr B did not make the NorPac playoffs, said he will be glad to play for the Las Vegas Mustangs alumni when they take on the San Diego Jr Gulls alumni in a big charity game this summer. George Kemper, whose son Geoff is a former Gull, is putting it all together. The game will be at the SoBe Arena...If you want to play, send me an email at lee@toprank.com....
Coach Dean Georgopoulos, whose Loyola-Marymount college team scored a stunner of a win over UNLV this season, said his team will be a whole lot better next season with "AA, AAA freshmen and transfers coming in...we should be competitive nationally....."
Goalie Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has some terrific numbers with the NAHL Bismarck Bobcats: a 10-9-5 record, 3.07 gaa, 91.3% save percentage and -- his best number of all - three shutouts, which is tough to do in the high-scoring league...Clark is an '87 and he's in his second season with the 'Cats...
Trivia time:
Who was the only Las Vegas goalie to play on the Junior A level?
That was Paul Lowden who was a callup four seasons ago with the BCHL Victoria Salsa Jr A.
Saturday, Feb 24 - No one from Las Vegas playing away from home has more goals than Ryan King. He kept up his goal-scoring heat too in the NorPac playoffs, scoring three goals in three games as the powerful North Vancouver Pioneers Jr B swept a tough team in the Tri-City Titans.....Ryan, who has 23 goals this season, and the Pioneers will next face the winner of the hot Eugene vs. Seattle series...
Jeff Hajner has the all-time Las Vegas record with 12 goals as a freshman in NCAA Division 1. He will try for more today when the Air Force Academy closes out its regular season on the road, taking on American International. It's a big game for the Cadets who, at 15-15-5, would like to finish above the .500 mark...
Las Vegas skater Corbin Brown is getting set for regional action. He and Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix midget major team are off to Dallas and, in order, Phoenix will take on the Colorado #1 team, Northwest Regulators of Utah and then the #1 rated team in the USA, the Dallas Stars...
Sal Tecci, the former Las Vegas goalie, wants to wish good-luck to both of the Las Vegas teams - AAA 16u Outlaws and AA 18u Outlaws - who will soon be off to the Pacific District Regionals in California.
Tecci is having a phenominal season with Savio Prep which is in the Boston area. Tecci, whose team won the Central Catholic League gold medal for the first time in 18 years, was named MVP when Savio Prep won 1-0 in the gold medal game at the Falmouth Freeze Tournament in Western Massachusetts.
Tecci's season stats:
18-1-1, 1.25 gaa, 95.0% save percentage.
He being recruited by Philips Andover Academy, Milton Academy and Thayer Academy for next season.
The AAA Colorado Thunderbirds have all three of their teams -- AAA 18u, AAA 16u and AAA 16u 91s - in Colorado state championship games this weekend. The T-Birds 90s are taking on their younger hockey brothers, T-Birds 91s, in a gold medal game.
The U of Fairbanks Nanooks head coach, Tavis MacMillan, was steamed and not a happy camper when his team blew an early lead and lost to Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks on Friday night. The Nanooks battled to a 3-1 lead and according to MacMillan got "too pretty with the puck." The two teams play again tonight and it's the final regular season game for Adam Naglich of the Nanooks and Del Grosso with the Mavs...
Wednesday, Feb 21 - It's going to be minus-40 or so, plus or minus a mind-numbing degree, when Las Vegas defenseman Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks head out to take on Adam Naglich of Las Vegas with the U of Fairbanks Nanooks this coming weekend. Both played on Rob Pallin's 2001-02 AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors who went 60-11-3 and skated in the U.S. Nationals that season.
Earlier this year, the Fairbanks Nanooks went to Nebraska and tied the first game 5-5, then won the second game 4-3. These upcoming games will be just as close as both teams -- in the final regular-season games of the year - are getting their best possible position for the CCHA playoffs.
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That was some clutch goal scoring by Las Vegas' Matt Hedderly who scored three times in the gold medal game for the AAA Outlaws 16u team at the President's Day Tournament in Colorado Springs. We're not surprised though, as Matt has always been a big performer in the biggest of games. We were told too that Outlaws goalie Steven Bolton was spectacular all week at the tournament.
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On the hockey wire: Collingwood Blues Jr A 6, Sequin Bruins Jr A 3 in a seventh-game of a first-round playoff game on Tuesday night. That was the last game of the season for one of our favorite skaters, all-heart Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) who was traded from the Orangeville Crushers Jr A to Sequin for the playoff run in the Ontario Provincial League. For the year, Will had 16 goals, 21 assists....
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The NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr. A, 32-12-4, have officially clinched a playoff spot. Two former AAA San Diego Gulls - captain John Stoddard (9 goals, 13 assists) and superb defenseman Rafael Rodriguez (5/16) - were responsible for a lot of that success. Stoddard is an extremely hard worker on the ice, Rodriguez is a valuable d-man and a key player on setting up powerplay attacks. The 'Runner are also getting some terrific play from Jason Krispel (AAA L.A. Selects), Alex Laseen (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), defenseman Randy Swank (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) and their superstar goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) who many believe is the best in the NAHL.
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Stat of the day: Las Vegas Outlaws 18u goalie Ryan Sutliffe:
Record: 27-5-1, 1.88 gaa, 92.7% save percentage - 5 shutouts.
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Las Vegas has a number of young, talented skaters on a number of teams this winter. One player is Dominick Garcia who we watched jet about, score a couple of goals, make smart plays over at the SoBe Arena this past weekend. He's a straight-A student, a teacher's aide, plays roller and - oh, he's only 10 years old. Dominick skates for a Las Vegas Ice Cats squirt team...."He likes to watch the NHL games on TV - if he sees a play he likes, he brings it to the game," said his proud grandmother who was beaming in the bleachers.
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We're excited - and why not - after hearing that the UNLV Rebels college team will announce - probably in the spring - names of top players who want to come in and play for the Rebs who will be "stronger and with a lot more depth," according to coach Rob Pallin.
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Expansion plans: That's what we hear about Larry Sanford and the 'Little House of Champions' Crystal Palace roller rink on North Rancho Drive. The lobby area, for sure, will be much bigger this coming summer.....
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And, speaking of roller, that's one of the all-time roller players in Las Vegas who is skating for the new UNLV team. We're talking about Billy Tufano who as a teenager always led the attack and scored many game-winners for Las Vegas travel teams.
Saturday, Feb 17 - It's President's Day tournament weekend and coach Wally Lacroix and the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors got off to a huge start - a 5-goal win over the Calgary Royals on Friday night in Colorado Springs. Next, the Outlaws take on a tough AAA Pikes Peak Miners 16u team and a showdown game is looming with maybe the best team in the tournament, the AAA Texas Attack midget minors....
Playoff hockey is underway and Las Vegas skater Ryan King - playing for the first time in a Junior-level playoff game - had a huge game with one goal, one assist as the powerful Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B opened with a 6-1 win over the Tri-Cities Titans. That was Game One of a best-of-five and it's going to be a very hot series as the Titans have always played well in playoffs and, in fact, eliminated Ft. Vancouver last winter when Mike Sullivan of Las Vegas was team captain.
Nothing was hotter, however, than what Adam Naglich and the Fairbanks Nanooks went through on Friday night - a 1-0 game against #1 rated Notre Dame on home ice at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. It was 0-0 late, when Notre Dame forced a turnover in the attack zone and went in to score in the third period. That was a very tough loss for the Nanooks who historically have always played well vs. the Irish. The two teams go at it again tonight.
Las Vegas skater Alex 'Blackjack' Redmond has been in a lot of big games in all levels of roller and ice. But none were bigger than when Alex and the San Jose State Spartans out-battled the Oregon Ducks 3-2 in OT in a first-round ACHA-II West Regional game last night in Logan, Utah. The San Jose were in an absolute frenzy on the ice when the winning goal was scored. If San Jose gets past Denver U tonight then Alex and the Spartans are off to the U.S. Nationals.
A polished, well-skilled Michigan team, which dazzled all when they came into Las Vegas for a wild two-game series vs UNLV in January, won its first ACHA-II Central Regional game by three goals in Orland Park, Ill. on Friday. Michigan needs a win today over SUIE-Gold to advance to the U.S Nationals too.
Jeff Hajner of Las Vegas scored his 10th goal for the Air Force Academy on Friday night. That's a record number of single-season goals for any Las Vegas skater in NCAA Division 1. The old record was 9 goals, scored by Micah Sanford in his freshman season at U of Nebraska-Omaha.
Friday, Feb 16 - This is a huge day for Las Vegas skater Alex 'Blackjack' Redmond and the San Jose Spartans college team which is taking on the Oregon Ducks in a ACHA West-II regional tournament game today in Logan, Utah.
Faceoff is on Friday, 5 pm.
Redmond is a very popular skater who played a lot of roller and ice in Las Vegas. He was named 'Blackjack' -- which was written across the back of his jersey - when he and Las Vegas goalie Paul Lowden played with the Peninsula Panthers Jr B in the Vancouver Hockey League.
As a college sophomore, Redmond has 12 goals, 25 assists for the 19-6-1 San Jose Spartans college team. One of the top players there is goalie Ryan Lowe who teammates call 'Parakeet.'
At a November practice, Lowe said something to one of the Spartans forwards who said 'stop squawking, Parakeet' and guess what, the name stuck.
Lowe, meanwhile, has a 14-5-1 record and an outstanding gaa of 91.5% for the season.
Elsewhere this weekend: Las Vegas skater Ryan King and the powerful, division-leading Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B open a best-of-five series with Tri-Cites on Friday night.....Joe Myers, who played with coach Tim Mueller with the Las Vegas Outlaws midget A three seasons ago, is skating for the Eugene Generals Jr B who are starting a very tough best-of-five against the Seattle Totems on Friday night...
Wednesday, Feb. 14 - Happy Valentine's Day to all of the hockey moms who truely love the game and make it all happen on the midget, Junior A, Junior B and college level -- this is your day - lee
Tuesday, Feb 13 - We have a new ratings leader in the Tier 11 Top 10 West. The AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors, coached by Pokey Reddick whose Las Vegas teams have won back-to-back Pacific District Championships in AA 16u, are on top with a record of 36-5-1. The Outlaws are on a very hot run, 18-1-0 in their last 19 games, and have won gold medals at the Silversticks Nationals and at the Southwest League Youth Hockey League.
There have only been two previous Tier 11 ratings leaders this season -- Matt Bardsley's AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u opened the season at #1, then the AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u were moved there after having a phenominal start while going 23-0-6 before losing their first game in late December.
In Tier 1 there were two moves -- the AAA So-Cal Titans, who beat the San Jose Jr Sharks, Cal North Stars and gave the Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u all they could handle in the California State Championship gold medal game, make their return to the Top 10. More importantly, the Titans are qualified for the upcoming Pacific District Championships.
At #11, and getting rated for the first time this season, are the AAA Colorado Thunderbirds midget majors who out-battled the AAA Rocky Mountain Wranglers and the AAA Colorado Rampage -- both very tough teams - the last two weekends. There is a scorching rivalry among teams in the Rockies and the T-Birds are rewarded for their hard work in those games. Overall, they have a record of 15-13-2.
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First Goal
Everyone remembers their first goal in hockey and for sure, Kelly Kemper, age 11, of Las Vegas will never forget scoring her first-ever goal this past weekend.
Kelly, whose older brother Geoff played for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors years ago, began playing house league hockey for the first time in the winter session over at the Ice Center on Flamingo.
She is suited up for the Canucks in the Grizzlies League. While making a drive towards the net, a penalty was called and Kelly was awarded a penalty shot.
Kelly skated in, took the shot and the puck disappeared -- she leaned and took a closer look and there it was, the puck was nestled in the corner of the net. Her shot went though the goalie's 'five-hole.'
Her first goal......her proud hockey dad celebrated too, pounding on the rink glass.
Monday, Feb 12 - Calmed down yet? Our heart is still pumping hard after seeing all of those weekend scores rattle in from the California State Championships in San Jose.
Starting in AAA 18u, the Anaheim Ducks Alliance had to dig real deep, score a go-ahead goal with 1:40 left to squeeze past an all-heart So-Cal Titans team which refused to give up and simply ran out of time. The Ducks won and did you know that all of their goal scorers today once skated for a very memorable team -- the Huntington Beach Sun Devils.
The nationally-rated AAA L.A. Selects 16u got a jolt in their very first game. Konstantin Lodnia's AAA Anaheim Wildcats got a two-goal lead and wouldn't give up anything late to score the upset of the tournament. However, the powerful Selects won their next two games, then beat the hard-skating Wildcats by three goals in the gold medal game.
In AA 18u, the San Jose Jr Sharks defeated a team they had not beaten all season. The Sharks out-battled the #1 rated San Diego Jr Gulls in a 2-0 thriller of a game. San Diego proudly came into the state tournament with one of its best AA 18u teams of all-time and was unbeaten all week.
The AA Cal Stars 16u play in a very deep division which is loaded with top, skilled midget minor teams. However, the Stars -- who skate out of the Center Ice Arena in Ontario, Calif. -- went unbeaten and in the gold medal game won by five goals over a very strong Anaheim Wildcats team.
To the gold medal winners, congratulations. We will believe, in our hearts, that every silver medalist team in the California State Championships should also move on to the Pacific District Championships and it is very hard to believe that a team, like the Gulls for example, are not going to get that opportunity. Someone should explain to the coaches , skaters and hockey parents who live and die each game why the state of California is not sending all of its best teams into the regionals.
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There were great games all weekend - the California State Championships, Arizona State Championships, the UNLV vs Utah Valley State weekend series -- but we saw something special on Sunday night over at the Ice Center here in Las Vegas.
How about, in the closing moments of a tight game, three goals in the last 44 seconds?
That happened late Sunday night when, in order, Geoff Kemper scored on a rebound with 0:44.2 to play, Jason Allen on a breakaway with 0:26.7 seconds left and Tim Lydon in a net scramble to clinch it with 0:08 left on the clock as The Senators beat the Putters, 7-5.
Jason Allen, who played AAA hockey with Las Vegas, L.A. Jr Kings and the San Diego Jr Gulls (the only player to do so!), had 3 goals, 2 assists; Lydon had 2 goals while Josh Odoms and Kemper also scored.
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The Putters goalie was a good one, too. Nick Baker, 25, is from Green Bay, Wisconsin and played in only his third game of the winter season.
"When I was 15, I was goalie for the Central Penn Panthers Jr B team and it was a pretty good team too," he said.
He is one of the best new goalies in town - and we've seen quite a few over at the Ice Center.
Nick is town working in web graphics for Lund & Manasse.
Saturday, Feb 10 - Sometimes you hit the ice, work real hard, do the right things, give it your all -- and the other team raises its sticks at the final buzzer.
That happened last night at the SoBe. UNLV worked hard all night long but it wasn't enough when Utah Valley's skilled forwards buzzed about and put a puck into an empty net at the finish to win it 7-5. Then, for the first time at a UNLV game, the visiting skaters went to center ice and raised their sticks to their fans who stood and gave them a standing ovation.
Tonight at 6 pm, UNLV gets one more crack at Utah Valley.
It's a very special night, the last home game of the season for UNLV which, in its two seasons, has built a nice fan base. However, this is the last time we're going to see this group of UNLV skaters go over the boards, hit the ice, try to win the game. There's going to be a big crowd, loud music, the Las Vegas Ice Cats Mites B team will be skating between periods and all of the locals will be wrapped around the south boards. There's nothing like game night when the Rebels hit the ice. See you there - Lee
Friday, Feb 9 - Turnover, me. We mis-read an email tonight and sent out a wrong score on an AAA L.A. Selects 16u tournament game. Sorry to all. Correct score at the California State Championships is L.A. Selects 2, San Jose Jr Sharks 16u 0...
At the UNLV college game tonight, Utah Valley's David Wyman (who scored five times) and linemate Seth 'Army' Armitage were the best 1-2 we've seen all season....UNLV's army of defenseman will face those two and the rest of the Utah Valley sharpshooters on Saturday night, 6 pm, at the SoBe. It's the final UNLV game of the season...
We met a lot of our UNLV rinkboard pals up in the SoBe bleachers where the Las Vegas Ice Cats hockey moms were selling candy bars and other goodies to help their travel fund. If you go to the game on Saturday night, stop by and talk hockey and help support these young skaters who give it their all too...We were told that the 'original Skittles' were the big sellers on Friday night...
Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, whose hockey season just ended with the Butte Roughriders Jr B, was at the UNLV game with his parents, Ken and Judy...
Tuesday, Feb. 6 - The hockey community today is buzzing about a huge 'must read' story in the USA Today newspaper which is on the newstands right now. The USHL is featured and if you are a hockey parent or a skater who is about to enter Junior A hockey, this is the story for you.
Sportswriter Kevin Allen notes that 133 USHL players have committed to college for next year; he outlines 'life as a player' in the USHL and there is a huge photograph of Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) of the Tri-City's Storm Jr A on page two of the sports section. There is also a nice mention of Dan Comrie (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) who has had an astounding comeback as a clutch goal-scorer this year for the Lincoln Stars Jr A.
USHL coaches have been text-messaging recruiters, parents and players about this incredible piece of writing, research and story placement. It's a three-page layout -- which starts on page one of sports -- with incredible photos of games, practices, team meals, etc.
Monday Night, Feb 5 - Four gold medal games, four gold medals - that's incredible and that's what the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors have achieved this season. We haven't seen anything like it and there's been top hockey teams and players climbing over the walls and onto the ice here in the city for over a decade. It is pretty obvious this Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team is skating with confidence and has a tremendous will to win.
In order, here is how coach Pokey Reddick's 36-5-1 Outlaws have done it:
AA LAS VEGAS OUTLAWS 18u
Gold Medal Games - 2006-07
Silversticks Regionals - 2-1 over Calgary Stampede
Winterfest at Las Vegas - 4-1 over Utah Jr Wildcats
Silversticks Nationals - 3-2 OT over Michigan Jaguars
Southwest League - 3-1 over Phoenix Polar Bears
Monday, Feb 5 - Stat of the Day: Kyle Clay of AA Las Vegas Outlaws has 56 goals - He is the #1 goal scorer in the West......
Now it's crunch time for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors who are about to take on one of their all-time rivals, the AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs, in a Final Four game this morning at the Southwest League Championships at Salt Lake City.
Amazingly, these two top teams - even while playing in the SWYHL - have not played each other this season.
But few will forget the last time they were on the ice, in an AA 16u Pacific District regional Final Four game last year over at the Las Vegas Ice Center.
In what was the all-time, most fiercely-played game at the Ice Arena -- and the Vegashockey.com '2006 Game of the Year' -- Las Vegas beat Long Beach in triple OT.
Many players from both teams played in the game, setting the backdrop for this riveting Final Four game today. At the same time, the AA San Jose Jr Sharks are in a Final Four game too, taking on the tough Phoenix Polar Bears. It really is a sensational Final Four.....
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Matt Bardsley, the head coach of AA Portland Jr Hawks midget majors, took his team to watch Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks in an unforgettable game on Saturday night.
Portland, in a 10-game losing streak, put it all together and beat rival Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-2.
"Francis skated real well and is using his speed," Bardsley reported.
Chris, in his rookie season, has 7 goals, 7 assists for the Winter Hawks.
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We're hoping, and we know it's a longshot, that UNLV college coach Rob Pallin puts the hated Cal State-Long Beach 49ers on the 2007-08 schedule.
Our Rebs didn't deserve what happened in the handshake line Saturday night.
When the game is over, it's over.
And, this time coach Rob, schedule those games at the SoBe Arena in Las Vegas.
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George Kemper, whose son Geoff played for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors, is putting together a Gulls Alumni team (86s and older) to take on Rob Pallin's historic 2001-02 AA Las Vegas Mustangs in a pair of Alumni games this summer at the SoBe Arena in Las Vegas. Some Gulls have already contacted George -- if you want to play, please email me at lee@toprank.com and we will make the connection for you.....
Coach Rob Neumann - if you are reading this, please email me - Lee
Sunday, Feb 4 - It's Super Bowl Sunday -- good luck to your favorite team today...
There have been a lot of big games this weekend, none bigger than the two wins posted by Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas and the BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A who beat division-leading Nanaimo Clippers twice - 3-2 in OT and 3-1. That is really something and if you know BCHL hockey it is a huge achievement...Nanaimo, Cowichan and the Victoria Grizzlies are locked in a fiery battle for playoff positioning...
AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors are off to a blazing 4-0-0 start, out-scoring teams 27-3 so far in the Southwest League Championships in Salt Lake City. Las Vegas is 15-1 in their last 16 games and, get this, has only allowed five goals in their last seven starts...Las Vegas will wind up facing either San Jose or Long Beach in the gold medal game -- unless another team gets scorching hot in the eliminator games and that's been done before...
Never let down your guard, even in the handshake line which happened to Rob Pallin's UNLV Rebels on Saturday night. A coach from the Cal State-Long Beach State 49ers put a vice-like grip -- and wouldn't let go, we're told - while scolding a UNLV player and all heck broke loose including pushing and shoving. It shouldn't have happened -- when the game is over, it's over - line up, tap gloves and celebrate the play of the game....
UNLV, meanwhile, cannot wait for the return of all-time goal scorer Anthony Greener who is injured and has been out for weeks. He is a dynamic player, a catalyst, and he will light the torch for UNLV.....hopefully, Anthony will return soon....
It's been a tough season for Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) who was recruited by his youth coach, Steve Chelios, to play for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A in the Ontario Provincial Hockey League this season. Orangeville got off to a blazing start in pre-season, winning 10 games, but the Crushers never got it going in the regular season. About 15 games in, Chelios was let go. Will was crushed - as are most skaters when their coach is removed. Will hung in there and was recently traded to the Sequin Bruins. On Saturday night, Will blasted in 2 goals in a 7-5 win over Orangeville...
No one played harder this weekend, however, than Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt who had three goals, two assists this for the Butte Roughriders Jr B. Butte, needing points to stay alive for the playoffs, beat Yellowstone and then lost at Billings and at Helena who each had season-best frenzied crowds rooting on their hometown teams. Billings had a sellout of 525 at the Centennial Arena and the Bulls fans sure got loud when their team won in a thrilling overtime game At Helena, there was 899 paid, far above the 610 average at the historic Bighorns Arena.....Leypoldt, meanwhile, returns home to Butte which takes on division-leading Cour dAlene in the final two regular season games...
We don't know why, but the powerful Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B have been pouring it on and scoring 20-goal wins over the River City Jaguars -- and that's very tough for any program which is trying to recruit for next season....Ft. Vancouver, who include Ryan King of Las Vegas, is now gearing up for playoff hockey...
Thursday, Feb. 1 - Quote of the Day: "Our UNLV players have poured their hearts out on the ice - I've never had a team work harder during games - They are giving all they can give every game...." Rob Pallin, UNLV coach
Another opponent, another buzzsaw. That's what UNLV is facing when they head out Friday to take on 20-8-0 Cal State-Long Beach in a two-game weekend series at the Glacial Gardens in Lakewood, Ca.
The Rebs are taking on a team which is playoff bound. Cal State is destined to skate in the upcoming ACHA West-II regionals.
"We've played great teams all season - Michigan, Texas Tech, Arizona," said Pallin. "We are without our top goal scorer (Anthony Greener, injured) and we're playing hard now with 10, maybe 11 healthy players a game. Next season we'll be even better with six to seven impact players coming in. I'm excited about our UNLV team, the program, and we're all going to work together to make it work."
Thursday, Feb. 1 -- Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) is playing on a new Junior A team. He was sold by the Orangeville Crushers Jr A to the Sequin Bruins Jr A in the Ontario Provincial Jr. Hockey League.
Sequin is closing out its season this weekend with three games and then will prepare for the playoffs. Will had 12 goals, 17 assists at Orangeville. At Sequin, he has scored a goal and dealt several assists. He is wearing jersey #18.
In the previous two seasons, Munson, 20, was a very popular, fan favorite skater with the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr A. Coach Doug Johnson of the Bulls always called Will 'Money' because in crunch time "he always made the money goals."
However, like all Bulls players, Will got a very bad break when the Bulls franchise shut down. This past summer he hooked on with Orangeville which, at 9-33-2, is also winding up its regular season this weekend.
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The Fairbanks Daily Miner today has a a huge feature story on Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich (AA Las Vegas Mustangs) who is skating on the top line with the U of Fairbanks Nanooks....
Kyle MacKinnon (AAA Cal Wave), an '87, is having a spectacular season with Harvey Smyl's Langley Chiefs Jr A in the BCHL. Kyle is the team's leading scorer with 25 goals, 50 assists for 75 points.....Mitch Wahl (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), a '90, is one of the top rookie scorers in the WHL. Wahl, a very fast skater who burns towards the net, has 9 goals, 19 assists for the WHL Spokane Chiefs....
Nick Jackson (AA Las Vegas Rebels) has 14 goals, 13 assists for the South Jersey Raptors Jr Elite team....Ryan King (AA Las Vegas Rebels) dealt two assists on Wednesday night as the Vancouver Pioneers Jr B crunched the River City Jaguars on their home ice, 22-1. King leads all Las Vegas skaters away from home this winter with 20 goals, 32 assists....Chris Francis (AA Las Vegas Rebels) and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks are in a nine-game losing funk following a 7-1 road loss to the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday night. Portland, however, has the youngest team in major junior hockey this season...
Goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave) has a NAHL-leading 8 shutouts for the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr. A. That's really something - and that was his Dad, Elmer Hopper, who sang the National Anthem at the Roadrunners game vs. the Texas Tornado last weekend. Elmer Hopper years ago sang on hit records for a group you may remember -- The Platters.
Wednesday, Jan 31 - Stat of the Day: One of the best lines in the West - Kyle Clay (48 goals), Robbie Silvernail (29) and Ryan Townsend (19) of the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors, is heading to the Southwest League Championships this Friday...
Pokey Reddick and his 30-5-1 AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team is off to the SWYHL Championships in Utah......The first game will be this Friday when Las Vegas, 13-3-0 in the league, takes on the tough Phoenix Polar Bears....And who will be battling Las Vegas for the SWYHL gold? AA San Jose, AA Long Beach, AA Tucson and AA Phoenix each have enough to win it all too...It's going to be a fiery playoff weekend and it all starts on Friday night....
Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, who was crawling out of car wreck in Montana just a few weeks ago, is having some kind of season. Since the accident, he has had three three-point games for the Butte Roughriders Jr B. But now, Leypoldt and the Roughriders are in a real crunch - with five games left in the regular season they are four points out of a playoff spot. Butte has 22 points, the Billings Jr Bulls Jr B have 26. On Friday night, Butte's 'must win' games start when Yellowstone comes to town...
The Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A --- who include Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of Las Vegas - today announced they will 'webcast' three home games when the tough cold-weather Fargo-Moorhead Jets come to town Feb. 9-10 at the historic Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks....Eddie S reports "it's like summertime" in Fairbanks where it was +20 last evening...It's been as low as a mind-numbing minus-40.....
George Kemper, who always lit a cigar after the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls won a game, is looking for put together an interesting Alumni Game pitting the Gulls vs the AA Las Vegas Mustangs in a summertime charity game over at the SoBe Arena here in town. George's son, Geoff, is a former Gull and invitations will be extended to the greatest Gulls of all-time. Interestingly, there are three Las Vegas skaters -- Eddie Del Grosso, Eddie Samuels and Jason Allen -- who once played for the Gulls on the midget major level...George is looking for '86s and older...Rob Pallin will be on the Mustangs bench....No game date set quite yet, but if you have interest please send me an email at lee@toprank.com...
We hear that Spike Neely, three-time 'All Heart' player from Las Vegas, will work hard on the ice this summer and hopes to join the UNLV team this coming fall....
You are not among the 'in crowd' unless you've been invited to a Las Vegas Ice Cats Mites B post-game pizza party. We hear that Alex Wilson's baby sister, Jordan - who is only one year old - digs in and celebrates just as much as the skaters do....One of the 'Cats hockey moms just bought a new navigational system for her SUV: It does all of the electronic directional work and at the same time, plays CDs too. Now that's stylin'......
Monday, Jan 29 - The AAA Dallas Stars midget majors are on a phenominal run -- three straight gold medals in three tough tournaments. We cannot remember a team winning three golds in a row and in order, here is how Dallas did it:
Hull/Kiwanis Tournament
Championship Game - Jan 7
Dallas Stars 3, Belle Tire 2 OT
North Dakota Tournament
Championship Game - Jan 16
Dallas Stars 5, Pembina Valley 4
Dallas Cup
Championship Game - Jan 28
Dallas Stars 7, Rocky Mountain Wranglers 2
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It's Super Bowl weekend and we have a lot of big game coming up including the Southwest League Championships in Utah. At the same time, the UNLV Rebels college team is off to take on Cal State Long Beach.
On Sunday night, in a men's league game, Jason Allen continued his hot goal-scoring streak with 4 goals, 1 assist while teammates Tim Lydon (1 goal, 2 assists), Josh Odoms (one goal), Geoff Kemper (three assists) and Mike Lawes (one goal) chipped in for The Senators in an 8-3 win over the Crows at the Ice Center. Jason Allen led the men's league in scoring this past summer and continues to scorch in goals in the winter league.
Friday, Jan 26 - It's a sad day in hockey when a quality team like the AA So-Cal Vipers midget majors, 28-11-7 for the season, are told they cannot play in the California State Championships.
For some inexplicable reason, CAHA - which governs the game and determines which teams go to the state championships - capped the number of eligible teams to five.
In order, AA San Diego, AA L.A. Hockey Club, AA San Jose, AA L.A. Jr Kings and AA Long Beach were rated and qualified. They made the cut and deserve to play. However, there is not one reason we can think of why the AA So Cal Vipers are not included. They did enough to earn a right to play in the state championships which are the only route to the Pacific District regionals and ultimately, the U.S. Nationals.
There must be someone, somewhere who sees how unjust this decision is and can get this team into the playoffs.
Wednesday, Jan 23 --
Quote of the Day - "Everyone in this locker room should be proud to be a Methune Ranger. Everyone here should be proud to put on this jersey...."
-- Chris Caglisuo, captain, in the book 'Ice Time' after his Methune Rangers H.S. team gave up a goal in the last 23 seconds to lose 3-2...
Late last night, right around midnight, we were thinking how easy it is to be a winner.
Blaze about, score a few goals, line up at center ice, tap gloves, head for the locker room......
But you show your true character in the toughest of losses, much like Chris Caglisuo was telling his teammates in the riveting book written by Jay Atkinson.
Or, closer to home -- like at the Las Vegas Ice Center, where one of Las Vegas' greatest players Micah Sanford is now working.
It was only a few years ago he was an elite player in the West, a 78-goal scorer for the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs Jr A who had one of the greatest rides of all-time and Sanford was right there with them.
Here's a look at what happened before his biggest game of all:
"...Like every year before it, the Chiefs Jr A had high hopes for the 2001-2002 season. The line-up was stacked. Returning on offence were Jeff Tambellini, Gabe Gauthier, Kaleb Betts, David Van der Gulik, Matt Gibbons and Micah Sanford. Manning the blueline were veterans Mark Woytika, Jeff Barlow and Bobby Henderson. It was a record breaking season for Chilliwack, with a regular season record of 46-10-4 compiling 96 points, good for first place, and a new record in the organization. To go along with that, Tambellini, Gibbons, Van der Gulik, and Sanford all obtained 100 points and above tying the current league record. With Gauthier suffering a late season injury sidelining him for the remainder of the campaign he was unable to reach the 100 mark finishing with a close 99 points. Tambellini shared the scoring title with Cowichan Valleys Matt Ellison with 117 points on the season. He was also named Coastal Conference MVP and most sportsmanlike player. With statistics like this in your line up the Chiefs couldnt go wrong. Being 48 points ahead of the expansion Coquitlam Express, it wasnt hard to blow past them and into the second round. The South Surrey Eagles were the next stop on the road to the BCHL finals. Their archrivals put up a strong effort but were no match for the determined Chiefs and were swept in the best of fives series. In the Coastal Conference finals the Nanaimo Clippers were the next victims. Quickly building up a 3 game series lead, game 4 was held at the Chilliwack Coliseum but the boys couldnt hold off the Clippers and the game headed into overtime. Scoring his very first goal of the season, Shawn Germain was the unlikely overtime hero, sending the Chiefs to the BCHL finals. Like a broken record, it was a Chilliwack, Vernon match-up for the title. With the league rotating home ice advantage between conferences each season, it was the Interiors turn, even though the Chiefs finished 24 points ahead of the Vipers. Home ice seemed to help the Vipers as they wrapped up a 2 game lead before heading to Chilliwack. The rest of the series was all Chilliwack as they landed their third BCHL title in 4 straight wins. Being unsuccessful at their previous Doyle Cup attempts, the Drayton Valley Thunder posed a threat to their so far unstoppable campaign. The Thunder built up a 2 games to 1 lead in Drayton Valley and the balance of the series was to be played in Chilliwack. With the support of their local fans the Chiefs came from behind to win three straight against the Thunder. With the Chiefs trailing by 1 goal with 2 minutes left in the final frame of game 6, blueliner Jeff Barlow hammered one in from the point sending the game into overtime. The teams were neck in neck in the first overtime but at 8:14 of the second overtime period, David Van der Gulik sniped, giving the Chiefs their first Doyle Cup Championship and a birth in the Royal Bank Cup in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Facing the countries best in the round robin round of the championship the Chiefs found themselves in the semi final against OCN. Through their best efforts the Chilliwack was defeated 4-3 and their storybook season came to an end..."
In the spring of 2002 we listened on internet radio to that final, thrilling game. Chilliwack vs. Halifax Exports. It was a riveting right to the finish and then...in overtime, Halifax scored, won 4-3, and Chilliwack's phenonominal, never-to-be-forgotten season shuddered to a sudden close.
After so many thrilling games and finishes there were no more games to play and emotional Chilliwack players, Sanford included, were down in a heap on the ice. Many were crying. The two Chiefs radio announcers, who called so many thrilling games all winter, broke down and wept while on the air. We broke down and cried too and we're not ashamed to admit it.
One by one, the Chiefs got to their feet, skated over to the boards, went into the locker room for the last time of the season.
So the next time you see Micah Sanford at the Ice Center, say hello and he'll give you a nod and a quick smile.
But now you know the story behind the story -- Micah Sanford played on one of the greatest teams in one of the greatest seasons and was in one of the greatest games of all time.
Monday, Jan 22 - There are a lot of championship banners hung with care over at the Ice Center on Flamingo but this one deserves to have a 24/7 spotlight beaming onto it.
Let everyone see it...
On Sunday, the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors won the Silversticks Nationals championship which will go down as one of the all-time historic achievements in Las Vegas hockey.
How did Las Vegas do it?
Here is one theory: The Outlaws were strong in the fall, got stronger when Ray Leroux and Ryan Scheafer returned from out of state teams and rejoined the team in December. Leroux is strong with the puck, has excellent hockey sense in big games and adds some firepower. Scheafer is a Junior-A level defenseman who is very imposing when he is on the ice.
The Outlaws, just like that, were much stronger and had the right kind of depth to support their top goalie, Ryan Sutliffe. Plus, head coach Pokey Reddick is a proven winner -- his Las Vegas teams have won back to back Pacific District regional championships.
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Also this weekend -- big goal scorer Jason Allen of Las Vegas scored 8 times including 4 short-handed as the Senators beat the Jokers 11-6 in a men's league game at the Ice Center on Sunday night. Josh Odoms, Michael Laws and Robbie Jay also scored for the Senators.
And who holds the record for most goals in a single men's league game?
Chris Francis of Las Vegas scored 9 times in a game last summer. Thank goodness they had a running clock...
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George Niederriter over at the Ice Center deserves much more than what we can write here. We got a call this weekend that his beloved son Daniel, only 25, passed away this weekend.
It was just a few months ago when George, who on game day is in the scorebox and writes down all of goals and penalities, personally wrote a story about his son on these very same pages. There was a charity hockey game with over $3,000 raised to help Daniel and his family in medical expenses.
We all love our children - we lost one in Daniel and our heart aches.
This is what is posted on the Ice Center web page:
"...It is with great sorrow that we inform you that Daniel Allen Niederriter long time score keeper at Las Vegas Ice Center and son of George Niederriter men's league coordinator passed away at 2:00am on Saturday January 20th due to complications from cancer. Memorial services have been set for 6:30 pm on Tuesday January 23rd at the Palms Mortuary on Cheyenne. George and June would like to thank everyone for their support and prayers...".
Friday, Jan 19 - Quote of the Day, in the Fairbanks Daily Miner from Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich of the U of Fairbanks Nanooks who take on 13th-rated Michigan in a two-game weekend series:
We have lost seven in a row, sophomore right wing Adam Naglich reiterated after Thursday mornings practice at the Carlson Center, but were all staying positive and everyones keeping their heads up and keeping smiles on their faces. We think that the worst thing you can do is really get down at a time like this; you just have to stay positive and keep working hard.'
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There are top Western teams -- AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u, AA So-Cal Vipers 18u, AA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 18u and AA Phoenix Polar Bears -- in the Silversticks Nationals which begin tonight in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. All are in tough for the first three games (including a Las Vegas vs. So-Cal Vipers game tomorrow) with the field going into a Final Four on Sunday morning and the championship game the same day at 2:50 pm...
Thursday, Jan 18 -- Happy, happy birthday to Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt -- 20 years old today.
Wednesday 'Late Night' Jan 17 -- Recently retired pro player Nick Ganga, we were told today, will take over much of the coaching responsibilites of the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs midget majors who are now the Long Beach Bulldogs Jr B in the WSHL. Ron White will still serve as a coach, but will be also involved in managerial responsibilities for the team. Ganga, who played at Ohio State and logged years of play in minor league hockey in the UHL and ECHL, is running some pretty intense dryland drills with the new 'Dogs.....
The AA So-Cal Vipers 18u team is off to the Silversticks Nationals which begin Friday in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada...The Vipers, who have been a Top 10 West rated team all season, will take on - in order - the Markham Islanders, Las Vegas Outlaws (and what a matchup that is!) and the Orangeville Flyers. All teams are Silversticks regional champions and as a result, there are no breathers in a three-game prelude to the eliminator games...
Wednesday, Jan 17 - We want to thank all who sent in scores and highlights the last 72 hours....you, our incredible rinkboard reporters, make it all tick here...
The AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 16u team, which had a phenominal run at the Victory Honda Tournament, breaks into the Top 10 West ratings for the first time this season....It's a hard-working team we liked when they played Las Vegas in the fall here at the Ice Center on Flamingo Ave and we figured it would be a matter of time before they got it going...
Several other teams ticked up in the ratings including Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors who are 26-4-1, winner of two tournaments and are off to the Silversticks Nationals this coming week in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada....
On Friday night AA Las Vegas will open against a very tough 20-4-1 AA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 18u team which shocked a strong, high-scoring Michigan Jaguars team in the gold medal game of their regional final in Midland, Michigan.....Dallas is on a hot run, so it's going to be interesting to see how Las Vegas figures them out in what looks like, we think, is an incredibly intriguing game..
There is rink talk that the UNLV Rebels are putting together a phenominal schedule for 2007-08. For sure, the Michigan Wolverines are blue-penciled to be at the SoBe Arena in January, 2008......the schedule-makers for UNLV know that the top teams, like Michigan and Texas Tech, bring in the hottest crowds....
Monday, Jan 15 - There is a huge, breaking story today -- the U of Michigan Wolverines ice team is returning to take on the UNLV Rebels at the Sobe next year. "Right after the Saturday night game the Michigan coaches asked 'how about a couple of games here next year?' and we said sure, we'd love to have you back," said Rob Pallin who added the Rebs will be "much stronger next season."
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Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget major team is riding on an eight-game streak, a 25-4-1 record and a spot in the Winterfest gold medal game today at the Las Vegas Ice Center. The Outlaws worked hard to make it to the finals, as did the Utah Wildcats 18u team who had a great skate here and have an interesting wide-open attack. The two teams go at it today...
We returned to the Ice Center late Sunday night to take one more look at Tucson Stampede's flashy goal-scorer, #4 Alexandre 'Sasha' Bilozertchev who scored two spectacular goals against the Las Vegas Outlaws in that wild 4-3 game on Sunday morning....Bilozertchev blazed about, was very creative in his play during the late-night game vs. Utah. He shook loose late to score a terrific close-range goal. He's very exciting and he is some kind of prospect....
Ian Armstrong, the Tucson head coach, four years ago had a big scorer named David Lewandowski. He started the 2002-03 with AA Tucson, then early in the same season came here to play for the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws coached by Rob Pallin.
"It really broke our hearts sending David to Las Vegas, but we knew it was the right thing to do," said Ian, reflecting quietly for a moment at the Ice Center.
Lewandowski was a top player for that AAA Las Vegas team which had a huge run in the Pacific District regionals, beating the Alaska All-Stars 6-5 at Fairbanks. Lewandowski was also a star goal scorer for Las Vegas at the Richmond tournament that year.
Since then, Lewandowski played for the NAHL Helena Bighorns Jr A and is now playing NCAA hockey in the ECAC with Wentford College in Boston. He has 4 goals, 12 assists for Wentford which plays home games at the 6,000-seat Matthews Arena.....
Another hard worker on the ice is Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) who scored two goals and dealt an assist -- one of his best-ever games -- to help the USHL Tri-City Storm Jr A beat the Ohio Blue Jackets Jr A 4-2 on Sunday night....Dan Comrie (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) scored two goals for the USHL Lincoln Stars who beat Green Bay 6-1 on Friday night. In 13 games, Comrie has 5 goals, 4 assists - which are really terrific numbers...Mike Zenzola (AA Inland Valley Wild) is on a hot run - 5 goals in his last two games for the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B....
The WSHL Phoenix Polar Bears Jr B are 30-2-0 and the top scorer is Jamie Davis, an '86 who has, yikes, 54 goals, 43 assists.....
Stars of the Game: Las Vegas got two Stars this week - Bryce Reddick of the Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A (key goal and terrific play in a win over rival Alberni Valley Bulldogs), Eddie Samuels of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A (two goals including OT Shootout game-winner in win over Wichita Falls Wildcats)......
The AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u team has worked its way to the Final Four at the Victory Honda Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Ducks have two elite goalies, Paul 'P.J.' Musico and Alexander Mikovic. PJ was in the net in the tie vs. nationally-rated Belle Tire and the win over the Madison Capitals. Mikovic got the win over the Pittsburgh Hornets, worked the first and second periods and PJ the third period in the riveting win over the Texas Attack....
While checking our weekend notebook, we neglected to mention the hard work of Justin Herbst of the UNLV team. He got a ton of ice time in UNLV's game vs. Michigan on Saturday night and was focused, played hard, moved the puck -- excellent in all phases of his game...
Coach Pallin, while at the rinkboards watching the Outlaws play Tucson on Sunday, said both UNLV goalies - Brandon Rial and Chris Tate - were at the top of their game and kept the Rebs in striking distance in the Michigan games...
We tried to get some extra Michigan vs UNLV game programs but, like we expected, they were sold out. Lily Baca put together one of the best-ever UNLV programs and many of those were picked up Michigan fans...
Big games bring out so many friends - the Leypoldt's, the Trimbath's, the Fulwiler's plus Harry Long -- who son Kurt is one of the all-time Las Vegas goal scorers - were at the Michigan vs UNLV game on Saturday night.
Hey, did you hear about what happened in Flagstaff yesterday? The Las Vegas Ice Cats sent a combined team of squirts (10u) and mites (8u) to play in the King of the Mountain squirt tournament...On Sunday night, in a game vs. the hometown Flagstaff North Stars, it was 5-5 late and Flagstaff went on a powerplay. The Las Vegas coach said 'send out the mites' for the penalty kill. They included long-time rink pals Jimmy Samuels, 8, and Scotty Cunningham, 8. The Las Vegas goalie then lost his stick and while Las Vegas hockey moms screamed like crazy rooting them on the mites battled hard and Flagstaff couldn't score. The older Las Vegas squirts went over the wall, scored a quick goal and Las Vegas won 6-5. Afterwards, both teams went to a tournament barbecue and today, on Monday, the same two teams play for the gold.
Speaking of barbecues, the Townsend's -- whose son Ryan is a very skilled player who skates for the Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team - flame-grilled and served the best-ever burger we ever had at the big rink....
I am, however, embarrassed to report that one of my best rinkboard pals got totally hooked on the award-winning 'peanut butter tournament fudge' that was sold in a corridor at the Ice Center. He made a number of purchases and I haven't seen him since...
Sunday, Jan 14 - Ida Del Grosso, grandmother of Eddie D, is 75 today.
And what a birthday surprise she is going to get.
That's what hockey mom Patty Del Grosso was saying this morning.
Ida's 2 older brothers and 3 older sisters are coming in for birthday cake.
So is Patty's brother and sister, all the way from Niagara Falls.
And Eddie, who played for Nebraska-Omaha in the 7-0 win over Bowling Green on Saturday night, got permission to take a flight home too.
"Boy, is Mom going to be surprised to see Eddie --- she watched his game on TV last night," said Patty.
Happy 75th, Ms. Ida!
Sunday, Jan 14 -- On the hockey ticker: Shaun Stackhouse of Las Vegas and the Richmond Hill Rams Jr A win a game for 'Little Nikki,' age 8.
Right around midnight, just when I was just getting over the UNLV losses to Michigan, the email came rattling in from Shaun Stackhouse of Las Vegas who plays for the Richmond Hill Rams Jr A in Canada:
"We won on Saturday night. The stands were packed. It was pretty emotional....it was all for Little Nikki...."
On the Richmond Hill web page:
"....Little Nikki Malfara, age 8, who plays for the Richmond Hill Novice "AE" Kings, has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour. He has had his first operation to remove the tumour but now has to undergo further treatment and needs our help...."
So the Richmond Hill Rams put together a charity game against their biggest rival, the Bradford Rattlers. Fans poured in. Bleachers packed. Little Nikki was there. Hugged by everyone. Hockey moms fussed over him. Donations for the little hockey player.
What a gesture.
Thank you, Shaun Stackhouse and thank you, Richmond Hill Rams.
Saturday, Jan 13 - It's early Saturday morning and we still have our Friday night game buzz.....The Michigan - UNLV game was the best we have ever seen at the SoBe Arena and we've watched quite a few games through the rink glass the last two years.
There were snow flurries outside the rink about an hour or two before the big game. Michigan arrived in a huge cruiser of a bus and the skaters , when they warmed up on the ice, wore crisp white jerseys with the famous giant blue M across the front.
"Michigan looked good, even warming up," said Tim Lydon, a former Las Vegas Rebel skater who was at the boards.
It was an exciting, explosive game and UNLV turned up its play about a thousand notches to make it a real thriller. Tonight, UNLV would like to avenge its two-goal loss at the SoBe. Faceoff, 6:30 pm.
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There's lots of hockey in town. Kyle Clay and the 21-4-1 AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors are hosting the seven-team Winterfest which gets underway this morning at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Clay is the 2006 Las Vegas Skater of the Year and he will lead the way for this terrific Las Vegas team which includes two top goalies, Ryan Sutliffe and Matt Vorce....Wally Lacrox' AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team is off to the King of the Rockies in Westminster, Colorado....
Jesica Cook, age 10, knows how to get the weekend cooking. She scored a goal with 0:27.7 left in regulation this morning to help the Las Vegas Ice Cats squirt team tie the VOSHA Mustangs 5-5 at the King of the Mountain tournament in Flagstaff. She got the game MVP award. The Ice Cats squirts have some of the younger Ice Cats mite B players on the roster this weekend. Jimmy Samuels, age 8, scored the first goal for the 'Cats. They are now off to a Skills Competition and will play two games on Sunday.
Also on this chilly winter morning: That was a huge win for Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks who beat the powerful 33-7-0 Everett Silvertips 3-1 on Friday night. It was Everett's first home loss in regulation this season.....
Defenseman Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls), who has been out with injuries since Oct. 21, returned to the lineup Friday night for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. He will try to rally the Roadrunners who were, before Christmas, one of the top teams in the league. Since coming back from the holiday break the 'Runners have lost four straight -- 4-1, 4-1, 3-1 and 5-1. It doesn't make sense, but look at Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who have exploded in goal scoring, have won 5 games in a row and have scored 16 goals the last two games.
It's signing time: The Moncton Wildcats Jr A announced today they have tendered Marcus Watson, 17, of the AAA San Jose Jr Sharks midget majors...
We were told last night the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs midget majors will play out the remainder of the season in the WSHL. They will be the Long Beach Bulldogs and take on some pretty fierce Junior B teams including defending champion Phoenix Polar Bears and a San Diego Surf team which works very hard and scores in bunches...The Long Beach team includes Las Vegas skater John McNicholas who is always a hard worker on the ice....
Tuesday, Jan 9 - Best Michigan story of the Week: "I scored my college goal against Michigan," said UNLV bench Rob Pallin. "It was 1988, I was a defenseman for Western Michigan. We were in a 5-5 game. With about three minutes to go, I picked a puck at the red line, went past a defenseman and just cracked the puck - it went in, glove-high. It was the game-winner. I was so excited I went off the ice, back to the bench and was buzzing with excitement. Then someone told me 'hey Rob, the game is still going on and you're supposed to be on the ice' so I climbed over the wall to get back into the game. We hung on to win..."
Lili Baca is working on the Michigan vs UNLV game program and it should be a real collector's piece. We worked on an interesting preview story and sent it in last night. There are some nice statistical charts plus the UNLV award-winners -- John McAslan (Defenseman of the Year), Aaron Baca (All-Heart) and Colby Cookson (Most Improved) -- are highlighted. If you want a program please send me a note at lee@toprank.com
We cannot remember a rink buzz like this before. UNLV will have two practices, including one tonight, to make preparations for the two biggest games of the year on Friday and Saturday nights at the SoBe Arena. There are usually some UNLV collector items, like hats, etc., at the check-in table but we're sure all of those will likely be gone before faceoff.
We'll be at the Fiesta buffet after the Friday night game. Hey, it's the best place to talk about the big Michigan game and hopefully, a 'W' for the UNLV skaters who have worked so hard to get the program to this point.
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Travis Prendergast, an '88 who skated for the AA Ventura Mariners 18u and 16u teams, today was named to the Empire Junior Hockey League All-Star team. That's quite an honor. Travis has 11 goals, 7 assists -- including two game-winning goals -- for the Capital District Selects who skate out of Clifton Park, N.Y......
Nick Jackson, who skated on the AA Las Vegas Rebels 18u team which went to the U.S. Nationals last winter, has 14 goals for the South Jersey Raptors Jr B.....Defenseman Alex Winnik (AA Las Vegas) has 6 goals, 17 assists for the AAA Cal North Stars midget majors.
We're told that the NAHL Texas Tornado Jr A is taking a hard look at goalie Matt Frederico who is on the roster of Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix midget major team...
We've heard a lot of good things about Austin Block, captain of the AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors, who is being recruited by the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A.......
Thanks to all who today sent in the weekend scores for the AAA Colorado Rampage midget majors: 4-3 over AAA Omaha Energy, 7-1 over AAA Omaha Energy and 8-1 over the AAA Pikes Peak Miners......
Real busy weekend coming up for the #1 rated AA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors. They have tough teams like the AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u, AA Long Beach Ice Dogs 18u and the AA North Delta, B.C. Sundevils 18u coming in town for a MLK Tournament....Those are pretty explosive matchups, particuarly Portland v San Diego and Long Beach v San Diego......Oh, plus the Gulls have a scheduled SCAHA game with the AA Ventura Mariners 18u who are always tough this time of the season....
Monday, Jan 8 - What a weekend -- the AAA Dallas Stars midget majors win seven games, including going OT in the championship game, to capture the gold medal at the annual Hull Kiwanis Tournament in Quebec...Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks play in their 4th straight OT game...Las Vegas skaters Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A sweep three games over the North Iowa Outlaws....Ryan King of Las Vegas and the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B keep blasting teams apart...Conrad Trimbath of Las Vegas worked his assist-magic with the Northern Cyclones Jr A in Hudson, N.H....plus, we're only a few days away from the grand arrival of powerful Michigan who take on UNLV on Friday and Saturday nights..
That's all big stuff.
But the biggest story of all came out of Montana.
One week ago, Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt was a passenger in a vehicle which slid off an icy highway and into a snowy ditch in Butte, Montana.
He was banged up, crawled through the passenger window, got transported to a local hospital, took x-rays, hurt all over and was told he had bruised ribs and maybe a fracture or two.
Yet, two days later, he was on practice ice and on Sunday night Stephen Leypoldt scored two goals and dealt an assist in a 6-3 win -- one of his biggest games ever for the Butte Roughriders Jr B.
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It's a good thing that Las Vegas skater Jason Allen has a three-pack of his favorite stick, an Easton Synergy with a glistening ice-blue shaft.
He wound up and blasted some extremely hard shots with his Easton on Sunday night. He scored four goals, dealt two assists and teammate Geoff Kemper, Michael Lawes also scored for The Senators men's league team in a game over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Sunday night.
It sure was entertaining to watch. When the smoke cleared, the Rhinos -- who included Wally Lacroix gliding about and making precise passes - got the win, 9-7.
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When he was seven years old, Tim Lydon of Las Vegas didn't feel so hot.
Birth defect, the family was told.
Tim needed a liver transplant and his folks arranged for it at a medical facility in California.
The operation was a success and following his recovery, Tim began playing youth ice hockey. He matured into a top defenseman and was a star player last winter for Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels midget major team who went to the U.S. Nationals in Pittsburgh.
Tim played so well he was named 'All Heart,' one of the top awards there is in Las Vegas.
On Sunday night, while playing for the Senators men's league team at the Las Vegas Ice Center, it was the 12th anniversary of the operation.
As Tim skated about only a precious few people at the rinkboards knew about it --- but now, you know the story behind the story...
Saturday, Jan. 6 - Quote of the Day: "In the words of Wylie Coyote, we need to call Acme and order a Hockey Game-Winning Plan," sighed webcaster Arch Eckard after the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A lost a three-goal game for the second straight night - the first time the 'Runners have had back-to-back losses this season.
Sometimes you play hard and still cannot get the 'W,' which is what U of Fairbanks Nanooks coach Tavis MacMillan was eluding to after a 6-2 loss at Ohio State on Friday night.
It's been a very tough stretch for Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich and the Nanooks who lost two straight to the Alaska Seawolves before heading to Ohio State this weekend.
"We're playing hard, playing with emotion...I sound like a broken record, don't I?" said MacMillan afterwards the road loss to Ohio State.
Many times, as MacMillan knows, it's just a matter of getting the right puck bounces and opportunities......
In college hockey this year, Las Vegas skaters are off to strong starts - Jeff Hajner (Air Force Academy) has 4 goals; Eddie Del Grosso (U of Nebraska-Omaha) 3 goals and Adam Naglich (Fairbanks Nanooks) 3 goals. All are on hockey scholarships.
Ryan King, who scored the game-winning goal for the AA Las Vegas Rebels to win the Pacific District regional title last spring, has 15 goals, 24 assists for 39 points for the North Vancouver Pioneers Jr B. He leads the scoring of all Las Vegas skaters away from home.
Webcasters Scott and Norma of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A said they were cold, shivering cold, and they were inside of the Big Dipper Ice Arena on Friday night. Two Las Vegas skaters, Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev, were on the ice in the 4-1 win over the North Outlaws Jr A. That was the easy part; the other part was afterwards while navigating to billet homes in minus-28 degree weather.
It's hitting minus-40 there tonight for game two of the three-game weekend series. We've got the Arctic Cam working to check things out tonight...
We've been listening to webcasters Andy Kemp and Dean 'Scooter' Vrooman on the WHL Portland Winter Hawks games and for sure, Chris Francis of Las Vegas is getting a ton of ice time...
By the way, the young Las Vegas Ice Cats Mite B's went 3-1-0 in round-robin play but did not advance to the gold medal game at the Coyote Cup last weekend in Scottsdale, Az. There was some sort of weird tie-breaking system we were told which sent two Arizona teams into the finals.
Here's an incredible story: Steven Mohler (AAA L.A. Selects), out 10 weeks with an ankle injury and concussion, has scored three goals in his last two starts including a pair of powerplay goals which helped the NAHL Springsfield Blues Jr A beat the Santa Fe Roadrunners, 4-1 on Friday night.....
Early morning workout: Rob Pallin is going to send the Ice Cats Mite B's through some skating drills early Sunday morning at the SoBe Arena. Bring your mittens: it all starts at 6:45 am and it's going to be wintery...
Meanwhile, Las Vegas hockey dad Steve Allen says "I really can't wait for Michigan to come in next Friday." It's the biggest series of all-time for Las Vegas as Michigan takes on the UNLV Rebels at the SoBe Arena on Friday, Jan. 12 and Saturday, Jan. 13. We've got our spots picked out already, over on the south ride rinkboards, to the right of the net. It's a two-cup game Friday, so we will bring two Starbucks grandes to the boards. And for sure, there will be a steaming Starbucks latte or two on the UNLV bench for coaches Tim Mueller and Rob Pallin...
Friday, Jan. 5 - There is a huge story today - the ECHL is about to announce that Wally Lacroix of Las Vegas will be one of the officials in the upcoming ECHL All-Star game on Jan. 17 at the Qwest Center in Boise, Idaho.
The ECHL has a rotation of 35 referees and over 100 linesmen to officiate its regular season games which includes those played by the Las Vegas Wranglers at The Orleans Arena on Tropicana Ave.
Lacroix, who is also the head coach of the high-powered AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors hockey team at the Las Vegas Ice Center, is in his 4th season as a top official in the ECHL.
This is a great honor - just as big as a skater being chosen for the big game.
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Stephen Mohler (AAA L.A. Selects) got a huge goal Thursday night to help the Springfield Blues Jr A beat the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A 4-1. It's never easy taking on the Roadrunners, particuarly with big-time goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) in the net and with 'Runner captain John Stoddard (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) buzzing around.....In 20 games, Mohler has 7 goals, 6 assists - really terrific numbers.
Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) got a very big win Thursday night. He was in the net as the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A beat the Alexandria Blizzard Jr A 6-5. Oliver this season has a 7-5-5 record with a 3.55 gaa and a terrific 90.0% save percentage. Oliver is a top talent who gives it his all whenever he gets in the net. Bismarck is in a firefight for a playoff spot so every win is precious....
Blake Page (AAA Colorado Rampage, AA Beach City) is the leading scorer with the Baystate Breakers Jr A in the EJHL. He has 13 goals, 18 assists and next season he will be a teammate of Las Vegas skater Jeff Hajner at the Air Force Academy.
The hard-working, very popular skater Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has 11 goals, 17 assists for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A in the Ontario Provincial League. Last winter, Will and Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas were in the same billet home while playing for the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr. A. Billings coach Doug Johnson used to call Will 'Money' because he "always scored the money-goal for us."
Jon Drake (AAA San Jose Jr Sharks) was a recent 'Player of the Week' in the NOJHL. He has 17 goals, 15 assists for the Blind River Beavers Jr A in Ontario, Canada....In the same league, Bryan Albert (AAA Cal Senators, AA Inland Valley Wild, AAA L.A. Jr Kings) has 6 goals, 8 assists for the North Bay Skyhawks Jr A.....Albert is a very skilled player...
We're not sure why, but the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A dealt two top, skilled players to division rival St. Louis Bandits Jr A this week.
Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of Las Vegas will be working on the same line tonight for the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who take on the North Iowa Outlaws Jr A at the famous Big Dipper Ice Arena in ice-cold Fairbanks where the game-time forecast is minus-22 outside the rink doors. Maleev is hot, however, with three goals blasted in during his last two starts.
At the recent Alumni/Las Vegas Rebels holiday game, the player -- not in uniform - on the Rebels bench was Swede Lindeberg.....
The big buzz in college hockey are the Niagara Purple Eagles who just got into the Top 20 ratings. Niagara's Ted Cook, a sophomore, is the nation's leading scorer with 18 goals and Niagara goes into the #19 position in the poll - which is, when you look at the Division 1 landscape, quite an achievement.
How big is Michigan vs UNLV next Friday, Jan 12?
UNLV team managers have been asked to bring seven flavors of Gatorade to the bench......
Thursday, Jan 4 - UNLV captain Aaron 'Rocky' Baca took a walk the other day and all of a sudden he felt a tweak in his left knee.
Oh, no...
Not with Michigan coming in next week.
"Ya gotta play," one of his teammates needled him at practice. "You just got named All-Heart by the fans."
Baca laughed. Then, when his teammate walked away, his heart sank.
Achy knee, battered ankle, an hernia which needs an operation.
Like, an operation yesterday.
"It's a tough time of the year, lots of players banged up," sighed UNLV bench coach Rob Pallin in his hockey office.
For Baca, a powerful force like Michigan coming in is what the program is all about and where it is heading.
Two summers ago, out of hockey, Baca said he had an idea.
He walked around the rink, had a signup sheet on a clipboard and said he was going to put together a UNLV team together.
Sure, we said, and maybe Michigan might be coming in one day.
Boy, the guys at the rinkboards laughed real hard about that one.
But not anymore.
Baca got onto the phone and regrouped former Las Vegas skaters. He went on MySpace.com and searched for any UNLV student who had an interest in hockey.
Any kind of hockey.
Come out to practice.
Please.
Somehow, someway the puzzle pieces got put together.
Anthony Greener, a former Las Vegas Rebel, became a big goal scorer and an instant star skater.
Ryan Krametbauer, Jeff Root and Danny Kaminski became feared defensemen.
John McAslan, the incredibly skilled d-man, was so great he was just named Defenseman of the Year.
Derek Koehler began to score spectacularly. UNLV's first big line of Greener, Baca and Dan Penska buzzed into attack zones.
In the first season UCLA came in, was roughed up, conquored, went home and didn't want to come back no matter how much Baca pleaded.
Then, this season the bigger teams were booked - Arizona, Arizona State, Texas Tech -- teams that were quicker, moved the puck, had skill, set up precise power plays, played with passion.
Now here comes Michigan.
The biggest monster of all on the UNLV schedule.
"I've got to play in this one," said Baca. "I'm beat up, hurt, but I want to play. Been thinking about Michigan for so such a long time."
For sure, Michigan is going to get a mighty surprise next Friday night, Jan. 12.
One of the all-time Las Vegas scorers, Josh Jasek, will be pulling on the UNLV jersey, skate onto the ice and play in the biggest game of all time in Las Vegas.
Wednesday, Jan 3 - So who scored the most goals last weekend? It was the AAA L.A. Selects 16u who blasted in 54 goals while going 6-0-0 at their holiday tournament in Westminster, Ca. That's some kind of firepower -- averaging nine goals a game against top Western teams.
Troy Powers and the AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u sure deserved a better fate at the Mac's Tournament in Calgary. The Kings were 2-1-1 including a 2-2 tie with the Denmark Nationals -- but all of that was not enough to advance to the Final 8...
The hottest team? The AA Cal Stars 16u, who skate out of Ontario Center Ice, are right up there going 5-0-0 to run their unbeaten streak to 12 in a row over the weekend...The AA Anaheim Wildcats 16u went 4-0-1 in the Southwest League....The AA San Diego Jr Gulls 16u went 5-0-0, then lost a tough one, 3-2 to the Kelowna Jr Rockets in a gold medal game. The Rockets have always been a fiery team at the Richmond tournament. The young Gulls really played well all week, outscoring teams 39-10 in Canada and that's tough to do at Richmond...
The AA Long Beach Ice Dogs 18u were 5-1-0 in the Southwest League...The AA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u, after a tough loss to AA Las Vegas, went 5-0-0 in their Southwest League games...
The AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u were the only team to get back-to-back shutouts, beating the Phoenix Polar Bears 2-0 and the Boise Steelheads 7-0 in the Southwest League....Kyle Clay, the Las Vegas Skater of the Year, scored 10 goals during the holidays....
Comeback team of the weekend: The AAA Cal North Stars 16u, who had won five games all season, went 5-0-0 before losing to the Kerry Park Islanders in a gold medal game at Richmond....
Biggest win of the weekend:
AAA Texas Attack 18u 8, AAA Belle Tire of Detroit 18u 3, at the Redhawk Winter Fury Tournament at Ohio University. The five-goal win over one of the top teams in the nation put Texas into the gold medal game.
More big wins:
The AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u avenged an earlier four-goal loss with a 4-3 win over the AAA Anaheim Wildcats 16u at the L.A. Selects Holiday Tournament.
The AA L.A. Hockey Club 18u out-battled #1 rated AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u 2-1 in an all-out thrilling game at Richmond.
It was 1-1 very late in the game, then the AA L.A Hockey Club 18u scored twice to nudge the AA L.A. Jr Kings 18u 3-1 in what was described as one of the most fiercely played games at Richmond.
After losing their first four, the AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u - their roster ravaged with injuries - had a six-goal win over the AA Alaska Blue Devils 18u in a Final Four game at Richmond.
The AA Yorba Linda Blackhawks 16u had two big wins, 6-3 over the AA L.A. Jr Kings 16u and 7-0 over the Inland Valley Wild 16u at the big holiday tournament in Ontario, Ca.
Tuesday, Jan. 2 - Kyle Clay (35 goals), Robbie Silvernail ( 18 ) , Ryan Townsend (13) and Ryan Scheafer (10) are the top goal scorers for Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors who are off to a blistering 21-4-1 start this season.....Goalie Ryan Sutliffe has some spectacular numbers: He's 15-4-1 with a very high save percentage of 92.0%...Backup goalie Matt Vorce has a perfect 6-0-0 record...
The AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors today moved into the Top 10 West ratings for the first time this season - they are obviously much stronger with the addition of TJ Pacuk and Mike DeStefano and should be an impact team during the second half of the season in the Southwest League games and at the upcoming Pacific District regionals.
We are told that Cody Williams, a skater with the AA Las Vegas Ice Cats midget minors, is having an awesome season and one of the big reasons why the team is doing so well in its first season.
On New Year's Eve, Troy Puente (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) scored his first Junior A goal for the three-time defending champions Texas Tornado who were in an all-out firefight with rival St. Louis Bandits Jr A.....Puente, an '88, is a top rookie defenseman for Texas....
After a holiday week at home, Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas today returned to the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who take on the North Iowa Outlaws Jr A in a three-game series this coming weekend....
Monday, Jan. 1 - The Countdown Clock is ticking.....11 days to the biggest, most important games of the year - Michigan vs. UNLV in a two-game weekend series beginning Jan 12 at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta. For sure, Las Vegas' all-time goal scorer Josh Jasek will be wearing a UNLV sweater and be on the ice. We will soon have a full-blast preview - with a focus on UNLV's new young guns like Anthony Marinello, Colby Cookson and Troy Mueller as they head into this huge series. This is the series where UNLV wants to make a statement about where the program is and where it is heading....
Sunday, Dec 31 - We want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and for all skaters to have a safe journey home from their holiday tournaments.
This is a big day in Richmond, B.C., with all of the titles on the line. The coaches there say that the Vancouver Canadians midget major team, which is in the Elite Gold Division title game today, is one of the best teams in years playing in this tournament.
Dan Comrie, who played in a few Richmond tournaments when he was skating for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u, last night had a short-handed goal for the USHL Lincoln Stars in a 5-3 loss to Sioux City. Comrie, an '86 who has been off for two seasons, is back in full force -- in eight games he has two goals, three assists and is +2 on the ice.
We also wanted to mention the play of goalie Troy Reddman (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) who has had all-out spectacular games for the USHL Ohio Blue Jackets Jr. A. He was in a firefight today, in the net in a 4-3 win over the Indiana Ice Jr A. Donnie Hallmark (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) dealt two assists in that big win.
There are an amazing number of top goalies in the NAHL this season, but the players tell us the best one of all is Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) of the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
We keep hearing that Tim Douglas, the star goalie for the AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors last winter, may be back in action next season.
Hey, did you hear about the caravan of cars leading the Las Vegas Ice Cats Mite B's to the Coyote Cup in Scottsdale? Determined not to get lost, we heard the lead SUV was loaded down with the latest in electronic navigational equipment with an rooftop array of those whip-like antennaes....There was no way they were going to be late for the Coyote Cup...So far, the Ice Cats are 3-1-0, have been to a huge Peter Piper Pizza party and celebrated the first-birthday of skater Alex Wilson's baby sister, Jordan...
Sunday, Dec 31 - Congratulations to Kyle Clay who today was announced as the 2006 Las Vegas Skater of the Year. Kyle is a very skilled player, a big goal scorer and a very popular skater here in the city.
For the last two months we received a record-breaking number of votes along with some incredible emails about local players, coaches, execs who were all deserving of an award. For that, I thank you.
I also want to thank my two rinkboard friends, George Kemper and Steve Allen, who helped get the awards nominating process started and who each put in the first votes. Because of my travel, George and Steve see far more Las Vegas games than we do and they do much of the game reporting here. When I am at the rink, you will usually see us clustered on a rinkboard looking through the glass.
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Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, injured in a car accident Friday night in Butte, Montana, had his ribs wrapped at a local hospital and then tried to skate with his team a practice on Saturday morning. He gave it shot, but the pain was too much and he went off the ice. He is determined to play as soon as possible for the Butte Roughriders Jr B.
Saturday, Dec 30 - The biggest story today involves Kurt Long, one of the all-time Las Vegas goal scorers, who is mulling over a return to the game. Kurt, an '86, made a late-summer decision not to return to his team, the Laconia Leafs Jr A in New Hampshire, but apparently the coaches there are asking him to return as the Leafs are making a run at the upcoming playoffs. We're told Kurt is skating and will soon make a decision. At Las Vegas, Kurt was a top player on the midget major level and scored some very big goals in tournaments.
Sal Tecci, who was a very promising young goalie when he played in Las Vegas, is putting up big numbers for the Savio Prep Spartans who are located in the greater Boston area. Tecci, a freshman, has a 4-0-1 record with a very high save percentage of 95.5% Here are some more interesting stats: Tecci has not allowed a power play goal including eight times while facing fiery 5-on-3 attacks. Savio Prep is in first place in the Catholic Central League.
We want to remind all Las Vegas skaters away from home that while in a car please put on a seatbelt. It was a seatbelt which restrained and kept Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt inside of a vehicle which slid on an icy highway, rolled and wound up in a ditch Friday night in Butte, Montana. The driver of the car did not wear a seatbelt and was ejected. After the crash, Stephen unsnapped the seatbelt and crawled through the passenger window. He has a fractured rib and three cracked ribs - but those will heal and he will again play. We want to wish Stephen, one of our favorite skaters, a quick recovery. We are thinking of you. His parents, Judy and Ken, are torn to pieces - all of this is tremendously upsetting as I write this as we have many Las Vegas skaters away from home this winter.
Friday, Dec 29 - There is a huge story tonight -- Itan Chavira, who skated for the AA Inland Valley Wild midget majors last winter -- is now on the roster of the USHL Ohio Blue Jackets Jr. A. Chavira, an '87 who had 25 goals, 43 assists for the WSHL San Diego Surf Jr B this season, played in his first USHL game on Friday night...
Also tonight, Chris Ochoa (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs) scored a dramatic game-winner for the Connecticut Huskies who beat Holy Cross 2-1....Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A. Selects), captain of the NAHL Wichita Falls Wildcats Jr. A, scored three goals in a tough 4-3 road loss to the Texas Tornado Jr A...
We will keep everyone posted on the medical situation with Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt who was injured in a car accident in Butte, Montana on Friday night. There is a news story posted in our College/Junior area...
Tuesday, Dec 26 - Well, that was quick - the holidays are over for Adam Naglich of Las Vegas. He is back in the big pressure-cooker.
Naglich skates for the U of Fairbanks Nanooks who are about to head into their most important weekend - two games, on the road, vs. a big, physical Anchorage-Alaska Seawolves team.
Fairbanks, with its skilled skaters, is a Top 20 team. But they are taking on an amazing Anchorage team: They have not had a winning season in 13 years, were 1-28-0 three years ago but now have an 8-8-2 record and are 1-0-1 vs. the Fairbanks Nanooks in two overtime games this season.
Dave Shylak is the Anchorage coach who has recruited top talent to turn around his program.
Las Vegas defenseman Eddie Del Grosso, meanwhile, and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks are heading East to take on Princeton (Friday) and Yale (Saturday). Road games are never easy games and it will be interesting to see how the Mavs perform against two tough Eastern programs.
Jeff Hajner and the Air Force Academy are at Mercyhurst for two games beginning Friday, Jan. 5.
Our 2006 Las Vegas Awards really kick in this week: Tonight we will announce the Executive of the Year, then - in order - Rookie of the Year, All-Heart, Coach of the Year and Player of the Year. We want thank all who voted - and you sent in a record of votes, by far - for the awards this year.
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We are always on the hunt for scores. There are usually 3,000 or more hits a day on this site and during holiday tournaments the hits sometimes double. However, there appears to be a glitch in the Southwest League posting of scores and I'm getting concerned at the lack of updates (none, so far) coming out of the Richmond, Canada. So, if you have the info, please send in scores to lee@toprank.com
Monday, Dec 25 - Merry Christmas to all.....
Sunday, Dec. 24 - It's Christmas Eve, our favorite day of the year. Santa is on his way and we want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thursday, Dec. 21 - Quote of the Day - When asked how his Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A team will do in a three-game series vs the Alaska Avalanche, head coach Rob Profitt said....."It depends on which one of my hockey teams shows up. It seems Ive got about five different ones, but the names are the same on the backs of all the jerseys."
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UNLV captain Aaron Baca sure wanted to play in the Alumni game on Wednesday night. He showed up but decided against because of an upcoming hernia operation plus some doubts about his left ankle which is pretty battered up...
Right before the Alumni faceoff, coach Rob Pallin said he needed an 'extra player' and extracted Conrad Trimbath from the Alumni. Yes, the very Conrad Trimbath who was named the MVP after feeding bullet-like passes all-night long to big goal scorer Chris Francis
The things you hear and see while on the bench: the Alumni's Justin Grossman says he really likes being a referee and is working hard at it...Eddie Del Grosso says he has to knuckle hard down in the classroom at the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks....one Alumni player barked 'c'mon Sarge we need a goal" to the Air Force Academy's Jeff Hajner who looked real sharp in his AFA jersey....Stephen Leypoldt wore the terrific-looking Butte Roughriders jersey...Josh Jasek, who fired hard shots all night long, snapped his new Easton stick in half. He had another one, brand-new and ready to go...Of all of the Alumni players, defenseman Jason Allen had a terrific skate, made some sharp moves and rocketed in a long shot for a goal in the first half...
Rob Pallin says maybe the Alumni game will be moving to a new date - Christmas Eve, about 4 pm in the afternoon. He sees it working and believe all Alumni will want to play...
We spotted Neil Grossman in the bleachers. Back in 2001-02, he never missed a game when his son Justin played for the 60-11-3 AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors....
Wednesday, Dec. 20
Flashback - Dec. 2003 - Adam Naglich of Las Vegas scores an incredible, dramatic short-handed goal with 1:08 left to help Victoria Salsa Jr. A battle back and tie the first-place Nanaimo Clippers Jr. A 4-4 on Sunday night.
As we get set for the big Alumni game tonight, betja didn't know...
//Micah Sanford was the first Las Vegas skater in Junior A hockey. He was recruited by coach Harvey Smyl of the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs Jr A.
//Josh Jasek, Adam Naglich and Eddie Samuels played on the same line with the AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors in 2001-02 and later were reunited on the BCHL Victoria Salsa Jr A.
//There was always a 'Worry Rag' in the bleachers the year the Las Vegas Mustangs went to the U.S. Nationals. Hockey moms and dads touched it for good luck before each playoff game, then sweated out the action on the ice.
//Patty Del Grosso who was the first to bring cowbells to the Las Vegas games.
//Naglich, now playing with the Fairbanks Nanooks, has his name written in black script on the shaft of his famous gold stick.
//Mike Sullivan played a season with the Sacramento State Hornets and later he and Jason Allen were teammates on the Portland Pioneers Jr B.
//Eddie Del Grosso and Eddie Samuels played together on the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls midget major team.
//Eddie S wasn't the first Las Vegas skater with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A. 'All Heart' Spike Neely played there too.
//Back in 2001-02, Cody Fulwiler and Paul Lowden of the AA Las Vegas Mustangs were known as the 'best 1-2' among all midget major goalies in the West.
//Chris Francis' dad, Dave, works in the Pro Shop at the Fiesta.
//Eddie Del Grosso, as a defenseman, holds all scoring records in Las Vegas midget major hockey and with the USHL Indiana Ice Jr A.
//You may know Justin Grossman as a referee today. But back in 2001-02 he was one of the roughest, hardest-hitting players for the AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors.
//Chris Crowley, also a referee, had one of the biggest slapshots around when he played travel roller.
//Of all the great goalies in Las Vegas, only Paul Lowden made it the Junior A level when he was called up from the Peninsula Panthers Jr B to play games for the Victoria Salsa Jr A.
//Lowden was the Peninsula's 'Most Valuable Player' in his last season.
//Alumni head coach Dennis Parker is best known for putting together his Cheetah's men's roller teams which have won national championships.
//Micah Sanford and his roller pal, Leroy Garcia, once played for the Las Vegas Blackjacks Jr B over at the Sahara rink.
//Josh Jasek has the hardest shot in Las Vegas. He took a rocket-shot two years ago in an Alumni game. The puck blazed into the net, nearly blasting the helmet off the goalie.
//Ice coach Rob Pallin, after his ice hockey days were over, played in Pro Beach Roller and his games were broadcast on ESPN.
//When Pallin played Junior A hockey in Minnesota his first coach was Frank Serratore. Jeff Hajner's head coach at the Air Force Academy this year is...Frank Serratore.
//Hajner was once 17-0 winning faceoffs in a Las Vegas midget game.
//He was the first Las Vegas player to wear the 'C' in Canada when he was named captain of the Melfort Mustangs Jr A last winter.
//There are two captains this season - Eddie Samuels with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A and Shaun Stackhouse with the Richmond Rams Jr A.
//Ryan King, with 13 goals this season, has more goals than any Las Vegas Skater Away From Home. He is playing for the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B.
//And where was King scouted as a Las Vegas player? He was seen in Pittsburgh, when Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors went to the U.S. Nationals last season.
//Did a retired Las Vegas player ever make a comeback on the ice? Sean Fox did - He was off over a season, then signed on and played for the Peninsula Panthers Jr B when the team was going into the playoffs two years ago.
//The stat-keeper for the AA Las Mustangs midget majors in 2001-02 was Dan Shiode whose son, Josh, was a top defenseman for the team which went to the U.S. Nationals.
See everyone at the Alumni game tonight - 8 pm Wednesday at the SoBe Arena - Lee
Tuesday, Dec 19 - Las Vegas defenseman Shaun Stackhouse emailed a reminder note from Canada today. He said he'll be crossing over the blue line and suiting up for Chris Francis and his AA Las Vegas Rebels in the big Alumni game Wednesday night 8 pm at the SoBe Arena.
We had mistakenly put Shaun on the Alumni roster....wow, he caught that one pretty quick!
Adam Naglich, Eddie Del Grosso and Jeff Hajner will be among the star skaters in the big game. UNLV defenseman Jeff Root, the hardest hitter in the West, will be gently reminded that this is a "non-check" game and to let Team Francis have space to skate. Root's tough defensive partners, Ryan Krametbauer and Danny Kaminski, say they will be in a Christmas spirit and as a result, no one will be taking a holiday spin into the north wall.
UNLV captain Aaron Baca hopes to play, providing his left side, knee and ankle are working. Jason Allen, the only Las Vegas skater to play for hated rivals AAA San Diego Jr Gulls and the AAA L.A. Jr Kings -- will probably be the first to test-fire a rocket shot at Rebels goalie Tim Douglas.
Rob Pallin will have his Starbucks while coaching on the Rebels bench. We'll be on the Alumni bench but Dennis Parker, the Alumni head coach, will likely put me in charge of practically nothing -- maybe open a creaky gate or two for the skaters. Parker is still ticked at me for last year's game, a loss to Chris Francis and his crew. I don't think the coach and I have spoken since that fateful night. After the game I walked off the ice and took a lonely path to my car in the Fiesta parking garage.
On Wednesday night Lili Baca will give out the game programs. In the pro shop, skate guru Dave Francis will be goggled and blue and white sparks will be flying on his big red Skate Master machine. Grandpa Frank will run the clock and keep the scoresheet. There will be figure skaters twirling about between periods.
Maybe the Alumni will score a few goals, goalie Brandon Rial will play the game of his life and all will be forgiven between me and coach Parker.
We will soon find out.
The Alumni game starts at 8 pm Wednesday.
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Aaron Gens, a player for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A, has put together a rock group called Something Typical. Aaron sings his heart out, teammate Jake Hutt is in the group and their first song 'Without You I Can't Find Love' is not just good, but great. Go to Myspace.com, locate the group and give it a listen.
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Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) had a short-handed goal on Monday night for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A in a tough 3-1 loss to the Vaughn Vipers in the Ontario League. Will has games on Dec. 22, 23 so he will not get home for the holiday break until Christmas eve.
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Brian Longmore (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) scored five times for the WSHL San Diego Jr Surf in a 10-5 win over the division-leading El Paso Rhinos over the weekend....
Sunday, Dec 17 - Quote of the Day: 'Mahoney Valley hasn't lost a game, in what, about 200 years," said webcaster Arch Ecker of the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A team. He was commenting last night on Mahoney Valley Jr A's incredible 18-game unbeaten streak in the NAHL.
UNLV defenseman Ryan Krametbauer took a bad hit Friday night in the game against Texas Tech. He was rammed hard into the north boards and was down on the ice for several minutes.
"Got the wind knocked out of me," Ryan said. "I got hit in the back, right on the numbers and couldn't catch my breath. My neck hurt a little, but I was OK and got right back into the game."
Ouch - UNLV captain Aaron Baca caught a butt-end to the ribs early in the third period against Texas Tech on Saturday night. He came into the game banged up too, with a knee and ankle problem.
Before the UNLV vs. Texas Tech game on Saturday night, UNLV forward Dan Penska rushed into the Fiesta Pro Shop. He needed two new rivets driven into his skate boot.
Skate guru Dave Francis took a look, bolted the skate onto a machine and in went the rivets.
"How much?" Penska asked.
"One goal tonight," said Francis, laughing.
"No problem - where I will find you during the game," Penska said.
"You'll hear me before you see me," said Francis.
There are some new faces on the UNLV bench. Randy Doring, a long-time Las Vegas coach, is keeping statistical charts and keeping track of line changes during a game. The trainer is Adam Alberico of Las Vegas.
There is rink talk that Penn State may be coming here to play UNLV next season.
So help me - this is a true story. At the Fiesta Pro Shop, an older skater walked in and went over to the rack of sticks. His little son, about three or so, watched.
Dad picked up a big navy-blue stick.
"Daddy is going to score a lot of goals with this one," he said.
The little one nodded and asked "how many goals, Daddy?"
"Fifty or so, son" he said, lugging the stick to the counter.
There are two Christmas trees in the Fiesta Pro Shop. My favorite is the little one on the counter. There are little white lights and besides that, the branches overlook Dave Francis' famous coffee pot where the red brewing light is always turned on.
The Alumni game is on Wednesday night 8 pm over at the SoBe Arena. Chris Francis will be leading his AA Las Vegas Rebels midget major team against the Alumni who are - as we say - loading up.
UNLV defenseman Ryan Krametbauer is confirmed for the game and he is asking tough defensemen Danny Kaminski and Jeff Root to be a part of the defense. UNLV goalie Brandon Rial will start in the net.
Other Alumni skaters confirmed are Mike Sullivan who played on the AA Las Vegas Mustangs 60-11-3 team which went to the U.S. Nationals in 2001-02; Stephen Leypoldt, who is now a top player for the Butte Roughriders Jr B; Zach Whisman, a top Las Vegas goalie who will be skating out and Jason Allen who most recently has been the top goal scorer for The Senators who are a top team over at the Las Vegas Ice Center.
Dennis Parker, still smarting over an unexpected loss to Francis' team last year, is the Alumni head coach.
We are still accepting votes for the 2006 Las Vegas Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, All-Heart and Executive of the Year. There is a record-breaking number of votes and it's easy to send your selection in - just email me at lee@toprank.com
Saturday, Dec 16 - You play your heart out, do all the right things...and the other team pulls out the win.
That's what happened to the UNLV Rebels who deserved a better fate on Friday night. They lost a tough one, 4-2, to Texas Tech who are one best college teams to come into town.
The Red Raiders are an exciting team -- they play with passion, move the puck, keep pressure on, have top goal-tending. It's going to be interesting to see what UNLV coaches Rob Pallin and Tim Mueller come up in the strategy department to counter Texas Tech's high-speed attack this evening.
UNLV sure had a good power play working - the puck was sent to the point and shots were fired hard from long range.
We were amazed at the improved play from two of the youngest UNLV skaters - Colby Cookson, who is now second in team scoring, and Troy Mueller who was jetting on the ice.
All-time UNLV goal scorer Anthony Greener was there, but on crutches. He is out with two fractures in his lower left ankle area. He could return in a month or so but more likely it will be six weeks or more.
On Friday night we spotted some players at the rinkboards including Stephen Leypoldt and Zach Whisman who said they would each be playing in the Alumni game on Wednesday, 8 pm, at the SoBe Arena.
Las Vegas figure skaters Ariel Trujillo, Madeline Durkee and Hali Navarro - who put on a dazzling performance at the UNLV game - will perform at the Alumni game between the second and third periods.
Friday, Dec. 15 - Not sure of the reason, but the NAHL just put out this news release:
NAHL announces change in leadership
The North American Hockey League announced today a change in its leadership. Effective immediately, Mark Frankenfeld will serve as interim commissioner. The NAHL wishes departing commissioner Eric H. Krupka the best in his future endeavors.
Friday, Dec. 15 - Very sad news today - we lost a good one. We were told that Las Vegas hockey dad Blue Hazelhurst, due to complications with leukemia, passed away on Wednesday evening. This is heart-breaking as he has been battling the disease for quite some time. Mr. Hazelhurst, whose son Shawn played hockey for Pete Ricciardo's AA Las Vegas Flames midget majors, was always at the rinkboards when his son was on the ice. Apparently, the father was to get a bone marrow transplant on Dec. 23 in Arizona when pneumonia prevented the transplant from taking place. Our most sincere condolences to the family...
Wednesday, Dec 13 - The scary score of the week: Texas Tech 12, Texas A&M 3. That's the same Texas Tech team which is rolling into town this week to take on the UNLV Rebels beginning Friday night, 8:30 pm, at the SoBe Arena.
Wednesday, Dec 13 - Texas Tech is the real deal and the countdown clock is ticking: in two days Tech heads into town to take on the UNLV Rebels who desperately need two wins to keep their hopes alive for a position in the ACHA-2 West regionals. UNLV says big time goal scorer Josh Jasek will be in the lineup. Game times are 8:30 pm on Friday and Saturday night at the SoBe Arena. A number of the UNLV Rebels players are getting lots of on-line votes in our annual Vegashockey.com Awards...
There is a nice story and photograph of Eddie Samuels posted on NAHL.com.....Eddie and Las Vegas teammate Max Maleev are preparing for the weekend invasion of the scorching-hot NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A who are on a club-record 6-game win streak. That might not sound like a big deal, but it's hard to string wins together this year in the NAHL...The three-game series starts Friday at Fairbanks...
The AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors, who are very, very good when zoned in, are off for the holidays and will return to action in January...
There is rink talk that a NAHL Junior A team may be coming to Las Vegas next season...
Las Vegas skater John Paul McNicholas, just for the fun of it, ran in the half-marathon last weekend here in the city. He was timed at 1:36.38 which was good for 10th in his age group and 161st overall in a field of 7,147 who actually finished the race. Now, it's back to the ice: JP and the AAA Long Beach Ice Dogs midget majors are playing in the WSHL Jr. B Showcase this coming weekend...
There is a record number of on-line votes for Coach of the Year, Skater of the Year, Prospect of the Year and All-Heart. We have received some incredible emails about top players here in town. Please take the time to vote for your favorite player - send to lee@toprank.com
We will starting giving out Las Vegas awards on Dec. 15 (Best Snack Bar, Best Rink Coffee, Best Rink Music, Best Rink, Best Hockey Website, etc) but the top player awards will not be announced until Dec 30 and Dec 31......
We have one special award - Las Vegas Executive of the Year - if you want to vote for someone, please do it right away...It could be a team manager, rink exec or league rep, etc..Or, a parent who gives it his/her all for the team....
Tuesday, Dec. 12 - There are reports, not yet confirmed, that head coach of the AAA L.A. Jr Kings midget majors Ray Bennett is leaving to join Andy Murray who is the new head coach of the NHL St. Louis Blues.
Tuesday, Dec. 12 Quote of the Day: "I would like to nominate Nico Peterson of the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws minors for the All-Heart Award. At 5'5" and 140 pounds Nico is nothing but heart. He plays with heart and passion every shift. He goes into the corners hard and battles in front of the net without hesitation. Nico is all about his teammates and the game. He is...All Heart." --- from an on-line voter for Vegashockey.com's 2006 Awards.
This is a huge day for Las Vegas hockey, with lots of breaking news.
//Jeff Hajner, the hard-working Las Vegas skater who is a freshman at the Air Force Academy, today was named the 'Rookie of the Week' in the Atlantic Hockey Conference. Jeff had a huge weekend, making spectacular plays in a two-game series vs. the UConn Huskies.
//Eddie Del Grosso, banged up and out of action for over two weeks, returned Sunday night and was +2 on the ice for the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in a 7-2 win over Bentley College.
//Josh Jasek, hurt in his first UNLV game two weeks ago, is back on the ice, practicing with the team and will be in the UNLV lineup when they take on a very tough Texas Tech team this Friday and Saturday nights at the SoBe Arena. He is one of the all-time goal scorers in Las Vegas and played three seasons in the BCHL with the Victoria Salsa Jr A.
//UNLV today announced the start times for the Friday and Saturday night college games is 8:30 pm - two hours later than normal due to the huge 'Christmas Celebration on Ice' holiday pageant which will draw packed houses at the SoBe this weekend.
//There is rink talk that Spike Neely, three-time 'All Heart' skater for the AA Las Vegas Mustangs, is planning to enroll and play for UNLV next fall.
//On-line voting for the 'Vegashockey.com 2006 Awards' is at an all-time high. There were votes today for Ross McMullan, the hard-working defenseman for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors, for 'All Heart.' One voter emailed and noted "....he's everything the award symbolizes." Voting is easy; there are nominations here on this page and send your selections to lee@toprank.com -- remember, you can add a player or coach if you wish. 'Coach of the Year' will be announced Dec. 30 and 'Skater of the Year' on New Year's Eve. We are in our 7th year of awards. We will start listing award winners in certain categories beginning Dec. 15. There are an amazing number of votes in for UNLV players - the team is in its second season and obviously, with so many young Las Vegas skaters, the Rebels are becoming an important part of our hockey community.
//Ratings update: The AAA PF-Changs Phoenix midget minors break into the Top 15 after such a huge performance this past weekend - Phoenix held off top teams including San Jose Jr Sharks, Anaheim Wildcats and Las Vegas to win the gold at its Invitational Tournament.....
//In the Tier 11 ratings, the AA San Diego Jr Gulls midget minors are making their debut as a Top 15 team after scoring wins over the AA Anaheim Wildcats 16u and the AA Inland Valley Wild 16u -- both outstanding teams -- this past weekend...
//More weekend updates: The #1 rated AA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors went 2-0-1 during CAHA Weekend at San Jose. For the season, the Gulls are 22-0-6 and many of those games were very tough ones on the road...No other midget team, in the Pacific or Rockies regions, has ever gone unbeaten this deep into a season.
//We received several emails on this one: Vinny Catalino, a very popular player when he skated with the AAA Cal Senators midget majors at the Ice Town Arena in Riverside, Ca., is now on the roster of the WSHL San Diego Surf Jr B.......
//Hey, did you hear about coach Dino Georgopoulos? After working on the bench as an assistant coach with the AA L.A Jr Kings midget majors last Saturday during CAHA Weekend in San Jose he took a flight that night to coach Loyola-Marymount against Palmer College. Then, he had to get back to San Jose the very next morning for a early-morning game with the AA Kings....It all worked out: the Kings had a terrific 3-1-0 weekend and Loyola won, 12-8...
//Top teams have elite goalies. Case in point - goalie Alexander Miklovic of the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance midget majors has been in the net for games vs. heated rival AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u, AAA Team Illinois 18u and the very skilled Cushing Prep team. So far, so good: Miklovic has an record of 14-1-3...He previously played for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors and the WSHL San Diego Surf Jr B....
//Here's an interesting one: the AA Seattle Jr Admirals 16u team applied a bit late to the Richmond International Tournament and was placed in the AAA Elite field -- the Admirals, a midget minor team, would like to play in AAA. Would any team like to switch? Let me know at lee@toprank.com -- Meanwhile, we will try to contact our friend Rudy Bergman who has been in charge of this great holiday event for years.
//We are looking for the whereabouts of former AAA Vail Avalanche bantam and AAA Colorado Outlaw skater Tanar Nobles. If anyone knows, please email me at lee@toprank.com....We also lost track of player Scott Tittle of Colorado who played with the NAHL Helena Bighorns Jr A for a season....Also, Mr. Tecci if you are reading this today please drop me an email....
Friday, Dec 8 - Stat of the Day: Goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) has a league-leading six shutouts for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
Las Vegas -- It's Christmastime and there are small twinkling white lights wrapped around the rink glass over at the SoBe Arena. Small Christmas trees are in the rink including one near the Fiesta Pro Shop where we are told the Bauer Vapor 6 sticks are the ones being sold and wrapped for the holidays. Look real close, to the right of the pro shop door, and there are some framed photographs of our star hockey players who have moved on. At the bottom, that's Chris Francis smiling while wearing his bright red Portland Winter Hawks jersey.
No one has better holiday decorations than Larry Sanford over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho. The wooden Santa and his reindeer have been tacked up on the west wall for maybe the last 10 Christmases....
Nate Rein, the former big goal scorer for the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws, is having another big season for the Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets. He is a sophomore skater with 4 goals, 8 assists this season...Years ago, Nate was a star skater for the AA Utah Stars midget majors before relocating to Las Vegas to play on the AAA level...
Chris Ochoa (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs) dealt two third-period assists to help the UConn Huskies put together a five-goal burst to beat the Air Force Academy on Friday night. Chris, a freshman, has 3 goals, 7 assists for the Huskies.
Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A. Stars) sure has matured as a player, team leader and captain of the NAHL Wichita Falls Jr. A. Cardwell has 10 goals, 15 assists this year. One of his linemates, Skylur Jameson (AAA L.A. Stars) has made some mighty big goals and he now has 12 goals, 7 assists...
If there was an 'All Heart' award in Junior hockey, we'd give it to John Stoddard (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) who gives it his all every single game for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
One of the best, most intense midget major players we have ever seen, Dan Comrie (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls), has one goal, two assists in his three games for the USHL Lincoln Stars.
T.J. Miller (AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs) has one goal, eight assists and teammate Nate Sigmund (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) one goal, three assists at Northern Michigan....
Hard-working Jimmy Becker (AAA Cal Senators) is indeed playing with the NAHL Bismarck Bobcats Jr A. Todd Vineyard, Sr., his former coach, notes Jimmy has two goals, four assists since joining the 'Cats who are in second place in their division....And coach Todd, who has been on team benches for the last seven seasons, is taking a year off. "Will probalby come back next season," he says....
Last summer Cory Patterson (AAA Cal Senators) blazed about at the Global Showcase over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. We figured he would be an immediate impact player and we were right: Since joining the NAHL Springfield Jr Blues, Cory has 4 goals, 7 assists
Last winter, when Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) played with the Billings Bulls Jr A head coach Doug Johnson called him "Money" because Will always got the big goal. This season,
Will has 9 goals, 13 assists for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A in the Ontario League....
Adam Naglich, the Las Vegas skater who is now with the Fairbanks Nanooks, was always called 'Stick' when he played roller over at Crystal Palace.
Speed burner Mitch Wahl (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), a '90, has 8 goals, 16 assists for the WHL Spokane Chiefs....
Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) has three points in his last two games for Bliss Littler's USHL Tri-City Storm Jr A. For the season, Alex has two goals, six assists
On the Air Force Academy website, Las Vegas skater Jeff Hajner says his favorite NHL team is the Tampa Bay Lightning...
Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas watched his former LV Mustang linemate Adam Naglich score a big goal for the Fairbanks Nanooks in a 4-3 win over Bowling Green at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks on Friday night...."Real nice rebound shot," said Eddie, describing Adam's third goal of the season.
The WSHL San Diego Surf Jr B is off to a 13-9-0 start and they sure have a lot of firepower - Itan Chavira (AA Inland Valley Wild) with 33 goals, 24 assists is the leading scorer. Jacob Meadows (AA Inland Valley Wild) has 13 goals, 15 assists; Brian Longmore (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 17 goals, 14 assists and hard-working Jarrad Gilbert (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 14 goals, 15 assists. We're told the Surf is an exciting, action team to watch...
#2 Stat of the Day: Goalie Adam Kraus (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) of the Alaska Avalanche Jr A has a 92.4 save percentage - that's a very high percentage and it's 4th-best in a league which is loaded with elite goalies.
#3 Stat of the Day: It was 19-degrees - a heat wave - in Fairbanks today.
Nobody asked me, but my favorite holiday tournament is the AAA Richmond International in Canada. You haven't lived until your hot chocolate gets real icy while watching a game at the ice-cold Igloo which is one of the rinks there.
Oh, for the record, I was the first hockey coach canned this past season. It happened the night I was working as an assistant on the bench for the Alumni skaters who somehow, someway lost to Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels about this time a year ago at the SoBe Arena. Alumni head coach Dennis Parker, who had never lost a game, gave me that look and I walked off the bench - head high, though....
Parker, meanwhile, is best known for putting together powerhouse men's roller teams which have won national titles here in Las Vegas....
So who is, really, the most popular UNLV Rebel? It's all-time goal scorer Anthony Greener who really has quite a fan following from our very young, future star skaters who watch him play every home game.
Wednesday, Dec. 6 - Stat of the Day: Freshman skaters Anthony Marinello (17 goals), Colby Cookson (12) and Troy Mueller (10) of Las Vegas have scored 39 goals for the UNLV Rebels ice team this season...
It's hard to get a short-handed goal - pick the puck, steam down the ice, feint, shoot and score. That's tough. But when you do it twice on the same shift, that goes into the all-time Las Vegas record book.
That's what Kyle Clay did for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors in a Silver Sticks 'Final Four' game on Saturday night. He got two short-handed goals on the same shift, Ryan Townsend one and Ryan Scheafer another - an amazing number of short-handed goals - in a six-goal win over a strong AA Cal Gold Rush team.
Clay, who was Vegashockey.com's 'Prospect of the Year' last year, is off to a blazing start with 25 goals, 18 assists and is one of the primary reasons the Outlaws are off to a terrific 16-3-1 start.
Our yearly awards will be given out beginning Dec. 15 with the 'Coach of the Year' to be announced on Dec. 30 and the 'Las Vegas Skater of the Year' on Dec. 31.
We plan to select a Prospect of the Year, Most Improved, All-Heart, Roller Coach of the Year, Ice Coach of the Year plus special awards including Best Rink Snackbar, Best Rink, Best Rink Music, etc. If you wish to nominate someone, please email me at lee@toprank.com -- all from Las Vegas are eligible and we are now in our 7th year of putting it all together.
Cleanin' the Clipboard - There was a lot of rink buzz when the nationally-rated AAA L.A. Hockey Club bantams hit town a couple of weeks ago. It was one of the best bantam teams ever to play in Las Vegas -- with size, speed, skilled talent and with some grit too. We saw one game and one rinkboard scout was raving about LAHC's #44, Steve McColgan, a '93....
The AA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors are off to a 20-0-5 start and no team in the Pacific or Rockies has ever gone unbeaten this deep into a season....
What's the Las Vegas record? It's 27 games, which is what Rob Pallin and the AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors did from mid-November to January of last season. They went 26-0-1 on that big run.
Flashback: On this date one year ago, Chris Francis of AA Las Vegas had 42 goals enroute to a record-breaking 89-goal season...
To Snooky: Evan Zucker of Las Vegas is not playing this season. He does watch his younger brothers Jason and Adam play for the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors over at the Las Vegas Ice Center.
To 777: Yes, Anthony Greener is wearing a cast on his right foot and is on the UNLV injured list.
To Meltdown: As far as I know, UNLV has been unable to track down Chris Cleveland who played all of the great rink music last season.
To Out of Towner: I am not sure where Jimmy Becker is playing right now. If anyone knows, please email me at lee@toprank.com
To Just Got Released: First, make contact with your midget coach and he may have some leads for you. Many Junior A and Junior B teams are making roster changes right now so do not be discouraged.
To Gulls Forever: Rafael Rodriguez of San Diego is injured and not playing at this time for the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. He is a very popular player there.
Friday, Dec. 1 - This is going to be a big night when the UNLV Rebels hit the ice against Texas A & M tonight at the SoBe Arena. The Valley High School choir will be performing the National Anthem. At intermission the Valley HS orchestra will be performing Panic! At the Disco's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" and there will be dancers on the ice as well. It all starts at 6:30 pm and there are UNLV games on Saturday night and Sunday too....
Thursday, Nov 30 - Don't be surprised if the UNLV Rebels put it all together and win all three games this weekend vs Texas A & M. UNLV's top gun, Anthony Marinello with 14 goals, is back in action and UNLV always plays well on its home ice at the SoBe Arena. It all starts on Friday night at 6:30 pm and there are games on Saturday and Sunday. UNLV's top goal scorers are Marinello (14), Derek Koehler (12), Anthony Greener (10 - and some of those scored while playing on a wrenched ankle), Colby Cookson (10) and Aaron Baca (9). UNLV has been getting a lot of recent production from freshman Troy Mueller who was the top scorer in games vs. Texas Tech two weeks ago...
Adam Naglich of Las Vegas and the Fairbanks Nanooks are rated #13 in the nation and have a huge weekend with two games at #5 rated Notre Dame this weekend.....There will be sellout crowds when Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of Las Vegas hit the ice for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A this weekend. Three-time defending NAHL champion Texas Tornado Jr A invades Fairbanks' famous Big Dipper Ice Arena and there is a fan frenzy for these games on Friday and Saturday nights...
Stat of the week: 14,361 Teddy Bears were tossed onto the ice when Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks beat the Vancouver Giants 1-0 in OT before 7,485 fans at Portland's historic Veterans Memorial Coliseum. It was the yearly Teddy Bear Toss Night and Portland fans really let them fly when the winning goal was scored...
Not sure why, because we thought they were doing a good job, but all of the bench coaches for the NAHL Alaska Avalanche were let go last weekend...
Skylur Jameson always played hard and gave it his all when he skated for the AAA L.A. Stars midget majors. He is doing the same for the NAHL Wichita Wildcats Jr A this season. He was named the NAHL "Player of the Week' after scoring four times and playing all-heart hockey last weekend....
Las Vegas skaters Stephen Leypoldt of the Butte Roughriders Jr B and Shaun Stackhouse of the Richmond Hills Rams Jr A have signed up to play in the annual Alumni game in December. We are still working on the details. The Alums are hoping to take on the UNLV Rebels - but that is not yet confirmed.
Tuesday, Nov 28 - The telephone rang today in the hockey office and coach Rob Pallin of Las Vegas picked up the receiver, listened for a few moments and said 'oh, no' and then he put the phone gently back on its cradle. That's when he sat for a few moments, his eyes welled up and then he broke down....
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Hockey friends are the best friends. Play for a team for a season and there are road trips, chalk talks, big wins, tough losses. Back in the early 1990s Rob Pallin played defense for a team in Germany called Worishofen. The team included a big scoring German-born forward named Chrisitan Kollmeder.
"Tough and rugged with a heart of gold," Rob Pallin said.
The two played on the same team and became best friends. Several years ago Christian came to Las Vegas and was one of the best men in Rob's wedding.
That's some kind of friendship. Rob knew all about Christian's wife, Uta, and the two little ones, Melanie and Jan.
Then Christian said something was wrong with one of knees.
It hurt real bad. The doctors took a look and after several examinations said nothing was wrong.
Maybe it was all in his mind.
Maybe not.
Because when Christian took a MRI bone cancer was discovered just below the knee.
There was an operation and all seemed well, for almost a year.
But the cancer came back - first in the neck area, then the stomach.
Christian this time was very ill. Rob just bought a plane ticket, from Las Vegas to Munich. He was leaving this week.
Then came the phone call from Christian's wife, Uta.
"He didn't make it Rob," she said, voice breaking.
He hung up the phone and let it go, breaking down just like we all do when someone you care about is gone.
"God always seem to take the flowers," Rob wrote in his email to me today.
Sometimes, life just doesn't seem fair. Christian was married, had a beautiful family. He was working in youth hockey in Germany. He just wanted to help the kids.
One of Christian's brothers wrote an email to Rob. "...thanks in the names of our brothers for the beautiful times he spent with you."
Hockey player, coach and dad Christian Kollmeder passed away today.
He was only 39.
Sunday, November 26 - The best Las Vegas player ever? That's easy -- it is Micah Sanford who started in roller, turned to hockey as a teenager, played AAA midget major hockey in Vail, Colorado, scored 78 goals in his second season with the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs Jr A, played four seasons on a full-blast hockey scholarship at the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. He carried the hockey torch and led the way for so many Las Vegas skaters who have advanced to the Junior and college level.
Years ago, at the 'Little Home of Champions' Crystal Palace on North Rancho Drive we used to watch Micah on the roller rink with his rink pals Leroy Garcia, Freddy Young, Patrick Stevenson, Johnny Oakes. For a long time, they toured the West as the Rolling Thunder and won many tournaments and individual awards.
We were his house roller coach one season at Crystal Palace.
Before our first game he told me "....you carry a nice clipboard and your cup of coffee, but if it's a close game and there's a minute to go, make sure I'm in the game."
Of course, we said, sipping our coffee while on the bench.
Those were the greatest, most fun times but deep inside all of us who watched knew that Micah would soon go away and play on bigger rinks and large arenas before thousands of fans.
He accomplished all of that. Recruited by Harvey Smyl at Chilliwack, we used to listen to his games crackle on internet radio. In his second season, Micah was zoned in. He scored 78 goals - still a Chilliwack record.
"It's hard to believe, but I didn't change my game or anything. Everything I shot just went into the net," he told me that season.
Now, after four seasons at Nebraska-Omaha, Micah is 25. Priorities change as we get older and Micah is enrolled at UNLV where he is working on getting his B.A. in Finance. The hockey gear is put away. For Micah, no more early-morning practices, chalk talks, team dinners, hotel rooms far away from home. He has made a decision to move on with his life.
It is hard to believe, but that is what he said yesterday over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo.
He is a true Las Vegas Hall of Famer who scored many game-breaker and winning goals in roller and ice. More importantly, he did it with it with style and class.
MICAH SANFORD CAREER RECORD
1997-1998 Las Vegas Mustangs Midget A........................
1998-1999 Las Vegas Blackjacks Jr. B.............................
1999-2000 AAA Vail Avalanche midget majors.......49 goals, 35 assists
2000-2001 Chilliwack Chiefs Jr. A.........................13 goals, 9 assists
2001-2002 Chilliwack Chiefs Jr. A.........................78 goals, 80 assists
2002-2003 U of Nebraska-Omaha.........................8 goals, 9 assists
2003-2004 U of Nebraska-Omaha.........................1 goal, 0 assists
2004-2005 U of Nebraska-Omaha.........................1 goal, 6 assists
2005-2006 U of Nebraska-Omaha.........................1 goal, 0 assists
November 25 - Quote of the Day: It was just another one of those games that adds two years and 3,000 gray hairs to your life in just one night, said head coach Rob Profitt after his Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A team rallied to beat the Alaska Avalanche Jr A 5-4 in OT on Friday night.
There is a big holiday game in Las Vegas today as Wally Lacroix and the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors take on the hard-skating and nationally-rated AAA L.A. Hockey Club bantam team over at the Ice Center on Flamingo Ave. We will be at the rinkboards at the opening faceoff 2 pm this afternoon...
Happy Birthday to one of our favorite players, UNLV captain Aaron Baca, 21 years old.
That was John Paul McNicholas of Las Vegas who scored a big goal to help the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs midget majors beat the Fairbanks Arctic Lions 18u by 5-4 at the Turkey Shoot in Lakewood, Calif.
Aaron Combs of Las Vegas has one goal, one assist for the L.A. Jr Kings midget minors who are in the Final Eight at the EHK Challenge Cup in Dallas.
Friday, Nov 24 - Tonight, on the Texas Tornado Jr A webcast, NAHL commissioner Eric Krupka noted he has spoken to "over a dozen investors" and the league is looking to expand in locations such as "Salt Lake City, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix" in 2007. Krupka also noted the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A operations, which has been brutally struck by a lack of fan support, will finish the season in that city and then be "moved to better market for 2007." The Roadrunners' problems arose when the City Council there ruled the team could not sell alcoholic beverages in the city-owned ice arena. That, the Roadrunners believe, has driven off its fan base. The ironry is that the Roadrunners have put together one of the best teams in the league. Krupka is also hoping to schedule a NAHL All-Star game in late January. He said the NAHL has a bright future and he is personally proud of the quality of play on the ice.
Thursday, Nov 23 - As I write this, the turkey is slowly roasting in the oven and pumpkin pies are cooling down on the kitchen table. It's Thanksgiving and at our house today, we will have one hockey player here. He's only 8, but he will wear his jersey and he'll talk about his latest games.
Usually, we are on the road with our son's team having dinner in a big hotel banquet room. Defensemen are always first in line at the buffet, loading up their plates. They are followed by playmakers and goal scorers.
In Canada, defenseman Shaun Stackhouse of Las Vegas notes that "Thanksgiving is actually celebrated in early October" but the folks at his billet home are "putting something together special for me. At least, that's what they tell me," he said, laughing. "I have another teammate from the USA so we will have dinner together." Stackhouse is the team captain of the Richmond Hills Rams Jr A.
Max Maleev and Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas will have a very early practice Thanksgiving Day on the ice in refrigerator-cold Fairbanks, Alaska.
"At the rink about 8:15 in the morning, on the ice at 9 o'clock for two hours," Eddie said. "First I am going over to Nick Haddard's house. He is one of my teammates and he is all alone for Thanksgiving. He's a 20-year-old like me. We will watch NFL football, then I will go over for dinner at Max's billet home. The older players usually hang together. Our rookies - I'm not sure what they are doing but they will be together somewhere for sure."
Max and Eddie play for the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who have a big three-game road series against cross-state rival Alaska Avalanche which begins Friday night.
In Hudson, N.H., playmaker Conrad Trimbath said he will "have dinner with my billet family, then a bunch of my teammates are coming over. It looks like a pretty cool deal, although I will not be with any of my family," said Conrad who plays for the Northern Cyclones Jr A.
Patty Del Grosso of Las Vegas will have a busy Thanksgiving morning. She is boarding a 7 a.m. flight at McCarron and will be off to Omaha, Nebraska to watch her son Eddie play for the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks who take on Notre Dame in a two-game weekend series beginning Friday night.
Chris Francis of Las Vegas will be on a team bus much of Thanksgiving Day. He and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks played at Swift Current on Wednesday night and are now returning to their home arena.
For Las Vegas playmaker and goal scorer Corbin Brown there is no place like home. That's where he will today, at the family dinner table. He is a top player for Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix midget major team.
Defenseman Ryan Bowman of Las Vegas will have his dinner in Texas. He is playing for the AAA Colorado Rampage midget majors who are in the 20-team EHK Challenge Cup.
It's real busy today at Aaron Baca's house. He is the captain of the UNLV Rebels and is home with his mother, Lilli, and father Aaron Sr. Lilli is working on the Thursday dinner and at the same time putting together the game programs for the UNLV games next weekend. "She always does the tickets so it's sort of busy here - turkey, game programs and ticket-making," said Aaron, laughing.
Oh, and Aaron turns 21 on midnight Thanksgiving which makes it even more festive.
We asked Las Vegas hockey dad Steve Allen, father of Jason, about his favorite Thanksgiving and after several phone calls he said there were "quite a few" and he was mulling over his best-ever. Steve was quite a player himself, skating on the professional level.
One of my best friends, Doug 'Hockey Puck' Glendinning of Las Vegas, played pro hockey in the 1970s. He recalls being on a team plane and there was a blinding snowstorm so the pilot touched down on a snow-covered street in Fargo, N.D. When he got to the arena, there was no heat in the locker room. "It was," he said, "a lot warmer on the bench. There was no rink glass back then, just chicken wire around the top of the boards. We were playing our toughest rival in the league. I got punched real quick, but we scored, got to a quick lead, heard gun fire coming from the bleachers so we bolted back to the locker room. Later, at the team hotel, we were handed frozen TV turkey dinners."
Hmmm, not so sure about that Thanksgiving story...
Our best Thanksgiving was pretty recent. We went to see son Eddie play for the Billings Bulls Jr A last year in two road games, first at a sold-out Valley Ice Gardens, home of the Bozeman Ice Dogs, and the second game against the Helena BigHorns Jr. A. It was a cold and snowy weekend. Billings fans brought cowbells and we sat in a small, special sections and we all stood and shook the cowbells when our team made a rush down the ice. In just a few moments, we were all united as one in those bleachers. We met a lot of nice people, talked hockey two straight nights and took a lot of notes. Eddie scored twice, once in each game. Thanksgiving turkey never tasted so good.
One more thought, as we prepare for Thanksgiving. One of our favorite players, goalie Josh Cardozi of Las Vegas, played on the first-ever Las Vegas roller team which competed in the NARCH Nationals. At the time, it was a very big deal with our young team playing in Vancouver, Canada.
Josh is now in the U.S. Coast Guard and as I write this, he is on a ship off of the Pacific doing what the servicemen do - serve and protect. For that, we salute Josh and all of our U.S. servicemen on duty on Thanksgiving Day.
Tuesday, Nov 21 - Quote of the Day: "A goalie faces the most pressure of any position in sports. It doesn't really matter what the situation is. When you make a mistake, everyone is there to see it" -- Adam Kraus, goalie, Alaska Avalanche Jr A after he won a mind-numbing 4-3 shootout game over the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A.
We are on the hunt for your favorite hockey Thanksgiving Day story. We have quite a few and during the last few seasons, coaches and players have sent in their all-time favorites. If you have one to share about any player, team, coach, rinkboard fan - please email me at lee@toprank.com We have our Thanksgiving favorite, which is kind of recent, but I think you will enjoy it. We play to write and post early Wednesday eve, so please send in those stories - thanks, Lee
Monday, Nov. 20 -- Stat of the day: Freshman skater Troy Mueller of Las Vegas scored three of UNLV's eight goals in its two-game weekend series at Texas Tech.
To be the best, you have to beat the best. That's what the AA San Diego Jr. Gulls 18u team - coached by Jay Hebert - have been doing. This weekend, the undefeated Gulls took on three teams rated in the AA Top 10 West and beat two of them and tied the other.
Here is how the Gulls did it during the CAHA Developmental games at the Glacial Gardens in Lakewood, Calif.
AA SAN DIEGO JR GULLS 18u
Head Coach - Jay Hebert
Weekend Scores
2-2 vs. Ventura Mariners
3-1 over Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs - rated in Top 10
3-3 vs. L.A. Hockey Club - rated in Top 10
5-2 over So-Cal Vipers - rated in Top 10
That's hard work and it all adds up to a 14-0-5 record this season for the Gulls. They are the only undefeated team in the Pacific and Rockies regions.
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Kyle Clay and Ryan Townsend sure had great skates when the AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u took on a hard-skating AAA Phoenix Coyotes 16u team on Saturday night at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Clay, who scored the Outlaws' only goal, has always been a great skater and goal scorer; Townsend, who played with the AAA Dallas Ice Jets 16u last season, really turned up his games against Phoenix which has a very high-energy offense.
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Jason Allen of Las Vegas has been the top goal scorer in men's league hockey this past summer and now, during the winter season over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. On Sunday night, as Jason and The Senators battled to get into first place, he scored 4 goals, dealt two assists while teammates Tim Lydon (2 goals, 1 assist) and Josh Odoms (one goal) also contributed in a 7-6 win over The Putters. At the close of the game, Jason and Tim worked together to score the tying and winning goals.
Friday, Nov 17 - On the hockey ticker: big goal scorer Dan Comrie, out of action nearly two seasons, of San Diego has re-signed and is on the active playing roster of the USHL Lincoln Stars Jr A.
Thursday, Nov 16 - Stat of the Day: Itan Chivira (AA Inland Valley Wild) has 28 goals, 16 assists for the WSHL San Diego Jr Surf Jr B.
Blake Page (AAA Colorado Rampage) and Nick Del Rosso (AAA Colorado Rampage) are top scorers this season for the Baystate Breakers Jr. A who skate out of Marshfield, Mass. Page, who last year scored 25 goals for the NAHL Helena BigHorns Jr A, moved over to Baystate when the Bighorns shut down their Junior A program last spring. This season Page has 10 goals, 13 assists and Del Rosso - who played for the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr A last year - has 17 assists. Page, a hard-working player, just announced he will play for the Air Force Academy next season.
In Las Vegas, Jason Zucker is the leading goal scorer in the city with 17 this season. Zucker, Kris Carter (13 goals), Matt Hedderly (9) and Chris Rial ( 8 ) are the top goal scorers for the high-energy AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors....
Wednesday, Nov 15 -- Nate Rein (AAA Las Vegas Outlaws, AA Utah Stars) of the Wisconsin Superior Yellow Jackets goes into a huge game on Friday night. Rein, who has 2 goals, 2 assists for 4-0-0 Wisconsin-Superior, and the Yellowjackets go onto the road to take on powerful St. Norbert which is 6-0-1 and has had 20 wins or more five straight seasons...Rein, a sophomore, had 16 goals last season. He played junior hockey with the NAHL Helena BigHorns Jr. A...
Chris Ochoa (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach) has 3 goals, 4 assists as a freshman skater for the UConn Huskies...Freshman Rhett Rakhshani (AAA Cal Wave 88s) is off to a blazing start with 3 goals, 6 assists for Denver University...Sophomore Nate Sigmund (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) and freshman T.J. Miller (AAA Cal Wave, AA Long Beach) each have three assists for Northern Michigan.....
We remember Dusty Collins (AA Phoenix Firebirds) as one of the best, most powerful bantam players in the West. In 2000-01 he was a top player and goal scorer for the Phoenix Polar Bears Jr B in the Western States League. It's hard to believe he is a senior in college, but he is and he has 1 goal, 1 assist this season for Northern Michigan....
Ian Drummond (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) and the Middlebury Panthers open their season this weekend, taking on Tufts College...
Ray Macias (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), an '86, has 8 goals, 16 assists for the WHL Kamloops Blazers....That gives Ray 44 career goals for the Blazers...
Team leader and big goal scorer Kyle Mackinnon (AAA Cal Wave) is having a career-best season with 14 goals, 25 assists for the BCHL Langley Chiefs Jr A. Kyle made a recent committment to play next at Providence....
Jon Drake (AAA San Jose Jr Sharks) has 9 goals, 6 assists and teammate Bryan Albert (AAA Cal Senators, AA Inland Valley, AAA L.A Jr Kings) has 5 goals, 7 assists for the 11-5-0 North Bay Skyhawks Jr A in Ontario, Canada. The Skyhawks have by far the biggest crowds in the league, averaging 1,776 a game this season...One of the goalies is Ian Wilson who played with the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr A last winter...
Monday, Nov. 13
Stat of the Day: Las Vegas referee John Konstantine, one of the best in the city, is in his 24th season.
This is a very big news day: Wally LaCroix is the new head coach of the high-powered AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team. He replaces a terrific person and coach in Ken Quinney who will coach another team in the Outlaws organization and will spend more time with his children who are Outlaws skaters at various levels. LaCroix brings a lot of playing and coaching experience to the Outlaws team: He played on the Junior level in Canada, played professionally for the Las Vegas Aces (all six of their seasons) and for the Las Vegas Royals. He is a top official, certified in the ECHL. LaCroix is particuarly strong on strategies and most agree he is the best instructor in the city in regards to the intricacies of going into a faceoff circle and winning the draw. He inherits a Las Vegas team which is loaded with top players, including a core group who played for the Outlaws teams which have won back to back Pacific District regional championships on the AA 16u level. The challenge is greater this season as the Outlaws are playing on the AAA 16u level which includes Pacific region powerhouses such as the AAA L.A. Selects midget minors.
There are more changes coming for the UNLV Rebels ice team which is in a scramble to make the playoffs this season. With two very strong coaches in Tim Mueller and Rob Pallin, it looks like the Rebs lineup may soon include Josh Jasek, a powerful force with the puck, and defenseman Tim Lydon.
Both are Las Vegas players and Jasek was the all-time midget major scorer in the city until Chris Francis rewrote the record book last winter.
For sure, Lydon has sent in his UNLV enrollment papers and he expects to join the team when declared eligible.
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It started out as an ache in his right shoulder and then all of a sudden there was a lot more pain. George Niederriter, who is in charge of all of the men's league house hockey at the Las Vegas Ice Center, went for a MRI and learned he had a rotator cuff injury. He could hardly believe it, but that's what the x-rays indicated. He had surgery on his right shoulder and he has been in a navy blue sling for six weeks. The good news: He gets re-examined this week and he expects to have a full recovery. If you see him at the big rink, please wish him good luck....
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Las Vegas forward Ryan King scored two goals for the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B on Sunday night and his nine goals leads all Las Vegas skaters away from home this season.
King is an amazing story. After he played for the AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors last season it looked like his career might come to a close. He did not skate in either of the Global Showcase or the Las Vegas Showcase this past summer. However, a scout with a game program circled Ryan's name in red pencil for his all-heart play when he and the Rebels played in the U.S. Nationals in Pittsburgh. The Pioneers contacted Rob Pallin, he made the connection with Ryan and all of a sudden we have a pretty amazing success story - now that you know the story behind the story.
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Sometimes big goal scorers are even more effective when they feint a shot, then pass to a teammate who is making a run for the net. That's what Las Vegas skater Jason Allen did, feinting and passing real sharp scoring passes to Michael Lawes and Tim Lydon (yes, that Tim Lydon!) who scored to put The Senators ahead 4-3 enroute to a 10-4 win over The Monsters in a men's league game Sunday night at the Las Vegas Ice Center. It really was a terrific game -- Jason had three goals, two assists; Lydon two goals; Lawes two goals; Geoff Kemper and Robbie Jay one apiece. Josh Odoms had the longest goal, about 25' from the left side. Both goalies were former teammates long ago with the Las Vegas Aces pro team - Rob Miller with the Monsters and Chad Olson with the Senators....
Sunday, Nov. 12
Quote of the Day:
"High energy, smart with the puck, great effort, lots of production," said coach Rob Pallin after UNLV out-battled and won at Arizona State 5-3 on Saturday night.
It was a big win for UNLV to keep their playoff flame lit. Next weekend, the Rebels head to Texas Tech for a two-game weekend series...
Hey, if you are in a team caravan and are proceeding towards Hoover Dam be prepared to stop and pull out all of the hockey bags for a security check. That's what happened to the UNLV players and their wagon train of cars and vans on Sunday...All went well and the Rebels were told to 'move on' which they gladly did...
Speaking of road trips, Las Vegas goal-scorer Chris Francis of the Portland Winter Hawks is on one of the all-timers.
"....The Portland Winter Hawks left on a 22-hour bus ride after the Saturday night game for the 6-game Eastern swing through Saskatchewan and Manitoba starting in Regina Tuesday at 5:00 local time...."
Home ice: After two months on the road, Las Vegas skaters Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A played before a jammed-packed Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks this weekend and beat the Bismarck Bobcats 4-1 and 4-2.
"When you win, everything is better - even your food tastes better," said Eddie.
Saturday, Nov 11 - Two Las Vegas teams, the AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u and Las Vegas Outlaws midget A are working on unbeaten streaks. The Outlaws midget majors, coached by Pokey Reddick, are 4-0-0 this weekend in Southwest League play at Boise. The team has a six-game unbeaten streak and the Outlaws, loaded with top players, are regarded as a top team and a force in the Pacific region....
The Las Vegas Outlaws Midget A team is also unbeaten at 2-0-2 in Southwest League play over at the Fiesta this weekend -- totalled, that runs their win streak to 11 at 8-0-3. This team is coached by Kevin Brown, assisted by Eric Penn and the team manager is Vickie Adimey.
Also this weekend -
It looks like UNLV's Anthony Greener (ankle) will be out tonight in the game at Arizona State....
Cory Patterson (AAA Cal Senators and AAA L.A. Selects), always a hard worker on the ice, is rostered on the NAHL Springfield Jr. Blues Jr A. Cory, who looked terrific when he was over at the Global Showcase at the Las Vegas Ice Center this summer, has three goals, two assists in eight games...
Donnie Hallmark (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) tonight scored his first goal of the season for the USHL Ohio Blue Jackets Jr A...
Goalie Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) is in the net tonight for the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A who are at Fairbanks.......It's pretty cold outside that rink door too - about minus-10.....
Las Vegas defenseman Ryan Bowman, who signed with the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B ths week, is back in the lineup tonight..
Stephen Leypoldt of Las Vegas has a goal or an assist in all seven of his starts for the Butte Roughriders Jr B who are at Bozeman tonight. That's a strong point run for any player.....
Saturday, Nov 11 - Quote of the Day:
Our first 21 games were probably the worst schedule for any team at any level in the history of hockey, said Rob Profitt, head coach of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who opened the season with 20 road games. We dont have any more excuses because the next 40 games are probably the best schedule anyone could ever ask for...."
Next best quote:
"We sure have to play harder on Saturday night," said Rob Pallin after UNLV lost to Arizona State by five goals on Friday night.
Not that UNLV didn't try hard. The Rebels broke to a quick two-goal lead, it was 4-4 midway in the 2nd and then Arizona pulled away with the next five goals.
UNLV's Anthony Greener was on the ice, but his wrenched right ankle was just too much to overcome for the gutty big goal scorer.
Dino Georgopoulos, whose Loyola-Marymount college team beat UNLV in that 4-3 shocker a few weeks ago, was in a similar situation Friday night. His team took on USC, who Georgopoulos described as "...the best team we played all season."
It was 0-0 near the end of the first when USC scored a powerplay goal, then the Trojans scored two more to make it 3-0 and Loyola-Marymount scored to make it 3-1 near the end of the second and all of a sudden Georgeopoulos' heart started pumping real hard. Hey, you never know in hockey. Then USC stepped on its accelerator and off they went, scoring the last five. "Our goalie Chris Marks made all kinds of huge saves or it would have been worse," sighed Georgopoulos, who noted some of his top players had come down with colds and flu-like symptoms and didn't feel that hot going into the game.
And, how about Las Vegas defenseman Ryan Bowman who scored a huge goal for the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B last night. He went there for a tryout this week, did well, went right into the fire in a big game at Seattle. His goal, on a powerplay, helped Ft. Vancouver win in OT, 6-5....
Stephen Leypoldt of Las Vegas is obviously much more relaxed and producing more points with the Butte Roughriders Jr B. He began the season with the Tulsa Rampage Jr B in the Western States League, then left and returned to Butte where he played last season. Leypoldt has 5 goals and the Butte team is knocking down some wins which makes it all so worthwhile.
"It was just like playing in the BCHL - what a wild atmosphere at the rink," said Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas after a sold-out crowd of 2,468 packed the historic Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks. The Fairbanks team, in its home opener, beat the Bismarck Bobcats, 4-1....Eddie S sent over a backhand pass over to teammate Craig Dawkins who knocked in an easy goal to make it 2-0 late in the second period....
If you get out the coffee, check the scores real close, Derek Eisler's AAA San Jose Jr Sharks midget majors are on a very hot run with wins over top-rated teams...San Jose won its first three games this weekend at the Pittsburgh Hornets Classic...
Matt Bardsley's AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u, rated #1 here in our Top 10 West Tier 11 ratings since September, is playing 'up' in the AAA 18u bracket at the Abbotsford Midget Tournament this weekend....So far the Hawks are 3-1-0....
Ian Armstrong, coach of the AA Tucson Stampede 18u, notes his team is short-handed - only 13 players this weekend - because of injuries. Still, the Rampage is digging in and playing real hard at the Southwest League games this weekend at Chandler, Az....
Who is the most unheralded midget team in all of the West? Some say it's the Seattle Jr Admirals 16u team which is off to a 3-0-0 start this weekend in the AA 18u division of the Abbotsford Tournament and we are told, will be an unexpected force at the Pacific District Regionals......
Years ago, Eddie Del Grosso of Las Vegas played roller over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho and ice hockey over at the Santa Fe Stations Ice Arena where he was a 'rink rat' who was always trying to get onto the ice. So it must have been quite a thrill, seriously, when he pulled on his U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks jersey, walked out of the locker room, hit the ice, took a look at the huge stadium, and warmed up Friday night to play against Michigan before a wild, frenzied crowd of 6,046 at the Yost Ice Arena...
And who, really, is the best hockey athlete in Las Vegas? It might be Bobby Burns who is enrolled at the Tilton Academy in New Hampshire. Bobby was just named the MVP in Junior Varsity football. He is now playing ice hockey and when that season is over, he goes into baseball.
Thursday, Nov 9 - On the hockey wire: hard-skating Alex Laseen (AAA L.A. Stars) today was moved from the USHL Indiana Ice Jr A to the Ohio Blue Jackets Jr A. Laseen, 20, has two goals, five assists so far this season.
Wednesday, November 8 - There is big news today - Tim Mueller and Rob Pallin of Las Vegas are the new coaches of the UNLV Rebels college hockey team. It was announced today that Mueller and Pallin will be on the bench for the rest of this season. There is a full-blast story with backgrounds of both coaches in our College/Junior area....
Monday, November 6 - Bet you didn't know that Mike Modano is one of the owners of the NAHL Texas Tornado Jr A, three-time defending champions....
Tornado hockey is big-time at the Dr. Pepper Center in Frisco, Texas. The Tornados are the only NAHL team with twin Zambonis which clean the ice between periods...
There really are no gimmes in hockey as the high-powered Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B found out on Saturday night. The 0-14-0 River City Jaguars went to Ft. Vancouver and posted a riveting 5-3 shocker of a win....But, revenge can be so tough: on Sunday it was Fort Vancouver 15-2 over the very same team....
It looks like UNLV's big goal scorer Anthony Greener wants to get back onto the ice, but he will probably be advised to take another week off. He has a sprained ankle which needs rest. The Rebels, meanwhile, are off to Arziona State this coming weekend in a couple of 'must win' games if the Rebs hope to qualify for the regionals in the spring....
Eddie Del Grosso is off to a very hot start with 2 goals, 5 assists as a freshman defenseman for the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks....
We are told that one of the top players in the NorPac is Michael Frei who has scored 45 goals the last two seasons for the Eugene Generals Jr. B. Scouts say he is "unbelievable' -- he is 5'10, 168 pounds and is from Switzerland. If you are looking for a Junior A goal-scorer, he may be the one...
Our favorite Las Vegas Wrangler is Adam Cracknell, a quick 6'2, 210 pound forward who played junior hockey with the WHL Kootney Ice...
Here's a stat which is hard to believe: Last season Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas and Will Munson of the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls were roomates while playing for the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr. A. The Bulls lost their arena lease and the team shut down operations. Eddie this season went to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A, Will went to the Orangeville Crushers Jr A. Eddie this season has 7 goals, 10 assists; Will has 7 goals, 10 assists.
Captain John Stoddard (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) is playing at a high, intense level as is goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) who has four shutouts for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
We were stunned when Roadrunners webcaster Arch Eckard revealed that Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has left the team, opting for shoulder surgery. Rodriguez is a top athlete who plays with the game with class and dignity and we are looking forward to his return to the ice. We are thinking of you - as are many others - Raffe....
Big defenseman John McAfee (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) who began the season with the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A is now on the roster of the Marquette Rangers Jr A....
Ryan Townsend, a top player for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors, is the team captain for November. The Outlaws rotate their C's each month...
We want to extend best wishes to long-time Las Vegas hockey goalie Gordon Lawes, 49, who years ago played for the Las Vegas Aces and more recently has been playing house hockey over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo. He has had pain in his right upper thigh and is getting a MRI this week to check it out...His son, Mike, plays on the same team, the Senators.
While scanning through the game program at the Wranglers game on Saturday night we noticed those incredible, striking action photos were taken by Pat Treichel of Las Vegas. You've probably have seen Pat over at the Ice Center where he takes photos of the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors...
We spotted Las Vegas players Troy Mueller, Tim Douglas and Tim Lydon at the Wranglers game on Saturday night...Conrad Trimbath's folks were there too as was Grandpa Frank Peronie over in section 107....The Las Vegas Ice Cats mites, including Jimmy Samuels, 8, got onto the ice and played, going up and down that incredible sheet of ice....
Just when all seemed lost in a men's league game on Sunday night, Geoff Kemper tipped a shot, Tim Lydon shook loose and scored followed by Jason Allen who blocked a shot, got a one-touch pass from Kemper and blasted in to score a short-handed goal and cinch a 7-5 win for the Senators over the Jokers at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo Ave.
Kemper wound up with three goals, Allen two, Lydon one and Mike Lawes one. The goalie was a new one to local hockey, Chad Olson who played very well...One of the officials was Justin Grossman, best remembered as one of the toughest players for the 2002-03 AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors who went to the U.S. Nationals....
Kelly Kemper, 10, proudly wore her Lil' Outlaws jersey while looking through the rink glass to watch older brother Geoff play in his house game Sunday night. Kelly's jersey number is easy to remember: She wears #1....
It's November and Thanksgiving is on the way. Which reminds me of one of my best holidays a few years ago when hockey GM Patrick Carrigan of the AAA Cal Stars put together a Thanksgiving feast for a post-game meal following a home game with the AAA L.A. Jr Kings. One of the Kings eating turkey that day was Ray Macias, now with the WHL Kamloops Blazers...
Saturday, Nov 4 - Final seconds, defending the net, facing a blizzard of shots on a 6-on-4 attack, fans on their feet, a former teammate barrelling in -- it was a tough spot for goalie Adam Kraus (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) in the final moments of a Friday night game against three-time defending champion Texas Tornado Jr A. Kraus, playing for the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A , made the big saves and the Avs won the game 3-2, at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas.
It was one of Kraus' best wins. He grew up in nearby Irving, Texas. Two of his Avalanche teammates, Clay Kasten and Jarod Yost, are from Texas and the Tornado roster includes two former AAA L.A. Jr Kings teammates, Jake Newton and Troy Puente. It was Adam's old buddy Jake who was blasting the puck right at him too...
Tonight, the two teams - and really, long-time rink friends - go at it again tonight in Texas.
Friday, Nov 3 - Radio announcer Arch Eckard of the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A tonight said that top defenseman Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has left the team, opting for shoulder surgery. Rodriguez is a top player, team leader and he's going to be greatly missed by the Roadrunners....
Friday, Nov 3 - The AAA L.A. Jr Kings midget majors are off big road trip in New Hope, Minnesota. There, the Kings will play in the Bauer Elite National Tournament which showcases the top high school teams throughout the USA. The Kings open play tonight, taking on AAA Team Illinois 18u.
Friday, Nov 3 - For sure, the skaters on the very skilled AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u will see some snow this weekend. The Outlaws are off to cold, blustery Colorado Springs and tonight will take on the Colorado Thunderbirds 91s who skate hard and can finish at the net.
Tonight is also the big matchup between two Las Vegas skaters now playing college hockey: Adam Naglich and the Fairbanks Nanooks on the road vs. Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.
That was Stephen Leypoldt of Las Vegas who sent over the game-winning pass last night to help the Butte Roughriders Jr B beat the Bozeman Ice Dogs Jr B in a 4-3 game in the NorPac. Tonight, Stephen and the Roughriders are in ice-cold Helena, Montana. Stephen's mother Judy is on the road trip and is loving every minute of it.
Thursday, Nov 2 - Stat of the Day: AA Las Vegas Outlaw Kyle Clay (7 goals, 7 assists) is the #1 scorer, Robbie Silvernail (6 goals, 7 assists) #2 and Ryan Townsend (3 goals, 7 assists) #7 on the Top 10 scoring list in the Southwest League....
That was Mike Zenzola (AA Inland Valley Wild 18u) who scored a dramatic, game-winning OT goal for the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B in a 5-4 win over the Eugene Generals Jr. B on Sunday. One of Mike's teammates is Ryan King of the AA Las Vegas Rebels 18u......
Proud hockey mom: Patty Del Grosso of Las Vegas is off to see her son Eddie skate for the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks when they take on Adam Naglich of Las Vegas and the Fairbanks Nanooks in a two-game weekend series in Omaha beginning Friday night. It wasn't that long ago when Eddie and Adam were playing roller over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho and later as teammates on the 2002-03 AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors who took that magical ride to the U.S. Nationals.
Wednesday, Nov. 1 - It's tough scoring even one goal in a Junior A game. Nick Dineen, always a top goal-scorer for the AAA Pikes Peak Miners midget majors, did it three times -- getting a three-goal hat-trick for the USHL Sioux Falls Stampede who beat the Ohio Blue Jackets on Monday. Nick has 4 goals, 3 assists in eight games this season.
Hard-skating, all-heart Josh Harris had a five-point game over the weekend, getting one goal, four assists for the AAA Anaheim Ducks midget majors in their 6-1 win over the Capital Center Pride 18u on Sunday.
Rob Pallin of Las Vegas is one proud hockey coach. He is off to Omaha this weekend to watch two of his skaters in the same NCAA Division 1 game. Adam Naglich and the Fairbanks Nanooks are heading out to take on Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks for a two-game weekend series which begins Friday night. Rob is taking his best camera and is hoping to pose the two together on the ice during the warmups....
Tuesday, Oct 31 - The AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors are on a phenominal run -- 7-1-2 in their last 10 games including a 3-1-1 record vs. teams rated in the Top 10 West. That is an extraordinary accomplishment from every skater who proudly pulls on a Titan jersey and all of the coaches involved with the team. Today, the Titans enter the Top 10 West ratings for the first time. They did it the hard way, digging in and winning against the best teams in the West.
Monday, Oct 30 - Our host company, Ezboard, was off-line over 12 hours this weekend and as a result we are still on the hunt for Sunday scores. Please send to lee@toprank.com
Here's a look at the weekend wrap:
Derek Eisler's AAA San Jose Jr Sharks midget majors had a huge weekend, going 4-0-0 in the CAHA Developmental games in Simi Valley, Calif. The Sharks were very tough defensively, only allowing an average of one goal per game.
AAA SAN JOSE JR SHARKS 18u
CAHA Weekend
1-0 over Capital Center Pride
2-0 over Anaheim Ducks Alliance
3-2 over L.A. Jr Kings
4-2 over PF Changs-Phoenix
The fiery vastly-improved AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors went 2-0-2 in the CAHA games:
AAA SO-CAL TITANS 18u
CAHA Weekend
4-2 over Capital Center Pride
4-2 over Anaheim Ducks Alliance
2-2 vs. PF Changs-Phoenix
4-4 vs. L.A. Jr Kings
In the AA 18u battlefield, the AA San Diego Jr Gulls and AA So-Cal Vipers each went 3-0-1 this weekend which included a 4-4 firefight in their game....
That was Todd Owen who was the referee of the UNLV vs. Loyola Marymount University game on Saturday night at the SoBe Arena. Todd and his crew did terrific work in that game.
In the big Sunday night men's league game, Geoff Kemper scored 4 goals, Tim Lydon 4, Jason Allen 3 while Josh Odoms had one goal, two assists for the Senators who broke to a quick lead and defeated the Rhinos, 14-4 before a nice crowd rattling around the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo....
Once we get caught up on scores, which should be later today, we will post new Top 10 West rating tonight.
Sunday, Oct 29 - Stat of the Day: UNLV goalie Brandon Rial has three of the Rebels' five wins this season....
UNLV's all-time goal scorer Anthony Greener tried to skate, but the pain in his right ankle was too much so he quickly went off the ice on Saturday night....Greener, we are told, was injured the previous night - probably in one of those pileups in front of the Loyola-Marymount net near the end of the Friday night game....UNLV is off this coming weekend so that gives him extra rest time...One UNLV player who did step up last night was Brian Penska who skated very hard while taking the puck into the attack zone...
That was an outstanding officiating crew which worked the UNLV vs. Loyola game on Saturday night...We said it previously, but officiating is at its all-time best in all levels of Las Vegas hockey this season....
Best scrap this weekend: Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A. Selects) of the Wichita Falls Wildcats Jr A vs. Brad McCabe, the big goal scorer for the Alaska Avalanche Jr. A on Saturday night. Wichita, after the fight, scored twice enroute to a 5-2 win....
There is a big men's league game tonight over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Jason Allen, Geoff Kemper and Tim Lydon of The Senators will take on the Rhinos at 8 pm. In their first meeting, the Rhinos won by seven goals. Both teams are now battling near the top of their standings...
Saturday, Oct 28 - Stat of the Day: the AAA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u have two straight shutout wins this weekend and five shutouts for the season.
++++
The UNLV Rebels ice team goes into its most important 'must win' game tonight when they take on Loyola-Marymount at the SoBe Arena. The Rebels, who lost 4-3 to Loyola last night, need a win to work their way back into a contending position for a regional position at the end of the season. A super-hot goalie, Chris Marks, shut down the Rebels last night. UNLV has some fierce firepower but the Rebels will have to be more physical to solve this intriguing, skilled Loyola team. Faceoff, 6 pm.
Whenever UNLV's hulk-like Justin Herbst makes a crushing check the song 'Danger Zone' is played real loud in the arena...
During one UNLV timeout last night, the Chicken Song was followed by YMCA which got a few people up and out of their seats.....the little ones in the bleachers like those ones...
Big news Friday night: Eddie Del Grosso and Jeff Hajner of Las Vegas each scored their first college goal and their teams won by the same exact score, 7-5....Eddie D did it for the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in a 7-5 win over the tough Western Michigan Broncos (Rob Pallin is an alumni there) while Jeff scored for the Air Force Academy in a 7-5 win over Huntsville-Alabama....Tonight, Eddie D and the Mavs face Western Michigan again; Jeff and the Air Force Academy are in a tournament final, taking on Notre Dame....
Todd Bowman (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) is on a hot run - in a battle of division leaders he dealt a game-winning assist in overtime for the BCHL Trail Smokeaters Jr A who beat the Victoria Grizzlies Jr A, 4-3...
Quote of the day: "Rodents and mice so big, they would easily over-power Peaches, our house cat" -- so said Jay and Mary-Catherine Zurfluh of Las Vegas. They are at a motel in Texas to see MC's brother, Eddie Samuels, skate for the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A tonight against the three-time defending champions Texas Tornado Jr A......
Friday, Oct 27 - The UNLV Rebels are on home ice tonight, taking on Loyola Marymount of California at the SoBe Arena, 6:30 pm. These are all big games for UNLV which needs wins to qualify for the annual ACHA-II West regional tournament.....UNLV is a powerful force on home ice -- the Rebs' leading goal scorers are Anthony Greener (nine goals), Anthony Marinello (9), Aaron Baca (7) and Derek Koehler (6).....
Thursday, Oct 26 - Cleanin' the Clipboard....
//It will be 'Adopt-A-Husky Night' when Las Vegas skaters Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A play at the Texas Tornado Jr A in Frisco, Texas on Sunday night. Adopt A Husky of Dallas is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lost Siberian Huskies, and the education of owners in how to care for them and for the promotion to the general public the gentle and affectionate nature of the breed.
//Sophomore skater Nate Rein (AAA Las Vegas Outlaws, AA Utah Stars) and the U of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets are rated #10 in the first NCAA Division III poll. The Yellowjackets are coming off a big 18-10-3 season. The #1 team with all 15 first-place votes are the powerful Middlebury, Conn. Panthers who include sophomore Ian Drummund (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls).....
//Freshman Chris Ochoa (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs) is off to a very strong start with two goals, one assist for the UConn Huskies....
//Jeff Hajner and the Air Force Academy are off to Huntsville-Alabama this weekend in a four-team tournament which includes Notre Dame.
//Chris Francis of Las Vegas is getting tons of ice time and is skating on the top line for the WHL Portland Winter Hawks.
//UNLV Rebel defensemen Jeff Root of Las Vegas is one of the most feared players in the West, as is teammate Justin Herbst who has fired some pulverizing, rinkboard-rattling checks. Both are awaiting the arrival of the Loyola-Marymount College team which is coming into Las Vegas for a weekend series with UNLV beginning Friday night.
//One of the UNLV skaters whizzing by us at the rinkboards on last weekend was hard-skating Brian Penska, younger brother of Dan who is a big Rebels goal scorer.
//One of our favorite UNLV players is #19 Derek Koehler who works so hard for every goal he gets.
//Noble Tucker, an '89 goalie for the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 18u, made some big, spectacular saves while playing in SWYHL games over at the Las Vegas Ice Center last weekend. Tucker, who played for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls a year ago, is on the ice six times a week including workouts at the famous Rock Institute in Newport Beach.
//Harvey Smyl, head coach coach of the BCHL Langley Chiefs Jr. A, is tracking the progress of Las Vegas defenseman Alex Winnik who is playing for the hard-hitting AAA Cal North Stars 18u who are on a hot run with star goalie Hudson Stremmel.
//Corbin Brown, with seven goals, of Las Vegas is one of the top points producers for Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 18u.
//NAHL MVP? We pick goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) who has been awesome in the net for the Southern Division leading Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
//Biggest win this season? Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas and the BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A recently beat a top, powerful team - the Victoria Grizzlies Jr A in a real thriller before a sold-out crowd on home ice. It doesn't get any better than that.....
//Bet you didn't know that Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich's name is written in big, fancy italic letters on the shaft of each of his gold sticks he uses in games for the Fairbanks Nanooks.
//We are told that the rivalry between the AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u and the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u this season is as fiery and punishng as those historic Kings vs. Gulls games.
//Neil Miller, coach of the AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 18u, is tweaking his roster and the 'Dogs -- we are told -- will be even stronger.
//No one, however, is hotter than the AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u who are off to their best start in club history.
//One of the best goal scorers in town is Robbie Silvernail of the AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u. He's got size, a quick release on his shots and he has scored at every level he's played - in ice and roller.
//Finally, we were told this weekend that one of the Las Vegas Ice Cats Mites B players -- at eight years old -- has a team-record 1,622 songs logged into his Ipod for those long road trips.
Tuesday, Oct 24 - This past summer Todd Bowman (AAA L.A. Jr
Kings) was an immediate hit while skating at the Global Showcase over
at the Las Vegas Ice Center. The rink buzz was that the BCHL Trail
Smokeaters Jr. A were going to sign him and they did. Since, Todd has
been skating for one of the best teams in the BCHL. This past weekend,
he scored a big goal as Trail rattled in five in a row to beat the
tough Penticton Vees Jr A, 5-1...
UNLV Rebel Anthony Marinello has been a big goal scorer for the college
team this season. His younger brother, Morgan, is one of the top
goalies in town playing for the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u....
At the UNLV game on Sunday, one of the officials was Chris Crowley. His
folks were there too. Years ago we were one of Chris' roller coaches,
at least in house leagues, over at Larry Sanfords's Crystal Palace on
North Rancho Drive. Chris was a powerful player who blasted shots from
long to mid range. When he wound up, defensemen scattered....
Hey, did you know Steve Allen (Jason's Dad) used to play pro hockey on
the AAA level?
At the Las Vegas Ice Center on Sunday night, Las Vegas skaters Jason
Allen and Mike Sullivan were on opposing teams in a big men's league
game. They were in the faceoff circle -- two former teammates of the
NorPac Portland Pioneers Jr B who, three seasons ago, had an
unbelievably hot run....
If you check your 2006 Election Ballot and look at the Senator's race
you will find the name of Senator Dennis Nolan running for re-election.
That's the very same Senator Nolan who skates every Sunday night at the
Las Vegas Ice Center. His team: The Senators.
The other night, while over at the SoBe Arena, we watched UNLV goalie
Chris Tate lug in those big, red pads.
"He plays men's league hockey all the time, maybe 4 or 5 times a week,"
said Rob Pallin.
We are trying to track down the whereabouts of a few players:
Paul Lowden, former Las Vegas and Peninsula Panther Jr B goalie
Tanar Nobles, AAA Colorado Outlaws (we last saw Tanar at a Showcase two
years ago at the Las Vegas Ice Center)
Scott Tittle, AAA Colorado Outlaws and Helena Bighorns Jr. A.
Mike Valencia, AAA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u
If you know, please email me at lee@toprank.com
Finally, for years hockey dad George Kemper of Las Vegas has been
taking daughter Kellie to the hockey games. She used to bring crayons
and color in her books during the games but more recently she has been
standing on her toes and peering through the rink glass.
You guessed it - She wants to play hockey.
Kellie, age 10 1/2, is skating in house league hockey and is about to
become a Little Outlaw.
Monday, Oct 23 - For years, Josh Cardozi of Las Vegas was a roller goalie over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho Drive. He was a top goalie in house games, advanced to the travel team level and was on the very first Las Vegas team which went to a NARCH Nationals years ago in Vancouver, B.C. The team was coached by Al Tamura. Now 20, Josh is in the U.S. Coast Guard. He is a fireman on a battleship which patrols the Pacific. His proud parents, Bob and Lori, were at the UNLV hockey game on Sunday and said Josh is stationed in Crescent City, Calif. "He and the soldiers play hockey once a week for fun," Lori said. "Josh skates out now -- his commander is the goalie."
The AAA Cal Northstars midget majors played some hard-hitting hockey and went 3-0-1 over the weekend at the Las Vegas Ice Center.
UNLV captain Aaron Baca had a mighty big game with two goals, three assists in the 12-4 win over Walla Walla on Sunday.
Jason Allen of Las Vegas burned on the ice on Sunday night. In a big men's league at the Las Vegas Ice Center, Jason scored five times -- including two blistering long-range goals about five seconds apart - while teammates Josh Odoms (two goals) and Tim Lydon (two goals) chipped with goals as the Senators beat Mike Sullivan's Offense 14-4. Lydon, who won the 'All Heart' award for Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels 18u last season, really played well. The Senators, who include former AAA San Diego Jr Gull Geoff Kemper, got a big effort from goalie Gordon Lawes...
Rob Pallin has bought an airline ticket to see the upcoming games between Adam Naglich and the Fairbanks Nanooks vs. Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.
We spotted our first holiday tree on Sunday. While at the SoBe Arena, we went on a hunt for rink coffee and walked past the Fiesta Smoke and Gift Shop and there was a pine tree lit with all-green lights.......
Hey, did you hear about the Las Vegas Ice Cat hockey mom who took a "wrong turn" in Kingman and wound up near L.A.? She was returning home with little Ice Cats skaters from a weekend series at Flagstaff and said that "we were chatting a lot" and she got home the long way.
Sunday, Oct 22 -- The UNLV Rebels are on the ice today, taking on Walla Walla over at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta at 3:15 pm....The UNLV top line of Anthony Greener, Aaron Baca and Dan Penska is on fire....UNLV has three top goalies this season - Chris Tate, Brandon Rial and Tito Munoz which makes it real tough for coach Eddie Kawa decide who goes into the net on game night....We will be there at the rinkboards today, on the boards, just to the right of the south net...
Adam Naglich of Las Vegas had one of biggest, most-important assists when he helped set up linemate Justin Binab who scored the tying goal in a wild 1-1 tie for the Fairbanks Nanooks against state rival Anchorage Seawolves. When Binab scored, the 4,595 there stood and roared and nearly took the roof off of the sold-out Carlson Center in Fairbanks.
We watched skater Corbin Brown of Las Vegas work the puck, get good positioning, set up his big goal scorers on an AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 18u team which is playing this weekend over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Phoenix is coached by Kurt Goar who has put together some real powerhouses...
Las Vegas defenseman Alex Winnik, who was in the Langley Chiefs Jr A main camp last month, is a top player for the AAA Cal Northstars 18u team which includes star goalie Hudson Stremmel who has been drafted by the WHL Chilliwack Bruins. We are told the Chilliwack coaches keep in "constant touch" with Stremmel who is so good he makes saves look easy -- the mark of a top athlete.
Goalie Adam Krauss (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) went back into the trenches, the net for the Alaska Avalanche Jr A, and came back from one of the most excruiating losses Friday night to beat the first-place Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A 5-3 on Saturday night....
There are USHL teams, we are told, who are on the hunt for big goal scorer Brad McCabe of the Alaska Avalanche....He's got size, can skate and more importantly he puts the puck into the net...Eddie Samuels of Fairbanks says McCabe is "the real deal - he can play."...McCabe has 9 goals, 5 assists....
Itan Chavira (AA Inland Valley Wild 18u) has scored seven goals in his last two games for the San Diego Surf Jr B. For the season Chavira has 11 goals, 7 assists and the Surf is on a big win streak.....There are some former Gulls on the team including Brian Longmore and Jarrad Gilbert who are each off to strong starts....
While at the Las Vegas Ice Center rinkboards yesterday we were told that one of our favorite players, Matt Comrie of the San Diego Gulls, is not playing this season......Matt's older brother, Dan Comrie, was one of the best, most fiery players we ever saw in midget major hockey....
There are a lot of big games today, but none bigger than a matchup between the AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u and the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u in Simi Valley, Calif....
Years ago, Ashley O'Harrow played house roller over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho here in Las Vegas. Now she is a junior at UNLV and playing on the Rebels outstanding woman's soccer team where she was just named the 'Defensive Player of the Month' in the Mountain West League. Her proud dad, Harry, will tell you all about it over at the Las Vegas Ice Center where he runs the best rink snack bar in town...Ask Harry about Ashley's game in a huge snowstorm this weekend against the Air Force Academy....
There's a big men's league game tonight over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Jason Allen, Geoff Kemper, Tim Lydon and Robbie Jay of The Senators is taking on the Mike Sullivan-captained Offense team at 6:30 pm. This is going to be a good one.....
-----------
Our most sincere condolances to Rob Pallin whose sister, age 54, passed this past week -- we feel your sorrow.......We had a death in our family this week (cousin Jimmy, in Philadelphia) and it tears you apart...
Saturday, Oct 21 - On the hockey wire: Chris Francis of Las Vegas scores two goals for the WHL Portland Winter Hawks.
Goalie Adam Krauss (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) sure deserved a better fate Friday night. Krauss had 59 saves as the Alaska Avalanche Jr A battled to a 2-0 lead over the division-leading Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. Alaska defenseman John McAfee (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) scored his first goal of the season. In the third period, disaster struck: Santa Fe had more shots 21-0 and scored the last three goals of the game as Jason Krispel (AAA L.A Selects) Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) and finally - with 15 seconds to play - Ben Kinne scored for Santa Fe to win it, 3-2. That's an extremely tough loss and it must have been a very rough scene in the Alaska locker room after they played so hard against arugably the best team in the NAHL.
The winning goalie in that game was Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) whose gaa is right around 1.65 per game.
Just as tough was what happened to Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich on Friday night. The visiting Anchorage Seawolves scored with 0:15 left to tie 5-5 and then scored in OT to beat the Fairbanks Nanooks, 6-5, before a sold-out crowd at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.
One of things that really hurt us was they took advantage of their size up front, said Nanooks head coach Tavis MacMillan. Their big forwards were able to outbattle us in front of our own net. Give them credit, they found a chink in our armor."
At the AAA Southwest League games in Las Vegas last night, SWYHL commissioner Ron White said results and standings are not logged in on the league website because AAA teams are being rotated all season. Thus, no real champion - but the first two games we saw were fiercely played.
There's a lot of rink talk about AAA Cal Northstars 18u goalie Hudson Stremmel, a '91, who has been drafted by the WHL Chilliwack Bruins. We saw and liked the hard work from Phoenix goalie Matt Frederico, an '88, who gave it his all in the two-goal win over the Northwest Utah Regulators 18u on Friday night.
It's always tough to win on the road, so it must have been something real special when the AAA So-Cal Titans 18u team won at AAA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u, 6-4 last night. That's the biggest win ever for the first-year Titans team.
We are looking for scores from the CC Mountain Classic which includes AAA Team Illinois 18u and the AAA Chicago Chill 18u. Please email scores and highlights to lee@toprank.com
You know it's a big game when Wally Lacroix is the referee. Wally and his crew did terrific work during the fiery, intense game Friday night game between the AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 18u and the AAA Northwest Utah Regulators 18u.
At the Las Vegas Ice Center last night we spotted Robbie Silvernail, the big goal scorer for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team, Stringfellow Swan (AA Las Vegas Rebels) and David Hutzler (AA Las Vegas Rebels).
Team meals and hours of story-telling are a big part of hockey and there is an 'Outlaws Special' for all weekend tournament teams at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Go inside of the Castle Rock Bar and Grill in front of the Ice Center, head for the Abigail Rose Restaurant and check out the huge pizzas for just a few dollars. Mention the Outlaws. We will be there today after the Saturday morning games with rinkboard reporters Steve Allen and George Kemper.
Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, who began the season with the Tulsa Rampage Jr B, moved back to the NorPac and is now playing for the Butte Roughriders Jr. A. Stephen had an assist last night.
Joe Myers of Las Vegas scored last night for the Eugene Generals Jr B, one of the best teams in the NorPac.
Is it just me or does the rink coffee taste better at the Ice Center when Harry O'Harrow, behind the counter, smilingly pours it into the paper cups. He was off-duty during the SWYL games last night.
We want to wish one of our favorite hockey Dads - Rich Opperman, father of Daryl Opperman who played so many years in the Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs system, best wishes. He had a health procedure done on Friday and Rich, we are thinking of you as are many others around the Vegas rinkboards.
Jimmy Samuels, age 8, and the Las Vegas Ice Cats Mites B are off to ice-cold Flagstaff, Az. this weekend where, we are told, there are snow clouds. Jimmy's uncle is Eddie Samuels who plays for the NAHL Fairbanks Jr. A.
The UNLV Rebels college ice team will have their hands full with Walla Walla tonight (6 pm) who head into town with a ton of pure goal-scoring offense. The Rebels defense which includes Ryan Krametbauer, Jeff Root, John McAslan and Danny Kaminski, is going to be heated up real quick and it will take top play from the 'D' to win these games this weekend.
Friday, Oct. 20 - Stat of the Day: Walla Walla's 1-2 scoring punch of Quinell Oucharek (10 goals, 14 assists) and older brother Quisto Oucharek (9 goals, 5 assists) are coming into town to take on the UNLV Rebels ice team on Saturday (6 pm) and Sunday (3:15 pm) over at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino.
Thursday, Oct. 19 - Three Las Vegas skaters return home this weekend. Corbin Brown, a tough playmaking forward with Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix midget majors; John McNicolas, a goal-scorer for the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs midget majors and defenseman Alex Winnik of the AAA Cal Northstars midget majors will be in the mix with two other teams in Southwest League round-robin action at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo. Ave.
Here is the Friday night schedule:
7:00pm- Spokane vs Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs
8:45pm- Utah Regulators vs PF Changs-Phoenix
The UNLV Rebels college ice team has two games this weekend - taking on Walla Walla on Saturday night (6 pm faceoff) and Sunday afternoon (3:15 pm) over at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino on North Rancho Drive.
Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas was in his biggest game Tuesday night: He dealt a very key assist on the second goal of the game as the Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A stunned the first-place Victoria Grizzlies 4-2 before a hometown sellout crowd of 2,656. The rink was really rocking and Reddick upped his season numbers to 2 goals, 4 assists -- outstanding numbers considering how tough the play is in the BCHL. Cowichan and Victoria are long-time fierce rivals and Bryce is right in the mix of these very exciting firefights of games....
Matt Moore, who scored a lot of goals while playing youth hockey in Las Vegas before leaving for the Littleton Hawks bantams years ago, is back on the ice. Matt (AAA Colorado Outlaws) has four goals, three assists for the U of Denver club team which is one of the best in the West.
Fiery, hard-working goal-scorer Chris Ocoha (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs), now a freshman skater with the UConn Huskies, got an assist last weekend in two tough game - a 2-1 loss to Bowling Green and a 7-5 loss to Michigan. On Friday night, Chris and the Huskies begin a two-game weekend series with Army.
Wednesday, Oct. 18 - Two-Time Playmaker of the Year Conrad Trimbath of Las Vegas is in a big game tonight. He and the Northern Cyclones Jr A of Hudson, N.H. are taking on the very tough Boston Bulldogs Jr A...
Goalie Hudson Stremmel of the AAA California North Stars 18u was the MVP at the Columbus, Ohio, Blue Jacket Tournament this past weekend.
Stremmel, a '91, finished the weekend seeing 124 shots and going 2-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .911 save
Matt Bardsley's #1 rated AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u just got accepted into the big Richmond, Canada, International Hockey Tournanment which is held during the Christmas holidays...
Blake Humphrey (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), who started this season with the BCHL Penticton Vees and then was moved to the powerful NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A, took a bad hit and was banged up last Friday night. According to the Roadrunners daily notebook, Humphrey will be out at least two weeks...Get well and get back on the ice, Blake...
Ken Quinney's AAA Las Vegas Outlaws Jr A midget minors are gearing up for their biggest weekend this season. The Outlaws head to Phoenix to face top AAA 16u including the L.A. Selects....
Tuesday, Oct. 17 - There are some pretty amazing unbeaten streaks here in the West. Here are the hottest teams according to the scores posted here:
AAA/AA PACIFIC-ROCKIES
Active Unbeaten Streaks
12-AA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u (11-0-1)
12-AA Anaheim Wildcats 16u (8-0-4)
10-AA Inland Valley Wild 16u (8-0-2)
8-AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u (7-0-1)
8-AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u (7-0-1)
8-AA Hyland Hills Jaguars 16u (7-0-1)
7-AAA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 16u (7-0-0)
7-AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u (6-0-1)
Monday, Oct 16 - The AA L.A. Hockey Club 18u team, which has been rated in the Top 10 West all season, today was accepted in one of our favorite holiday tournaments -- the Richmond, Canada, Invitational. LAHC will compete in the Elite Division....
Las Vegas freshman skater Anthony Marinello -- who had a huge weekend in UNLV's riveting games against Arizona University -- is the first UNLV Rebel to be selected the 'Star of the Game' in back-to-back games.....UNLV is at home this coming weekend, taking on Walla-Walla of Washington...
Over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo last night, Jason Allen buzzed about and scored six goals, Jeff Kemper scored twice and rookie skater Tim Lydon dealt two assists as the Senators beat the Blackjacks, 10-2 in a men's league game......Lydon received the 'All Heart' award last season for Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels 18u team....We were told that Jason was firing and connecting from a variety of distances....
Sunday, Oct 15 - Best line of the week? That's easy....
Las Vegas referee Adam Hendren, in his first pro game, with Las Vegas linesmen John Konstantine and Wally LaCroix at the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers game on Thursday night at The Orleans Arena on Tropicana.
Sunday, Oct 15 - That was thrilling, the way the UNLV Rebels battled back to nearly catch and beat the #10 rated Arizona Ice Cats over at the SoBe Arena on Saturday night......UNLV's Anthony Marinello had a huge weekend, scoring three goals in the weekend series...Goalie Chris Tate again proved he is one of the best in the West....
Adam Naglich of Las Vegas had two goals, one assist in U of Fairbanks Nanooks' 8-4 win over Air Force...Eddie Del Grosso's first two college games both went in scorching overtimes for the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks....Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas is proving he can score in the tough BCHL - he has two goals, three assists for the Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A....
You might know the U of Michigan goalie: He's freshman Steven Jackiel, an '86, who used to defend the net for the AAA L.A. Jr Kings....
Saturday, Oct. 14
On the hockey wire:
The Quote of the Day:
If you want to score goals at a higher level, youve got to one-time the puck. If you cant one-time the puck, you cant score goals. Goaltenders are too good, d-men and players have too good of equipment to get into (shooting) lanes and block shots."
-- Tavis MacMillan, head coach, U of Fairbanks Nanooks
Saturday, Oct 14 -- UNLV goes at it again, taking on #10 rated Arizona University tonight over at the SoBe Arena tonight at 7 pm. Arizona sure has some smooth, skilled skaters and the UNLV Rebels will have to get real physical, particuarly near the attack net, to pull this one out. Skilled teams do not like contact and that's the feeling I got while at the rinkboards watching the Friday night game....
Also today: Mary Magdalene, owner of the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A was quoted saying she could take a $500,000 loss if things don't change soon. She asked the City Council there permission to sell alcohol at home games, but was declined with the explanation that the home rink is a city-owned community center. The ironry is that the Roadrunners have the top team in the league, the best website, the best radio announcer in Arch Eckard, the best promotions - and the crowds were 120 and 205 in the last two games. If the same team and front office were in Bozeman, Montana for example, every game would be a 3,200 sellout...The problem there is that the Valley Garden Arena has been sold and is no longer available for a Junior A team...Something has to give, as three NAHL franchises - Billings, Bozeman and Helena - shut down operations last season....
Yet, some teams this season -- like the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A -- are drawing blockbuster crowds. Fairbanks drew 4,500+ in their only home game (at the Carlson Center, where the U of Fairbanks Nanooks play) and the Ice Dogs expect to sellout every game when they return home to the historic Big Dipper Arena....That's 2000+ a game and a Junior A team can live on that....
And on the ice, guess who makes Santa Fe tick? It's John Stoddard, the former AAA San Diego Jr Gull, who hustles so hard offensively and defensively. That's why he's proudly wearing the 'C' on his jersey.....
Think about this one: The AAA Northwest Regulators-Utah 18u are 2-0-0 and the #1 rated Dallas Stars 18u are 0-2-0 at the Chicago Chill Autumn Tournament this weekend....Also, that was a pretty big win for the AAA So-Cal Titans 18u who beat the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 4-1 on Friday night....
On the ratings front: There is an explosion of top, skilled Western-based AAA and AA midget teams this season. We are planning to expand our Top 10 West ratings to a Top 12.....New ratings are put together and released here every Monday night....
Friday, Oct. 13 -- The best team ever to hit the ice in Las Vegas will be in town Friday night.
The U of Arizona Ice Cats, a Tier 1 team, will take on Eddie Kawa's UNLV Rebels over at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino.
Arizona, as outlined in a story in our college hockey area, has qualified 22 times for the U.S. Nationals, has made the Final Four eight times and won the National Championship in 1985.
It's quite a challenge for UNLV in this much-anticipated two-game weekend series. It all starts tonight at 6:30 pm and the second game is on Saturday at 7 pm.
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Also tonight: Jeff Hajner of Las Vegas and the Air Force Cadets open their season on the road, taking on Adam Naglich of Las Vegas and the U of Fairbanks Nanooks in a two-game weekend series.....Eddie Del Grosso of Las Vegas and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks opener their season at the Nissan Tournament in Anchorage. Tonight, the Mavericks take on Colorado College and on Saturday, it's the Anchorage Seawolves....
Wednesday, Oct. 11 - On the hockey wire:
The Albuquerque Journal is working on a story that San Diego skaters Rafael Rodriguez and John Stoddard - who were both injured in recent games - skated at practice today and both are expected to play for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A this coming weekend. Rodriguez, a key player on the Roadrunnners powerplay, has been troubled with a shoulder problem and Stoddard, the captain, was struck from behind and, we're told, rammed into the boards in a recent game vs the NAHL Texas Tornado Jr. A....Stoddard's injury was less serious, said to be some sort of deep muscle bruise....
Tuesday, Oct. 10 - Here's a snapshot look at all of the AAA San Jose Jr Sharks skaters who are playing on the next level (thanks to Derek Eisler, Sharks head coach):
Jeff Van Siclen--First point assist for BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals against Langley Chiefs.
Cobin McPhearson--First 2 games for BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals (Injury had kept him out)
Jared McIntosh-- 10GM 2G-0A Alaska Avalanche NAHL
Jake Hutt--9GM 2G-1A Santa Fe Roadrunners NAHL
David Kurbatsky--10GM 2G-2A Winkler Flyer Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Mike Lawler--8GM 0G-2A North Bay Skyhawks NOJHL, teammate, Bryan Albert LA Jr. Kings
Taylor Anderson--Walpole Express AJHL NO STATS Goalie, taking visit to Army
Dan McCarthey--Walpole Express AJHL NO STATS D, teammate, Shaun Mathur LA Jr. Kings.
Matt Henry--8GM OG-0A Bismarck NAHL.
Tuesday, Oct. 10 -- On the hockey wire:
The Vancouver Giants have announced 18 year-old goaltender TOMMY TARTAGLIONE (AAA Cal Wave 88s) has been traded to the Regina Pats in exchange for a 4th round WHL bantam draft pick.
Tartaglione is into his second season in the WHL. The native of Harbor City, California played ten games with the Giants last year, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.15 goals against average and a 89.5 save percentage. He spent the majority of last season playing Junior B for the Delta Ice Hawks of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League, leading them to a regular season and playoff championship.
"Tommy has been a loyal and fierce competitor in our organization the past couple of seasons," says Scott Bonner. "We feel we have tremendous depth in our goaltending position and we believe Tommy deserves to play in the WHL. We wish him all the best with the Pats this season."
Tuesday, Oct. 10 -- This is a huge week for the UNLV Rebels who are preparing to take on the Tier 1 U of Arizona Ice Cats in a two-game weekend series which begins on Friday night at the SoBe Arena...Arizona's lineup includes Cody Morin, the big goal scorer who played for Rob Pallin's AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team in 2002-03...
"Arizona is tough - they should be too, being a Tier 1 team," said UNLV Rebels captain Aaron Baca....Faceoff on Friday night is 6:30 pm....
UNLV set two big records this past weekend -- most goals (15) in a single game and most players (4) getting a hat trick in the same game......
Chris Cleveland -- if you are reading this -- please email me at lee@toprank.com. UNLV needs you to play your hockey music Friday night....
The big rinkboard buzz this weekend over at the Ice Center was about goalie Hudson Stremmell of the AAA Cal Northstars 18u team. Some scouts thought he was in town but that was the Northstars 16u team which was playing in the Las Vegas Invitational....Stremmell, a '91, was drafted by the WHL Chilliwack Bruins in the bantam draft last spring.....One of his teammates is Las Vegas skater Alex Winnick who we were told is playing very well for the Northstars....
More buzz: lots of talk about Brad McCabe, the big goal-scorer for the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A. He is off to a hot start with his fiery play -- along with 7 goals, 5 assists -- and USHL scouts are taking notice.....
That McCabe kid is a dandy with a real potential to be an NHL draft pick this coming year, said Rob Profitt, head coach of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A. Hes a very special hockey player and well have to be aware of where hes at on the ice at all times.
All-time goal scorer and playmaker Micah Sanford is the first Las Vegas player to go pro. His picture and bio are posted on the ECHL Bakersfield Condors website....
Eric Bowman (AAA Las Vegas Outlaws) sure was a hard worker when he played for coach Rob Pallin. Now Eric is captain of the Utah Valley College ice team...
One of the top players in town this weekend was Danny Heath, a defenseman for the PF Changs-Phoenix 16u team. He was picked by the USHL Tri-City Storm in the recent Prospects Draft....
The top goalie in the NAHL is Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) for the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.....Hopper is 7-2-0 with a 1.65 gaa....
There will be an amazing number of former AAA San Diego Jr Gulls when the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A go on the road to take on the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr. A in a three-game series this week. Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of Las Vegas are former Gulls and will be facing former Gulls teammates Rafael Rodriguez, Johnny Stoddard and Randy Swank. All are great friends, so it should be quite a reunion. The first game is this Thursday night.
Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks are on the road tonight, taking on the Spokane Chiefs. Hawks announcers Dean 'Scooter' Vrooman and Andy Kemp -- who really call a terrific game - will be on the Hawks internet radio network. Go over to the Winter Hawks website and log in tonight......
We first met Dave Simoes, a very tough defenseman, when he was captain of the BCHL Victoria Salsa Jr. A. Big, strong, a leader -- and win or lose, he gave it his all every shift. He is now on the roster of the ECHL Utah Grizzlies.....
Score of the week: Cross-town rivals Las Vegas Outlaws and the Las Vegas Ice Cats midget A teams played far away from home -- in Boise, Idaho, in a Southwest League game. The Outlaws won, 4-1....the Ice Cats, who were skating for the first time this season, won their last two weekend games including a 1-0 win over the Billings Jr Bulls.....
That was Cody Fulwiler, who we haven't seen on the ice for awhile, of Las Vegas working as a referee during an AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team this past weekend...
Hey, did you hear about the 'Outlaws fan' who between periods marched to the Las Vegas Ice Center snack bar and asked for a "super large bag of popcorn, heavy on the butter and salt" -- something he would never ask for when his hockey wife is at the rink...
Monday, Oct 9 - While at the rinkboards and watching two young skilled teams -- AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 16u and AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u battle away on Sunday afternoon - it hit me that we are in youth hockey's golden era. In the Pacific and Rockies regions there are more quality, well-coached midget level teams than ever before. These teams include top skilled skaters who can burn down the ice, make fancy moves and know how to attack. There is a player depth we have never seen before and there are a large number of these players who will move on to the next level.
Considering all of that - the competitiveness of these teams - it's even more amazing that the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u won their second straight major tournament when they won the gold at the Buc Bowl at Des Moines. They are the first team to win two tournament golds, the first being at the Carmen Starr Fall Classic in El Segundo, Calif.
Anaheim again got terrific performances from their two goalies, PJ Musico (2-0-0, one shutout at Des Moines) and Alex Miklovic (2-0-1).
At Buffalo, AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u went 3-0-1 this weekend in the Saints tournament....Here's an unheralded team to watch: AAA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 16u who are in the Final Four today at the Eastern Mass. Columbus Day Shootout...AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u are still unbeaten and we are told it is a very strong team....
Also this weekend -- Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) scored a very big goal for the USHL Tri-City Storm in their season-opening game....Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has 5 goals, 5 assists for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A....That was Eddie Samuels' first short-handed goal in Junior A hockey when he picked a puck and wound up scoring to break a 1-1 tie for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs the other night vs. the Alaska Avalanche Jr A....Rob Pallin, scouting for the USHL Omaha Lancers Jr A and the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B, was at the boards Sunday to watch the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u skaters....
Las Vegas Outlaws 16u d-man Sonny Zuloaga had a big weekend as did his linemate, Adam Zucker. They are quite an imposing pair when on the ice defending in front of their goalie, Steven Bolton who is one of the best in the Western region....
Locally: Jason Allen 3 goals, Robbie Jay 3 goals, Geoff Kemper 3 assists as the Senators men's league team, down two goals, rallied to win 8-5 over the Putters in a big game Sunday night over at the Las Vegas Ice Center...
Sunday, Oct 8 - It looks like our home site, Vegashockey.com, is somewhere out there in cyberspace. Our webmaster Rich is working on restoring it - meanwhile, only the EZ Board here is up and running. Please spread the word....
Thursday, Oct 5 - Jeff Hajner of Las Vegas will skate in first official college game on Friday night. Hajner, one of the hardest workers in the game, will skate for the Air Force Falcons when they take on Colorado College...In Alaska, Adam Naglich of Las Vegas will be starting his sophomore season with the U of Fairbanks Nanooks who open their season vs. U of Western Ontario...
Eddie Del Grosso, in his freshman season with the U of Nebraska-Omaha, opens his season next week. Eddie D and the Mavericks are off to Anchorage, Alaska to play vs. Colorado College and the Anchorage Seawolves in the Nissan Tournament.
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The last time we saw hard-skating Andy Gevorkyan (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) he was skating for the NAHL Helena BigHorns Jr A. It was brutally cold in Montana last Thanksgiving weekend and Andy's picture was on the Helena program cover as the 'Proud Captain of the BigHorns.' Andy played well that night, then was later traded to Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. On Friday night, he will pull on a new uniform - Andy will play for the NCAA Division 1 American International Yellow Jackets who play out of Springfield, Mass. They have an exhibition game at Merimack.
Thursday, Oct 5 - On the hockey wire: Three AAA L.A. Jr Kings selected in the USHL Futures Draft (1989s-90s). The players include Matt White, Round 3, Omaha Jr Lancers; Troy Power, Round 5, Tri-City Storm; Max Nicastro, Round 6, Indiana Ice.
More key picks:
Andrew Hamburg, AAA Dallas Stars, Round 3, Waterloo Black Hawks.
Tommy Serratorre, AAA Colorado Rampage, Round 3, Sioux City
Justin Crew, AAA Colorado Rampage, Round 4, Lincoln Stars
Armond Deswardt, AAA Dallas Stars, Round 5, Indiana Ice
Dane Walters, AAA Dallas Stars, Round 8, Omaha Jr Lancers
Eric Hartzell, AAA Dallas Stars, Round 8, Sioux Falls
On the weekend schedule: The top two rated teams here - AAA Dallas Stars and AAA L.A. Jr Kings midget majors are off to the Buffalo Saints Tournament this coming weekend.....
Wednesday, Oct 4 - Stat of the day: Sam Braniff (AA Inland Valley Wild) has a league-leading four short-handed goals for the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B.
The BCHL today announced that goal scoring is up -- bigtime. Forwards, as referees are calling penalities against anyone who obstructs a skater, now have space to blaze towards the attack nets. So far, BCHL Junior A teams are averaging 8.32 goals a game which is 1 1/2 goals more than this time last season.
One season ago Mitch Wahl, a '90, was a heavily recruited player for the AAA L.A. Jr Kings midget majors. Now he is playing for the WHL Spokane Chiefs and he already has one goal, one assist.
There are - and we counted them - 151 rookie skaters in the WHL this season including Las Vegas center Chris Francis of the Portland Winter Hawks.
One of our favorite players, hard-skating, all-heart Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls), has four goals, one assist for the Orangeville Crushers Jr. A. Will was a very popular player last winter with the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr A. Billings head coach Doug Johnson always referred to Will as 'Money' because he made the 'money goal' in the big games.
Tuesday, Oct 3 - There are two huge newspaper stories today on the UNLV Rebels ice team - one in the 200,000-circulation Las Vegas Review Journal and another, with lots of photographs, in the Las Vegas Sun which is now inserted into the daily Review-Journal.
Rebels coach Eddie Kawa told the RJ "...we want to be ranked in the Top 10 this year and I think we will be..."
Defenseman and assistant captain Ryan Krametbauer said "...we want to get past Regionals. It's kind of a lofty goal, but we really want to make it to Nationals this year."
The Sun story includes the start of the program which came from Las Vegas skater Aaron Baca who two summers ago tracked down skaters throughout the West and helped to assemble the program. The Rebels, with Kawa as head coach, already have a fan base for their home games which are played at the SoBe Arena at the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino on North Rancho Drive.
Monday, Oct. 2 -- Swedish-born Simon Olsson of the AAA Rocky Mountain Wranglers midget majors was named 'Most Valuable Player' at the USHN Carmen Starr Fall Classic on Sunday.....Olsson got rave reviews with his intense play and wound up with three goals, six assists for nine points....One of the top goalies at the Starr Classic was Anaheim Ducks' netminder Alexander Miklovic. He was 3-0-0 which included a win over the tough Alaska Wolves who had some serious firepower coming in during a Final Four game. For the season, Miklovic has a record of 5-0-0....
One of the biggest scorers in Junior hockey this season is Marcus Whilhite (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) who is burying the puck for the WSHL El Paso Rhinos Jr B. In seven games, Whilhite has 10 goals, 7 assists. Those are big numbers and scouts are taking notice...
One of the most unheralded, hard-working productive skaters is Jason Krispel (AAA L.A. Selects). He had a terrific season for the powerful NAHL Bozeman Ice Dogs Jr A last winter. When Bozeman shut down its operations, Krispel was immediately picked up by the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. He is off to a terrific start with 4 goals, 5 assists.
Monday, Oct. 2 -- On the hockey wire:
COLUMBUS, OHIO - The Ohio Junior Blue Jackets traded their 4th round pick in the 2007 USHL Draft to the Des Moines Buccaneers for forward Donnie Hallmark (AAA L.A. Jr Kings).
The 6-foot, 200 pound Hallmark comes to Ohio after playing 38 games for the Buccaneers, scoring 2-2-4, with 115 penalty minutes and -7 +/- rating in 2005-06. He helped Des Moines win the Clark Cup Championship last season, playing in all 11 playoff games, scoring one goal and picking up 26 penalty minutes.
"I have known Donnie, having coached against him in youth hockey for about five years and he is a tremendous team guy who will give us grit and toughness," General Manager Don Harkins said in a written statement. "He is a veteran of the USHL, having played on Des Moines' Clark Cup Championship Team last season and that experience will help our team."
Hallmark did play in the 2006 Buc Bowl this last week for Des Moines. In three games, he scored only one goal, but it was a power play goal and the game-winning goal against the Junior Blue Jackets last Thursday night in the Buc Bowl opener for both teams.
Harkins said Hallmark is expected to join the team before Saturday's season opening game against the Waterloo Black Hawks.
Sunday, Oct. 1 - It's the first day of October, a perfect time for hockey. Enjoy every moment of it...
Best quote of the weekend:
Weve got to do it the hard waydown the dirt road, over the fence, down the hill and through the pondbut we found a way to get it done, said coach Rob Proffit after his Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A out-battled and won a 4-3 OT Shootout game over the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A Saturday night.
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It is amazing how teams improve. Take the AAA Alaska Wolves 18u for example. They struggled and went 1-4-0 including a nine-goal loss in their getaway game at the San Jose Labor Day Kickoff.
The Wolves returned home, went 7-1-1 vs. Alaska-based teams and returned this weekend to the Carmen Starr Fall Classic in El Segundo, Calif.
The results were spectacular as the Wolves went 1-1-1 vs. three Top 10 rated teams and the Final Four game was 3-2 going into the third period.
Ryan Kowal, with five goals, one assist, was the Wolves leading scorer while goalies Michael Geraghty (2.00 gaa, 93.1% saves) and Nathan Corey (1.98 gaa, 92.5% saves) were awsome in the net.
AAA ALASKA WOLVES 18u
Carmen Starr Fall Classic
3-3 vs. Houston Wild
4-3 over San Jose Jr Sharks
1-1 vs. L.A. Jr Kings
4-1 over NE Regulators
Final Four
2-4 to Anaheim Ducks Alliance
Saturday, Sep 30 - Score of the night: Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks battled hard in a very entertaining game and won their home opener, 5-2 over the Kelowna Rockets.
Stat of the night: Goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) has a 6-0-0 record and a 1.32 gaa for the first-place Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr. A.
Goal of the night: Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) scored a huge goal for the USHL Tri-City Storm Jr A in a 3-2 win over the Ohio Blue Jackets Jr. A.
Saturday, Sep 30 - On the hockey wire: Adam Krauss (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) is winning goalie as the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A beat the Fargo-Moorhead Jets Jr A, 4-2, on Friday night.
But here is the story behind the story...
On September 2nd, Adam's grandfather Ron MacDonald, who he lived with while playing for the LA Jr. Kings the last two years, suffered a severe stroke. Ron passed away a week ago Friday (September 22nd) after fighting to recover for several weeks.
Adam was extemely close to Ron who was the Jr. Kings number 1 fan the last 2 seasons. At 82 years young, Ron would never miss a practice driving the 85 mile per way trip (170 total) to the rink and back with Adam regardless of the time of practice. He accompanied the team to Rochester for last year's national championships even though he knew Adam had suffered a season ending injury in the California State championship game versus San Jose and would not play.
Adam's Alaska Avalance coaches Dean Larson and Corey Millen were supportive and allowed Adam to spend 8 days back in California causing him to miss last weekend's Bismarck series. Adam was able to spend time with Ron up to his death and attend the memorial service and burial all the while supporting his grandma Mary.
He returned at midnight Wednesday night to his Avalanche teammates and played last night notching the win against Fargo after facing 35 shots and stopping a 5 on 3 power play and shutting down a 6 on 3 power play attack both late in the third period.
Saturday, Sep 30 - Chris Francis of Las Vegas has trained months for this - opening night, on home ice, for the WHL Portland Winter Hawks who take on the invading Kelowna Rockets at Memorial Coliseum. Francis was recruited and signed by Hawks super scout Matt Bardsley. Since, Francis has worked countless hours, first by skating every day during the summer over at the SoBe Arena in Las Vegas and then, beginning in mid-August in the main camp of the Winter Hawks. Francis played in both of Portland's two road games but, as he will find out tonight, there is nothing like the season-opening game before thousands of hometown fans. He is the first Las Vegas skater ever to play in the Western Hockey League.
Also, that was goalie Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Gulls) who was spectacular for the Bismarck Bobcats Jr. A while facing Las Vegas skaters Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the high-scoring NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A. Eddie S had one goal on a rebound close to the net and Max had two assists. But Oliver, who faced a 6-on-3 attack late in a wild, frenzied finish shut down the net and Bismarck won the game, 5-4 and Oliver raised his season record to 4-0-0.
Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A. Stars) is off to a hot start with 4 goals, 4 assists with the NAHL Wichita Falls Wildcats Jr A. "He's already scored big goals for us and Adam is a tireless worker, on and off the ice," said Wildcats coach Brian Meisner. "He is - and will be - a big part of any success we have as a team."
Thursday, Sep. 28 - On the hockey wire: During the U of Fairbanks Nanooks skills competition this past weekend, Kyle Greentree (Victoria Salsa Jr A) won 'most hardest shot' when he blasted slapshots, in order, 98, 99 and 100 mph.
Tuesday, Sept 26 - In their weekly notebook, the San Diego Jr Gulls note that Danny Clausen is now with the U.S. Coast Guard:
"....Former Jr. Gull Danny Clausen is graduating from the Coast
Guard Boot Camp on October 5th in Cape May, NJ. He will be
stationed up in San Francisco Bay on a cutter. He will be going
to school to be a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard."
Danny Clausen with the Gulls:
2001-02 Bantam B
2002-03 Midget 16AA
2004-05 Midget 18AAA
Monday, Sept. 25 -- The Inland Valley Wild connection -- Jacob Meadows and Itan Chavira - helped the San Diego Surf Jr B win an OT thriller over the Valencia Vipers Jr B this weekend. Meadows (AA Inland Valley Wild) scored three times and had the game-winning goal 24 seconds into OT. Chavira (AA Inland Valley Wild) scored three times, dealt two assists and Jared Gilbert (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) also scored for the Surf in a chiller of a 7-6 game. San Diego now has a 1-1-0 record in the WSHL.
We want to thank all of our reporters (and there were many!) for sending in scores and highlights. Special thanks to our two crack rinkboard reporters - George Kemper and Steve Allen - who kept the shot chart, took game notes and put together the 'Stars of the Game' in the UNLV vs Arizona State weekend series.
Sunday, Sept. 24 - The #1 rated AAA Dallas Stars midget majors today won the gold at the tough 20-team Marquette Fall Classic. Dallas beat top teams when it got to the Final Four -- the Colorado Rampage by six goals and then Belle Tire of Detroit by 5-2. In six tournament games Dallas goalies only allowed six goals. Dallas had three top scorers in the tournament: Landon King had 4 goals, 6 assists, plus Nic Bownds (4/5) and Andrew Hamburg (0/9) each had nine points.
Here is how Dallas won it this weekend:
AAA DALLAS STARS 18u
Marquette Fall Classic
4-1 over Russell Stover Stars
5-1 over Wisconsin AAA
5-0 over Chicago Mission
5-2 over Victory Honda
Final Four
6-0 over Colorado Rampage
Championship Game
5-2 over Belle Tire
Sunday, Sept. 24 - We are getting calls and emails how well freshman Colby Cookson played for the UNLV Rebels ice this weekend - Colby had flashes of speed, good attack routes, lots of energy which is what it is all about.
The same goes for UNLV forward Derek Koehler who played extremely well and skated with confidence. He will be a big goal scorer this season for UNLV which is next off to Oklahoma State.....
Also this weekend:
Chris Francis, in his first game with the WHL Portland Winter Hawks on Friday night, cracked hard shots which banged off the posts not once - but twice against the Kamloops Blazers which had Ray Macias (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) buzzing around on the ice.
Ryan King of Las Vegas sure scored a lot of goals for Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors but on Saturday night - due to player suspensions (and who doesn't have plenty of those?) - Ryan was asked to play some 'D' for the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B. Ryan did get some power play time and scored his first goal of the season in an 11-1 win over the River City Jaguars. He got the 'Grinder Award' for the night. Teammate Lance Peterson (AA Inland Valley Wild) scored two goals, dealt an assist and was the #2 Star of the Night; Sam Braniff (AA Inland Valley Wild) got the #3 Star of the Game after he scored his league-leading third short-handed goal this season...
Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas had a big-time assist - a game winning pass to linemate Luke Cain as the Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A beat Harvey Smyl's Langley Chiefs Jr A by 3-2 on Saturday night...
Todd Bowman (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) impressed a whole lot of scouts when he flashed about and skated in the Global Showcase over at the Las Vegas Ice Center this summer. He was immediately signed by the BCHL Trail Smokeaters Jr A. On Saturday night, Todd scored his very first goal of his Junior career -- a game-winner too as Trail beat the very tough Penticton Vees Jr A. Todd's captain retrieved his puck from the net and after the game the puck was delivered to him. Trail is off an to an amazing 6-1-0 start.
Andrew Sherman's AAA Colorado Rampage had a fantastic weekend, working its way to the Final Four at the 20-team Marquette Fall Classic. Then, the Rampage met a wrecking ball in the AAA Dallas Stars who are on fire right now. Dallas won and went into the gold medal game. All three of the Rampage losses are to Dallas....
AAA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 18u won its last two games at the Pittsburgh Viper Stars Shootout. The Bulldogs, like practically every team, are trying to solve whatever the officials are calling right now -- early in the tournament the Bulldogs fought off waves of 5-on-3 attacks which put extreme pressure on their goalies....
There were a lot of big games this weekend but one score really sticks out: AAA L.A. Selects 16u over the AAA Anaheim Wildcats by six goals. It's only September but the Selects are off to a very strong start and are looking more and more like a top team nationally in their division.
Saturday, Sept. 23 - UNLV's season-opener was about as exciting as it gets - a huge crowd, freshman skaters buzzing around, all kinds of firepower, defenseman Jeff Root blasting away, goalie Chris Tate knocking everything away and it all added up to a 5-1 win over Arizona State. Tonight, UNLV and Arizona State return in what should be a fiery return game at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta Hotel-Casino over on North Rancho Drive. It all starts at 6:30 pm...
Friday, Sept. 22 - There's a big buzz tonight as Eddie Kawa's UNLV Rebels college team hits the ice to open a new season. There is plenty of returning firepower on the Rebels plus a group of highly energized freshman skaters. UNLV takes on Arizona State, a team which always play tough vs the Rebels, tonight at 6:30 pm at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta. A big crowd is expected and we will have two reporters taking notes on the south boards, to the right of the net. For out of state parents and friends, we will put together some updates after after period. It's a big hockey weekend as this is a two-game series which winds up Saturday night.
Thursday, Sept. 21 -- It doesn't get bigger than having Jerry Tarkanian drop the first puck of the season. The Tark will at center ice on Friday night when the UNLV Rebels college team opens the season against Arizona State. Kelli Crossley of Las Vegas will sing the National Anthem and then the high-powered Rebels will be off and running, just the way Jerry Tarkanian would like it.
Admission is $5; Students $3. Faceoff 6:30 pm Friday at the Sobe Arena inside of the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino on North Rancho Drive.
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On the hockey wire: This is the first we've heard of this one, as reported by Donna Spencer on Slam! Sports.com
"....Speaking of (WHL) Everett (Silvertips), fiery head coach Kevin Constantine....is serving the remaining three games of a league suspension for making his players eat and ride the bus home in their equipment for four hours after a pre-season loss.
(We checked and according to newspaper reports coach Constantine was ticked following a 5-0 pre-season loss last week. He was fined $5,000 plus game suspensions - that's a pretty big penalty, actually, by the WHL who noted concern for the dignity of players, etc.)
Wednesday, Sept 20 -- One of the best referees ever from Las Vegas, Adam Hendren, takes a giant step from youth sports to professional hockey this coming season. Adam, who has worked hundreds of games in every level in Las Vegas and more recently as a referee in the USHL and NAHL Junior A Leagues, will move to the ECHL which includes the Las Vegas Wranglers who skate out of The Orleans Arena on Tropicana Ave. Adam has received his first ECHL assignment, as he notes in the attached note he sent to his best friends yesterday:
"...As some of you may know I have been hired on as a Full Time Referee in the ECHL based out of Las Vegas. I have just received my first ECHL game in Las Vegas and I would like to invite all of you to please attend the game.
"ECHL Pre season: Thursday October 12Th at the Orleans Arena at 7:00 pm -- Phoenix vs. Las Vegas.
"I have worked very hard to get to this level over the last five years
and every one of you have helped me in some way to achieve my goal.
Whether it was hockey wise, friendship wise or both. I have sacrificed a
lot over the last three years while I was relocating and I realize so
have all of you. Giving me the support I needed to make it to the next
level.
"So thank you to all for helping me along the way. And I look forward to
seeing all of your faces in the crowd."
Sincerely,
Adam Hendren
Tuesday, Sept. 19 - On the hockey wire:
"The BCHL Salmon Arms SilverBacks Jr A have traded Auggie Aiken (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) and futures for Cody McMullin and futures. McMullin is currently signed with Westside Warriors Jr A but had played the last two seasons with the Vernon Vipers. McMullin is 510 and 175 pounds; in 05/06 he played 33 games and had 12 goals and 12 assists. The 19 year old is originally from Cranbrook and is excited to wear the SilverBacks jersey and will be on the bench for Friday nights game against Surrey."
Tuesday, Sept. 19 -- Bobby Ryan and Brian Salcido (Jr. King's 16AAA Coach Frank Salcido's son) put on NHL Anaheim Duck's uniforms and skated in their first ever pre-season NHL game against the Kings last night in Anaheim. Both are products of the AAA L.A. Jr. Kings program. Proud Dad Frank was at the game to see his son on the ice. Both will probably head to the Ducks AHL affiliate in Portland Maine, but last night, they were officially Ducks
Also, to celebrate his 20th birthday, Raymond Macias (Jr. Kings 18AAA Manager Helen Alex's son) was on the ice in a Colorado Avalance uniform in his first pre-season pro game last night in Denver, Colo. Called the Burgandy and White game and played at Denver University, this yearly event raises money for the youth hockey program in Colorado. Raymond played youth hockey for the Jr. Kings and the San Diego Gulls.
Monday 'Late Night' Sept. 18 - Goalie Alexander Miklovic sure has come a long way. Three seasons ago, in 2003-04, he was the starting goalie for the San Diego Surf Bantam A team. Now Alexander -- with one shutout and only four goals allowed in three games -- is a top performer and an elite goalie for one the best teams in the West -- the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u team.
Monday, Sept. 18 - Las Vegas skater Kyle Clay got rave reviews for his hard work, playmaking and hustle this past weekend for Pokey Reddick's Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team which went 3-0-1 at the MROC Tournament in Chandler, Az. Clay, always a hard worker and a terrific prospect, had four goals, four assists...
It's always good to get the first goal of the season under your belt. That's what two-time Las Vegas 'Playmaker of the Year' Conrad Trimbath did over the weekend when he fired in a backhand shot for a goal for the Northern Cylones Jr A who beat the Walpole Express, 5-4....
The penalty bug hit one of the top Pacific region teams, the AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 18u who had 32 called in their only loss of the weekend, 5-2 to the Phoenix Polar Bears....The Ice Dogs got a terrific effort from goalie Taylor Nigh who was in the net in a 3-0 win over the Phoenix Firebirds...
Sunday 'Late Night' Sept 17 -- That was a big win for Ken Quinney's AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team which had to dig in, get physical and out-battle the PF Changs-Phoenix midget minors to win 3-1 today in Scottsdale, Az. We're told that Las Vegas goalie Steven Bolton was spectacular in the net.
Pokey Reddicks' Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team went 3-0-1 in Chandler, Az. Big goal scorer Robbie Silvernail had seven goals for the weekend....
On the AAA front: John Paul McNicolas of Las Vegas fired in a powerplay shot, a linemate tipped it in and the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 18u team beat the Valencia Vipers Jr B 2-1....JP is getting a lot of time on the Ice Dogs powerplay units...
Las Vegas skater Alex Winnick, we are told, is playing for the AAA Cal North Stars 18u team....
Jason Allen scored two goals, linemate Geoff Kemper scored two more for the Senators men's league team who tied the Jokers 5-5 in regulation over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Sunday night. The Jokers won it in a shootout. Allen was spectacular with his rushes and his second goal was a 20' laser which blasted into the net....Josh Odoms also scored for the Senators who won the gold during league play this past summer....Derek O'Harrow, who used to play roller years ago, skated hard and dealt a couple of assists....The Senators goalie is Gordon Lawes who years ago was in the net for the Las Vegas Aces pro team which played home game at the Santa Fe Stations Ice Arena....
Sunday, Sept. 17 - Down 2-0, Las Vegas skater Chris Francis and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks put together a dramatic three-goal rally to beat the Tri-City Americans 3-2 today. It was the final pre-season game for the Winter Hawks who open their regular season this coming weekend......
Biggest news this weekend: Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas scored his first goal in Junior A -- and it helped the Cowichan Valley Captials beat heated rival Alberni Valley Bulldogs Jr A in a big Friday night game.
On the AAA battlefield: Derek Eisler's AAA San Jose Jr Sharks went 1-1-1 with the #1 rated AAA Dallas Stars -- and all three games were thrillers with San Jose winning the second game 5-2 and tying the third 2-2.
More AAA: Ryan March's AAA Alaska Wolves continue their march on a winning path in two games vs. the AAA Fairbanks Arctic Lions. The first game was 5-5, the second was won by the Wolves by 4-2. Since the San Jose Labor Day Kickoff, the Alaska Wolves have not lost a game.....
AA 18u: Hope you didn't miss this score - the AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u team today beat a very solid AA L.A. Hockey Club 18u by 4-1. The Gulls are off to a good start.....AA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u a perfect 4-0-0 in Chandler, Az this weekend....Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u opened their season 3-0-1 at Chandler, Az -- considering all of the penalties and lack of game flow, that's a terrific start for Las Vegas which has top, skilled skaters...Matt Bardsley's #1 rated Portland Jr Hawks 3-0-0 this weekend -- and the Hawks only allowed two goals in those three games to the AA Tri-Cities Americans.....
AA 16u -- Dennis Gilbert's very young AA So-Cal Vipers 16u hockey team had to dig in and rally to beat AA Cal Wave 16u by 5-3 today in what Gilbert described as "...a real good hockey game."
Still need your hockey fix? There's a big men's league game tonight at 8 pm as Jason Allen and Geoff Kemper of Las Vegas will be on the top line for The Senators over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo Ave. Nevada Senator Dennis Nolan is the team captain.
Sunday, Sept. 17 - It's going to be a tough Sunday morning for the UNLV college skaters: Roadwork begins at 6 am on the winding trails of Mount Charleston.....
Chris Francis of Las Vegas will be in the final pre-season game today for the WHL Portland Winter Hawks who head out to take on the Tri-Cities Americans at 2:50 pm. Go to the Winter Hawks website and you can listen to an internet broadcast.....
Jason Zucker, in his first season of midget hockey, already has 12 goals for Ken Quinney's AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team which is in Scottsdale, Az. this weekend....
Saturday, Sep 16 - On the hockey wire -- goal scorer Mike Zenzola (AA Inland Valley Wild 18u) is on the roster of of the BCHL Westside Warriors Jr A who skate out of Kelowna, B.C. Mike had a big season with 47-8-2 AA Inland Valley midget majors last winter and was also a standout at the Las Vegas Showcase over at the Fiesta this summer....Mike, an '87, is listed at 6'2, 200....
Derek Eisler's heart was pumping last night. His AAA San Jose Jr Sharks midget majors had #1 rated AAA Dallas Stars on the run, taking a 3-2 lead into the third period......Dallas rallied, put together a four-goal burst and won it 6-3....There are two more games in this terrific weekend series...
The AAA So-Cal Titans 18u have had a big weekend -- but they sure noticed the goalie in the net for the Capital Centre Pride 18u on Thursday night.
That was Kyle McMahon (AAA Cal Wave 89s, AA Long Beach 16u; AA San Diego Jr Gulls 14u) who is now in his second season as a top goalie with the Capital Centre Pride who skate out of Lansing, Michigan. Kyle is getting a good look by the over 200 scouts at the NAHL Midget Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota.
Capital Centre Pride is 2-0-0 so far - the 1-0 win over the So-Cal Titans and the huge 5-4 OT shootout win over Top 10 rated Texas Attack.
Goalie Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) got one his biggest wins in the net as the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A defeated the Wichita Falls Wildcats Jr A 5-1 at the NAHL Showcase.
Saturday, Sep 16 - After three games at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minn. here are the Western skaters who are among the NAHL Jr A leading scorers with goals and assists:
Nic Polaski (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) 1/5, Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 0/6, Eddie Samuels (AA Las Vegas) 2/3, Randy Swank (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 2/2, Max Maleev (AA Las Vegas) 2/2, Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A Selects) 2/2 and Johnny Stoddard (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 1/2.
We listened on internet radio and it was reported there was a loud, frenzied standing-room-only crowd - packed in bleachers and around the boards - to watch the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A (Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev) battle the Southern Minnesota Express Jr A at the NAHL Showcase on Friday night......
Friday, Sept. 15 - Bryce Reddick (AA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u) scored his first goal in Junior A hockey tonight and it was a beauty - a key goal to help the BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A get to a two-goal lead and and a 6-5 home win over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs Jr A before 1,358 at the Cowichan Community Center on Vancouver Island.
In Blaine, Minnesota, there was a very rough Junior A game with a number of fights involving the Alaska Avalanche Jr A and the Marquette Rangers Jr A at the NAHL Showcase. Alaska broke to a quick five-goal lead which triggered skaters mixing it up and that continued right to the end of the game. Alaska, with Adam Krauss (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) in the net, fought off late rushes and scraps to win, 8-5...
On the AAA battlefield: Wow - the AAA So-Cal Titans 18u almost pulled it off on Friday night - holding a one-goal lead late before losing a tough one 4-3 to Little Caesars Detroit midget majors at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minn. We are told over 200 scouts are attending the tournament which also includes all NAHL Junior A teams...
AAA Alaska Wolves 18u are on a hot run, winning their third straight game, 4-2 over the Alaska Blue Devils.
Friday, Sept. 15 - Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget 18u open their season tonight, going to Phoenix to take on the Peoria Roadrunners 18u team....There are some top Las Vegas players on this team including Kyle Clay, Robbie Silvernail, Ryan Townsend and Ray Teichman. Goalies Ryan Sutliffe and Matt Vorce are very strong in the net. Townsend last year played for the AAA Dallas Jets 16u travel team.....All three Las Vegas Outlaws teams - the AAA 16u, AA 18u and AA 16u will be playing in a round-robin of games at Phoenix....
In AA 18u, the six-team field at Phoenix includes Las Vegas, Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs, San Jose Jr Sharks, Peoria Roadrunners, Phoenix Polar Bears and Phoenix Firebirds. Each team plays three times and playoffs are set for Sunday....It will be interesting to see who moves out of the pack and into the gold medal game.....
Matt Bardsley's #1 rated AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u team will be in a weekend series on the road, taking on the Tri-Cities Americans three times....
In AAA 18u, the #1 rated AAA Dallas Stars rumble into San Jose to take on Derek Eisler's AAA San Jose Jr Sharks in a three-game weekend series.
Thursday, Sept. 14 - Randy Swank (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) scored two goals for the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A who were locked in an all-out 4-4 firefight vs. the Mahoney Valley Phantoms Jr A at the NAHL Showcase today in Blaine, Minn. Mahoney Valley scored in OT to win it, 5-4.....
Defenseman John McAfee (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) was in his first Junior hockey game today - he was in a wild one with the Alaska Avalanche Jr A who out-battled the NAHL At Large team 3-2 in overtime...
(Earlier Ticker notes moved to the Archives area...)
Breaking news throughout the West -- Send in your Ticker notes to lee@toprank.com
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THE TICKER....
Tuesday, Feb 27 - Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u will have their first Pacific District Championship regional game on Thursday night. First up for the Outlaws is Matt Bardsley's tough AA Portland Jr Hawks followed by the Whatcom Warriors and the Northwest Admirals.
To loosen up over the weekend, the Outlaws players played a pickup baseball game, then went to team barbecue. The team will head out to Southern California on Thursday morning.
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There is a note on Socal-Hockey.com that Anatoli Semenov will launch a new AAA Cal Stars midget team for 2007-08. His AA Stars midget minors, who skate out of Ontario, Ca., are the California State Champions and are in the Pacific District regionals.
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Good news for some of coach Eric Ballard's AAA Rocky Mountain Wranglers 18u skaters: Simon Olsson, who started the season with the team, is playing extremely well with the USHL Chicago Steel Jr A; Tyler Currier is committed to the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A for next season and teammate Alex Carlson is committed to the NAHL North Iowa Outlaws Jr A.
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On the schedule: the AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors, who have qualified for the Pacific District Championships, will take on the AAA L.A. Selects 16u in Westminster, Ca., on Saturday night. Faceoff, 6:30 pm.
Monday, Feb 26 - Stat of the day: Since the spring of 2002, there have been over 3,000,000 hits on Vegashockey.com.
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This a huge week for coach Pokey Reddick who is preparing his AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors for the Pacific District regionals. The Outlaws have been on a very hot run but, as evidenced by the shock scores coming out of the Arizona, California and Colorado state championships, there will be no easy route for any team at the regionals.
This is a powerful Las Vegas team led by the greatest goal scorer in club history, Kyle Clay. He is working on a top line with Robbie Silvernail - a skater who has scored on every level he's ever played - and Ryan Townsend who is hands down the most improved player in the city.
The Outlaws have one of the best goalies in the West in Ryan Sutliffe and have gotten a sensational effort and a surprising burst of scoring from Junior-A level defenseman Ryan Scheafer. Plus, the addition of a very tough, solid player in Ray Leroux compliments a Las Vegas team which is rested and appears to be eager to go into this huge tournament.
We are working on an Outlaws story which will be posted early this week.
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We were checking our notes and forgot to mention a few things. There have been some incredible websites which have been posting scores as soon as games are completed. We want to thank Derek Eisler and whoever else is responsible for the San Jose Jr Sharks website and particuarly the hard work they did during the recent California State Championships.
Also, Ron White's Southwest League website is vastly improved and scores were posted very quickly and accurately during the championships.
This takes a lot of hard, dedicated work and for that, we thank you.
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If anyone knows about the whereabouts of Colorado skater Tanar Nobles please email me at lee@toprank.com. We last saw Tanar as a Las Vegas Showcase and we lost track of him.
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Sunday, Feb 25 - Cleanin' the weekend clipboard....
There is rinkboard talk that goalie Adam Kraus (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) of the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A is being recruited by major colleges. He is having a spectacular season, playing extremely well for an Avalanche team which has dealt some of their top players. Skaters tell us that Kraus is one of the top goalies in the NAHL and he protects the net well and is very hard to score against...
He's always been one of the best hockey Dads -- now Dave Munson is on the road with son Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) who is taking a 40-hour car trip from Canada to Southern California. Will's season came to a sudden end when the Sequin Bruins Jr A were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in the Ontario Provincial League....
Las Vegas playmaker Conrad Trimbath said his mom came in from Las Vegas and was in the bleachers when he and the Northern Cyclones Jr. A in Hudson, N.H. out-shot the New Jersey Rockets 70-18 during a 6-4 win last weekend. Conrad dealt an assist on the fourth goal.
Ian Armstrong, head coach of the AA Tucson Stampede midget majors, sends along a nice email noting how proud he was of his team and how hard they worked throughout the season. The Stampede, rated in the Top 10 West all season, wound up in a battle for the Arizona State championship with the AA Phoenix Polar Bears...the Polar Bears won in OT and as a result are qualified for the Rocky Mountain District regionals...
Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, whose Butte Roughriders Jr B did not make the NorPac playoffs, said he will be glad to play for the Las Vegas Mustangs alumni when they take on the San Diego Jr Gulls alumni in a big charity game this summer. George Kemper, whose son Geoff is a former Gull, is putting it all together. The game will be at the SoBe Arena...If you want to play, send me an email at lee@toprank.com....
Coach Dean Georgopoulos, whose Loyola-Marymount college team scored a stunner of a win over UNLV this season, said his team will be a whole lot better next season with "AA, AAA freshmen and transfers coming in...we should be competitive nationally....."
Goalie Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has some terrific numbers with the NAHL Bismarck Bobcats: a 10-9-5 record, 3.07 gaa, 91.3% save percentage and -- his best number of all - three shutouts, which is tough to do in the high-scoring league...Clark is an '87 and he's in his second season with the 'Cats...
Trivia time:
Who was the only Las Vegas goalie to play on the Junior A level?
That was Paul Lowden who was a callup four seasons ago with the BCHL Victoria Salsa Jr A.
Saturday, Feb 24 - No one from Las Vegas playing away from home has more goals than Ryan King. He kept up his goal-scoring heat too in the NorPac playoffs, scoring three goals in three games as the powerful North Vancouver Pioneers Jr B swept a tough team in the Tri-City Titans.....Ryan, who has 23 goals this season, and the Pioneers will next face the winner of the hot Eugene vs. Seattle series...
Jeff Hajner has the all-time Las Vegas record with 12 goals as a freshman in NCAA Division 1. He will try for more today when the Air Force Academy closes out its regular season on the road, taking on American International. It's a big game for the Cadets who, at 15-15-5, would like to finish above the .500 mark...
Las Vegas skater Corbin Brown is getting set for regional action. He and Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix midget major team are off to Dallas and, in order, Phoenix will take on the Colorado #1 team, Northwest Regulators of Utah and then the #1 rated team in the USA, the Dallas Stars...
Sal Tecci, the former Las Vegas goalie, wants to wish good-luck to both of the Las Vegas teams - AAA 16u Outlaws and AA 18u Outlaws - who will soon be off to the Pacific District Regionals in California.
Tecci is having a phenominal season with Savio Prep which is in the Boston area. Tecci, whose team won the Central Catholic League gold medal for the first time in 18 years, was named MVP when Savio Prep won 1-0 in the gold medal game at the Falmouth Freeze Tournament in Western Massachusetts.
Tecci's season stats:
18-1-1, 1.25 gaa, 95.0% save percentage.
He being recruited by Philips Andover Academy, Milton Academy and Thayer Academy for next season.
The AAA Colorado Thunderbirds have all three of their teams -- AAA 18u, AAA 16u and AAA 16u 91s - in Colorado state championship games this weekend. The T-Birds 90s are taking on their younger hockey brothers, T-Birds 91s, in a gold medal game.
The U of Fairbanks Nanooks head coach, Tavis MacMillan, was steamed and not a happy camper when his team blew an early lead and lost to Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks on Friday night. The Nanooks battled to a 3-1 lead and according to MacMillan got "too pretty with the puck." The two teams play again tonight and it's the final regular season game for Adam Naglich of the Nanooks and Del Grosso with the Mavs...
Wednesday, Feb 21 - It's going to be minus-40 or so, plus or minus a mind-numbing degree, when Las Vegas defenseman Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks head out to take on Adam Naglich of Las Vegas with the U of Fairbanks Nanooks this coming weekend. Both played on Rob Pallin's 2001-02 AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors who went 60-11-3 and skated in the U.S. Nationals that season.
Earlier this year, the Fairbanks Nanooks went to Nebraska and tied the first game 5-5, then won the second game 4-3. These upcoming games will be just as close as both teams -- in the final regular-season games of the year - are getting their best possible position for the CCHA playoffs.
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That was some clutch goal scoring by Las Vegas' Matt Hedderly who scored three times in the gold medal game for the AAA Outlaws 16u team at the President's Day Tournament in Colorado Springs. We're not surprised though, as Matt has always been a big performer in the biggest of games. We were told too that Outlaws goalie Steven Bolton was spectacular all week at the tournament.
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On the hockey wire: Collingwood Blues Jr A 6, Sequin Bruins Jr A 3 in a seventh-game of a first-round playoff game on Tuesday night. That was the last game of the season for one of our favorite skaters, all-heart Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) who was traded from the Orangeville Crushers Jr A to Sequin for the playoff run in the Ontario Provincial League. For the year, Will had 16 goals, 21 assists....
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The NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr. A, 32-12-4, have officially clinched a playoff spot. Two former AAA San Diego Gulls - captain John Stoddard (9 goals, 13 assists) and superb defenseman Rafael Rodriguez (5/16) - were responsible for a lot of that success. Stoddard is an extremely hard worker on the ice, Rodriguez is a valuable d-man and a key player on setting up powerplay attacks. The 'Runner are also getting some terrific play from Jason Krispel (AAA L.A. Selects), Alex Laseen (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), defenseman Randy Swank (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) and their superstar goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) who many believe is the best in the NAHL.
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Stat of the day: Las Vegas Outlaws 18u goalie Ryan Sutliffe:
Record: 27-5-1, 1.88 gaa, 92.7% save percentage - 5 shutouts.
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Las Vegas has a number of young, talented skaters on a number of teams this winter. One player is Dominick Garcia who we watched jet about, score a couple of goals, make smart plays over at the SoBe Arena this past weekend. He's a straight-A student, a teacher's aide, plays roller and - oh, he's only 10 years old. Dominick skates for a Las Vegas Ice Cats squirt team...."He likes to watch the NHL games on TV - if he sees a play he likes, he brings it to the game," said his proud grandmother who was beaming in the bleachers.
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We're excited - and why not - after hearing that the UNLV Rebels college team will announce - probably in the spring - names of top players who want to come in and play for the Rebs who will be "stronger and with a lot more depth," according to coach Rob Pallin.
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Expansion plans: That's what we hear about Larry Sanford and the 'Little House of Champions' Crystal Palace roller rink on North Rancho Drive. The lobby area, for sure, will be much bigger this coming summer.....
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And, speaking of roller, that's one of the all-time roller players in Las Vegas who is skating for the new UNLV team. We're talking about Billy Tufano who as a teenager always led the attack and scored many game-winners for Las Vegas travel teams.
Saturday, Feb 17 - It's President's Day tournament weekend and coach Wally Lacroix and the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors got off to a huge start - a 5-goal win over the Calgary Royals on Friday night in Colorado Springs. Next, the Outlaws take on a tough AAA Pikes Peak Miners 16u team and a showdown game is looming with maybe the best team in the tournament, the AAA Texas Attack midget minors....
Playoff hockey is underway and Las Vegas skater Ryan King - playing for the first time in a Junior-level playoff game - had a huge game with one goal, one assist as the powerful Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B opened with a 6-1 win over the Tri-Cities Titans. That was Game One of a best-of-five and it's going to be a very hot series as the Titans have always played well in playoffs and, in fact, eliminated Ft. Vancouver last winter when Mike Sullivan of Las Vegas was team captain.
Nothing was hotter, however, than what Adam Naglich and the Fairbanks Nanooks went through on Friday night - a 1-0 game against #1 rated Notre Dame on home ice at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. It was 0-0 late, when Notre Dame forced a turnover in the attack zone and went in to score in the third period. That was a very tough loss for the Nanooks who historically have always played well vs. the Irish. The two teams go at it again tonight.
Las Vegas skater Alex 'Blackjack' Redmond has been in a lot of big games in all levels of roller and ice. But none were bigger than when Alex and the San Jose State Spartans out-battled the Oregon Ducks 3-2 in OT in a first-round ACHA-II West Regional game last night in Logan, Utah. The San Jose were in an absolute frenzy on the ice when the winning goal was scored. If San Jose gets past Denver U tonight then Alex and the Spartans are off to the U.S. Nationals.
A polished, well-skilled Michigan team, which dazzled all when they came into Las Vegas for a wild two-game series vs UNLV in January, won its first ACHA-II Central Regional game by three goals in Orland Park, Ill. on Friday. Michigan needs a win today over SUIE-Gold to advance to the U.S Nationals too.
Jeff Hajner of Las Vegas scored his 10th goal for the Air Force Academy on Friday night. That's a record number of single-season goals for any Las Vegas skater in NCAA Division 1. The old record was 9 goals, scored by Micah Sanford in his freshman season at U of Nebraska-Omaha.
Friday, Feb 16 - This is a huge day for Las Vegas skater Alex 'Blackjack' Redmond and the San Jose Spartans college team which is taking on the Oregon Ducks in a ACHA West-II regional tournament game today in Logan, Utah.
Faceoff is on Friday, 5 pm.
Redmond is a very popular skater who played a lot of roller and ice in Las Vegas. He was named 'Blackjack' -- which was written across the back of his jersey - when he and Las Vegas goalie Paul Lowden played with the Peninsula Panthers Jr B in the Vancouver Hockey League.
As a college sophomore, Redmond has 12 goals, 25 assists for the 19-6-1 San Jose Spartans college team. One of the top players there is goalie Ryan Lowe who teammates call 'Parakeet.'
At a November practice, Lowe said something to one of the Spartans forwards who said 'stop squawking, Parakeet' and guess what, the name stuck.
Lowe, meanwhile, has a 14-5-1 record and an outstanding gaa of 91.5% for the season.
Elsewhere this weekend: Las Vegas skater Ryan King and the powerful, division-leading Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B open a best-of-five series with Tri-Cites on Friday night.....Joe Myers, who played with coach Tim Mueller with the Las Vegas Outlaws midget A three seasons ago, is skating for the Eugene Generals Jr B who are starting a very tough best-of-five against the Seattle Totems on Friday night...
Wednesday, Feb. 14 - Happy Valentine's Day to all of the hockey moms who truely love the game and make it all happen on the midget, Junior A, Junior B and college level -- this is your day - lee
Tuesday, Feb 13 - We have a new ratings leader in the Tier 11 Top 10 West. The AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors, coached by Pokey Reddick whose Las Vegas teams have won back-to-back Pacific District Championships in AA 16u, are on top with a record of 36-5-1. The Outlaws are on a very hot run, 18-1-0 in their last 19 games, and have won gold medals at the Silversticks Nationals and at the Southwest League Youth Hockey League.
There have only been two previous Tier 11 ratings leaders this season -- Matt Bardsley's AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u opened the season at #1, then the AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u were moved there after having a phenominal start while going 23-0-6 before losing their first game in late December.
In Tier 1 there were two moves -- the AAA So-Cal Titans, who beat the San Jose Jr Sharks, Cal North Stars and gave the Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u all they could handle in the California State Championship gold medal game, make their return to the Top 10. More importantly, the Titans are qualified for the upcoming Pacific District Championships.
At #11, and getting rated for the first time this season, are the AAA Colorado Thunderbirds midget majors who out-battled the AAA Rocky Mountain Wranglers and the AAA Colorado Rampage -- both very tough teams - the last two weekends. There is a scorching rivalry among teams in the Rockies and the T-Birds are rewarded for their hard work in those games. Overall, they have a record of 15-13-2.
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First Goal
Everyone remembers their first goal in hockey and for sure, Kelly Kemper, age 11, of Las Vegas will never forget scoring her first-ever goal this past weekend.
Kelly, whose older brother Geoff played for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors years ago, began playing house league hockey for the first time in the winter session over at the Ice Center on Flamingo.
She is suited up for the Canucks in the Grizzlies League. While making a drive towards the net, a penalty was called and Kelly was awarded a penalty shot.
Kelly skated in, took the shot and the puck disappeared -- she leaned and took a closer look and there it was, the puck was nestled in the corner of the net. Her shot went though the goalie's 'five-hole.'
Her first goal......her proud hockey dad celebrated too, pounding on the rink glass.
Monday, Feb 12 - Calmed down yet? Our heart is still pumping hard after seeing all of those weekend scores rattle in from the California State Championships in San Jose.
Starting in AAA 18u, the Anaheim Ducks Alliance had to dig real deep, score a go-ahead goal with 1:40 left to squeeze past an all-heart So-Cal Titans team which refused to give up and simply ran out of time. The Ducks won and did you know that all of their goal scorers today once skated for a very memorable team -- the Huntington Beach Sun Devils.
The nationally-rated AAA L.A. Selects 16u got a jolt in their very first game. Konstantin Lodnia's AAA Anaheim Wildcats got a two-goal lead and wouldn't give up anything late to score the upset of the tournament. However, the powerful Selects won their next two games, then beat the hard-skating Wildcats by three goals in the gold medal game.
In AA 18u, the San Jose Jr Sharks defeated a team they had not beaten all season. The Sharks out-battled the #1 rated San Diego Jr Gulls in a 2-0 thriller of a game. San Diego proudly came into the state tournament with one of its best AA 18u teams of all-time and was unbeaten all week.
The AA Cal Stars 16u play in a very deep division which is loaded with top, skilled midget minor teams. However, the Stars -- who skate out of the Center Ice Arena in Ontario, Calif. -- went unbeaten and in the gold medal game won by five goals over a very strong Anaheim Wildcats team.
To the gold medal winners, congratulations. We will believe, in our hearts, that every silver medalist team in the California State Championships should also move on to the Pacific District Championships and it is very hard to believe that a team, like the Gulls for example, are not going to get that opportunity. Someone should explain to the coaches , skaters and hockey parents who live and die each game why the state of California is not sending all of its best teams into the regionals.
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There were great games all weekend - the California State Championships, Arizona State Championships, the UNLV vs Utah Valley State weekend series -- but we saw something special on Sunday night over at the Ice Center here in Las Vegas.
How about, in the closing moments of a tight game, three goals in the last 44 seconds?
That happened late Sunday night when, in order, Geoff Kemper scored on a rebound with 0:44.2 to play, Jason Allen on a breakaway with 0:26.7 seconds left and Tim Lydon in a net scramble to clinch it with 0:08 left on the clock as The Senators beat the Putters, 7-5.
Jason Allen, who played AAA hockey with Las Vegas, L.A. Jr Kings and the San Diego Jr Gulls (the only player to do so!), had 3 goals, 2 assists; Lydon had 2 goals while Josh Odoms and Kemper also scored.
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The Putters goalie was a good one, too. Nick Baker, 25, is from Green Bay, Wisconsin and played in only his third game of the winter season.
"When I was 15, I was goalie for the Central Penn Panthers Jr B team and it was a pretty good team too," he said.
He is one of the best new goalies in town - and we've seen quite a few over at the Ice Center.
Nick is town working in web graphics for Lund & Manasse.
Saturday, Feb 10 - Sometimes you hit the ice, work real hard, do the right things, give it your all -- and the other team raises its sticks at the final buzzer.
That happened last night at the SoBe. UNLV worked hard all night long but it wasn't enough when Utah Valley's skilled forwards buzzed about and put a puck into an empty net at the finish to win it 7-5. Then, for the first time at a UNLV game, the visiting skaters went to center ice and raised their sticks to their fans who stood and gave them a standing ovation.
Tonight at 6 pm, UNLV gets one more crack at Utah Valley.
It's a very special night, the last home game of the season for UNLV which, in its two seasons, has built a nice fan base. However, this is the last time we're going to see this group of UNLV skaters go over the boards, hit the ice, try to win the game. There's going to be a big crowd, loud music, the Las Vegas Ice Cats Mites B team will be skating between periods and all of the locals will be wrapped around the south boards. There's nothing like game night when the Rebels hit the ice. See you there - Lee
Friday, Feb 9 - Turnover, me. We mis-read an email tonight and sent out a wrong score on an AAA L.A. Selects 16u tournament game. Sorry to all. Correct score at the California State Championships is L.A. Selects 2, San Jose Jr Sharks 16u 0...
At the UNLV college game tonight, Utah Valley's David Wyman (who scored five times) and linemate Seth 'Army' Armitage were the best 1-2 we've seen all season....UNLV's army of defenseman will face those two and the rest of the Utah Valley sharpshooters on Saturday night, 6 pm, at the SoBe. It's the final UNLV game of the season...
We met a lot of our UNLV rinkboard pals up in the SoBe bleachers where the Las Vegas Ice Cats hockey moms were selling candy bars and other goodies to help their travel fund. If you go to the game on Saturday night, stop by and talk hockey and help support these young skaters who give it their all too...We were told that the 'original Skittles' were the big sellers on Friday night...
Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, whose hockey season just ended with the Butte Roughriders Jr B, was at the UNLV game with his parents, Ken and Judy...
Tuesday, Feb. 6 - The hockey community today is buzzing about a huge 'must read' story in the USA Today newspaper which is on the newstands right now. The USHL is featured and if you are a hockey parent or a skater who is about to enter Junior A hockey, this is the story for you.
Sportswriter Kevin Allen notes that 133 USHL players have committed to college for next year; he outlines 'life as a player' in the USHL and there is a huge photograph of Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) of the Tri-City's Storm Jr A on page two of the sports section. There is also a nice mention of Dan Comrie (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) who has had an astounding comeback as a clutch goal-scorer this year for the Lincoln Stars Jr A.
USHL coaches have been text-messaging recruiters, parents and players about this incredible piece of writing, research and story placement. It's a three-page layout -- which starts on page one of sports -- with incredible photos of games, practices, team meals, etc.
Monday Night, Feb 5 - Four gold medal games, four gold medals - that's incredible and that's what the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors have achieved this season. We haven't seen anything like it and there's been top hockey teams and players climbing over the walls and onto the ice here in the city for over a decade. It is pretty obvious this Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team is skating with confidence and has a tremendous will to win.
In order, here is how coach Pokey Reddick's 36-5-1 Outlaws have done it:
AA LAS VEGAS OUTLAWS 18u
Gold Medal Games - 2006-07
Silversticks Regionals - 2-1 over Calgary Stampede
Winterfest at Las Vegas - 4-1 over Utah Jr Wildcats
Silversticks Nationals - 3-2 OT over Michigan Jaguars
Southwest League - 3-1 over Phoenix Polar Bears
Monday, Feb 5 - Stat of the Day: Kyle Clay of AA Las Vegas Outlaws has 56 goals - He is the #1 goal scorer in the West......
Now it's crunch time for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors who are about to take on one of their all-time rivals, the AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs, in a Final Four game this morning at the Southwest League Championships at Salt Lake City.
Amazingly, these two top teams - even while playing in the SWYHL - have not played each other this season.
But few will forget the last time they were on the ice, in an AA 16u Pacific District regional Final Four game last year over at the Las Vegas Ice Center.
In what was the all-time, most fiercely-played game at the Ice Arena -- and the Vegashockey.com '2006 Game of the Year' -- Las Vegas beat Long Beach in triple OT.
Many players from both teams played in the game, setting the backdrop for this riveting Final Four game today. At the same time, the AA San Jose Jr Sharks are in a Final Four game too, taking on the tough Phoenix Polar Bears. It really is a sensational Final Four.....
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Matt Bardsley, the head coach of AA Portland Jr Hawks midget majors, took his team to watch Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks in an unforgettable game on Saturday night.
Portland, in a 10-game losing streak, put it all together and beat rival Seattle Thunderbirds, 5-2.
"Francis skated real well and is using his speed," Bardsley reported.
Chris, in his rookie season, has 7 goals, 7 assists for the Winter Hawks.
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We're hoping, and we know it's a longshot, that UNLV college coach Rob Pallin puts the hated Cal State-Long Beach 49ers on the 2007-08 schedule.
Our Rebs didn't deserve what happened in the handshake line Saturday night.
When the game is over, it's over.
And, this time coach Rob, schedule those games at the SoBe Arena in Las Vegas.
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George Kemper, whose son Geoff played for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors, is putting together a Gulls Alumni team (86s and older) to take on Rob Pallin's historic 2001-02 AA Las Vegas Mustangs in a pair of Alumni games this summer at the SoBe Arena in Las Vegas. Some Gulls have already contacted George -- if you want to play, please email me at lee@toprank.com and we will make the connection for you.....
Coach Rob Neumann - if you are reading this, please email me - Lee
Sunday, Feb 4 - It's Super Bowl Sunday -- good luck to your favorite team today...
There have been a lot of big games this weekend, none bigger than the two wins posted by Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas and the BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A who beat division-leading Nanaimo Clippers twice - 3-2 in OT and 3-1. That is really something and if you know BCHL hockey it is a huge achievement...Nanaimo, Cowichan and the Victoria Grizzlies are locked in a fiery battle for playoff positioning...
AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors are off to a blazing 4-0-0 start, out-scoring teams 27-3 so far in the Southwest League Championships in Salt Lake City. Las Vegas is 15-1 in their last 16 games and, get this, has only allowed five goals in their last seven starts...Las Vegas will wind up facing either San Jose or Long Beach in the gold medal game -- unless another team gets scorching hot in the eliminator games and that's been done before...
Never let down your guard, even in the handshake line which happened to Rob Pallin's UNLV Rebels on Saturday night. A coach from the Cal State-Long Beach State 49ers put a vice-like grip -- and wouldn't let go, we're told - while scolding a UNLV player and all heck broke loose including pushing and shoving. It shouldn't have happened -- when the game is over, it's over - line up, tap gloves and celebrate the play of the game....
UNLV, meanwhile, cannot wait for the return of all-time goal scorer Anthony Greener who is injured and has been out for weeks. He is a dynamic player, a catalyst, and he will light the torch for UNLV.....hopefully, Anthony will return soon....
It's been a tough season for Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) who was recruited by his youth coach, Steve Chelios, to play for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A in the Ontario Provincial Hockey League this season. Orangeville got off to a blazing start in pre-season, winning 10 games, but the Crushers never got it going in the regular season. About 15 games in, Chelios was let go. Will was crushed - as are most skaters when their coach is removed. Will hung in there and was recently traded to the Sequin Bruins. On Saturday night, Will blasted in 2 goals in a 7-5 win over Orangeville...
No one played harder this weekend, however, than Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt who had three goals, two assists this for the Butte Roughriders Jr B. Butte, needing points to stay alive for the playoffs, beat Yellowstone and then lost at Billings and at Helena who each had season-best frenzied crowds rooting on their hometown teams. Billings had a sellout of 525 at the Centennial Arena and the Bulls fans sure got loud when their team won in a thrilling overtime game At Helena, there was 899 paid, far above the 610 average at the historic Bighorns Arena.....Leypoldt, meanwhile, returns home to Butte which takes on division-leading Cour dAlene in the final two regular season games...
We don't know why, but the powerful Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B have been pouring it on and scoring 20-goal wins over the River City Jaguars -- and that's very tough for any program which is trying to recruit for next season....Ft. Vancouver, who include Ryan King of Las Vegas, is now gearing up for playoff hockey...
Thursday, Feb. 1 - Quote of the Day: "Our UNLV players have poured their hearts out on the ice - I've never had a team work harder during games - They are giving all they can give every game...." Rob Pallin, UNLV coach
Another opponent, another buzzsaw. That's what UNLV is facing when they head out Friday to take on 20-8-0 Cal State-Long Beach in a two-game weekend series at the Glacial Gardens in Lakewood, Ca.
The Rebs are taking on a team which is playoff bound. Cal State is destined to skate in the upcoming ACHA West-II regionals.
"We've played great teams all season - Michigan, Texas Tech, Arizona," said Pallin. "We are without our top goal scorer (Anthony Greener, injured) and we're playing hard now with 10, maybe 11 healthy players a game. Next season we'll be even better with six to seven impact players coming in. I'm excited about our UNLV team, the program, and we're all going to work together to make it work."
Thursday, Feb. 1 -- Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) is playing on a new Junior A team. He was sold by the Orangeville Crushers Jr A to the Sequin Bruins Jr A in the Ontario Provincial Jr. Hockey League.
Sequin is closing out its season this weekend with three games and then will prepare for the playoffs. Will had 12 goals, 17 assists at Orangeville. At Sequin, he has scored a goal and dealt several assists. He is wearing jersey #18.
In the previous two seasons, Munson, 20, was a very popular, fan favorite skater with the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr A. Coach Doug Johnson of the Bulls always called Will 'Money' because in crunch time "he always made the money goals."
However, like all Bulls players, Will got a very bad break when the Bulls franchise shut down. This past summer he hooked on with Orangeville which, at 9-33-2, is also winding up its regular season this weekend.
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The Fairbanks Daily Miner today has a a huge feature story on Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich (AA Las Vegas Mustangs) who is skating on the top line with the U of Fairbanks Nanooks....
Kyle MacKinnon (AAA Cal Wave), an '87, is having a spectacular season with Harvey Smyl's Langley Chiefs Jr A in the BCHL. Kyle is the team's leading scorer with 25 goals, 50 assists for 75 points.....Mitch Wahl (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), a '90, is one of the top rookie scorers in the WHL. Wahl, a very fast skater who burns towards the net, has 9 goals, 19 assists for the WHL Spokane Chiefs....
Nick Jackson (AA Las Vegas Rebels) has 14 goals, 13 assists for the South Jersey Raptors Jr Elite team....Ryan King (AA Las Vegas Rebels) dealt two assists on Wednesday night as the Vancouver Pioneers Jr B crunched the River City Jaguars on their home ice, 22-1. King leads all Las Vegas skaters away from home this winter with 20 goals, 32 assists....Chris Francis (AA Las Vegas Rebels) and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks are in a nine-game losing funk following a 7-1 road loss to the Vancouver Giants on Wednesday night. Portland, however, has the youngest team in major junior hockey this season...
Goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave) has a NAHL-leading 8 shutouts for the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr. A. That's really something - and that was his Dad, Elmer Hopper, who sang the National Anthem at the Roadrunners game vs. the Texas Tornado last weekend. Elmer Hopper years ago sang on hit records for a group you may remember -- The Platters.
Wednesday, Jan 31 - Stat of the Day: One of the best lines in the West - Kyle Clay (48 goals), Robbie Silvernail (29) and Ryan Townsend (19) of the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors, is heading to the Southwest League Championships this Friday...
Pokey Reddick and his 30-5-1 AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team is off to the SWYHL Championships in Utah......The first game will be this Friday when Las Vegas, 13-3-0 in the league, takes on the tough Phoenix Polar Bears....And who will be battling Las Vegas for the SWYHL gold? AA San Jose, AA Long Beach, AA Tucson and AA Phoenix each have enough to win it all too...It's going to be a fiery playoff weekend and it all starts on Friday night....
Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, who was crawling out of car wreck in Montana just a few weeks ago, is having some kind of season. Since the accident, he has had three three-point games for the Butte Roughriders Jr B. But now, Leypoldt and the Roughriders are in a real crunch - with five games left in the regular season they are four points out of a playoff spot. Butte has 22 points, the Billings Jr Bulls Jr B have 26. On Friday night, Butte's 'must win' games start when Yellowstone comes to town...
The Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A --- who include Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of Las Vegas - today announced they will 'webcast' three home games when the tough cold-weather Fargo-Moorhead Jets come to town Feb. 9-10 at the historic Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks....Eddie S reports "it's like summertime" in Fairbanks where it was +20 last evening...It's been as low as a mind-numbing minus-40.....
George Kemper, who always lit a cigar after the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls won a game, is looking for put together an interesting Alumni Game pitting the Gulls vs the AA Las Vegas Mustangs in a summertime charity game over at the SoBe Arena here in town. George's son, Geoff, is a former Gull and invitations will be extended to the greatest Gulls of all-time. Interestingly, there are three Las Vegas skaters -- Eddie Del Grosso, Eddie Samuels and Jason Allen -- who once played for the Gulls on the midget major level...George is looking for '86s and older...Rob Pallin will be on the Mustangs bench....No game date set quite yet, but if you have interest please send me an email at lee@toprank.com...
We hear that Spike Neely, three-time 'All Heart' player from Las Vegas, will work hard on the ice this summer and hopes to join the UNLV team this coming fall....
You are not among the 'in crowd' unless you've been invited to a Las Vegas Ice Cats Mites B post-game pizza party. We hear that Alex Wilson's baby sister, Jordan - who is only one year old - digs in and celebrates just as much as the skaters do....One of the 'Cats hockey moms just bought a new navigational system for her SUV: It does all of the electronic directional work and at the same time, plays CDs too. Now that's stylin'......
Monday, Jan 29 - The AAA Dallas Stars midget majors are on a phenominal run -- three straight gold medals in three tough tournaments. We cannot remember a team winning three golds in a row and in order, here is how Dallas did it:
Hull/Kiwanis Tournament
Championship Game - Jan 7
Dallas Stars 3, Belle Tire 2 OT
North Dakota Tournament
Championship Game - Jan 16
Dallas Stars 5, Pembina Valley 4
Dallas Cup
Championship Game - Jan 28
Dallas Stars 7, Rocky Mountain Wranglers 2
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It's Super Bowl weekend and we have a lot of big game coming up including the Southwest League Championships in Utah. At the same time, the UNLV Rebels college team is off to take on Cal State Long Beach.
On Sunday night, in a men's league game, Jason Allen continued his hot goal-scoring streak with 4 goals, 1 assist while teammates Tim Lydon (1 goal, 2 assists), Josh Odoms (one goal), Geoff Kemper (three assists) and Mike Lawes (one goal) chipped in for The Senators in an 8-3 win over the Crows at the Ice Center. Jason Allen led the men's league in scoring this past summer and continues to scorch in goals in the winter league.
Friday, Jan 26 - It's a sad day in hockey when a quality team like the AA So-Cal Vipers midget majors, 28-11-7 for the season, are told they cannot play in the California State Championships.
For some inexplicable reason, CAHA - which governs the game and determines which teams go to the state championships - capped the number of eligible teams to five.
In order, AA San Diego, AA L.A. Hockey Club, AA San Jose, AA L.A. Jr Kings and AA Long Beach were rated and qualified. They made the cut and deserve to play. However, there is not one reason we can think of why the AA So Cal Vipers are not included. They did enough to earn a right to play in the state championships which are the only route to the Pacific District regionals and ultimately, the U.S. Nationals.
There must be someone, somewhere who sees how unjust this decision is and can get this team into the playoffs.
Wednesday, Jan 23 --
Quote of the Day - "Everyone in this locker room should be proud to be a Methune Ranger. Everyone here should be proud to put on this jersey...."
-- Chris Caglisuo, captain, in the book 'Ice Time' after his Methune Rangers H.S. team gave up a goal in the last 23 seconds to lose 3-2...
Late last night, right around midnight, we were thinking how easy it is to be a winner.
Blaze about, score a few goals, line up at center ice, tap gloves, head for the locker room......
But you show your true character in the toughest of losses, much like Chris Caglisuo was telling his teammates in the riveting book written by Jay Atkinson.
Or, closer to home -- like at the Las Vegas Ice Center, where one of Las Vegas' greatest players Micah Sanford is now working.
It was only a few years ago he was an elite player in the West, a 78-goal scorer for the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs Jr A who had one of the greatest rides of all-time and Sanford was right there with them.
Here's a look at what happened before his biggest game of all:
"...Like every year before it, the Chiefs Jr A had high hopes for the 2001-2002 season. The line-up was stacked. Returning on offence were Jeff Tambellini, Gabe Gauthier, Kaleb Betts, David Van der Gulik, Matt Gibbons and Micah Sanford. Manning the blueline were veterans Mark Woytika, Jeff Barlow and Bobby Henderson. It was a record breaking season for Chilliwack, with a regular season record of 46-10-4 compiling 96 points, good for first place, and a new record in the organization. To go along with that, Tambellini, Gibbons, Van der Gulik, and Sanford all obtained 100 points and above tying the current league record. With Gauthier suffering a late season injury sidelining him for the remainder of the campaign he was unable to reach the 100 mark finishing with a close 99 points. Tambellini shared the scoring title with Cowichan Valleys Matt Ellison with 117 points on the season. He was also named Coastal Conference MVP and most sportsmanlike player. With statistics like this in your line up the Chiefs couldnt go wrong. Being 48 points ahead of the expansion Coquitlam Express, it wasnt hard to blow past them and into the second round. The South Surrey Eagles were the next stop on the road to the BCHL finals. Their archrivals put up a strong effort but were no match for the determined Chiefs and were swept in the best of fives series. In the Coastal Conference finals the Nanaimo Clippers were the next victims. Quickly building up a 3 game series lead, game 4 was held at the Chilliwack Coliseum but the boys couldnt hold off the Clippers and the game headed into overtime. Scoring his very first goal of the season, Shawn Germain was the unlikely overtime hero, sending the Chiefs to the BCHL finals. Like a broken record, it was a Chilliwack, Vernon match-up for the title. With the league rotating home ice advantage between conferences each season, it was the Interiors turn, even though the Chiefs finished 24 points ahead of the Vipers. Home ice seemed to help the Vipers as they wrapped up a 2 game lead before heading to Chilliwack. The rest of the series was all Chilliwack as they landed their third BCHL title in 4 straight wins. Being unsuccessful at their previous Doyle Cup attempts, the Drayton Valley Thunder posed a threat to their so far unstoppable campaign. The Thunder built up a 2 games to 1 lead in Drayton Valley and the balance of the series was to be played in Chilliwack. With the support of their local fans the Chiefs came from behind to win three straight against the Thunder. With the Chiefs trailing by 1 goal with 2 minutes left in the final frame of game 6, blueliner Jeff Barlow hammered one in from the point sending the game into overtime. The teams were neck in neck in the first overtime but at 8:14 of the second overtime period, David Van der Gulik sniped, giving the Chiefs their first Doyle Cup Championship and a birth in the Royal Bank Cup in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Facing the countries best in the round robin round of the championship the Chiefs found themselves in the semi final against OCN. Through their best efforts the Chilliwack was defeated 4-3 and their storybook season came to an end..."
In the spring of 2002 we listened on internet radio to that final, thrilling game. Chilliwack vs. Halifax Exports. It was a riveting right to the finish and then...in overtime, Halifax scored, won 4-3, and Chilliwack's phenonominal, never-to-be-forgotten season shuddered to a sudden close.
After so many thrilling games and finishes there were no more games to play and emotional Chilliwack players, Sanford included, were down in a heap on the ice. Many were crying. The two Chiefs radio announcers, who called so many thrilling games all winter, broke down and wept while on the air. We broke down and cried too and we're not ashamed to admit it.
One by one, the Chiefs got to their feet, skated over to the boards, went into the locker room for the last time of the season.
So the next time you see Micah Sanford at the Ice Center, say hello and he'll give you a nod and a quick smile.
But now you know the story behind the story -- Micah Sanford played on one of the greatest teams in one of the greatest seasons and was in one of the greatest games of all time.
Monday, Jan 22 - There are a lot of championship banners hung with care over at the Ice Center on Flamingo but this one deserves to have a 24/7 spotlight beaming onto it.
Let everyone see it...
On Sunday, the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors won the Silversticks Nationals championship which will go down as one of the all-time historic achievements in Las Vegas hockey.
How did Las Vegas do it?
Here is one theory: The Outlaws were strong in the fall, got stronger when Ray Leroux and Ryan Scheafer returned from out of state teams and rejoined the team in December. Leroux is strong with the puck, has excellent hockey sense in big games and adds some firepower. Scheafer is a Junior-A level defenseman who is very imposing when he is on the ice.
The Outlaws, just like that, were much stronger and had the right kind of depth to support their top goalie, Ryan Sutliffe. Plus, head coach Pokey Reddick is a proven winner -- his Las Vegas teams have won back to back Pacific District regional championships.
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Also this weekend -- big goal scorer Jason Allen of Las Vegas scored 8 times including 4 short-handed as the Senators beat the Jokers 11-6 in a men's league game at the Ice Center on Sunday night. Josh Odoms, Michael Laws and Robbie Jay also scored for the Senators.
And who holds the record for most goals in a single men's league game?
Chris Francis of Las Vegas scored 9 times in a game last summer. Thank goodness they had a running clock...
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George Niederriter over at the Ice Center deserves much more than what we can write here. We got a call this weekend that his beloved son Daniel, only 25, passed away this weekend.
It was just a few months ago when George, who on game day is in the scorebox and writes down all of goals and penalities, personally wrote a story about his son on these very same pages. There was a charity hockey game with over $3,000 raised to help Daniel and his family in medical expenses.
We all love our children - we lost one in Daniel and our heart aches.
This is what is posted on the Ice Center web page:
"...It is with great sorrow that we inform you that Daniel Allen Niederriter long time score keeper at Las Vegas Ice Center and son of George Niederriter men's league coordinator passed away at 2:00am on Saturday January 20th due to complications from cancer. Memorial services have been set for 6:30 pm on Tuesday January 23rd at the Palms Mortuary on Cheyenne. George and June would like to thank everyone for their support and prayers...".
Friday, Jan 19 - Quote of the Day, in the Fairbanks Daily Miner from Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich of the U of Fairbanks Nanooks who take on 13th-rated Michigan in a two-game weekend series:
We have lost seven in a row, sophomore right wing Adam Naglich reiterated after Thursday mornings practice at the Carlson Center, but were all staying positive and everyones keeping their heads up and keeping smiles on their faces. We think that the worst thing you can do is really get down at a time like this; you just have to stay positive and keep working hard.'
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There are top Western teams -- AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u, AA So-Cal Vipers 18u, AA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 18u and AA Phoenix Polar Bears -- in the Silversticks Nationals which begin tonight in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. All are in tough for the first three games (including a Las Vegas vs. So-Cal Vipers game tomorrow) with the field going into a Final Four on Sunday morning and the championship game the same day at 2:50 pm...
Thursday, Jan 18 -- Happy, happy birthday to Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt -- 20 years old today.
Wednesday 'Late Night' Jan 17 -- Recently retired pro player Nick Ganga, we were told today, will take over much of the coaching responsibilites of the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs midget majors who are now the Long Beach Bulldogs Jr B in the WSHL. Ron White will still serve as a coach, but will be also involved in managerial responsibilities for the team. Ganga, who played at Ohio State and logged years of play in minor league hockey in the UHL and ECHL, is running some pretty intense dryland drills with the new 'Dogs.....
The AA So-Cal Vipers 18u team is off to the Silversticks Nationals which begin Friday in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada...The Vipers, who have been a Top 10 West rated team all season, will take on - in order - the Markham Islanders, Las Vegas Outlaws (and what a matchup that is!) and the Orangeville Flyers. All teams are Silversticks regional champions and as a result, there are no breathers in a three-game prelude to the eliminator games...
Wednesday, Jan 17 - We want to thank all who sent in scores and highlights the last 72 hours....you, our incredible rinkboard reporters, make it all tick here...
The AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 16u team, which had a phenominal run at the Victory Honda Tournament, breaks into the Top 10 West ratings for the first time this season....It's a hard-working team we liked when they played Las Vegas in the fall here at the Ice Center on Flamingo Ave and we figured it would be a matter of time before they got it going...
Several other teams ticked up in the ratings including Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors who are 26-4-1, winner of two tournaments and are off to the Silversticks Nationals this coming week in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada....
On Friday night AA Las Vegas will open against a very tough 20-4-1 AA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 18u team which shocked a strong, high-scoring Michigan Jaguars team in the gold medal game of their regional final in Midland, Michigan.....Dallas is on a hot run, so it's going to be interesting to see how Las Vegas figures them out in what looks like, we think, is an incredibly intriguing game..
There is rink talk that the UNLV Rebels are putting together a phenominal schedule for 2007-08. For sure, the Michigan Wolverines are blue-penciled to be at the SoBe Arena in January, 2008......the schedule-makers for UNLV know that the top teams, like Michigan and Texas Tech, bring in the hottest crowds....
Monday, Jan 15 - There is a huge, breaking story today -- the U of Michigan Wolverines ice team is returning to take on the UNLV Rebels at the Sobe next year. "Right after the Saturday night game the Michigan coaches asked 'how about a couple of games here next year?' and we said sure, we'd love to have you back," said Rob Pallin who added the Rebs will be "much stronger next season."
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Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget major team is riding on an eight-game streak, a 25-4-1 record and a spot in the Winterfest gold medal game today at the Las Vegas Ice Center. The Outlaws worked hard to make it to the finals, as did the Utah Wildcats 18u team who had a great skate here and have an interesting wide-open attack. The two teams go at it today...
We returned to the Ice Center late Sunday night to take one more look at Tucson Stampede's flashy goal-scorer, #4 Alexandre 'Sasha' Bilozertchev who scored two spectacular goals against the Las Vegas Outlaws in that wild 4-3 game on Sunday morning....Bilozertchev blazed about, was very creative in his play during the late-night game vs. Utah. He shook loose late to score a terrific close-range goal. He's very exciting and he is some kind of prospect....
Ian Armstrong, the Tucson head coach, four years ago had a big scorer named David Lewandowski. He started the 2002-03 with AA Tucson, then early in the same season came here to play for the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws coached by Rob Pallin.
"It really broke our hearts sending David to Las Vegas, but we knew it was the right thing to do," said Ian, reflecting quietly for a moment at the Ice Center.
Lewandowski was a top player for that AAA Las Vegas team which had a huge run in the Pacific District regionals, beating the Alaska All-Stars 6-5 at Fairbanks. Lewandowski was also a star goal scorer for Las Vegas at the Richmond tournament that year.
Since then, Lewandowski played for the NAHL Helena Bighorns Jr A and is now playing NCAA hockey in the ECAC with Wentford College in Boston. He has 4 goals, 12 assists for Wentford which plays home games at the 6,000-seat Matthews Arena.....
Another hard worker on the ice is Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) who scored two goals and dealt an assist -- one of his best-ever games -- to help the USHL Tri-City Storm Jr A beat the Ohio Blue Jackets Jr A 4-2 on Sunday night....Dan Comrie (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) scored two goals for the USHL Lincoln Stars who beat Green Bay 6-1 on Friday night. In 13 games, Comrie has 5 goals, 4 assists - which are really terrific numbers...Mike Zenzola (AA Inland Valley Wild) is on a hot run - 5 goals in his last two games for the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B....
The WSHL Phoenix Polar Bears Jr B are 30-2-0 and the top scorer is Jamie Davis, an '86 who has, yikes, 54 goals, 43 assists.....
Stars of the Game: Las Vegas got two Stars this week - Bryce Reddick of the Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A (key goal and terrific play in a win over rival Alberni Valley Bulldogs), Eddie Samuels of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A (two goals including OT Shootout game-winner in win over Wichita Falls Wildcats)......
The AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u team has worked its way to the Final Four at the Victory Honda Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Ducks have two elite goalies, Paul 'P.J.' Musico and Alexander Mikovic. PJ was in the net in the tie vs. nationally-rated Belle Tire and the win over the Madison Capitals. Mikovic got the win over the Pittsburgh Hornets, worked the first and second periods and PJ the third period in the riveting win over the Texas Attack....
While checking our weekend notebook, we neglected to mention the hard work of Justin Herbst of the UNLV team. He got a ton of ice time in UNLV's game vs. Michigan on Saturday night and was focused, played hard, moved the puck -- excellent in all phases of his game...
Coach Pallin, while at the rinkboards watching the Outlaws play Tucson on Sunday, said both UNLV goalies - Brandon Rial and Chris Tate - were at the top of their game and kept the Rebs in striking distance in the Michigan games...
We tried to get some extra Michigan vs UNLV game programs but, like we expected, they were sold out. Lily Baca put together one of the best-ever UNLV programs and many of those were picked up Michigan fans...
Big games bring out so many friends - the Leypoldt's, the Trimbath's, the Fulwiler's plus Harry Long -- who son Kurt is one of the all-time Las Vegas goal scorers - were at the Michigan vs UNLV game on Saturday night.
Hey, did you hear about what happened in Flagstaff yesterday? The Las Vegas Ice Cats sent a combined team of squirts (10u) and mites (8u) to play in the King of the Mountain squirt tournament...On Sunday night, in a game vs. the hometown Flagstaff North Stars, it was 5-5 late and Flagstaff went on a powerplay. The Las Vegas coach said 'send out the mites' for the penalty kill. They included long-time rink pals Jimmy Samuels, 8, and Scotty Cunningham, 8. The Las Vegas goalie then lost his stick and while Las Vegas hockey moms screamed like crazy rooting them on the mites battled hard and Flagstaff couldn't score. The older Las Vegas squirts went over the wall, scored a quick goal and Las Vegas won 6-5. Afterwards, both teams went to a tournament barbecue and today, on Monday, the same two teams play for the gold.
Speaking of barbecues, the Townsend's -- whose son Ryan is a very skilled player who skates for the Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team - flame-grilled and served the best-ever burger we ever had at the big rink....
I am, however, embarrassed to report that one of my best rinkboard pals got totally hooked on the award-winning 'peanut butter tournament fudge' that was sold in a corridor at the Ice Center. He made a number of purchases and I haven't seen him since...
Sunday, Jan 14 - Ida Del Grosso, grandmother of Eddie D, is 75 today.
And what a birthday surprise she is going to get.
That's what hockey mom Patty Del Grosso was saying this morning.
Ida's 2 older brothers and 3 older sisters are coming in for birthday cake.
So is Patty's brother and sister, all the way from Niagara Falls.
And Eddie, who played for Nebraska-Omaha in the 7-0 win over Bowling Green on Saturday night, got permission to take a flight home too.
"Boy, is Mom going to be surprised to see Eddie --- she watched his game on TV last night," said Patty.
Happy 75th, Ms. Ida!
Sunday, Jan 14 -- On the hockey ticker: Shaun Stackhouse of Las Vegas and the Richmond Hill Rams Jr A win a game for 'Little Nikki,' age 8.
Right around midnight, just when I was just getting over the UNLV losses to Michigan, the email came rattling in from Shaun Stackhouse of Las Vegas who plays for the Richmond Hill Rams Jr A in Canada:
"We won on Saturday night. The stands were packed. It was pretty emotional....it was all for Little Nikki...."
On the Richmond Hill web page:
"....Little Nikki Malfara, age 8, who plays for the Richmond Hill Novice "AE" Kings, has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour. He has had his first operation to remove the tumour but now has to undergo further treatment and needs our help...."
So the Richmond Hill Rams put together a charity game against their biggest rival, the Bradford Rattlers. Fans poured in. Bleachers packed. Little Nikki was there. Hugged by everyone. Hockey moms fussed over him. Donations for the little hockey player.
What a gesture.
Thank you, Shaun Stackhouse and thank you, Richmond Hill Rams.
Saturday, Jan 13 - It's early Saturday morning and we still have our Friday night game buzz.....The Michigan - UNLV game was the best we have ever seen at the SoBe Arena and we've watched quite a few games through the rink glass the last two years.
There were snow flurries outside the rink about an hour or two before the big game. Michigan arrived in a huge cruiser of a bus and the skaters , when they warmed up on the ice, wore crisp white jerseys with the famous giant blue M across the front.
"Michigan looked good, even warming up," said Tim Lydon, a former Las Vegas Rebel skater who was at the boards.
It was an exciting, explosive game and UNLV turned up its play about a thousand notches to make it a real thriller. Tonight, UNLV would like to avenge its two-goal loss at the SoBe. Faceoff, 6:30 pm.
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There's lots of hockey in town. Kyle Clay and the 21-4-1 AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors are hosting the seven-team Winterfest which gets underway this morning at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Clay is the 2006 Las Vegas Skater of the Year and he will lead the way for this terrific Las Vegas team which includes two top goalies, Ryan Sutliffe and Matt Vorce....Wally Lacrox' AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team is off to the King of the Rockies in Westminster, Colorado....
Jesica Cook, age 10, knows how to get the weekend cooking. She scored a goal with 0:27.7 left in regulation this morning to help the Las Vegas Ice Cats squirt team tie the VOSHA Mustangs 5-5 at the King of the Mountain tournament in Flagstaff. She got the game MVP award. The Ice Cats squirts have some of the younger Ice Cats mite B players on the roster this weekend. Jimmy Samuels, age 8, scored the first goal for the 'Cats. They are now off to a Skills Competition and will play two games on Sunday.
Also on this chilly winter morning: That was a huge win for Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks who beat the powerful 33-7-0 Everett Silvertips 3-1 on Friday night. It was Everett's first home loss in regulation this season.....
Defenseman Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls), who has been out with injuries since Oct. 21, returned to the lineup Friday night for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. He will try to rally the Roadrunners who were, before Christmas, one of the top teams in the league. Since coming back from the holiday break the 'Runners have lost four straight -- 4-1, 4-1, 3-1 and 5-1. It doesn't make sense, but look at Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who have exploded in goal scoring, have won 5 games in a row and have scored 16 goals the last two games.
It's signing time: The Moncton Wildcats Jr A announced today they have tendered Marcus Watson, 17, of the AAA San Jose Jr Sharks midget majors...
We were told last night the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs midget majors will play out the remainder of the season in the WSHL. They will be the Long Beach Bulldogs and take on some pretty fierce Junior B teams including defending champion Phoenix Polar Bears and a San Diego Surf team which works very hard and scores in bunches...The Long Beach team includes Las Vegas skater John McNicholas who is always a hard worker on the ice....
Tuesday, Jan 9 - Best Michigan story of the Week: "I scored my college goal against Michigan," said UNLV bench Rob Pallin. "It was 1988, I was a defenseman for Western Michigan. We were in a 5-5 game. With about three minutes to go, I picked a puck at the red line, went past a defenseman and just cracked the puck - it went in, glove-high. It was the game-winner. I was so excited I went off the ice, back to the bench and was buzzing with excitement. Then someone told me 'hey Rob, the game is still going on and you're supposed to be on the ice' so I climbed over the wall to get back into the game. We hung on to win..."
Lili Baca is working on the Michigan vs UNLV game program and it should be a real collector's piece. We worked on an interesting preview story and sent it in last night. There are some nice statistical charts plus the UNLV award-winners -- John McAslan (Defenseman of the Year), Aaron Baca (All-Heart) and Colby Cookson (Most Improved) -- are highlighted. If you want a program please send me a note at lee@toprank.com
We cannot remember a rink buzz like this before. UNLV will have two practices, including one tonight, to make preparations for the two biggest games of the year on Friday and Saturday nights at the SoBe Arena. There are usually some UNLV collector items, like hats, etc., at the check-in table but we're sure all of those will likely be gone before faceoff.
We'll be at the Fiesta buffet after the Friday night game. Hey, it's the best place to talk about the big Michigan game and hopefully, a 'W' for the UNLV skaters who have worked so hard to get the program to this point.
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Travis Prendergast, an '88 who skated for the AA Ventura Mariners 18u and 16u teams, today was named to the Empire Junior Hockey League All-Star team. That's quite an honor. Travis has 11 goals, 7 assists -- including two game-winning goals -- for the Capital District Selects who skate out of Clifton Park, N.Y......
Nick Jackson, who skated on the AA Las Vegas Rebels 18u team which went to the U.S. Nationals last winter, has 14 goals for the South Jersey Raptors Jr B.....Defenseman Alex Winnik (AA Las Vegas) has 6 goals, 17 assists for the AAA Cal North Stars midget majors.
We're told that the NAHL Texas Tornado Jr A is taking a hard look at goalie Matt Frederico who is on the roster of Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix midget major team...
We've heard a lot of good things about Austin Block, captain of the AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors, who is being recruited by the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A.......
Thanks to all who today sent in the weekend scores for the AAA Colorado Rampage midget majors: 4-3 over AAA Omaha Energy, 7-1 over AAA Omaha Energy and 8-1 over the AAA Pikes Peak Miners......
Real busy weekend coming up for the #1 rated AA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors. They have tough teams like the AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u, AA Long Beach Ice Dogs 18u and the AA North Delta, B.C. Sundevils 18u coming in town for a MLK Tournament....Those are pretty explosive matchups, particuarly Portland v San Diego and Long Beach v San Diego......Oh, plus the Gulls have a scheduled SCAHA game with the AA Ventura Mariners 18u who are always tough this time of the season....
Monday, Jan 8 - What a weekend -- the AAA Dallas Stars midget majors win seven games, including going OT in the championship game, to capture the gold medal at the annual Hull Kiwanis Tournament in Quebec...Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks play in their 4th straight OT game...Las Vegas skaters Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A sweep three games over the North Iowa Outlaws....Ryan King of Las Vegas and the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B keep blasting teams apart...Conrad Trimbath of Las Vegas worked his assist-magic with the Northern Cyclones Jr A in Hudson, N.H....plus, we're only a few days away from the grand arrival of powerful Michigan who take on UNLV on Friday and Saturday nights..
That's all big stuff.
But the biggest story of all came out of Montana.
One week ago, Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt was a passenger in a vehicle which slid off an icy highway and into a snowy ditch in Butte, Montana.
He was banged up, crawled through the passenger window, got transported to a local hospital, took x-rays, hurt all over and was told he had bruised ribs and maybe a fracture or two.
Yet, two days later, he was on practice ice and on Sunday night Stephen Leypoldt scored two goals and dealt an assist in a 6-3 win -- one of his biggest games ever for the Butte Roughriders Jr B.
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It's a good thing that Las Vegas skater Jason Allen has a three-pack of his favorite stick, an Easton Synergy with a glistening ice-blue shaft.
He wound up and blasted some extremely hard shots with his Easton on Sunday night. He scored four goals, dealt two assists and teammate Geoff Kemper, Michael Lawes also scored for The Senators men's league team in a game over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Sunday night.
It sure was entertaining to watch. When the smoke cleared, the Rhinos -- who included Wally Lacroix gliding about and making precise passes - got the win, 9-7.
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When he was seven years old, Tim Lydon of Las Vegas didn't feel so hot.
Birth defect, the family was told.
Tim needed a liver transplant and his folks arranged for it at a medical facility in California.
The operation was a success and following his recovery, Tim began playing youth ice hockey. He matured into a top defenseman and was a star player last winter for Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels midget major team who went to the U.S. Nationals in Pittsburgh.
Tim played so well he was named 'All Heart,' one of the top awards there is in Las Vegas.
On Sunday night, while playing for the Senators men's league team at the Las Vegas Ice Center, it was the 12th anniversary of the operation.
As Tim skated about only a precious few people at the rinkboards knew about it --- but now, you know the story behind the story...
Saturday, Jan. 6 - Quote of the Day: "In the words of Wylie Coyote, we need to call Acme and order a Hockey Game-Winning Plan," sighed webcaster Arch Eckard after the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A lost a three-goal game for the second straight night - the first time the 'Runners have had back-to-back losses this season.
Sometimes you play hard and still cannot get the 'W,' which is what U of Fairbanks Nanooks coach Tavis MacMillan was eluding to after a 6-2 loss at Ohio State on Friday night.
It's been a very tough stretch for Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich and the Nanooks who lost two straight to the Alaska Seawolves before heading to Ohio State this weekend.
"We're playing hard, playing with emotion...I sound like a broken record, don't I?" said MacMillan afterwards the road loss to Ohio State.
Many times, as MacMillan knows, it's just a matter of getting the right puck bounces and opportunities......
In college hockey this year, Las Vegas skaters are off to strong starts - Jeff Hajner (Air Force Academy) has 4 goals; Eddie Del Grosso (U of Nebraska-Omaha) 3 goals and Adam Naglich (Fairbanks Nanooks) 3 goals. All are on hockey scholarships.
Ryan King, who scored the game-winning goal for the AA Las Vegas Rebels to win the Pacific District regional title last spring, has 15 goals, 24 assists for 39 points for the North Vancouver Pioneers Jr B. He leads the scoring of all Las Vegas skaters away from home.
Webcasters Scott and Norma of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A said they were cold, shivering cold, and they were inside of the Big Dipper Ice Arena on Friday night. Two Las Vegas skaters, Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev, were on the ice in the 4-1 win over the North Outlaws Jr A. That was the easy part; the other part was afterwards while navigating to billet homes in minus-28 degree weather.
It's hitting minus-40 there tonight for game two of the three-game weekend series. We've got the Arctic Cam working to check things out tonight...
We've been listening to webcasters Andy Kemp and Dean 'Scooter' Vrooman on the WHL Portland Winter Hawks games and for sure, Chris Francis of Las Vegas is getting a ton of ice time...
By the way, the young Las Vegas Ice Cats Mite B's went 3-1-0 in round-robin play but did not advance to the gold medal game at the Coyote Cup last weekend in Scottsdale, Az. There was some sort of weird tie-breaking system we were told which sent two Arizona teams into the finals.
Here's an incredible story: Steven Mohler (AAA L.A. Selects), out 10 weeks with an ankle injury and concussion, has scored three goals in his last two starts including a pair of powerplay goals which helped the NAHL Springsfield Blues Jr A beat the Santa Fe Roadrunners, 4-1 on Friday night.....
Early morning workout: Rob Pallin is going to send the Ice Cats Mite B's through some skating drills early Sunday morning at the SoBe Arena. Bring your mittens: it all starts at 6:45 am and it's going to be wintery...
Meanwhile, Las Vegas hockey dad Steve Allen says "I really can't wait for Michigan to come in next Friday." It's the biggest series of all-time for Las Vegas as Michigan takes on the UNLV Rebels at the SoBe Arena on Friday, Jan. 12 and Saturday, Jan. 13. We've got our spots picked out already, over on the south ride rinkboards, to the right of the net. It's a two-cup game Friday, so we will bring two Starbucks grandes to the boards. And for sure, there will be a steaming Starbucks latte or two on the UNLV bench for coaches Tim Mueller and Rob Pallin...
Friday, Jan. 5 - There is a huge story today - the ECHL is about to announce that Wally Lacroix of Las Vegas will be one of the officials in the upcoming ECHL All-Star game on Jan. 17 at the Qwest Center in Boise, Idaho.
The ECHL has a rotation of 35 referees and over 100 linesmen to officiate its regular season games which includes those played by the Las Vegas Wranglers at The Orleans Arena on Tropicana Ave.
Lacroix, who is also the head coach of the high-powered AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors hockey team at the Las Vegas Ice Center, is in his 4th season as a top official in the ECHL.
This is a great honor - just as big as a skater being chosen for the big game.
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Stephen Mohler (AAA L.A. Selects) got a huge goal Thursday night to help the Springfield Blues Jr A beat the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A 4-1. It's never easy taking on the Roadrunners, particuarly with big-time goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) in the net and with 'Runner captain John Stoddard (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) buzzing around.....In 20 games, Mohler has 7 goals, 6 assists - really terrific numbers.
Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) got a very big win Thursday night. He was in the net as the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A beat the Alexandria Blizzard Jr A 6-5. Oliver this season has a 7-5-5 record with a 3.55 gaa and a terrific 90.0% save percentage. Oliver is a top talent who gives it his all whenever he gets in the net. Bismarck is in a firefight for a playoff spot so every win is precious....
Blake Page (AAA Colorado Rampage, AA Beach City) is the leading scorer with the Baystate Breakers Jr A in the EJHL. He has 13 goals, 18 assists and next season he will be a teammate of Las Vegas skater Jeff Hajner at the Air Force Academy.
The hard-working, very popular skater Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has 11 goals, 17 assists for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A in the Ontario Provincial League. Last winter, Will and Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas were in the same billet home while playing for the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr. A. Billings coach Doug Johnson used to call Will 'Money' because he "always scored the money-goal for us."
Jon Drake (AAA San Jose Jr Sharks) was a recent 'Player of the Week' in the NOJHL. He has 17 goals, 15 assists for the Blind River Beavers Jr A in Ontario, Canada....In the same league, Bryan Albert (AAA Cal Senators, AA Inland Valley Wild, AAA L.A. Jr Kings) has 6 goals, 8 assists for the North Bay Skyhawks Jr A.....Albert is a very skilled player...
We're not sure why, but the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A dealt two top, skilled players to division rival St. Louis Bandits Jr A this week.
Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of Las Vegas will be working on the same line tonight for the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who take on the North Iowa Outlaws Jr A at the famous Big Dipper Ice Arena in ice-cold Fairbanks where the game-time forecast is minus-22 outside the rink doors. Maleev is hot, however, with three goals blasted in during his last two starts.
At the recent Alumni/Las Vegas Rebels holiday game, the player -- not in uniform - on the Rebels bench was Swede Lindeberg.....
The big buzz in college hockey are the Niagara Purple Eagles who just got into the Top 20 ratings. Niagara's Ted Cook, a sophomore, is the nation's leading scorer with 18 goals and Niagara goes into the #19 position in the poll - which is, when you look at the Division 1 landscape, quite an achievement.
How big is Michigan vs UNLV next Friday, Jan 12?
UNLV team managers have been asked to bring seven flavors of Gatorade to the bench......
Thursday, Jan 4 - UNLV captain Aaron 'Rocky' Baca took a walk the other day and all of a sudden he felt a tweak in his left knee.
Oh, no...
Not with Michigan coming in next week.
"Ya gotta play," one of his teammates needled him at practice. "You just got named All-Heart by the fans."
Baca laughed. Then, when his teammate walked away, his heart sank.
Achy knee, battered ankle, an hernia which needs an operation.
Like, an operation yesterday.
"It's a tough time of the year, lots of players banged up," sighed UNLV bench coach Rob Pallin in his hockey office.
For Baca, a powerful force like Michigan coming in is what the program is all about and where it is heading.
Two summers ago, out of hockey, Baca said he had an idea.
He walked around the rink, had a signup sheet on a clipboard and said he was going to put together a UNLV team together.
Sure, we said, and maybe Michigan might be coming in one day.
Boy, the guys at the rinkboards laughed real hard about that one.
But not anymore.
Baca got onto the phone and regrouped former Las Vegas skaters. He went on MySpace.com and searched for any UNLV student who had an interest in hockey.
Any kind of hockey.
Come out to practice.
Please.
Somehow, someway the puzzle pieces got put together.
Anthony Greener, a former Las Vegas Rebel, became a big goal scorer and an instant star skater.
Ryan Krametbauer, Jeff Root and Danny Kaminski became feared defensemen.
John McAslan, the incredibly skilled d-man, was so great he was just named Defenseman of the Year.
Derek Koehler began to score spectacularly. UNLV's first big line of Greener, Baca and Dan Penska buzzed into attack zones.
In the first season UCLA came in, was roughed up, conquored, went home and didn't want to come back no matter how much Baca pleaded.
Then, this season the bigger teams were booked - Arizona, Arizona State, Texas Tech -- teams that were quicker, moved the puck, had skill, set up precise power plays, played with passion.
Now here comes Michigan.
The biggest monster of all on the UNLV schedule.
"I've got to play in this one," said Baca. "I'm beat up, hurt, but I want to play. Been thinking about Michigan for so such a long time."
For sure, Michigan is going to get a mighty surprise next Friday night, Jan. 12.
One of the all-time Las Vegas scorers, Josh Jasek, will be pulling on the UNLV jersey, skate onto the ice and play in the biggest game of all time in Las Vegas.
Wednesday, Jan 3 - So who scored the most goals last weekend? It was the AAA L.A. Selects 16u who blasted in 54 goals while going 6-0-0 at their holiday tournament in Westminster, Ca. That's some kind of firepower -- averaging nine goals a game against top Western teams.
Troy Powers and the AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u sure deserved a better fate at the Mac's Tournament in Calgary. The Kings were 2-1-1 including a 2-2 tie with the Denmark Nationals -- but all of that was not enough to advance to the Final 8...
The hottest team? The AA Cal Stars 16u, who skate out of Ontario Center Ice, are right up there going 5-0-0 to run their unbeaten streak to 12 in a row over the weekend...The AA Anaheim Wildcats 16u went 4-0-1 in the Southwest League....The AA San Diego Jr Gulls 16u went 5-0-0, then lost a tough one, 3-2 to the Kelowna Jr Rockets in a gold medal game. The Rockets have always been a fiery team at the Richmond tournament. The young Gulls really played well all week, outscoring teams 39-10 in Canada and that's tough to do at Richmond...
The AA Long Beach Ice Dogs 18u were 5-1-0 in the Southwest League...The AA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u, after a tough loss to AA Las Vegas, went 5-0-0 in their Southwest League games...
The AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u were the only team to get back-to-back shutouts, beating the Phoenix Polar Bears 2-0 and the Boise Steelheads 7-0 in the Southwest League....Kyle Clay, the Las Vegas Skater of the Year, scored 10 goals during the holidays....
Comeback team of the weekend: The AAA Cal North Stars 16u, who had won five games all season, went 5-0-0 before losing to the Kerry Park Islanders in a gold medal game at Richmond....
Biggest win of the weekend:
AAA Texas Attack 18u 8, AAA Belle Tire of Detroit 18u 3, at the Redhawk Winter Fury Tournament at Ohio University. The five-goal win over one of the top teams in the nation put Texas into the gold medal game.
More big wins:
The AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u avenged an earlier four-goal loss with a 4-3 win over the AAA Anaheim Wildcats 16u at the L.A. Selects Holiday Tournament.
The AA L.A. Hockey Club 18u out-battled #1 rated AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u 2-1 in an all-out thrilling game at Richmond.
It was 1-1 very late in the game, then the AA L.A Hockey Club 18u scored twice to nudge the AA L.A. Jr Kings 18u 3-1 in what was described as one of the most fiercely played games at Richmond.
After losing their first four, the AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u - their roster ravaged with injuries - had a six-goal win over the AA Alaska Blue Devils 18u in a Final Four game at Richmond.
The AA Yorba Linda Blackhawks 16u had two big wins, 6-3 over the AA L.A. Jr Kings 16u and 7-0 over the Inland Valley Wild 16u at the big holiday tournament in Ontario, Ca.
Tuesday, Jan. 2 - Kyle Clay (35 goals), Robbie Silvernail ( 18 ) , Ryan Townsend (13) and Ryan Scheafer (10) are the top goal scorers for Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors who are off to a blistering 21-4-1 start this season.....Goalie Ryan Sutliffe has some spectacular numbers: He's 15-4-1 with a very high save percentage of 92.0%...Backup goalie Matt Vorce has a perfect 6-0-0 record...
The AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors today moved into the Top 10 West ratings for the first time this season - they are obviously much stronger with the addition of TJ Pacuk and Mike DeStefano and should be an impact team during the second half of the season in the Southwest League games and at the upcoming Pacific District regionals.
We are told that Cody Williams, a skater with the AA Las Vegas Ice Cats midget minors, is having an awesome season and one of the big reasons why the team is doing so well in its first season.
On New Year's Eve, Troy Puente (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) scored his first Junior A goal for the three-time defending champions Texas Tornado who were in an all-out firefight with rival St. Louis Bandits Jr A.....Puente, an '88, is a top rookie defenseman for Texas....
After a holiday week at home, Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas today returned to the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who take on the North Iowa Outlaws Jr A in a three-game series this coming weekend....
Monday, Jan. 1 - The Countdown Clock is ticking.....11 days to the biggest, most important games of the year - Michigan vs. UNLV in a two-game weekend series beginning Jan 12 at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta. For sure, Las Vegas' all-time goal scorer Josh Jasek will be wearing a UNLV sweater and be on the ice. We will soon have a full-blast preview - with a focus on UNLV's new young guns like Anthony Marinello, Colby Cookson and Troy Mueller as they head into this huge series. This is the series where UNLV wants to make a statement about where the program is and where it is heading....
Sunday, Dec 31 - We want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and for all skaters to have a safe journey home from their holiday tournaments.
This is a big day in Richmond, B.C., with all of the titles on the line. The coaches there say that the Vancouver Canadians midget major team, which is in the Elite Gold Division title game today, is one of the best teams in years playing in this tournament.
Dan Comrie, who played in a few Richmond tournaments when he was skating for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u, last night had a short-handed goal for the USHL Lincoln Stars in a 5-3 loss to Sioux City. Comrie, an '86 who has been off for two seasons, is back in full force -- in eight games he has two goals, three assists and is +2 on the ice.
We also wanted to mention the play of goalie Troy Reddman (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) who has had all-out spectacular games for the USHL Ohio Blue Jackets Jr. A. He was in a firefight today, in the net in a 4-3 win over the Indiana Ice Jr A. Donnie Hallmark (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) dealt two assists in that big win.
There are an amazing number of top goalies in the NAHL this season, but the players tell us the best one of all is Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) of the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
We keep hearing that Tim Douglas, the star goalie for the AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors last winter, may be back in action next season.
Hey, did you hear about the caravan of cars leading the Las Vegas Ice Cats Mite B's to the Coyote Cup in Scottsdale? Determined not to get lost, we heard the lead SUV was loaded down with the latest in electronic navigational equipment with an rooftop array of those whip-like antennaes....There was no way they were going to be late for the Coyote Cup...So far, the Ice Cats are 3-1-0, have been to a huge Peter Piper Pizza party and celebrated the first-birthday of skater Alex Wilson's baby sister, Jordan...
Sunday, Dec 31 - Congratulations to Kyle Clay who today was announced as the 2006 Las Vegas Skater of the Year. Kyle is a very skilled player, a big goal scorer and a very popular skater here in the city.
For the last two months we received a record-breaking number of votes along with some incredible emails about local players, coaches, execs who were all deserving of an award. For that, I thank you.
I also want to thank my two rinkboard friends, George Kemper and Steve Allen, who helped get the awards nominating process started and who each put in the first votes. Because of my travel, George and Steve see far more Las Vegas games than we do and they do much of the game reporting here. When I am at the rink, you will usually see us clustered on a rinkboard looking through the glass.
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Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, injured in a car accident Friday night in Butte, Montana, had his ribs wrapped at a local hospital and then tried to skate with his team a practice on Saturday morning. He gave it shot, but the pain was too much and he went off the ice. He is determined to play as soon as possible for the Butte Roughriders Jr B.
Saturday, Dec 30 - The biggest story today involves Kurt Long, one of the all-time Las Vegas goal scorers, who is mulling over a return to the game. Kurt, an '86, made a late-summer decision not to return to his team, the Laconia Leafs Jr A in New Hampshire, but apparently the coaches there are asking him to return as the Leafs are making a run at the upcoming playoffs. We're told Kurt is skating and will soon make a decision. At Las Vegas, Kurt was a top player on the midget major level and scored some very big goals in tournaments.
Sal Tecci, who was a very promising young goalie when he played in Las Vegas, is putting up big numbers for the Savio Prep Spartans who are located in the greater Boston area. Tecci, a freshman, has a 4-0-1 record with a very high save percentage of 95.5% Here are some more interesting stats: Tecci has not allowed a power play goal including eight times while facing fiery 5-on-3 attacks. Savio Prep is in first place in the Catholic Central League.
We want to remind all Las Vegas skaters away from home that while in a car please put on a seatbelt. It was a seatbelt which restrained and kept Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt inside of a vehicle which slid on an icy highway, rolled and wound up in a ditch Friday night in Butte, Montana. The driver of the car did not wear a seatbelt and was ejected. After the crash, Stephen unsnapped the seatbelt and crawled through the passenger window. He has a fractured rib and three cracked ribs - but those will heal and he will again play. We want to wish Stephen, one of our favorite skaters, a quick recovery. We are thinking of you. His parents, Judy and Ken, are torn to pieces - all of this is tremendously upsetting as I write this as we have many Las Vegas skaters away from home this winter.
Friday, Dec 29 - There is a huge story tonight -- Itan Chavira, who skated for the AA Inland Valley Wild midget majors last winter -- is now on the roster of the USHL Ohio Blue Jackets Jr. A. Chavira, an '87 who had 25 goals, 43 assists for the WSHL San Diego Surf Jr B this season, played in his first USHL game on Friday night...
Also tonight, Chris Ochoa (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs) scored a dramatic game-winner for the Connecticut Huskies who beat Holy Cross 2-1....Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A. Selects), captain of the NAHL Wichita Falls Wildcats Jr. A, scored three goals in a tough 4-3 road loss to the Texas Tornado Jr A...
We will keep everyone posted on the medical situation with Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt who was injured in a car accident in Butte, Montana on Friday night. There is a news story posted in our College/Junior area...
Tuesday, Dec 26 - Well, that was quick - the holidays are over for Adam Naglich of Las Vegas. He is back in the big pressure-cooker.
Naglich skates for the U of Fairbanks Nanooks who are about to head into their most important weekend - two games, on the road, vs. a big, physical Anchorage-Alaska Seawolves team.
Fairbanks, with its skilled skaters, is a Top 20 team. But they are taking on an amazing Anchorage team: They have not had a winning season in 13 years, were 1-28-0 three years ago but now have an 8-8-2 record and are 1-0-1 vs. the Fairbanks Nanooks in two overtime games this season.
Dave Shylak is the Anchorage coach who has recruited top talent to turn around his program.
Las Vegas defenseman Eddie Del Grosso, meanwhile, and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks are heading East to take on Princeton (Friday) and Yale (Saturday). Road games are never easy games and it will be interesting to see how the Mavs perform against two tough Eastern programs.
Jeff Hajner and the Air Force Academy are at Mercyhurst for two games beginning Friday, Jan. 5.
Our 2006 Las Vegas Awards really kick in this week: Tonight we will announce the Executive of the Year, then - in order - Rookie of the Year, All-Heart, Coach of the Year and Player of the Year. We want thank all who voted - and you sent in a record of votes, by far - for the awards this year.
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We are always on the hunt for scores. There are usually 3,000 or more hits a day on this site and during holiday tournaments the hits sometimes double. However, there appears to be a glitch in the Southwest League posting of scores and I'm getting concerned at the lack of updates (none, so far) coming out of the Richmond, Canada. So, if you have the info, please send in scores to lee@toprank.com
Monday, Dec 25 - Merry Christmas to all.....
Sunday, Dec. 24 - It's Christmas Eve, our favorite day of the year. Santa is on his way and we want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thursday, Dec. 21 - Quote of the Day - When asked how his Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A team will do in a three-game series vs the Alaska Avalanche, head coach Rob Profitt said....."It depends on which one of my hockey teams shows up. It seems Ive got about five different ones, but the names are the same on the backs of all the jerseys."
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UNLV captain Aaron Baca sure wanted to play in the Alumni game on Wednesday night. He showed up but decided against because of an upcoming hernia operation plus some doubts about his left ankle which is pretty battered up...
Right before the Alumni faceoff, coach Rob Pallin said he needed an 'extra player' and extracted Conrad Trimbath from the Alumni. Yes, the very Conrad Trimbath who was named the MVP after feeding bullet-like passes all-night long to big goal scorer Chris Francis
The things you hear and see while on the bench: the Alumni's Justin Grossman says he really likes being a referee and is working hard at it...Eddie Del Grosso says he has to knuckle hard down in the classroom at the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks....one Alumni player barked 'c'mon Sarge we need a goal" to the Air Force Academy's Jeff Hajner who looked real sharp in his AFA jersey....Stephen Leypoldt wore the terrific-looking Butte Roughriders jersey...Josh Jasek, who fired hard shots all night long, snapped his new Easton stick in half. He had another one, brand-new and ready to go...Of all of the Alumni players, defenseman Jason Allen had a terrific skate, made some sharp moves and rocketed in a long shot for a goal in the first half...
Rob Pallin says maybe the Alumni game will be moving to a new date - Christmas Eve, about 4 pm in the afternoon. He sees it working and believe all Alumni will want to play...
We spotted Neil Grossman in the bleachers. Back in 2001-02, he never missed a game when his son Justin played for the 60-11-3 AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors....
Wednesday, Dec. 20
Flashback - Dec. 2003 - Adam Naglich of Las Vegas scores an incredible, dramatic short-handed goal with 1:08 left to help Victoria Salsa Jr. A battle back and tie the first-place Nanaimo Clippers Jr. A 4-4 on Sunday night.
As we get set for the big Alumni game tonight, betja didn't know...
//Micah Sanford was the first Las Vegas skater in Junior A hockey. He was recruited by coach Harvey Smyl of the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs Jr A.
//Josh Jasek, Adam Naglich and Eddie Samuels played on the same line with the AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors in 2001-02 and later were reunited on the BCHL Victoria Salsa Jr A.
//There was always a 'Worry Rag' in the bleachers the year the Las Vegas Mustangs went to the U.S. Nationals. Hockey moms and dads touched it for good luck before each playoff game, then sweated out the action on the ice.
//Patty Del Grosso who was the first to bring cowbells to the Las Vegas games.
//Naglich, now playing with the Fairbanks Nanooks, has his name written in black script on the shaft of his famous gold stick.
//Mike Sullivan played a season with the Sacramento State Hornets and later he and Jason Allen were teammates on the Portland Pioneers Jr B.
//Eddie Del Grosso and Eddie Samuels played together on the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls midget major team.
//Eddie S wasn't the first Las Vegas skater with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A. 'All Heart' Spike Neely played there too.
//Back in 2001-02, Cody Fulwiler and Paul Lowden of the AA Las Vegas Mustangs were known as the 'best 1-2' among all midget major goalies in the West.
//Chris Francis' dad, Dave, works in the Pro Shop at the Fiesta.
//Eddie Del Grosso, as a defenseman, holds all scoring records in Las Vegas midget major hockey and with the USHL Indiana Ice Jr A.
//You may know Justin Grossman as a referee today. But back in 2001-02 he was one of the roughest, hardest-hitting players for the AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors.
//Chris Crowley, also a referee, had one of the biggest slapshots around when he played travel roller.
//Of all the great goalies in Las Vegas, only Paul Lowden made it the Junior A level when he was called up from the Peninsula Panthers Jr B to play games for the Victoria Salsa Jr A.
//Lowden was the Peninsula's 'Most Valuable Player' in his last season.
//Alumni head coach Dennis Parker is best known for putting together his Cheetah's men's roller teams which have won national championships.
//Micah Sanford and his roller pal, Leroy Garcia, once played for the Las Vegas Blackjacks Jr B over at the Sahara rink.
//Josh Jasek has the hardest shot in Las Vegas. He took a rocket-shot two years ago in an Alumni game. The puck blazed into the net, nearly blasting the helmet off the goalie.
//Ice coach Rob Pallin, after his ice hockey days were over, played in Pro Beach Roller and his games were broadcast on ESPN.
//When Pallin played Junior A hockey in Minnesota his first coach was Frank Serratore. Jeff Hajner's head coach at the Air Force Academy this year is...Frank Serratore.
//Hajner was once 17-0 winning faceoffs in a Las Vegas midget game.
//He was the first Las Vegas player to wear the 'C' in Canada when he was named captain of the Melfort Mustangs Jr A last winter.
//There are two captains this season - Eddie Samuels with the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A and Shaun Stackhouse with the Richmond Rams Jr A.
//Ryan King, with 13 goals this season, has more goals than any Las Vegas Skater Away From Home. He is playing for the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B.
//And where was King scouted as a Las Vegas player? He was seen in Pittsburgh, when Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors went to the U.S. Nationals last season.
//Did a retired Las Vegas player ever make a comeback on the ice? Sean Fox did - He was off over a season, then signed on and played for the Peninsula Panthers Jr B when the team was going into the playoffs two years ago.
//The stat-keeper for the AA Las Mustangs midget majors in 2001-02 was Dan Shiode whose son, Josh, was a top defenseman for the team which went to the U.S. Nationals.
See everyone at the Alumni game tonight - 8 pm Wednesday at the SoBe Arena - Lee
Tuesday, Dec 19 - Las Vegas defenseman Shaun Stackhouse emailed a reminder note from Canada today. He said he'll be crossing over the blue line and suiting up for Chris Francis and his AA Las Vegas Rebels in the big Alumni game Wednesday night 8 pm at the SoBe Arena.
We had mistakenly put Shaun on the Alumni roster....wow, he caught that one pretty quick!
Adam Naglich, Eddie Del Grosso and Jeff Hajner will be among the star skaters in the big game. UNLV defenseman Jeff Root, the hardest hitter in the West, will be gently reminded that this is a "non-check" game and to let Team Francis have space to skate. Root's tough defensive partners, Ryan Krametbauer and Danny Kaminski, say they will be in a Christmas spirit and as a result, no one will be taking a holiday spin into the north wall.
UNLV captain Aaron Baca hopes to play, providing his left side, knee and ankle are working. Jason Allen, the only Las Vegas skater to play for hated rivals AAA San Diego Jr Gulls and the AAA L.A. Jr Kings -- will probably be the first to test-fire a rocket shot at Rebels goalie Tim Douglas.
Rob Pallin will have his Starbucks while coaching on the Rebels bench. We'll be on the Alumni bench but Dennis Parker, the Alumni head coach, will likely put me in charge of practically nothing -- maybe open a creaky gate or two for the skaters. Parker is still ticked at me for last year's game, a loss to Chris Francis and his crew. I don't think the coach and I have spoken since that fateful night. After the game I walked off the ice and took a lonely path to my car in the Fiesta parking garage.
On Wednesday night Lili Baca will give out the game programs. In the pro shop, skate guru Dave Francis will be goggled and blue and white sparks will be flying on his big red Skate Master machine. Grandpa Frank will run the clock and keep the scoresheet. There will be figure skaters twirling about between periods.
Maybe the Alumni will score a few goals, goalie Brandon Rial will play the game of his life and all will be forgiven between me and coach Parker.
We will soon find out.
The Alumni game starts at 8 pm Wednesday.
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Aaron Gens, a player for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A, has put together a rock group called Something Typical. Aaron sings his heart out, teammate Jake Hutt is in the group and their first song 'Without You I Can't Find Love' is not just good, but great. Go to Myspace.com, locate the group and give it a listen.
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Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) had a short-handed goal on Monday night for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A in a tough 3-1 loss to the Vaughn Vipers in the Ontario League. Will has games on Dec. 22, 23 so he will not get home for the holiday break until Christmas eve.
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Brian Longmore (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) scored five times for the WSHL San Diego Jr Surf in a 10-5 win over the division-leading El Paso Rhinos over the weekend....
Sunday, Dec 17 - Quote of the Day: 'Mahoney Valley hasn't lost a game, in what, about 200 years," said webcaster Arch Ecker of the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A team. He was commenting last night on Mahoney Valley Jr A's incredible 18-game unbeaten streak in the NAHL.
UNLV defenseman Ryan Krametbauer took a bad hit Friday night in the game against Texas Tech. He was rammed hard into the north boards and was down on the ice for several minutes.
"Got the wind knocked out of me," Ryan said. "I got hit in the back, right on the numbers and couldn't catch my breath. My neck hurt a little, but I was OK and got right back into the game."
Ouch - UNLV captain Aaron Baca caught a butt-end to the ribs early in the third period against Texas Tech on Saturday night. He came into the game banged up too, with a knee and ankle problem.
Before the UNLV vs. Texas Tech game on Saturday night, UNLV forward Dan Penska rushed into the Fiesta Pro Shop. He needed two new rivets driven into his skate boot.
Skate guru Dave Francis took a look, bolted the skate onto a machine and in went the rivets.
"How much?" Penska asked.
"One goal tonight," said Francis, laughing.
"No problem - where I will find you during the game," Penska said.
"You'll hear me before you see me," said Francis.
There are some new faces on the UNLV bench. Randy Doring, a long-time Las Vegas coach, is keeping statistical charts and keeping track of line changes during a game. The trainer is Adam Alberico of Las Vegas.
There is rink talk that Penn State may be coming here to play UNLV next season.
So help me - this is a true story. At the Fiesta Pro Shop, an older skater walked in and went over to the rack of sticks. His little son, about three or so, watched.
Dad picked up a big navy-blue stick.
"Daddy is going to score a lot of goals with this one," he said.
The little one nodded and asked "how many goals, Daddy?"
"Fifty or so, son" he said, lugging the stick to the counter.
There are two Christmas trees in the Fiesta Pro Shop. My favorite is the little one on the counter. There are little white lights and besides that, the branches overlook Dave Francis' famous coffee pot where the red brewing light is always turned on.
The Alumni game is on Wednesday night 8 pm over at the SoBe Arena. Chris Francis will be leading his AA Las Vegas Rebels midget major team against the Alumni who are - as we say - loading up.
UNLV defenseman Ryan Krametbauer is confirmed for the game and he is asking tough defensemen Danny Kaminski and Jeff Root to be a part of the defense. UNLV goalie Brandon Rial will start in the net.
Other Alumni skaters confirmed are Mike Sullivan who played on the AA Las Vegas Mustangs 60-11-3 team which went to the U.S. Nationals in 2001-02; Stephen Leypoldt, who is now a top player for the Butte Roughriders Jr B; Zach Whisman, a top Las Vegas goalie who will be skating out and Jason Allen who most recently has been the top goal scorer for The Senators who are a top team over at the Las Vegas Ice Center.
Dennis Parker, still smarting over an unexpected loss to Francis' team last year, is the Alumni head coach.
We are still accepting votes for the 2006 Las Vegas Coach of the Year, Player of the Year, All-Heart and Executive of the Year. There is a record-breaking number of votes and it's easy to send your selection in - just email me at lee@toprank.com
Saturday, Dec 16 - You play your heart out, do all the right things...and the other team pulls out the win.
That's what happened to the UNLV Rebels who deserved a better fate on Friday night. They lost a tough one, 4-2, to Texas Tech who are one best college teams to come into town.
The Red Raiders are an exciting team -- they play with passion, move the puck, keep pressure on, have top goal-tending. It's going to be interesting to see what UNLV coaches Rob Pallin and Tim Mueller come up in the strategy department to counter Texas Tech's high-speed attack this evening.
UNLV sure had a good power play working - the puck was sent to the point and shots were fired hard from long range.
We were amazed at the improved play from two of the youngest UNLV skaters - Colby Cookson, who is now second in team scoring, and Troy Mueller who was jetting on the ice.
All-time UNLV goal scorer Anthony Greener was there, but on crutches. He is out with two fractures in his lower left ankle area. He could return in a month or so but more likely it will be six weeks or more.
On Friday night we spotted some players at the rinkboards including Stephen Leypoldt and Zach Whisman who said they would each be playing in the Alumni game on Wednesday, 8 pm, at the SoBe Arena.
Las Vegas figure skaters Ariel Trujillo, Madeline Durkee and Hali Navarro - who put on a dazzling performance at the UNLV game - will perform at the Alumni game between the second and third periods.
Friday, Dec. 15 - Not sure of the reason, but the NAHL just put out this news release:
NAHL announces change in leadership
The North American Hockey League announced today a change in its leadership. Effective immediately, Mark Frankenfeld will serve as interim commissioner. The NAHL wishes departing commissioner Eric H. Krupka the best in his future endeavors.
Friday, Dec. 15 - Very sad news today - we lost a good one. We were told that Las Vegas hockey dad Blue Hazelhurst, due to complications with leukemia, passed away on Wednesday evening. This is heart-breaking as he has been battling the disease for quite some time. Mr. Hazelhurst, whose son Shawn played hockey for Pete Ricciardo's AA Las Vegas Flames midget majors, was always at the rinkboards when his son was on the ice. Apparently, the father was to get a bone marrow transplant on Dec. 23 in Arizona when pneumonia prevented the transplant from taking place. Our most sincere condolences to the family...
Wednesday, Dec 13 - The scary score of the week: Texas Tech 12, Texas A&M 3. That's the same Texas Tech team which is rolling into town this week to take on the UNLV Rebels beginning Friday night, 8:30 pm, at the SoBe Arena.
Wednesday, Dec 13 - Texas Tech is the real deal and the countdown clock is ticking: in two days Tech heads into town to take on the UNLV Rebels who desperately need two wins to keep their hopes alive for a position in the ACHA-2 West regionals. UNLV says big time goal scorer Josh Jasek will be in the lineup. Game times are 8:30 pm on Friday and Saturday night at the SoBe Arena. A number of the UNLV Rebels players are getting lots of on-line votes in our annual Vegashockey.com Awards...
There is a nice story and photograph of Eddie Samuels posted on NAHL.com.....Eddie and Las Vegas teammate Max Maleev are preparing for the weekend invasion of the scorching-hot NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A who are on a club-record 6-game win streak. That might not sound like a big deal, but it's hard to string wins together this year in the NAHL...The three-game series starts Friday at Fairbanks...
The AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors, who are very, very good when zoned in, are off for the holidays and will return to action in January...
There is rink talk that a NAHL Junior A team may be coming to Las Vegas next season...
Las Vegas skater John Paul McNicholas, just for the fun of it, ran in the half-marathon last weekend here in the city. He was timed at 1:36.38 which was good for 10th in his age group and 161st overall in a field of 7,147 who actually finished the race. Now, it's back to the ice: JP and the AAA Long Beach Ice Dogs midget majors are playing in the WSHL Jr. B Showcase this coming weekend...
There is a record number of on-line votes for Coach of the Year, Skater of the Year, Prospect of the Year and All-Heart. We have received some incredible emails about top players here in town. Please take the time to vote for your favorite player - send to lee@toprank.com
We will starting giving out Las Vegas awards on Dec. 15 (Best Snack Bar, Best Rink Coffee, Best Rink Music, Best Rink, Best Hockey Website, etc) but the top player awards will not be announced until Dec 30 and Dec 31......
We have one special award - Las Vegas Executive of the Year - if you want to vote for someone, please do it right away...It could be a team manager, rink exec or league rep, etc..Or, a parent who gives it his/her all for the team....
Tuesday, Dec. 12 - There are reports, not yet confirmed, that head coach of the AAA L.A. Jr Kings midget majors Ray Bennett is leaving to join Andy Murray who is the new head coach of the NHL St. Louis Blues.
Tuesday, Dec. 12 Quote of the Day: "I would like to nominate Nico Peterson of the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws minors for the All-Heart Award. At 5'5" and 140 pounds Nico is nothing but heart. He plays with heart and passion every shift. He goes into the corners hard and battles in front of the net without hesitation. Nico is all about his teammates and the game. He is...All Heart." --- from an on-line voter for Vegashockey.com's 2006 Awards.
This is a huge day for Las Vegas hockey, with lots of breaking news.
//Jeff Hajner, the hard-working Las Vegas skater who is a freshman at the Air Force Academy, today was named the 'Rookie of the Week' in the Atlantic Hockey Conference. Jeff had a huge weekend, making spectacular plays in a two-game series vs. the UConn Huskies.
//Eddie Del Grosso, banged up and out of action for over two weeks, returned Sunday night and was +2 on the ice for the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in a 7-2 win over Bentley College.
//Josh Jasek, hurt in his first UNLV game two weeks ago, is back on the ice, practicing with the team and will be in the UNLV lineup when they take on a very tough Texas Tech team this Friday and Saturday nights at the SoBe Arena. He is one of the all-time goal scorers in Las Vegas and played three seasons in the BCHL with the Victoria Salsa Jr A.
//UNLV today announced the start times for the Friday and Saturday night college games is 8:30 pm - two hours later than normal due to the huge 'Christmas Celebration on Ice' holiday pageant which will draw packed houses at the SoBe this weekend.
//There is rink talk that Spike Neely, three-time 'All Heart' skater for the AA Las Vegas Mustangs, is planning to enroll and play for UNLV next fall.
//On-line voting for the 'Vegashockey.com 2006 Awards' is at an all-time high. There were votes today for Ross McMullan, the hard-working defenseman for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors, for 'All Heart.' One voter emailed and noted "....he's everything the award symbolizes." Voting is easy; there are nominations here on this page and send your selections to lee@toprank.com -- remember, you can add a player or coach if you wish. 'Coach of the Year' will be announced Dec. 30 and 'Skater of the Year' on New Year's Eve. We are in our 7th year of awards. We will start listing award winners in certain categories beginning Dec. 15. There are an amazing number of votes in for UNLV players - the team is in its second season and obviously, with so many young Las Vegas skaters, the Rebels are becoming an important part of our hockey community.
//Ratings update: The AAA PF-Changs Phoenix midget minors break into the Top 15 after such a huge performance this past weekend - Phoenix held off top teams including San Jose Jr Sharks, Anaheim Wildcats and Las Vegas to win the gold at its Invitational Tournament.....
//In the Tier 11 ratings, the AA San Diego Jr Gulls midget minors are making their debut as a Top 15 team after scoring wins over the AA Anaheim Wildcats 16u and the AA Inland Valley Wild 16u -- both outstanding teams -- this past weekend...
//More weekend updates: The #1 rated AA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors went 2-0-1 during CAHA Weekend at San Jose. For the season, the Gulls are 22-0-6 and many of those games were very tough ones on the road...No other midget team, in the Pacific or Rockies regions, has ever gone unbeaten this deep into a season.
//We received several emails on this one: Vinny Catalino, a very popular player when he skated with the AAA Cal Senators midget majors at the Ice Town Arena in Riverside, Ca., is now on the roster of the WSHL San Diego Surf Jr B.......
//Hey, did you hear about coach Dino Georgopoulos? After working on the bench as an assistant coach with the AA L.A Jr Kings midget majors last Saturday during CAHA Weekend in San Jose he took a flight that night to coach Loyola-Marymount against Palmer College. Then, he had to get back to San Jose the very next morning for a early-morning game with the AA Kings....It all worked out: the Kings had a terrific 3-1-0 weekend and Loyola won, 12-8...
//Top teams have elite goalies. Case in point - goalie Alexander Miklovic of the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance midget majors has been in the net for games vs. heated rival AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u, AAA Team Illinois 18u and the very skilled Cushing Prep team. So far, so good: Miklovic has an record of 14-1-3...He previously played for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors and the WSHL San Diego Surf Jr B....
//Here's an interesting one: the AA Seattle Jr Admirals 16u team applied a bit late to the Richmond International Tournament and was placed in the AAA Elite field -- the Admirals, a midget minor team, would like to play in AAA. Would any team like to switch? Let me know at lee@toprank.com -- Meanwhile, we will try to contact our friend Rudy Bergman who has been in charge of this great holiday event for years.
//We are looking for the whereabouts of former AAA Vail Avalanche bantam and AAA Colorado Outlaw skater Tanar Nobles. If anyone knows, please email me at lee@toprank.com....We also lost track of player Scott Tittle of Colorado who played with the NAHL Helena Bighorns Jr A for a season....Also, Mr. Tecci if you are reading this today please drop me an email....
Friday, Dec 8 - Stat of the Day: Goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) has a league-leading six shutouts for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
Las Vegas -- It's Christmastime and there are small twinkling white lights wrapped around the rink glass over at the SoBe Arena. Small Christmas trees are in the rink including one near the Fiesta Pro Shop where we are told the Bauer Vapor 6 sticks are the ones being sold and wrapped for the holidays. Look real close, to the right of the pro shop door, and there are some framed photographs of our star hockey players who have moved on. At the bottom, that's Chris Francis smiling while wearing his bright red Portland Winter Hawks jersey.
No one has better holiday decorations than Larry Sanford over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho. The wooden Santa and his reindeer have been tacked up on the west wall for maybe the last 10 Christmases....
Nate Rein, the former big goal scorer for the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws, is having another big season for the Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets. He is a sophomore skater with 4 goals, 8 assists this season...Years ago, Nate was a star skater for the AA Utah Stars midget majors before relocating to Las Vegas to play on the AAA level...
Chris Ochoa (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs) dealt two third-period assists to help the UConn Huskies put together a five-goal burst to beat the Air Force Academy on Friday night. Chris, a freshman, has 3 goals, 7 assists for the Huskies.
Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A. Stars) sure has matured as a player, team leader and captain of the NAHL Wichita Falls Jr. A. Cardwell has 10 goals, 15 assists this year. One of his linemates, Skylur Jameson (AAA L.A. Stars) has made some mighty big goals and he now has 12 goals, 7 assists...
If there was an 'All Heart' award in Junior hockey, we'd give it to John Stoddard (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) who gives it his all every single game for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
One of the best, most intense midget major players we have ever seen, Dan Comrie (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls), has one goal, two assists in his three games for the USHL Lincoln Stars.
T.J. Miller (AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs) has one goal, eight assists and teammate Nate Sigmund (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) one goal, three assists at Northern Michigan....
Hard-working Jimmy Becker (AAA Cal Senators) is indeed playing with the NAHL Bismarck Bobcats Jr A. Todd Vineyard, Sr., his former coach, notes Jimmy has two goals, four assists since joining the 'Cats who are in second place in their division....And coach Todd, who has been on team benches for the last seven seasons, is taking a year off. "Will probalby come back next season," he says....
Last summer Cory Patterson (AAA Cal Senators) blazed about at the Global Showcase over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. We figured he would be an immediate impact player and we were right: Since joining the NAHL Springfield Jr Blues, Cory has 4 goals, 7 assists
Last winter, when Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls, AAA Cal Senators) played with the Billings Bulls Jr A head coach Doug Johnson called him "Money" because Will always got the big goal. This season,
Will has 9 goals, 13 assists for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A in the Ontario League....
Adam Naglich, the Las Vegas skater who is now with the Fairbanks Nanooks, was always called 'Stick' when he played roller over at Crystal Palace.
Speed burner Mitch Wahl (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), a '90, has 8 goals, 16 assists for the WHL Spokane Chiefs....
Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) has three points in his last two games for Bliss Littler's USHL Tri-City Storm Jr A. For the season, Alex has two goals, six assists
On the Air Force Academy website, Las Vegas skater Jeff Hajner says his favorite NHL team is the Tampa Bay Lightning...
Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas watched his former LV Mustang linemate Adam Naglich score a big goal for the Fairbanks Nanooks in a 4-3 win over Bowling Green at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks on Friday night...."Real nice rebound shot," said Eddie, describing Adam's third goal of the season.
The WSHL San Diego Surf Jr B is off to a 13-9-0 start and they sure have a lot of firepower - Itan Chavira (AA Inland Valley Wild) with 33 goals, 24 assists is the leading scorer. Jacob Meadows (AA Inland Valley Wild) has 13 goals, 15 assists; Brian Longmore (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 17 goals, 14 assists and hard-working Jarrad Gilbert (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 14 goals, 15 assists. We're told the Surf is an exciting, action team to watch...
#2 Stat of the Day: Goalie Adam Kraus (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) of the Alaska Avalanche Jr A has a 92.4 save percentage - that's a very high percentage and it's 4th-best in a league which is loaded with elite goalies.
#3 Stat of the Day: It was 19-degrees - a heat wave - in Fairbanks today.
Nobody asked me, but my favorite holiday tournament is the AAA Richmond International in Canada. You haven't lived until your hot chocolate gets real icy while watching a game at the ice-cold Igloo which is one of the rinks there.
Oh, for the record, I was the first hockey coach canned this past season. It happened the night I was working as an assistant on the bench for the Alumni skaters who somehow, someway lost to Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels about this time a year ago at the SoBe Arena. Alumni head coach Dennis Parker, who had never lost a game, gave me that look and I walked off the bench - head high, though....
Parker, meanwhile, is best known for putting together powerhouse men's roller teams which have won national titles here in Las Vegas....
So who is, really, the most popular UNLV Rebel? It's all-time goal scorer Anthony Greener who really has quite a fan following from our very young, future star skaters who watch him play every home game.
Wednesday, Dec. 6 - Stat of the Day: Freshman skaters Anthony Marinello (17 goals), Colby Cookson (12) and Troy Mueller (10) of Las Vegas have scored 39 goals for the UNLV Rebels ice team this season...
It's hard to get a short-handed goal - pick the puck, steam down the ice, feint, shoot and score. That's tough. But when you do it twice on the same shift, that goes into the all-time Las Vegas record book.
That's what Kyle Clay did for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors in a Silver Sticks 'Final Four' game on Saturday night. He got two short-handed goals on the same shift, Ryan Townsend one and Ryan Scheafer another - an amazing number of short-handed goals - in a six-goal win over a strong AA Cal Gold Rush team.
Clay, who was Vegashockey.com's 'Prospect of the Year' last year, is off to a blazing start with 25 goals, 18 assists and is one of the primary reasons the Outlaws are off to a terrific 16-3-1 start.
Our yearly awards will be given out beginning Dec. 15 with the 'Coach of the Year' to be announced on Dec. 30 and the 'Las Vegas Skater of the Year' on Dec. 31.
We plan to select a Prospect of the Year, Most Improved, All-Heart, Roller Coach of the Year, Ice Coach of the Year plus special awards including Best Rink Snackbar, Best Rink, Best Rink Music, etc. If you wish to nominate someone, please email me at lee@toprank.com -- all from Las Vegas are eligible and we are now in our 7th year of putting it all together.
Cleanin' the Clipboard - There was a lot of rink buzz when the nationally-rated AAA L.A. Hockey Club bantams hit town a couple of weeks ago. It was one of the best bantam teams ever to play in Las Vegas -- with size, speed, skilled talent and with some grit too. We saw one game and one rinkboard scout was raving about LAHC's #44, Steve McColgan, a '93....
The AA San Diego Jr Gulls midget majors are off to a 20-0-5 start and no team in the Pacific or Rockies has ever gone unbeaten this deep into a season....
What's the Las Vegas record? It's 27 games, which is what Rob Pallin and the AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors did from mid-November to January of last season. They went 26-0-1 on that big run.
Flashback: On this date one year ago, Chris Francis of AA Las Vegas had 42 goals enroute to a record-breaking 89-goal season...
To Snooky: Evan Zucker of Las Vegas is not playing this season. He does watch his younger brothers Jason and Adam play for the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors over at the Las Vegas Ice Center.
To 777: Yes, Anthony Greener is wearing a cast on his right foot and is on the UNLV injured list.
To Meltdown: As far as I know, UNLV has been unable to track down Chris Cleveland who played all of the great rink music last season.
To Out of Towner: I am not sure where Jimmy Becker is playing right now. If anyone knows, please email me at lee@toprank.com
To Just Got Released: First, make contact with your midget coach and he may have some leads for you. Many Junior A and Junior B teams are making roster changes right now so do not be discouraged.
To Gulls Forever: Rafael Rodriguez of San Diego is injured and not playing at this time for the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. He is a very popular player there.
Friday, Dec. 1 - This is going to be a big night when the UNLV Rebels hit the ice against Texas A & M tonight at the SoBe Arena. The Valley High School choir will be performing the National Anthem. At intermission the Valley HS orchestra will be performing Panic! At the Disco's "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" and there will be dancers on the ice as well. It all starts at 6:30 pm and there are UNLV games on Saturday night and Sunday too....
Thursday, Nov 30 - Don't be surprised if the UNLV Rebels put it all together and win all three games this weekend vs Texas A & M. UNLV's top gun, Anthony Marinello with 14 goals, is back in action and UNLV always plays well on its home ice at the SoBe Arena. It all starts on Friday night at 6:30 pm and there are games on Saturday and Sunday. UNLV's top goal scorers are Marinello (14), Derek Koehler (12), Anthony Greener (10 - and some of those scored while playing on a wrenched ankle), Colby Cookson (10) and Aaron Baca (9). UNLV has been getting a lot of recent production from freshman Troy Mueller who was the top scorer in games vs. Texas Tech two weeks ago...
Adam Naglich of Las Vegas and the Fairbanks Nanooks are rated #13 in the nation and have a huge weekend with two games at #5 rated Notre Dame this weekend.....There will be sellout crowds when Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of Las Vegas hit the ice for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A this weekend. Three-time defending NAHL champion Texas Tornado Jr A invades Fairbanks' famous Big Dipper Ice Arena and there is a fan frenzy for these games on Friday and Saturday nights...
Stat of the week: 14,361 Teddy Bears were tossed onto the ice when Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks beat the Vancouver Giants 1-0 in OT before 7,485 fans at Portland's historic Veterans Memorial Coliseum. It was the yearly Teddy Bear Toss Night and Portland fans really let them fly when the winning goal was scored...
Not sure why, because we thought they were doing a good job, but all of the bench coaches for the NAHL Alaska Avalanche were let go last weekend...
Skylur Jameson always played hard and gave it his all when he skated for the AAA L.A. Stars midget majors. He is doing the same for the NAHL Wichita Wildcats Jr A this season. He was named the NAHL "Player of the Week' after scoring four times and playing all-heart hockey last weekend....
Las Vegas skaters Stephen Leypoldt of the Butte Roughriders Jr B and Shaun Stackhouse of the Richmond Hills Rams Jr A have signed up to play in the annual Alumni game in December. We are still working on the details. The Alums are hoping to take on the UNLV Rebels - but that is not yet confirmed.
Tuesday, Nov 28 - The telephone rang today in the hockey office and coach Rob Pallin of Las Vegas picked up the receiver, listened for a few moments and said 'oh, no' and then he put the phone gently back on its cradle. That's when he sat for a few moments, his eyes welled up and then he broke down....
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Hockey friends are the best friends. Play for a team for a season and there are road trips, chalk talks, big wins, tough losses. Back in the early 1990s Rob Pallin played defense for a team in Germany called Worishofen. The team included a big scoring German-born forward named Chrisitan Kollmeder.
"Tough and rugged with a heart of gold," Rob Pallin said.
The two played on the same team and became best friends. Several years ago Christian came to Las Vegas and was one of the best men in Rob's wedding.
That's some kind of friendship. Rob knew all about Christian's wife, Uta, and the two little ones, Melanie and Jan.
Then Christian said something was wrong with one of knees.
It hurt real bad. The doctors took a look and after several examinations said nothing was wrong.
Maybe it was all in his mind.
Maybe not.
Because when Christian took a MRI bone cancer was discovered just below the knee.
There was an operation and all seemed well, for almost a year.
But the cancer came back - first in the neck area, then the stomach.
Christian this time was very ill. Rob just bought a plane ticket, from Las Vegas to Munich. He was leaving this week.
Then came the phone call from Christian's wife, Uta.
"He didn't make it Rob," she said, voice breaking.
He hung up the phone and let it go, breaking down just like we all do when someone you care about is gone.
"God always seem to take the flowers," Rob wrote in his email to me today.
Sometimes, life just doesn't seem fair. Christian was married, had a beautiful family. He was working in youth hockey in Germany. He just wanted to help the kids.
One of Christian's brothers wrote an email to Rob. "...thanks in the names of our brothers for the beautiful times he spent with you."
Hockey player, coach and dad Christian Kollmeder passed away today.
He was only 39.
Sunday, November 26 - The best Las Vegas player ever? That's easy -- it is Micah Sanford who started in roller, turned to hockey as a teenager, played AAA midget major hockey in Vail, Colorado, scored 78 goals in his second season with the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs Jr A, played four seasons on a full-blast hockey scholarship at the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks. He carried the hockey torch and led the way for so many Las Vegas skaters who have advanced to the Junior and college level.
Years ago, at the 'Little Home of Champions' Crystal Palace on North Rancho Drive we used to watch Micah on the roller rink with his rink pals Leroy Garcia, Freddy Young, Patrick Stevenson, Johnny Oakes. For a long time, they toured the West as the Rolling Thunder and won many tournaments and individual awards.
We were his house roller coach one season at Crystal Palace.
Before our first game he told me "....you carry a nice clipboard and your cup of coffee, but if it's a close game and there's a minute to go, make sure I'm in the game."
Of course, we said, sipping our coffee while on the bench.
Those were the greatest, most fun times but deep inside all of us who watched knew that Micah would soon go away and play on bigger rinks and large arenas before thousands of fans.
He accomplished all of that. Recruited by Harvey Smyl at Chilliwack, we used to listen to his games crackle on internet radio. In his second season, Micah was zoned in. He scored 78 goals - still a Chilliwack record.
"It's hard to believe, but I didn't change my game or anything. Everything I shot just went into the net," he told me that season.
Now, after four seasons at Nebraska-Omaha, Micah is 25. Priorities change as we get older and Micah is enrolled at UNLV where he is working on getting his B.A. in Finance. The hockey gear is put away. For Micah, no more early-morning practices, chalk talks, team dinners, hotel rooms far away from home. He has made a decision to move on with his life.
It is hard to believe, but that is what he said yesterday over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo.
He is a true Las Vegas Hall of Famer who scored many game-breaker and winning goals in roller and ice. More importantly, he did it with it with style and class.
MICAH SANFORD CAREER RECORD
1997-1998 Las Vegas Mustangs Midget A........................
1998-1999 Las Vegas Blackjacks Jr. B.............................
1999-2000 AAA Vail Avalanche midget majors.......49 goals, 35 assists
2000-2001 Chilliwack Chiefs Jr. A.........................13 goals, 9 assists
2001-2002 Chilliwack Chiefs Jr. A.........................78 goals, 80 assists
2002-2003 U of Nebraska-Omaha.........................8 goals, 9 assists
2003-2004 U of Nebraska-Omaha.........................1 goal, 0 assists
2004-2005 U of Nebraska-Omaha.........................1 goal, 6 assists
2005-2006 U of Nebraska-Omaha.........................1 goal, 0 assists
November 25 - Quote of the Day: It was just another one of those games that adds two years and 3,000 gray hairs to your life in just one night, said head coach Rob Profitt after his Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A team rallied to beat the Alaska Avalanche Jr A 5-4 in OT on Friday night.
There is a big holiday game in Las Vegas today as Wally Lacroix and the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors take on the hard-skating and nationally-rated AAA L.A. Hockey Club bantam team over at the Ice Center on Flamingo Ave. We will be at the rinkboards at the opening faceoff 2 pm this afternoon...
Happy Birthday to one of our favorite players, UNLV captain Aaron Baca, 21 years old.
That was John Paul McNicholas of Las Vegas who scored a big goal to help the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs midget majors beat the Fairbanks Arctic Lions 18u by 5-4 at the Turkey Shoot in Lakewood, Calif.
Aaron Combs of Las Vegas has one goal, one assist for the L.A. Jr Kings midget minors who are in the Final Eight at the EHK Challenge Cup in Dallas.
Friday, Nov 24 - Tonight, on the Texas Tornado Jr A webcast, NAHL commissioner Eric Krupka noted he has spoken to "over a dozen investors" and the league is looking to expand in locations such as "Salt Lake City, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix" in 2007. Krupka also noted the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A operations, which has been brutally struck by a lack of fan support, will finish the season in that city and then be "moved to better market for 2007." The Roadrunners' problems arose when the City Council there ruled the team could not sell alcoholic beverages in the city-owned ice arena. That, the Roadrunners believe, has driven off its fan base. The ironry is that the Roadrunners have put together one of the best teams in the league. Krupka is also hoping to schedule a NAHL All-Star game in late January. He said the NAHL has a bright future and he is personally proud of the quality of play on the ice.
Thursday, Nov 23 - As I write this, the turkey is slowly roasting in the oven and pumpkin pies are cooling down on the kitchen table. It's Thanksgiving and at our house today, we will have one hockey player here. He's only 8, but he will wear his jersey and he'll talk about his latest games.
Usually, we are on the road with our son's team having dinner in a big hotel banquet room. Defensemen are always first in line at the buffet, loading up their plates. They are followed by playmakers and goal scorers.
In Canada, defenseman Shaun Stackhouse of Las Vegas notes that "Thanksgiving is actually celebrated in early October" but the folks at his billet home are "putting something together special for me. At least, that's what they tell me," he said, laughing. "I have another teammate from the USA so we will have dinner together." Stackhouse is the team captain of the Richmond Hills Rams Jr A.
Max Maleev and Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas will have a very early practice Thanksgiving Day on the ice in refrigerator-cold Fairbanks, Alaska.
"At the rink about 8:15 in the morning, on the ice at 9 o'clock for two hours," Eddie said. "First I am going over to Nick Haddard's house. He is one of my teammates and he is all alone for Thanksgiving. He's a 20-year-old like me. We will watch NFL football, then I will go over for dinner at Max's billet home. The older players usually hang together. Our rookies - I'm not sure what they are doing but they will be together somewhere for sure."
Max and Eddie play for the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who have a big three-game road series against cross-state rival Alaska Avalanche which begins Friday night.
In Hudson, N.H., playmaker Conrad Trimbath said he will "have dinner with my billet family, then a bunch of my teammates are coming over. It looks like a pretty cool deal, although I will not be with any of my family," said Conrad who plays for the Northern Cyclones Jr A.
Patty Del Grosso of Las Vegas will have a busy Thanksgiving morning. She is boarding a 7 a.m. flight at McCarron and will be off to Omaha, Nebraska to watch her son Eddie play for the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks who take on Notre Dame in a two-game weekend series beginning Friday night.
Chris Francis of Las Vegas will be on a team bus much of Thanksgiving Day. He and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks played at Swift Current on Wednesday night and are now returning to their home arena.
For Las Vegas playmaker and goal scorer Corbin Brown there is no place like home. That's where he will today, at the family dinner table. He is a top player for Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix midget major team.
Defenseman Ryan Bowman of Las Vegas will have his dinner in Texas. He is playing for the AAA Colorado Rampage midget majors who are in the 20-team EHK Challenge Cup.
It's real busy today at Aaron Baca's house. He is the captain of the UNLV Rebels and is home with his mother, Lilli, and father Aaron Sr. Lilli is working on the Thursday dinner and at the same time putting together the game programs for the UNLV games next weekend. "She always does the tickets so it's sort of busy here - turkey, game programs and ticket-making," said Aaron, laughing.
Oh, and Aaron turns 21 on midnight Thanksgiving which makes it even more festive.
We asked Las Vegas hockey dad Steve Allen, father of Jason, about his favorite Thanksgiving and after several phone calls he said there were "quite a few" and he was mulling over his best-ever. Steve was quite a player himself, skating on the professional level.
One of my best friends, Doug 'Hockey Puck' Glendinning of Las Vegas, played pro hockey in the 1970s. He recalls being on a team plane and there was a blinding snowstorm so the pilot touched down on a snow-covered street in Fargo, N.D. When he got to the arena, there was no heat in the locker room. "It was," he said, "a lot warmer on the bench. There was no rink glass back then, just chicken wire around the top of the boards. We were playing our toughest rival in the league. I got punched real quick, but we scored, got to a quick lead, heard gun fire coming from the bleachers so we bolted back to the locker room. Later, at the team hotel, we were handed frozen TV turkey dinners."
Hmmm, not so sure about that Thanksgiving story...
Our best Thanksgiving was pretty recent. We went to see son Eddie play for the Billings Bulls Jr A last year in two road games, first at a sold-out Valley Ice Gardens, home of the Bozeman Ice Dogs, and the second game against the Helena BigHorns Jr. A. It was a cold and snowy weekend. Billings fans brought cowbells and we sat in a small, special sections and we all stood and shook the cowbells when our team made a rush down the ice. In just a few moments, we were all united as one in those bleachers. We met a lot of nice people, talked hockey two straight nights and took a lot of notes. Eddie scored twice, once in each game. Thanksgiving turkey never tasted so good.
One more thought, as we prepare for Thanksgiving. One of our favorite players, goalie Josh Cardozi of Las Vegas, played on the first-ever Las Vegas roller team which competed in the NARCH Nationals. At the time, it was a very big deal with our young team playing in Vancouver, Canada.
Josh is now in the U.S. Coast Guard and as I write this, he is on a ship off of the Pacific doing what the servicemen do - serve and protect. For that, we salute Josh and all of our U.S. servicemen on duty on Thanksgiving Day.
Tuesday, Nov 21 - Quote of the Day: "A goalie faces the most pressure of any position in sports. It doesn't really matter what the situation is. When you make a mistake, everyone is there to see it" -- Adam Kraus, goalie, Alaska Avalanche Jr A after he won a mind-numbing 4-3 shootout game over the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A.
We are on the hunt for your favorite hockey Thanksgiving Day story. We have quite a few and during the last few seasons, coaches and players have sent in their all-time favorites. If you have one to share about any player, team, coach, rinkboard fan - please email me at lee@toprank.com We have our Thanksgiving favorite, which is kind of recent, but I think you will enjoy it. We play to write and post early Wednesday eve, so please send in those stories - thanks, Lee
Monday, Nov. 20 -- Stat of the day: Freshman skater Troy Mueller of Las Vegas scored three of UNLV's eight goals in its two-game weekend series at Texas Tech.
To be the best, you have to beat the best. That's what the AA San Diego Jr. Gulls 18u team - coached by Jay Hebert - have been doing. This weekend, the undefeated Gulls took on three teams rated in the AA Top 10 West and beat two of them and tied the other.
Here is how the Gulls did it during the CAHA Developmental games at the Glacial Gardens in Lakewood, Calif.
AA SAN DIEGO JR GULLS 18u
Head Coach - Jay Hebert
Weekend Scores
2-2 vs. Ventura Mariners
3-1 over Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs - rated in Top 10
3-3 vs. L.A. Hockey Club - rated in Top 10
5-2 over So-Cal Vipers - rated in Top 10
That's hard work and it all adds up to a 14-0-5 record this season for the Gulls. They are the only undefeated team in the Pacific and Rockies regions.
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Kyle Clay and Ryan Townsend sure had great skates when the AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u took on a hard-skating AAA Phoenix Coyotes 16u team on Saturday night at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Clay, who scored the Outlaws' only goal, has always been a great skater and goal scorer; Townsend, who played with the AAA Dallas Ice Jets 16u last season, really turned up his games against Phoenix which has a very high-energy offense.
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Jason Allen of Las Vegas has been the top goal scorer in men's league hockey this past summer and now, during the winter season over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. On Sunday night, as Jason and The Senators battled to get into first place, he scored 4 goals, dealt two assists while teammates Tim Lydon (2 goals, 1 assist) and Josh Odoms (one goal) also contributed in a 7-6 win over The Putters. At the close of the game, Jason and Tim worked together to score the tying and winning goals.
Friday, Nov 17 - On the hockey ticker: big goal scorer Dan Comrie, out of action nearly two seasons, of San Diego has re-signed and is on the active playing roster of the USHL Lincoln Stars Jr A.
Thursday, Nov 16 - Stat of the Day: Itan Chivira (AA Inland Valley Wild) has 28 goals, 16 assists for the WSHL San Diego Jr Surf Jr B.
Blake Page (AAA Colorado Rampage) and Nick Del Rosso (AAA Colorado Rampage) are top scorers this season for the Baystate Breakers Jr. A who skate out of Marshfield, Mass. Page, who last year scored 25 goals for the NAHL Helena BigHorns Jr A, moved over to Baystate when the Bighorns shut down their Junior A program last spring. This season Page has 10 goals, 13 assists and Del Rosso - who played for the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr A last year - has 17 assists. Page, a hard-working player, just announced he will play for the Air Force Academy next season.
In Las Vegas, Jason Zucker is the leading goal scorer in the city with 17 this season. Zucker, Kris Carter (13 goals), Matt Hedderly (9) and Chris Rial ( 8 ) are the top goal scorers for the high-energy AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors....
Wednesday, Nov 15 -- Nate Rein (AAA Las Vegas Outlaws, AA Utah Stars) of the Wisconsin Superior Yellow Jackets goes into a huge game on Friday night. Rein, who has 2 goals, 2 assists for 4-0-0 Wisconsin-Superior, and the Yellowjackets go onto the road to take on powerful St. Norbert which is 6-0-1 and has had 20 wins or more five straight seasons...Rein, a sophomore, had 16 goals last season. He played junior hockey with the NAHL Helena BigHorns Jr. A...
Chris Ochoa (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach) has 3 goals, 4 assists as a freshman skater for the UConn Huskies...Freshman Rhett Rakhshani (AAA Cal Wave 88s) is off to a blazing start with 3 goals, 6 assists for Denver University...Sophomore Nate Sigmund (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) and freshman T.J. Miller (AAA Cal Wave, AA Long Beach) each have three assists for Northern Michigan.....
We remember Dusty Collins (AA Phoenix Firebirds) as one of the best, most powerful bantam players in the West. In 2000-01 he was a top player and goal scorer for the Phoenix Polar Bears Jr B in the Western States League. It's hard to believe he is a senior in college, but he is and he has 1 goal, 1 assist this season for Northern Michigan....
Ian Drummond (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) and the Middlebury Panthers open their season this weekend, taking on Tufts College...
Ray Macias (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), an '86, has 8 goals, 16 assists for the WHL Kamloops Blazers....That gives Ray 44 career goals for the Blazers...
Team leader and big goal scorer Kyle Mackinnon (AAA Cal Wave) is having a career-best season with 14 goals, 25 assists for the BCHL Langley Chiefs Jr A. Kyle made a recent committment to play next at Providence....
Jon Drake (AAA San Jose Jr Sharks) has 9 goals, 6 assists and teammate Bryan Albert (AAA Cal Senators, AA Inland Valley, AAA L.A Jr Kings) has 5 goals, 7 assists for the 11-5-0 North Bay Skyhawks Jr A in Ontario, Canada. The Skyhawks have by far the biggest crowds in the league, averaging 1,776 a game this season...One of the goalies is Ian Wilson who played with the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr A last winter...
Monday, Nov. 13
Stat of the Day: Las Vegas referee John Konstantine, one of the best in the city, is in his 24th season.
This is a very big news day: Wally LaCroix is the new head coach of the high-powered AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team. He replaces a terrific person and coach in Ken Quinney who will coach another team in the Outlaws organization and will spend more time with his children who are Outlaws skaters at various levels. LaCroix brings a lot of playing and coaching experience to the Outlaws team: He played on the Junior level in Canada, played professionally for the Las Vegas Aces (all six of their seasons) and for the Las Vegas Royals. He is a top official, certified in the ECHL. LaCroix is particuarly strong on strategies and most agree he is the best instructor in the city in regards to the intricacies of going into a faceoff circle and winning the draw. He inherits a Las Vegas team which is loaded with top players, including a core group who played for the Outlaws teams which have won back to back Pacific District regional championships on the AA 16u level. The challenge is greater this season as the Outlaws are playing on the AAA 16u level which includes Pacific region powerhouses such as the AAA L.A. Selects midget minors.
There are more changes coming for the UNLV Rebels ice team which is in a scramble to make the playoffs this season. With two very strong coaches in Tim Mueller and Rob Pallin, it looks like the Rebs lineup may soon include Josh Jasek, a powerful force with the puck, and defenseman Tim Lydon.
Both are Las Vegas players and Jasek was the all-time midget major scorer in the city until Chris Francis rewrote the record book last winter.
For sure, Lydon has sent in his UNLV enrollment papers and he expects to join the team when declared eligible.
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It started out as an ache in his right shoulder and then all of a sudden there was a lot more pain. George Niederriter, who is in charge of all of the men's league house hockey at the Las Vegas Ice Center, went for a MRI and learned he had a rotator cuff injury. He could hardly believe it, but that's what the x-rays indicated. He had surgery on his right shoulder and he has been in a navy blue sling for six weeks. The good news: He gets re-examined this week and he expects to have a full recovery. If you see him at the big rink, please wish him good luck....
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Las Vegas forward Ryan King scored two goals for the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B on Sunday night and his nine goals leads all Las Vegas skaters away from home this season.
King is an amazing story. After he played for the AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors last season it looked like his career might come to a close. He did not skate in either of the Global Showcase or the Las Vegas Showcase this past summer. However, a scout with a game program circled Ryan's name in red pencil for his all-heart play when he and the Rebels played in the U.S. Nationals in Pittsburgh. The Pioneers contacted Rob Pallin, he made the connection with Ryan and all of a sudden we have a pretty amazing success story - now that you know the story behind the story.
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Sometimes big goal scorers are even more effective when they feint a shot, then pass to a teammate who is making a run for the net. That's what Las Vegas skater Jason Allen did, feinting and passing real sharp scoring passes to Michael Lawes and Tim Lydon (yes, that Tim Lydon!) who scored to put The Senators ahead 4-3 enroute to a 10-4 win over The Monsters in a men's league game Sunday night at the Las Vegas Ice Center. It really was a terrific game -- Jason had three goals, two assists; Lydon two goals; Lawes two goals; Geoff Kemper and Robbie Jay one apiece. Josh Odoms had the longest goal, about 25' from the left side. Both goalies were former teammates long ago with the Las Vegas Aces pro team - Rob Miller with the Monsters and Chad Olson with the Senators....
Sunday, Nov. 12
Quote of the Day:
"High energy, smart with the puck, great effort, lots of production," said coach Rob Pallin after UNLV out-battled and won at Arizona State 5-3 on Saturday night.
It was a big win for UNLV to keep their playoff flame lit. Next weekend, the Rebels head to Texas Tech for a two-game weekend series...
Hey, if you are in a team caravan and are proceeding towards Hoover Dam be prepared to stop and pull out all of the hockey bags for a security check. That's what happened to the UNLV players and their wagon train of cars and vans on Sunday...All went well and the Rebels were told to 'move on' which they gladly did...
Speaking of road trips, Las Vegas goal-scorer Chris Francis of the Portland Winter Hawks is on one of the all-timers.
"....The Portland Winter Hawks left on a 22-hour bus ride after the Saturday night game for the 6-game Eastern swing through Saskatchewan and Manitoba starting in Regina Tuesday at 5:00 local time...."
Home ice: After two months on the road, Las Vegas skaters Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A played before a jammed-packed Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks this weekend and beat the Bismarck Bobcats 4-1 and 4-2.
"When you win, everything is better - even your food tastes better," said Eddie.
Saturday, Nov 11 - Two Las Vegas teams, the AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u and Las Vegas Outlaws midget A are working on unbeaten streaks. The Outlaws midget majors, coached by Pokey Reddick, are 4-0-0 this weekend in Southwest League play at Boise. The team has a six-game unbeaten streak and the Outlaws, loaded with top players, are regarded as a top team and a force in the Pacific region....
The Las Vegas Outlaws Midget A team is also unbeaten at 2-0-2 in Southwest League play over at the Fiesta this weekend -- totalled, that runs their win streak to 11 at 8-0-3. This team is coached by Kevin Brown, assisted by Eric Penn and the team manager is Vickie Adimey.
Also this weekend -
It looks like UNLV's Anthony Greener (ankle) will be out tonight in the game at Arizona State....
Cory Patterson (AAA Cal Senators and AAA L.A. Selects), always a hard worker on the ice, is rostered on the NAHL Springfield Jr. Blues Jr A. Cory, who looked terrific when he was over at the Global Showcase at the Las Vegas Ice Center this summer, has three goals, two assists in eight games...
Donnie Hallmark (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) tonight scored his first goal of the season for the USHL Ohio Blue Jackets Jr A...
Goalie Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) is in the net tonight for the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A who are at Fairbanks.......It's pretty cold outside that rink door too - about minus-10.....
Las Vegas defenseman Ryan Bowman, who signed with the Fort Vancouver Pioneers Jr B ths week, is back in the lineup tonight..
Stephen Leypoldt of Las Vegas has a goal or an assist in all seven of his starts for the Butte Roughriders Jr B who are at Bozeman tonight. That's a strong point run for any player.....
Saturday, Nov 11 - Quote of the Day:
Our first 21 games were probably the worst schedule for any team at any level in the history of hockey, said Rob Profitt, head coach of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A who opened the season with 20 road games. We dont have any more excuses because the next 40 games are probably the best schedule anyone could ever ask for...."
Next best quote:
"We sure have to play harder on Saturday night," said Rob Pallin after UNLV lost to Arizona State by five goals on Friday night.
Not that UNLV didn't try hard. The Rebels broke to a quick two-goal lead, it was 4-4 midway in the 2nd and then Arizona pulled away with the next five goals.
UNLV's Anthony Greener was on the ice, but his wrenched right ankle was just too much to overcome for the gutty big goal scorer.
Dino Georgopoulos, whose Loyola-Marymount college team beat UNLV in that 4-3 shocker a few weeks ago, was in a similar situation Friday night. His team took on USC, who Georgopoulos described as "...the best team we played all season."
It was 0-0 near the end of the first when USC scored a powerplay goal, then the Trojans scored two more to make it 3-0 and Loyola-Marymount scored to make it 3-1 near the end of the second and all of a sudden Georgeopoulos' heart started pumping real hard. Hey, you never know in hockey. Then USC stepped on its accelerator and off they went, scoring the last five. "Our goalie Chris Marks made all kinds of huge saves or it would have been worse," sighed Georgopoulos, who noted some of his top players had come down with colds and flu-like symptoms and didn't feel that hot going into the game.
And, how about Las Vegas defenseman Ryan Bowman who scored a huge goal for the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B last night. He went there for a tryout this week, did well, went right into the fire in a big game at Seattle. His goal, on a powerplay, helped Ft. Vancouver win in OT, 6-5....
Stephen Leypoldt of Las Vegas is obviously much more relaxed and producing more points with the Butte Roughriders Jr B. He began the season with the Tulsa Rampage Jr B in the Western States League, then left and returned to Butte where he played last season. Leypoldt has 5 goals and the Butte team is knocking down some wins which makes it all so worthwhile.
"It was just like playing in the BCHL - what a wild atmosphere at the rink," said Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas after a sold-out crowd of 2,468 packed the historic Big Dipper Ice Arena in Fairbanks. The Fairbanks team, in its home opener, beat the Bismarck Bobcats, 4-1....Eddie S sent over a backhand pass over to teammate Craig Dawkins who knocked in an easy goal to make it 2-0 late in the second period....
If you get out the coffee, check the scores real close, Derek Eisler's AAA San Jose Jr Sharks midget majors are on a very hot run with wins over top-rated teams...San Jose won its first three games this weekend at the Pittsburgh Hornets Classic...
Matt Bardsley's AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u, rated #1 here in our Top 10 West Tier 11 ratings since September, is playing 'up' in the AAA 18u bracket at the Abbotsford Midget Tournament this weekend....So far the Hawks are 3-1-0....
Ian Armstrong, coach of the AA Tucson Stampede 18u, notes his team is short-handed - only 13 players this weekend - because of injuries. Still, the Rampage is digging in and playing real hard at the Southwest League games this weekend at Chandler, Az....
Who is the most unheralded midget team in all of the West? Some say it's the Seattle Jr Admirals 16u team which is off to a 3-0-0 start this weekend in the AA 18u division of the Abbotsford Tournament and we are told, will be an unexpected force at the Pacific District Regionals......
Years ago, Eddie Del Grosso of Las Vegas played roller over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho and ice hockey over at the Santa Fe Stations Ice Arena where he was a 'rink rat' who was always trying to get onto the ice. So it must have been quite a thrill, seriously, when he pulled on his U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks jersey, walked out of the locker room, hit the ice, took a look at the huge stadium, and warmed up Friday night to play against Michigan before a wild, frenzied crowd of 6,046 at the Yost Ice Arena...
And who, really, is the best hockey athlete in Las Vegas? It might be Bobby Burns who is enrolled at the Tilton Academy in New Hampshire. Bobby was just named the MVP in Junior Varsity football. He is now playing ice hockey and when that season is over, he goes into baseball.
Thursday, Nov 9 - On the hockey wire: hard-skating Alex Laseen (AAA L.A. Stars) today was moved from the USHL Indiana Ice Jr A to the Ohio Blue Jackets Jr A. Laseen, 20, has two goals, five assists so far this season.
Wednesday, November 8 - There is big news today - Tim Mueller and Rob Pallin of Las Vegas are the new coaches of the UNLV Rebels college hockey team. It was announced today that Mueller and Pallin will be on the bench for the rest of this season. There is a full-blast story with backgrounds of both coaches in our College/Junior area....
Monday, November 6 - Bet you didn't know that Mike Modano is one of the owners of the NAHL Texas Tornado Jr A, three-time defending champions....
Tornado hockey is big-time at the Dr. Pepper Center in Frisco, Texas. The Tornados are the only NAHL team with twin Zambonis which clean the ice between periods...
There really are no gimmes in hockey as the high-powered Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B found out on Saturday night. The 0-14-0 River City Jaguars went to Ft. Vancouver and posted a riveting 5-3 shocker of a win....But, revenge can be so tough: on Sunday it was Fort Vancouver 15-2 over the very same team....
It looks like UNLV's big goal scorer Anthony Greener wants to get back onto the ice, but he will probably be advised to take another week off. He has a sprained ankle which needs rest. The Rebels, meanwhile, are off to Arziona State this coming weekend in a couple of 'must win' games if the Rebs hope to qualify for the regionals in the spring....
Eddie Del Grosso is off to a very hot start with 2 goals, 5 assists as a freshman defenseman for the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks....
We are told that one of the top players in the NorPac is Michael Frei who has scored 45 goals the last two seasons for the Eugene Generals Jr. B. Scouts say he is "unbelievable' -- he is 5'10, 168 pounds and is from Switzerland. If you are looking for a Junior A goal-scorer, he may be the one...
Our favorite Las Vegas Wrangler is Adam Cracknell, a quick 6'2, 210 pound forward who played junior hockey with the WHL Kootney Ice...
Here's a stat which is hard to believe: Last season Eddie Samuels of Las Vegas and Will Munson of the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls were roomates while playing for the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr. A. The Bulls lost their arena lease and the team shut down operations. Eddie this season went to the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A, Will went to the Orangeville Crushers Jr A. Eddie this season has 7 goals, 10 assists; Will has 7 goals, 10 assists.
Captain John Stoddard (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) is playing at a high, intense level as is goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) who has four shutouts for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
We were stunned when Roadrunners webcaster Arch Eckard revealed that Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has left the team, opting for shoulder surgery. Rodriguez is a top athlete who plays with the game with class and dignity and we are looking forward to his return to the ice. We are thinking of you - as are many others - Raffe....
Big defenseman John McAfee (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) who began the season with the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A is now on the roster of the Marquette Rangers Jr A....
Ryan Townsend, a top player for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget majors, is the team captain for November. The Outlaws rotate their C's each month...
We want to extend best wishes to long-time Las Vegas hockey goalie Gordon Lawes, 49, who years ago played for the Las Vegas Aces and more recently has been playing house hockey over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo. He has had pain in his right upper thigh and is getting a MRI this week to check it out...His son, Mike, plays on the same team, the Senators.
While scanning through the game program at the Wranglers game on Saturday night we noticed those incredible, striking action photos were taken by Pat Treichel of Las Vegas. You've probably have seen Pat over at the Ice Center where he takes photos of the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws midget minors...
We spotted Las Vegas players Troy Mueller, Tim Douglas and Tim Lydon at the Wranglers game on Saturday night...Conrad Trimbath's folks were there too as was Grandpa Frank Peronie over in section 107....The Las Vegas Ice Cats mites, including Jimmy Samuels, 8, got onto the ice and played, going up and down that incredible sheet of ice....
Just when all seemed lost in a men's league game on Sunday night, Geoff Kemper tipped a shot, Tim Lydon shook loose and scored followed by Jason Allen who blocked a shot, got a one-touch pass from Kemper and blasted in to score a short-handed goal and cinch a 7-5 win for the Senators over the Jokers at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo Ave.
Kemper wound up with three goals, Allen two, Lydon one and Mike Lawes one. The goalie was a new one to local hockey, Chad Olson who played very well...One of the officials was Justin Grossman, best remembered as one of the toughest players for the 2002-03 AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors who went to the U.S. Nationals....
Kelly Kemper, 10, proudly wore her Lil' Outlaws jersey while looking through the rink glass to watch older brother Geoff play in his house game Sunday night. Kelly's jersey number is easy to remember: She wears #1....
It's November and Thanksgiving is on the way. Which reminds me of one of my best holidays a few years ago when hockey GM Patrick Carrigan of the AAA Cal Stars put together a Thanksgiving feast for a post-game meal following a home game with the AAA L.A. Jr Kings. One of the Kings eating turkey that day was Ray Macias, now with the WHL Kamloops Blazers...
Saturday, Nov 4 - Final seconds, defending the net, facing a blizzard of shots on a 6-on-4 attack, fans on their feet, a former teammate barrelling in -- it was a tough spot for goalie Adam Kraus (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) in the final moments of a Friday night game against three-time defending champion Texas Tornado Jr A. Kraus, playing for the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A , made the big saves and the Avs won the game 3-2, at the Dr. Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas.
It was one of Kraus' best wins. He grew up in nearby Irving, Texas. Two of his Avalanche teammates, Clay Kasten and Jarod Yost, are from Texas and the Tornado roster includes two former AAA L.A. Jr Kings teammates, Jake Newton and Troy Puente. It was Adam's old buddy Jake who was blasting the puck right at him too...
Tonight, the two teams - and really, long-time rink friends - go at it again tonight in Texas.
Friday, Nov 3 - Radio announcer Arch Eckard of the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A tonight said that top defenseman Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has left the team, opting for shoulder surgery. Rodriguez is a top player, team leader and he's going to be greatly missed by the Roadrunners....
Friday, Nov 3 - The AAA L.A. Jr Kings midget majors are off big road trip in New Hope, Minnesota. There, the Kings will play in the Bauer Elite National Tournament which showcases the top high school teams throughout the USA. The Kings open play tonight, taking on AAA Team Illinois 18u.
Friday, Nov 3 - For sure, the skaters on the very skilled AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u will see some snow this weekend. The Outlaws are off to cold, blustery Colorado Springs and tonight will take on the Colorado Thunderbirds 91s who skate hard and can finish at the net.
Tonight is also the big matchup between two Las Vegas skaters now playing college hockey: Adam Naglich and the Fairbanks Nanooks on the road vs. Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.
That was Stephen Leypoldt of Las Vegas who sent over the game-winning pass last night to help the Butte Roughriders Jr B beat the Bozeman Ice Dogs Jr B in a 4-3 game in the NorPac. Tonight, Stephen and the Roughriders are in ice-cold Helena, Montana. Stephen's mother Judy is on the road trip and is loving every minute of it.
Thursday, Nov 2 - Stat of the Day: AA Las Vegas Outlaw Kyle Clay (7 goals, 7 assists) is the #1 scorer, Robbie Silvernail (6 goals, 7 assists) #2 and Ryan Townsend (3 goals, 7 assists) #7 on the Top 10 scoring list in the Southwest League....
That was Mike Zenzola (AA Inland Valley Wild 18u) who scored a dramatic, game-winning OT goal for the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B in a 5-4 win over the Eugene Generals Jr. B on Sunday. One of Mike's teammates is Ryan King of the AA Las Vegas Rebels 18u......
Proud hockey mom: Patty Del Grosso of Las Vegas is off to see her son Eddie skate for the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks when they take on Adam Naglich of Las Vegas and the Fairbanks Nanooks in a two-game weekend series in Omaha beginning Friday night. It wasn't that long ago when Eddie and Adam were playing roller over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho and later as teammates on the 2002-03 AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget majors who took that magical ride to the U.S. Nationals.
Wednesday, Nov. 1 - It's tough scoring even one goal in a Junior A game. Nick Dineen, always a top goal-scorer for the AAA Pikes Peak Miners midget majors, did it three times -- getting a three-goal hat-trick for the USHL Sioux Falls Stampede who beat the Ohio Blue Jackets on Monday. Nick has 4 goals, 3 assists in eight games this season.
Hard-skating, all-heart Josh Harris had a five-point game over the weekend, getting one goal, four assists for the AAA Anaheim Ducks midget majors in their 6-1 win over the Capital Center Pride 18u on Sunday.
Rob Pallin of Las Vegas is one proud hockey coach. He is off to Omaha this weekend to watch two of his skaters in the same NCAA Division 1 game. Adam Naglich and the Fairbanks Nanooks are heading out to take on Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks for a two-game weekend series which begins Friday night. Rob is taking his best camera and is hoping to pose the two together on the ice during the warmups....
Tuesday, Oct 31 - The AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors are on a phenominal run -- 7-1-2 in their last 10 games including a 3-1-1 record vs. teams rated in the Top 10 West. That is an extraordinary accomplishment from every skater who proudly pulls on a Titan jersey and all of the coaches involved with the team. Today, the Titans enter the Top 10 West ratings for the first time. They did it the hard way, digging in and winning against the best teams in the West.
Monday, Oct 30 - Our host company, Ezboard, was off-line over 12 hours this weekend and as a result we are still on the hunt for Sunday scores. Please send to lee@toprank.com
Here's a look at the weekend wrap:
Derek Eisler's AAA San Jose Jr Sharks midget majors had a huge weekend, going 4-0-0 in the CAHA Developmental games in Simi Valley, Calif. The Sharks were very tough defensively, only allowing an average of one goal per game.
AAA SAN JOSE JR SHARKS 18u
CAHA Weekend
1-0 over Capital Center Pride
2-0 over Anaheim Ducks Alliance
3-2 over L.A. Jr Kings
4-2 over PF Changs-Phoenix
The fiery vastly-improved AAA So-Cal Titans midget majors went 2-0-2 in the CAHA games:
AAA SO-CAL TITANS 18u
CAHA Weekend
4-2 over Capital Center Pride
4-2 over Anaheim Ducks Alliance
2-2 vs. PF Changs-Phoenix
4-4 vs. L.A. Jr Kings
In the AA 18u battlefield, the AA San Diego Jr Gulls and AA So-Cal Vipers each went 3-0-1 this weekend which included a 4-4 firefight in their game....
That was Todd Owen who was the referee of the UNLV vs. Loyola Marymount University game on Saturday night at the SoBe Arena. Todd and his crew did terrific work in that game.
In the big Sunday night men's league game, Geoff Kemper scored 4 goals, Tim Lydon 4, Jason Allen 3 while Josh Odoms had one goal, two assists for the Senators who broke to a quick lead and defeated the Rhinos, 14-4 before a nice crowd rattling around the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo....
Once we get caught up on scores, which should be later today, we will post new Top 10 West rating tonight.
Sunday, Oct 29 - Stat of the Day: UNLV goalie Brandon Rial has three of the Rebels' five wins this season....
UNLV's all-time goal scorer Anthony Greener tried to skate, but the pain in his right ankle was too much so he quickly went off the ice on Saturday night....Greener, we are told, was injured the previous night - probably in one of those pileups in front of the Loyola-Marymount net near the end of the Friday night game....UNLV is off this coming weekend so that gives him extra rest time...One UNLV player who did step up last night was Brian Penska who skated very hard while taking the puck into the attack zone...
That was an outstanding officiating crew which worked the UNLV vs. Loyola game on Saturday night...We said it previously, but officiating is at its all-time best in all levels of Las Vegas hockey this season....
Best scrap this weekend: Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A. Selects) of the Wichita Falls Wildcats Jr A vs. Brad McCabe, the big goal scorer for the Alaska Avalanche Jr. A on Saturday night. Wichita, after the fight, scored twice enroute to a 5-2 win....
There is a big men's league game tonight over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Jason Allen, Geoff Kemper and Tim Lydon of The Senators will take on the Rhinos at 8 pm. In their first meeting, the Rhinos won by seven goals. Both teams are now battling near the top of their standings...
Saturday, Oct 28 - Stat of the Day: the AAA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u have two straight shutout wins this weekend and five shutouts for the season.
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The UNLV Rebels ice team goes into its most important 'must win' game tonight when they take on Loyola-Marymount at the SoBe Arena. The Rebels, who lost 4-3 to Loyola last night, need a win to work their way back into a contending position for a regional position at the end of the season. A super-hot goalie, Chris Marks, shut down the Rebels last night. UNLV has some fierce firepower but the Rebels will have to be more physical to solve this intriguing, skilled Loyola team. Faceoff, 6 pm.
Whenever UNLV's hulk-like Justin Herbst makes a crushing check the song 'Danger Zone' is played real loud in the arena...
During one UNLV timeout last night, the Chicken Song was followed by YMCA which got a few people up and out of their seats.....the little ones in the bleachers like those ones...
Big news Friday night: Eddie Del Grosso and Jeff Hajner of Las Vegas each scored their first college goal and their teams won by the same exact score, 7-5....Eddie D did it for the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in a 7-5 win over the tough Western Michigan Broncos (Rob Pallin is an alumni there) while Jeff scored for the Air Force Academy in a 7-5 win over Huntsville-Alabama....Tonight, Eddie D and the Mavs face Western Michigan again; Jeff and the Air Force Academy are in a tournament final, taking on Notre Dame....
Todd Bowman (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) is on a hot run - in a battle of division leaders he dealt a game-winning assist in overtime for the BCHL Trail Smokeaters Jr A who beat the Victoria Grizzlies Jr A, 4-3...
Quote of the day: "Rodents and mice so big, they would easily over-power Peaches, our house cat" -- so said Jay and Mary-Catherine Zurfluh of Las Vegas. They are at a motel in Texas to see MC's brother, Eddie Samuels, skate for the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A tonight against the three-time defending champions Texas Tornado Jr A......
Friday, Oct 27 - The UNLV Rebels are on home ice tonight, taking on Loyola Marymount of California at the SoBe Arena, 6:30 pm. These are all big games for UNLV which needs wins to qualify for the annual ACHA-II West regional tournament.....UNLV is a powerful force on home ice -- the Rebs' leading goal scorers are Anthony Greener (nine goals), Anthony Marinello (9), Aaron Baca (7) and Derek Koehler (6).....
Thursday, Oct 26 - Cleanin' the Clipboard....
//It will be 'Adopt-A-Husky Night' when Las Vegas skaters Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A play at the Texas Tornado Jr A in Frisco, Texas on Sunday night. Adopt A Husky of Dallas is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving lost Siberian Huskies, and the education of owners in how to care for them and for the promotion to the general public the gentle and affectionate nature of the breed.
//Sophomore skater Nate Rein (AAA Las Vegas Outlaws, AA Utah Stars) and the U of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets are rated #10 in the first NCAA Division III poll. The Yellowjackets are coming off a big 18-10-3 season. The #1 team with all 15 first-place votes are the powerful Middlebury, Conn. Panthers who include sophomore Ian Drummund (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls).....
//Freshman Chris Ochoa (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs) is off to a very strong start with two goals, one assist for the UConn Huskies....
//Jeff Hajner and the Air Force Academy are off to Huntsville-Alabama this weekend in a four-team tournament which includes Notre Dame.
//Chris Francis of Las Vegas is getting tons of ice time and is skating on the top line for the WHL Portland Winter Hawks.
//UNLV Rebel defensemen Jeff Root of Las Vegas is one of the most feared players in the West, as is teammate Justin Herbst who has fired some pulverizing, rinkboard-rattling checks. Both are awaiting the arrival of the Loyola-Marymount College team which is coming into Las Vegas for a weekend series with UNLV beginning Friday night.
//One of the UNLV skaters whizzing by us at the rinkboards on last weekend was hard-skating Brian Penska, younger brother of Dan who is a big Rebels goal scorer.
//One of our favorite UNLV players is #19 Derek Koehler who works so hard for every goal he gets.
//Noble Tucker, an '89 goalie for the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 18u, made some big, spectacular saves while playing in SWYHL games over at the Las Vegas Ice Center last weekend. Tucker, who played for the AAA San Diego Jr Gulls a year ago, is on the ice six times a week including workouts at the famous Rock Institute in Newport Beach.
//Harvey Smyl, head coach coach of the BCHL Langley Chiefs Jr. A, is tracking the progress of Las Vegas defenseman Alex Winnik who is playing for the hard-hitting AAA Cal North Stars 18u who are on a hot run with star goalie Hudson Stremmel.
//Corbin Brown, with seven goals, of Las Vegas is one of the top points producers for Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 18u.
//NAHL MVP? We pick goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) who has been awesome in the net for the Southern Division leading Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.
//Biggest win this season? Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas and the BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A recently beat a top, powerful team - the Victoria Grizzlies Jr A in a real thriller before a sold-out crowd on home ice. It doesn't get any better than that.....
//Bet you didn't know that Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich's name is written in big, fancy italic letters on the shaft of each of his gold sticks he uses in games for the Fairbanks Nanooks.
//We are told that the rivalry between the AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u and the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u this season is as fiery and punishng as those historic Kings vs. Gulls games.
//Neil Miller, coach of the AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 18u, is tweaking his roster and the 'Dogs -- we are told -- will be even stronger.
//No one, however, is hotter than the AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u who are off to their best start in club history.
//One of the best goal scorers in town is Robbie Silvernail of the AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u. He's got size, a quick release on his shots and he has scored at every level he's played - in ice and roller.
//Finally, we were told this weekend that one of the Las Vegas Ice Cats Mites B players -- at eight years old -- has a team-record 1,622 songs logged into his Ipod for those long road trips.
Tuesday, Oct 24 - This past summer Todd Bowman (AAA L.A. Jr
Kings) was an immediate hit while skating at the Global Showcase over
at the Las Vegas Ice Center. The rink buzz was that the BCHL Trail
Smokeaters Jr. A were going to sign him and they did. Since, Todd has
been skating for one of the best teams in the BCHL. This past weekend,
he scored a big goal as Trail rattled in five in a row to beat the
tough Penticton Vees Jr A, 5-1...
UNLV Rebel Anthony Marinello has been a big goal scorer for the college
team this season. His younger brother, Morgan, is one of the top
goalies in town playing for the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u....
At the UNLV game on Sunday, one of the officials was Chris Crowley. His
folks were there too. Years ago we were one of Chris' roller coaches,
at least in house leagues, over at Larry Sanfords's Crystal Palace on
North Rancho Drive. Chris was a powerful player who blasted shots from
long to mid range. When he wound up, defensemen scattered....
Hey, did you know Steve Allen (Jason's Dad) used to play pro hockey on
the AAA level?
At the Las Vegas Ice Center on Sunday night, Las Vegas skaters Jason
Allen and Mike Sullivan were on opposing teams in a big men's league
game. They were in the faceoff circle -- two former teammates of the
NorPac Portland Pioneers Jr B who, three seasons ago, had an
unbelievably hot run....
If you check your 2006 Election Ballot and look at the Senator's race
you will find the name of Senator Dennis Nolan running for re-election.
That's the very same Senator Nolan who skates every Sunday night at the
Las Vegas Ice Center. His team: The Senators.
The other night, while over at the SoBe Arena, we watched UNLV goalie
Chris Tate lug in those big, red pads.
"He plays men's league hockey all the time, maybe 4 or 5 times a week,"
said Rob Pallin.
We are trying to track down the whereabouts of a few players:
Paul Lowden, former Las Vegas and Peninsula Panther Jr B goalie
Tanar Nobles, AAA Colorado Outlaws (we last saw Tanar at a Showcase two
years ago at the Las Vegas Ice Center)
Scott Tittle, AAA Colorado Outlaws and Helena Bighorns Jr. A.
Mike Valencia, AAA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u
If you know, please email me at lee@toprank.com
Finally, for years hockey dad George Kemper of Las Vegas has been
taking daughter Kellie to the hockey games. She used to bring crayons
and color in her books during the games but more recently she has been
standing on her toes and peering through the rink glass.
You guessed it - She wants to play hockey.
Kellie, age 10 1/2, is skating in house league hockey and is about to
become a Little Outlaw.
Monday, Oct 23 - For years, Josh Cardozi of Las Vegas was a roller goalie over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho Drive. He was a top goalie in house games, advanced to the travel team level and was on the very first Las Vegas team which went to a NARCH Nationals years ago in Vancouver, B.C. The team was coached by Al Tamura. Now 20, Josh is in the U.S. Coast Guard. He is a fireman on a battleship which patrols the Pacific. His proud parents, Bob and Lori, were at the UNLV hockey game on Sunday and said Josh is stationed in Crescent City, Calif. "He and the soldiers play hockey once a week for fun," Lori said. "Josh skates out now -- his commander is the goalie."
The AAA Cal Northstars midget majors played some hard-hitting hockey and went 3-0-1 over the weekend at the Las Vegas Ice Center.
UNLV captain Aaron Baca had a mighty big game with two goals, three assists in the 12-4 win over Walla Walla on Sunday.
Jason Allen of Las Vegas burned on the ice on Sunday night. In a big men's league at the Las Vegas Ice Center, Jason scored five times -- including two blistering long-range goals about five seconds apart - while teammates Josh Odoms (two goals) and Tim Lydon (two goals) chipped with goals as the Senators beat Mike Sullivan's Offense 14-4. Lydon, who won the 'All Heart' award for Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels 18u last season, really played well. The Senators, who include former AAA San Diego Jr Gull Geoff Kemper, got a big effort from goalie Gordon Lawes...
Rob Pallin has bought an airline ticket to see the upcoming games between Adam Naglich and the Fairbanks Nanooks vs. Eddie Del Grosso and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks.
We spotted our first holiday tree on Sunday. While at the SoBe Arena, we went on a hunt for rink coffee and walked past the Fiesta Smoke and Gift Shop and there was a pine tree lit with all-green lights.......
Hey, did you hear about the Las Vegas Ice Cat hockey mom who took a "wrong turn" in Kingman and wound up near L.A.? She was returning home with little Ice Cats skaters from a weekend series at Flagstaff and said that "we were chatting a lot" and she got home the long way.
Sunday, Oct 22 -- The UNLV Rebels are on the ice today, taking on Walla Walla over at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta at 3:15 pm....The UNLV top line of Anthony Greener, Aaron Baca and Dan Penska is on fire....UNLV has three top goalies this season - Chris Tate, Brandon Rial and Tito Munoz which makes it real tough for coach Eddie Kawa decide who goes into the net on game night....We will be there at the rinkboards today, on the boards, just to the right of the south net...
Adam Naglich of Las Vegas had one of biggest, most-important assists when he helped set up linemate Justin Binab who scored the tying goal in a wild 1-1 tie for the Fairbanks Nanooks against state rival Anchorage Seawolves. When Binab scored, the 4,595 there stood and roared and nearly took the roof off of the sold-out Carlson Center in Fairbanks.
We watched skater Corbin Brown of Las Vegas work the puck, get good positioning, set up his big goal scorers on an AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 18u team which is playing this weekend over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Phoenix is coached by Kurt Goar who has put together some real powerhouses...
Las Vegas defenseman Alex Winnik, who was in the Langley Chiefs Jr A main camp last month, is a top player for the AAA Cal Northstars 18u team which includes star goalie Hudson Stremmel who has been drafted by the WHL Chilliwack Bruins. We are told the Chilliwack coaches keep in "constant touch" with Stremmel who is so good he makes saves look easy -- the mark of a top athlete.
Goalie Adam Krauss (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) went back into the trenches, the net for the Alaska Avalanche Jr A, and came back from one of the most excruiating losses Friday night to beat the first-place Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A 5-3 on Saturday night....
There are USHL teams, we are told, who are on the hunt for big goal scorer Brad McCabe of the Alaska Avalanche....He's got size, can skate and more importantly he puts the puck into the net...Eddie Samuels of Fairbanks says McCabe is "the real deal - he can play."...McCabe has 9 goals, 5 assists....
Itan Chavira (AA Inland Valley Wild 18u) has scored seven goals in his last two games for the San Diego Surf Jr B. For the season Chavira has 11 goals, 7 assists and the Surf is on a big win streak.....There are some former Gulls on the team including Brian Longmore and Jarrad Gilbert who are each off to strong starts....
While at the Las Vegas Ice Center rinkboards yesterday we were told that one of our favorite players, Matt Comrie of the San Diego Gulls, is not playing this season......Matt's older brother, Dan Comrie, was one of the best, most fiery players we ever saw in midget major hockey....
There are a lot of big games today, but none bigger than a matchup between the AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u and the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u in Simi Valley, Calif....
Years ago, Ashley O'Harrow played house roller over at Crystal Palace on North Rancho here in Las Vegas. Now she is a junior at UNLV and playing on the Rebels outstanding woman's soccer team where she was just named the 'Defensive Player of the Month' in the Mountain West League. Her proud dad, Harry, will tell you all about it over at the Las Vegas Ice Center where he runs the best rink snack bar in town...Ask Harry about Ashley's game in a huge snowstorm this weekend against the Air Force Academy....
There's a big men's league game tonight over at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Jason Allen, Geoff Kemper, Tim Lydon and Robbie Jay of The Senators is taking on the Mike Sullivan-captained Offense team at 6:30 pm. This is going to be a good one.....
-----------
Our most sincere condolances to Rob Pallin whose sister, age 54, passed this past week -- we feel your sorrow.......We had a death in our family this week (cousin Jimmy, in Philadelphia) and it tears you apart...
Saturday, Oct 21 - On the hockey wire: Chris Francis of Las Vegas scores two goals for the WHL Portland Winter Hawks.
Goalie Adam Krauss (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) sure deserved a better fate Friday night. Krauss had 59 saves as the Alaska Avalanche Jr A battled to a 2-0 lead over the division-leading Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. Alaska defenseman John McAfee (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) scored his first goal of the season. In the third period, disaster struck: Santa Fe had more shots 21-0 and scored the last three goals of the game as Jason Krispel (AAA L.A Selects) Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) and finally - with 15 seconds to play - Ben Kinne scored for Santa Fe to win it, 3-2. That's an extremely tough loss and it must have been a very rough scene in the Alaska locker room after they played so hard against arugably the best team in the NAHL.
The winning goalie in that game was Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) whose gaa is right around 1.65 per game.
Just as tough was what happened to Las Vegas skater Adam Naglich on Friday night. The visiting Anchorage Seawolves scored with 0:15 left to tie 5-5 and then scored in OT to beat the Fairbanks Nanooks, 6-5, before a sold-out crowd at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.
One of things that really hurt us was they took advantage of their size up front, said Nanooks head coach Tavis MacMillan. Their big forwards were able to outbattle us in front of our own net. Give them credit, they found a chink in our armor."
At the AAA Southwest League games in Las Vegas last night, SWYHL commissioner Ron White said results and standings are not logged in on the league website because AAA teams are being rotated all season. Thus, no real champion - but the first two games we saw were fiercely played.
There's a lot of rink talk about AAA Cal Northstars 18u goalie Hudson Stremmel, a '91, who has been drafted by the WHL Chilliwack Bruins. We saw and liked the hard work from Phoenix goalie Matt Frederico, an '88, who gave it his all in the two-goal win over the Northwest Utah Regulators 18u on Friday night.
It's always tough to win on the road, so it must have been something real special when the AAA So-Cal Titans 18u team won at AAA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u, 6-4 last night. That's the biggest win ever for the first-year Titans team.
We are looking for scores from the CC Mountain Classic which includes AAA Team Illinois 18u and the AAA Chicago Chill 18u. Please email scores and highlights to lee@toprank.com
You know it's a big game when Wally Lacroix is the referee. Wally and his crew did terrific work during the fiery, intense game Friday night game between the AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 18u and the AAA Northwest Utah Regulators 18u.
At the Las Vegas Ice Center last night we spotted Robbie Silvernail, the big goal scorer for the AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team, Stringfellow Swan (AA Las Vegas Rebels) and David Hutzler (AA Las Vegas Rebels).
Team meals and hours of story-telling are a big part of hockey and there is an 'Outlaws Special' for all weekend tournament teams at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Go inside of the Castle Rock Bar and Grill in front of the Ice Center, head for the Abigail Rose Restaurant and check out the huge pizzas for just a few dollars. Mention the Outlaws. We will be there today after the Saturday morning games with rinkboard reporters Steve Allen and George Kemper.
Las Vegas skater Stephen Leypoldt, who began the season with the Tulsa Rampage Jr B, moved back to the NorPac and is now playing for the Butte Roughriders Jr. A. Stephen had an assist last night.
Joe Myers of Las Vegas scored last night for the Eugene Generals Jr B, one of the best teams in the NorPac.
Is it just me or does the rink coffee taste better at the Ice Center when Harry O'Harrow, behind the counter, smilingly pours it into the paper cups. He was off-duty during the SWYL games last night.
We want to wish one of our favorite hockey Dads - Rich Opperman, father of Daryl Opperman who played so many years in the Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs system, best wishes. He had a health procedure done on Friday and Rich, we are thinking of you as are many others around the Vegas rinkboards.
Jimmy Samuels, age 8, and the Las Vegas Ice Cats Mites B are off to ice-cold Flagstaff, Az. this weekend where, we are told, there are snow clouds. Jimmy's uncle is Eddie Samuels who plays for the NAHL Fairbanks Jr. A.
The UNLV Rebels college ice team will have their hands full with Walla Walla tonight (6 pm) who head into town with a ton of pure goal-scoring offense. The Rebels defense which includes Ryan Krametbauer, Jeff Root, John McAslan and Danny Kaminski, is going to be heated up real quick and it will take top play from the 'D' to win these games this weekend.
Friday, Oct. 20 - Stat of the Day: Walla Walla's 1-2 scoring punch of Quinell Oucharek (10 goals, 14 assists) and older brother Quisto Oucharek (9 goals, 5 assists) are coming into town to take on the UNLV Rebels ice team on Saturday (6 pm) and Sunday (3:15 pm) over at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino.
Thursday, Oct. 19 - Three Las Vegas skaters return home this weekend. Corbin Brown, a tough playmaking forward with Kurt Goar's AAA PF Changs-Phoenix midget majors; John McNicolas, a goal-scorer for the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs midget majors and defenseman Alex Winnik of the AAA Cal Northstars midget majors will be in the mix with two other teams in Southwest League round-robin action at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo. Ave.
Here is the Friday night schedule:
7:00pm- Spokane vs Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs
8:45pm- Utah Regulators vs PF Changs-Phoenix
The UNLV Rebels college ice team has two games this weekend - taking on Walla Walla on Saturday night (6 pm faceoff) and Sunday afternoon (3:15 pm) over at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino on North Rancho Drive.
Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas was in his biggest game Tuesday night: He dealt a very key assist on the second goal of the game as the Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A stunned the first-place Victoria Grizzlies 4-2 before a hometown sellout crowd of 2,656. The rink was really rocking and Reddick upped his season numbers to 2 goals, 4 assists -- outstanding numbers considering how tough the play is in the BCHL. Cowichan and Victoria are long-time fierce rivals and Bryce is right in the mix of these very exciting firefights of games....
Matt Moore, who scored a lot of goals while playing youth hockey in Las Vegas before leaving for the Littleton Hawks bantams years ago, is back on the ice. Matt (AAA Colorado Outlaws) has four goals, three assists for the U of Denver club team which is one of the best in the West.
Fiery, hard-working goal-scorer Chris Ocoha (AAA L.A. Stars, AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs), now a freshman skater with the UConn Huskies, got an assist last weekend in two tough game - a 2-1 loss to Bowling Green and a 7-5 loss to Michigan. On Friday night, Chris and the Huskies begin a two-game weekend series with Army.
Wednesday, Oct. 18 - Two-Time Playmaker of the Year Conrad Trimbath of Las Vegas is in a big game tonight. He and the Northern Cyclones Jr A of Hudson, N.H. are taking on the very tough Boston Bulldogs Jr A...
Goalie Hudson Stremmel of the AAA California North Stars 18u was the MVP at the Columbus, Ohio, Blue Jacket Tournament this past weekend.
Stremmel, a '91, finished the weekend seeing 124 shots and going 2-2 with a 2.75 GAA and .911 save
Matt Bardsley's #1 rated AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u just got accepted into the big Richmond, Canada, International Hockey Tournanment which is held during the Christmas holidays...
Blake Humphrey (AAA L.A. Jr Kings), who started this season with the BCHL Penticton Vees and then was moved to the powerful NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A, took a bad hit and was banged up last Friday night. According to the Roadrunners daily notebook, Humphrey will be out at least two weeks...Get well and get back on the ice, Blake...
Ken Quinney's AAA Las Vegas Outlaws Jr A midget minors are gearing up for their biggest weekend this season. The Outlaws head to Phoenix to face top AAA 16u including the L.A. Selects....
Tuesday, Oct. 17 - There are some pretty amazing unbeaten streaks here in the West. Here are the hottest teams according to the scores posted here:
AAA/AA PACIFIC-ROCKIES
Active Unbeaten Streaks
12-AA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u (11-0-1)
12-AA Anaheim Wildcats 16u (8-0-4)
10-AA Inland Valley Wild 16u (8-0-2)
8-AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u (7-0-1)
8-AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u (7-0-1)
8-AA Hyland Hills Jaguars 16u (7-0-1)
7-AAA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 16u (7-0-0)
7-AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u (6-0-1)
Monday, Oct 16 - The AA L.A. Hockey Club 18u team, which has been rated in the Top 10 West all season, today was accepted in one of our favorite holiday tournaments -- the Richmond, Canada, Invitational. LAHC will compete in the Elite Division....
Las Vegas freshman skater Anthony Marinello -- who had a huge weekend in UNLV's riveting games against Arizona University -- is the first UNLV Rebel to be selected the 'Star of the Game' in back-to-back games.....UNLV is at home this coming weekend, taking on Walla-Walla of Washington...
Over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo last night, Jason Allen buzzed about and scored six goals, Jeff Kemper scored twice and rookie skater Tim Lydon dealt two assists as the Senators beat the Blackjacks, 10-2 in a men's league game......Lydon received the 'All Heart' award last season for Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels 18u team....We were told that Jason was firing and connecting from a variety of distances....
Sunday, Oct 15 - Best line of the week? That's easy....
Las Vegas referee Adam Hendren, in his first pro game, with Las Vegas linesmen John Konstantine and Wally LaCroix at the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers game on Thursday night at The Orleans Arena on Tropicana.
Sunday, Oct 15 - That was thrilling, the way the UNLV Rebels battled back to nearly catch and beat the #10 rated Arizona Ice Cats over at the SoBe Arena on Saturday night......UNLV's Anthony Marinello had a huge weekend, scoring three goals in the weekend series...Goalie Chris Tate again proved he is one of the best in the West....
Adam Naglich of Las Vegas had two goals, one assist in U of Fairbanks Nanooks' 8-4 win over Air Force...Eddie Del Grosso's first two college games both went in scorching overtimes for the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks....Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas is proving he can score in the tough BCHL - he has two goals, three assists for the Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A....
You might know the U of Michigan goalie: He's freshman Steven Jackiel, an '86, who used to defend the net for the AAA L.A. Jr Kings....
Saturday, Oct. 14
On the hockey wire:
The Quote of the Day:
If you want to score goals at a higher level, youve got to one-time the puck. If you cant one-time the puck, you cant score goals. Goaltenders are too good, d-men and players have too good of equipment to get into (shooting) lanes and block shots."
-- Tavis MacMillan, head coach, U of Fairbanks Nanooks
Saturday, Oct 14 -- UNLV goes at it again, taking on #10 rated Arizona University tonight over at the SoBe Arena tonight at 7 pm. Arizona sure has some smooth, skilled skaters and the UNLV Rebels will have to get real physical, particuarly near the attack net, to pull this one out. Skilled teams do not like contact and that's the feeling I got while at the rinkboards watching the Friday night game....
Also today: Mary Magdalene, owner of the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A was quoted saying she could take a $500,000 loss if things don't change soon. She asked the City Council there permission to sell alcohol at home games, but was declined with the explanation that the home rink is a city-owned community center. The ironry is that the Roadrunners have the top team in the league, the best website, the best radio announcer in Arch Eckard, the best promotions - and the crowds were 120 and 205 in the last two games. If the same team and front office were in Bozeman, Montana for example, every game would be a 3,200 sellout...The problem there is that the Valley Garden Arena has been sold and is no longer available for a Junior A team...Something has to give, as three NAHL franchises - Billings, Bozeman and Helena - shut down operations last season....
Yet, some teams this season -- like the NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A -- are drawing blockbuster crowds. Fairbanks drew 4,500+ in their only home game (at the Carlson Center, where the U of Fairbanks Nanooks play) and the Ice Dogs expect to sellout every game when they return home to the historic Big Dipper Arena....That's 2000+ a game and a Junior A team can live on that....
And on the ice, guess who makes Santa Fe tick? It's John Stoddard, the former AAA San Diego Jr Gull, who hustles so hard offensively and defensively. That's why he's proudly wearing the 'C' on his jersey.....
Think about this one: The AAA Northwest Regulators-Utah 18u are 2-0-0 and the #1 rated Dallas Stars 18u are 0-2-0 at the Chicago Chill Autumn Tournament this weekend....Also, that was a pretty big win for the AAA So-Cal Titans 18u who beat the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 4-1 on Friday night....
On the ratings front: There is an explosion of top, skilled Western-based AAA and AA midget teams this season. We are planning to expand our Top 10 West ratings to a Top 12.....New ratings are put together and released here every Monday night....
Friday, Oct. 13 -- The best team ever to hit the ice in Las Vegas will be in town Friday night.
The U of Arizona Ice Cats, a Tier 1 team, will take on Eddie Kawa's UNLV Rebels over at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino.
Arizona, as outlined in a story in our college hockey area, has qualified 22 times for the U.S. Nationals, has made the Final Four eight times and won the National Championship in 1985.
It's quite a challenge for UNLV in this much-anticipated two-game weekend series. It all starts tonight at 6:30 pm and the second game is on Saturday at 7 pm.
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Also tonight: Jeff Hajner of Las Vegas and the Air Force Cadets open their season on the road, taking on Adam Naglich of Las Vegas and the U of Fairbanks Nanooks in a two-game weekend series.....Eddie Del Grosso of Las Vegas and the U of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks opener their season at the Nissan Tournament in Anchorage. Tonight, the Mavericks take on Colorado College and on Saturday, it's the Anchorage Seawolves....
Wednesday, Oct. 11 - On the hockey wire:
The Albuquerque Journal is working on a story that San Diego skaters Rafael Rodriguez and John Stoddard - who were both injured in recent games - skated at practice today and both are expected to play for the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A this coming weekend. Rodriguez, a key player on the Roadrunnners powerplay, has been troubled with a shoulder problem and Stoddard, the captain, was struck from behind and, we're told, rammed into the boards in a recent game vs the NAHL Texas Tornado Jr. A....Stoddard's injury was less serious, said to be some sort of deep muscle bruise....
Tuesday, Oct. 10 - Here's a snapshot look at all of the AAA San Jose Jr Sharks skaters who are playing on the next level (thanks to Derek Eisler, Sharks head coach):
Jeff Van Siclen--First point assist for BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals against Langley Chiefs.
Cobin McPhearson--First 2 games for BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals (Injury had kept him out)
Jared McIntosh-- 10GM 2G-0A Alaska Avalanche NAHL
Jake Hutt--9GM 2G-1A Santa Fe Roadrunners NAHL
David Kurbatsky--10GM 2G-2A Winkler Flyer Manitoba Junior Hockey League
Mike Lawler--8GM 0G-2A North Bay Skyhawks NOJHL, teammate, Bryan Albert LA Jr. Kings
Taylor Anderson--Walpole Express AJHL NO STATS Goalie, taking visit to Army
Dan McCarthey--Walpole Express AJHL NO STATS D, teammate, Shaun Mathur LA Jr. Kings.
Matt Henry--8GM OG-0A Bismarck NAHL.
Tuesday, Oct. 10 -- On the hockey wire:
The Vancouver Giants have announced 18 year-old goaltender TOMMY TARTAGLIONE (AAA Cal Wave 88s) has been traded to the Regina Pats in exchange for a 4th round WHL bantam draft pick.
Tartaglione is into his second season in the WHL. The native of Harbor City, California played ten games with the Giants last year, posting a 5-3 record with a 2.15 goals against average and a 89.5 save percentage. He spent the majority of last season playing Junior B for the Delta Ice Hawks of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League, leading them to a regular season and playoff championship.
"Tommy has been a loyal and fierce competitor in our organization the past couple of seasons," says Scott Bonner. "We feel we have tremendous depth in our goaltending position and we believe Tommy deserves to play in the WHL. We wish him all the best with the Pats this season."
Tuesday, Oct. 10 -- This is a huge week for the UNLV Rebels who are preparing to take on the Tier 1 U of Arizona Ice Cats in a two-game weekend series which begins on Friday night at the SoBe Arena...Arizona's lineup includes Cody Morin, the big goal scorer who played for Rob Pallin's AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team in 2002-03...
"Arizona is tough - they should be too, being a Tier 1 team," said UNLV Rebels captain Aaron Baca....Faceoff on Friday night is 6:30 pm....
UNLV set two big records this past weekend -- most goals (15) in a single game and most players (4) getting a hat trick in the same game......
Chris Cleveland -- if you are reading this -- please email me at lee@toprank.com. UNLV needs you to play your hockey music Friday night....
The big rinkboard buzz this weekend over at the Ice Center was about goalie Hudson Stremmell of the AAA Cal Northstars 18u team. Some scouts thought he was in town but that was the Northstars 16u team which was playing in the Las Vegas Invitational....Stremmell, a '91, was drafted by the WHL Chilliwack Bruins in the bantam draft last spring.....One of his teammates is Las Vegas skater Alex Winnick who we were told is playing very well for the Northstars....
More buzz: lots of talk about Brad McCabe, the big goal-scorer for the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A. He is off to a hot start with his fiery play -- along with 7 goals, 5 assists -- and USHL scouts are taking notice.....
That McCabe kid is a dandy with a real potential to be an NHL draft pick this coming year, said Rob Profitt, head coach of the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A. Hes a very special hockey player and well have to be aware of where hes at on the ice at all times.
All-time goal scorer and playmaker Micah Sanford is the first Las Vegas player to go pro. His picture and bio are posted on the ECHL Bakersfield Condors website....
Eric Bowman (AAA Las Vegas Outlaws) sure was a hard worker when he played for coach Rob Pallin. Now Eric is captain of the Utah Valley College ice team...
One of the top players in town this weekend was Danny Heath, a defenseman for the PF Changs-Phoenix 16u team. He was picked by the USHL Tri-City Storm in the recent Prospects Draft....
The top goalie in the NAHL is Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) for the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A.....Hopper is 7-2-0 with a 1.65 gaa....
There will be an amazing number of former AAA San Diego Jr Gulls when the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A go on the road to take on the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr. A in a three-game series this week. Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of Las Vegas are former Gulls and will be facing former Gulls teammates Rafael Rodriguez, Johnny Stoddard and Randy Swank. All are great friends, so it should be quite a reunion. The first game is this Thursday night.
Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks are on the road tonight, taking on the Spokane Chiefs. Hawks announcers Dean 'Scooter' Vrooman and Andy Kemp -- who really call a terrific game - will be on the Hawks internet radio network. Go over to the Winter Hawks website and log in tonight......
We first met Dave Simoes, a very tough defenseman, when he was captain of the BCHL Victoria Salsa Jr. A. Big, strong, a leader -- and win or lose, he gave it his all every shift. He is now on the roster of the ECHL Utah Grizzlies.....
Score of the week: Cross-town rivals Las Vegas Outlaws and the Las Vegas Ice Cats midget A teams played far away from home -- in Boise, Idaho, in a Southwest League game. The Outlaws won, 4-1....the Ice Cats, who were skating for the first time this season, won their last two weekend games including a 1-0 win over the Billings Jr Bulls.....
That was Cody Fulwiler, who we haven't seen on the ice for awhile, of Las Vegas working as a referee during an AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team this past weekend...
Hey, did you hear about the 'Outlaws fan' who between periods marched to the Las Vegas Ice Center snack bar and asked for a "super large bag of popcorn, heavy on the butter and salt" -- something he would never ask for when his hockey wife is at the rink...
Monday, Oct 9 - While at the rinkboards and watching two young skilled teams -- AAA PF Changs-Phoenix 16u and AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u battle away on Sunday afternoon - it hit me that we are in youth hockey's golden era. In the Pacific and Rockies regions there are more quality, well-coached midget level teams than ever before. These teams include top skilled skaters who can burn down the ice, make fancy moves and know how to attack. There is a player depth we have never seen before and there are a large number of these players who will move on to the next level.
Considering all of that - the competitiveness of these teams - it's even more amazing that the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u won their second straight major tournament when they won the gold at the Buc Bowl at Des Moines. They are the first team to win two tournament golds, the first being at the Carmen Starr Fall Classic in El Segundo, Calif.
Anaheim again got terrific performances from their two goalies, PJ Musico (2-0-0, one shutout at Des Moines) and Alex Miklovic (2-0-1).
At Buffalo, AAA L.A. Jr Kings 18u went 3-0-1 this weekend in the Saints tournament....Here's an unheralded team to watch: AAA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 16u who are in the Final Four today at the Eastern Mass. Columbus Day Shootout...AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u are still unbeaten and we are told it is a very strong team....
Also this weekend -- Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) scored a very big goal for the USHL Tri-City Storm in their season-opening game....Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) has 5 goals, 5 assists for the Orangeville Crushers Jr A....That was Eddie Samuels' first short-handed goal in Junior A hockey when he picked a puck and wound up scoring to break a 1-1 tie for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs the other night vs. the Alaska Avalanche Jr A....Rob Pallin, scouting for the USHL Omaha Lancers Jr A and the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B, was at the boards Sunday to watch the AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u skaters....
Las Vegas Outlaws 16u d-man Sonny Zuloaga had a big weekend as did his linemate, Adam Zucker. They are quite an imposing pair when on the ice defending in front of their goalie, Steven Bolton who is one of the best in the Western region....
Locally: Jason Allen 3 goals, Robbie Jay 3 goals, Geoff Kemper 3 assists as the Senators men's league team, down two goals, rallied to win 8-5 over the Putters in a big game Sunday night over at the Las Vegas Ice Center...
Sunday, Oct 8 - It looks like our home site, Vegashockey.com, is somewhere out there in cyberspace. Our webmaster Rich is working on restoring it - meanwhile, only the EZ Board here is up and running. Please spread the word....
Thursday, Oct 5 - Jeff Hajner of Las Vegas will skate in first official college game on Friday night. Hajner, one of the hardest workers in the game, will skate for the Air Force Falcons when they take on Colorado College...In Alaska, Adam Naglich of Las Vegas will be starting his sophomore season with the U of Fairbanks Nanooks who open their season vs. U of Western Ontario...
Eddie Del Grosso, in his freshman season with the U of Nebraska-Omaha, opens his season next week. Eddie D and the Mavericks are off to Anchorage, Alaska to play vs. Colorado College and the Anchorage Seawolves in the Nissan Tournament.
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The last time we saw hard-skating Andy Gevorkyan (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) he was skating for the NAHL Helena BigHorns Jr A. It was brutally cold in Montana last Thanksgiving weekend and Andy's picture was on the Helena program cover as the 'Proud Captain of the BigHorns.' Andy played well that night, then was later traded to Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. On Friday night, he will pull on a new uniform - Andy will play for the NCAA Division 1 American International Yellow Jackets who play out of Springfield, Mass. They have an exhibition game at Merimack.
Thursday, Oct 5 - On the hockey wire: Three AAA L.A. Jr Kings selected in the USHL Futures Draft (1989s-90s). The players include Matt White, Round 3, Omaha Jr Lancers; Troy Power, Round 5, Tri-City Storm; Max Nicastro, Round 6, Indiana Ice.
More key picks:
Andrew Hamburg, AAA Dallas Stars, Round 3, Waterloo Black Hawks.
Tommy Serratorre, AAA Colorado Rampage, Round 3, Sioux City
Justin Crew, AAA Colorado Rampage, Round 4, Lincoln Stars
Armond Deswardt, AAA Dallas Stars, Round 5, Indiana Ice
Dane Walters, AAA Dallas Stars, Round 8, Omaha Jr Lancers
Eric Hartzell, AAA Dallas Stars, Round 8, Sioux Falls
On the weekend schedule: The top two rated teams here - AAA Dallas Stars and AAA L.A. Jr Kings midget majors are off to the Buffalo Saints Tournament this coming weekend.....
Wednesday, Oct 4 - Stat of the day: Sam Braniff (AA Inland Valley Wild) has a league-leading four short-handed goals for the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B.
The BCHL today announced that goal scoring is up -- bigtime. Forwards, as referees are calling penalities against anyone who obstructs a skater, now have space to blaze towards the attack nets. So far, BCHL Junior A teams are averaging 8.32 goals a game which is 1 1/2 goals more than this time last season.
One season ago Mitch Wahl, a '90, was a heavily recruited player for the AAA L.A. Jr Kings midget majors. Now he is playing for the WHL Spokane Chiefs and he already has one goal, one assist.
There are - and we counted them - 151 rookie skaters in the WHL this season including Las Vegas center Chris Francis of the Portland Winter Hawks.
One of our favorite players, hard-skating, all-heart Will Munson (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls), has four goals, one assist for the Orangeville Crushers Jr. A. Will was a very popular player last winter with the NAHL Billings Bulls Jr A. Billings head coach Doug Johnson always referred to Will as 'Money' because he made the 'money goal' in the big games.
Tuesday, Oct 3 - There are two huge newspaper stories today on the UNLV Rebels ice team - one in the 200,000-circulation Las Vegas Review Journal and another, with lots of photographs, in the Las Vegas Sun which is now inserted into the daily Review-Journal.
Rebels coach Eddie Kawa told the RJ "...we want to be ranked in the Top 10 this year and I think we will be..."
Defenseman and assistant captain Ryan Krametbauer said "...we want to get past Regionals. It's kind of a lofty goal, but we really want to make it to Nationals this year."
The Sun story includes the start of the program which came from Las Vegas skater Aaron Baca who two summers ago tracked down skaters throughout the West and helped to assemble the program. The Rebels, with Kawa as head coach, already have a fan base for their home games which are played at the SoBe Arena at the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino on North Rancho Drive.
Monday, Oct. 2 -- Swedish-born Simon Olsson of the AAA Rocky Mountain Wranglers midget majors was named 'Most Valuable Player' at the USHN Carmen Starr Fall Classic on Sunday.....Olsson got rave reviews with his intense play and wound up with three goals, six assists for nine points....One of the top goalies at the Starr Classic was Anaheim Ducks' netminder Alexander Miklovic. He was 3-0-0 which included a win over the tough Alaska Wolves who had some serious firepower coming in during a Final Four game. For the season, Miklovic has a record of 5-0-0....
One of the biggest scorers in Junior hockey this season is Marcus Whilhite (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) who is burying the puck for the WSHL El Paso Rhinos Jr B. In seven games, Whilhite has 10 goals, 7 assists. Those are big numbers and scouts are taking notice...
One of the most unheralded, hard-working productive skaters is Jason Krispel (AAA L.A. Selects). He had a terrific season for the powerful NAHL Bozeman Ice Dogs Jr A last winter. When Bozeman shut down its operations, Krispel was immediately picked up by the NAHL Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A. He is off to a terrific start with 4 goals, 5 assists.
Monday, Oct. 2 -- On the hockey wire:
COLUMBUS, OHIO - The Ohio Junior Blue Jackets traded their 4th round pick in the 2007 USHL Draft to the Des Moines Buccaneers for forward Donnie Hallmark (AAA L.A. Jr Kings).
The 6-foot, 200 pound Hallmark comes to Ohio after playing 38 games for the Buccaneers, scoring 2-2-4, with 115 penalty minutes and -7 +/- rating in 2005-06. He helped Des Moines win the Clark Cup Championship last season, playing in all 11 playoff games, scoring one goal and picking up 26 penalty minutes.
"I have known Donnie, having coached against him in youth hockey for about five years and he is a tremendous team guy who will give us grit and toughness," General Manager Don Harkins said in a written statement. "He is a veteran of the USHL, having played on Des Moines' Clark Cup Championship Team last season and that experience will help our team."
Hallmark did play in the 2006 Buc Bowl this last week for Des Moines. In three games, he scored only one goal, but it was a power play goal and the game-winning goal against the Junior Blue Jackets last Thursday night in the Buc Bowl opener for both teams.
Harkins said Hallmark is expected to join the team before Saturday's season opening game against the Waterloo Black Hawks.
Sunday, Oct. 1 - It's the first day of October, a perfect time for hockey. Enjoy every moment of it...
Best quote of the weekend:
Weve got to do it the hard waydown the dirt road, over the fence, down the hill and through the pondbut we found a way to get it done, said coach Rob Proffit after his Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A out-battled and won a 4-3 OT Shootout game over the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A Saturday night.
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It is amazing how teams improve. Take the AAA Alaska Wolves 18u for example. They struggled and went 1-4-0 including a nine-goal loss in their getaway game at the San Jose Labor Day Kickoff.
The Wolves returned home, went 7-1-1 vs. Alaska-based teams and returned this weekend to the Carmen Starr Fall Classic in El Segundo, Calif.
The results were spectacular as the Wolves went 1-1-1 vs. three Top 10 rated teams and the Final Four game was 3-2 going into the third period.
Ryan Kowal, with five goals, one assist, was the Wolves leading scorer while goalies Michael Geraghty (2.00 gaa, 93.1% saves) and Nathan Corey (1.98 gaa, 92.5% saves) were awsome in the net.
AAA ALASKA WOLVES 18u
Carmen Starr Fall Classic
3-3 vs. Houston Wild
4-3 over San Jose Jr Sharks
1-1 vs. L.A. Jr Kings
4-1 over NE Regulators
Final Four
2-4 to Anaheim Ducks Alliance
Saturday, Sep 30 - Score of the night: Chris Francis of Las Vegas and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks battled hard in a very entertaining game and won their home opener, 5-2 over the Kelowna Rockets.
Stat of the night: Goalie Nick Hopper (AAA Cal Wave 88s) has a 6-0-0 record and a 1.32 gaa for the first-place Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr. A.
Goal of the night: Alex Hudson (AAA Cal Senators) scored a huge goal for the USHL Tri-City Storm Jr A in a 3-2 win over the Ohio Blue Jackets Jr. A.
Saturday, Sep 30 - On the hockey wire: Adam Krauss (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) is winning goalie as the NAHL Alaska Avalanche Jr A beat the Fargo-Moorhead Jets Jr A, 4-2, on Friday night.
But here is the story behind the story...
On September 2nd, Adam's grandfather Ron MacDonald, who he lived with while playing for the LA Jr. Kings the last two years, suffered a severe stroke. Ron passed away a week ago Friday (September 22nd) after fighting to recover for several weeks.
Adam was extemely close to Ron who was the Jr. Kings number 1 fan the last 2 seasons. At 82 years young, Ron would never miss a practice driving the 85 mile per way trip (170 total) to the rink and back with Adam regardless of the time of practice. He accompanied the team to Rochester for last year's national championships even though he knew Adam had suffered a season ending injury in the California State championship game versus San Jose and would not play.
Adam's Alaska Avalance coaches Dean Larson and Corey Millen were supportive and allowed Adam to spend 8 days back in California causing him to miss last weekend's Bismarck series. Adam was able to spend time with Ron up to his death and attend the memorial service and burial all the while supporting his grandma Mary.
He returned at midnight Wednesday night to his Avalanche teammates and played last night notching the win against Fargo after facing 35 shots and stopping a 5 on 3 power play and shutting down a 6 on 3 power play attack both late in the third period.
Saturday, Sep 30 - Chris Francis of Las Vegas has trained months for this - opening night, on home ice, for the WHL Portland Winter Hawks who take on the invading Kelowna Rockets at Memorial Coliseum. Francis was recruited and signed by Hawks super scout Matt Bardsley. Since, Francis has worked countless hours, first by skating every day during the summer over at the SoBe Arena in Las Vegas and then, beginning in mid-August in the main camp of the Winter Hawks. Francis played in both of Portland's two road games but, as he will find out tonight, there is nothing like the season-opening game before thousands of hometown fans. He is the first Las Vegas skater ever to play in the Western Hockey League.
Also, that was goalie Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Gulls) who was spectacular for the Bismarck Bobcats Jr. A while facing Las Vegas skaters Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev of the high-scoring NAHL Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A. Eddie S had one goal on a rebound close to the net and Max had two assists. But Oliver, who faced a 6-on-3 attack late in a wild, frenzied finish shut down the net and Bismarck won the game, 5-4 and Oliver raised his season record to 4-0-0.
Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A. Stars) is off to a hot start with 4 goals, 4 assists with the NAHL Wichita Falls Wildcats Jr A. "He's already scored big goals for us and Adam is a tireless worker, on and off the ice," said Wildcats coach Brian Meisner. "He is - and will be - a big part of any success we have as a team."
Thursday, Sep. 28 - On the hockey wire: During the U of Fairbanks Nanooks skills competition this past weekend, Kyle Greentree (Victoria Salsa Jr A) won 'most hardest shot' when he blasted slapshots, in order, 98, 99 and 100 mph.
Tuesday, Sept 26 - In their weekly notebook, the San Diego Jr Gulls note that Danny Clausen is now with the U.S. Coast Guard:
"....Former Jr. Gull Danny Clausen is graduating from the Coast
Guard Boot Camp on October 5th in Cape May, NJ. He will be
stationed up in San Francisco Bay on a cutter. He will be going
to school to be a rescue swimmer for the Coast Guard."
Danny Clausen with the Gulls:
2001-02 Bantam B
2002-03 Midget 16AA
2004-05 Midget 18AAA
Monday, Sept. 25 -- The Inland Valley Wild connection -- Jacob Meadows and Itan Chavira - helped the San Diego Surf Jr B win an OT thriller over the Valencia Vipers Jr B this weekend. Meadows (AA Inland Valley Wild) scored three times and had the game-winning goal 24 seconds into OT. Chavira (AA Inland Valley Wild) scored three times, dealt two assists and Jared Gilbert (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) also scored for the Surf in a chiller of a 7-6 game. San Diego now has a 1-1-0 record in the WSHL.
We want to thank all of our reporters (and there were many!) for sending in scores and highlights. Special thanks to our two crack rinkboard reporters - George Kemper and Steve Allen - who kept the shot chart, took game notes and put together the 'Stars of the Game' in the UNLV vs Arizona State weekend series.
Sunday, Sept. 24 - The #1 rated AAA Dallas Stars midget majors today won the gold at the tough 20-team Marquette Fall Classic. Dallas beat top teams when it got to the Final Four -- the Colorado Rampage by six goals and then Belle Tire of Detroit by 5-2. In six tournament games Dallas goalies only allowed six goals. Dallas had three top scorers in the tournament: Landon King had 4 goals, 6 assists, plus Nic Bownds (4/5) and Andrew Hamburg (0/9) each had nine points.
Here is how Dallas won it this weekend:
AAA DALLAS STARS 18u
Marquette Fall Classic
4-1 over Russell Stover Stars
5-1 over Wisconsin AAA
5-0 over Chicago Mission
5-2 over Victory Honda
Final Four
6-0 over Colorado Rampage
Championship Game
5-2 over Belle Tire
Sunday, Sept. 24 - We are getting calls and emails how well freshman Colby Cookson played for the UNLV Rebels ice this weekend - Colby had flashes of speed, good attack routes, lots of energy which is what it is all about.
The same goes for UNLV forward Derek Koehler who played extremely well and skated with confidence. He will be a big goal scorer this season for UNLV which is next off to Oklahoma State.....
Also this weekend:
Chris Francis, in his first game with the WHL Portland Winter Hawks on Friday night, cracked hard shots which banged off the posts not once - but twice against the Kamloops Blazers which had Ray Macias (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) buzzing around on the ice.
Ryan King of Las Vegas sure scored a lot of goals for Rob Pallin's AA Las Vegas Rebels midget majors but on Saturday night - due to player suspensions (and who doesn't have plenty of those?) - Ryan was asked to play some 'D' for the Ft. Vancouver Pioneers Jr B. Ryan did get some power play time and scored his first goal of the season in an 11-1 win over the River City Jaguars. He got the 'Grinder Award' for the night. Teammate Lance Peterson (AA Inland Valley Wild) scored two goals, dealt an assist and was the #2 Star of the Night; Sam Braniff (AA Inland Valley Wild) got the #3 Star of the Game after he scored his league-leading third short-handed goal this season...
Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas had a big-time assist - a game winning pass to linemate Luke Cain as the Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A beat Harvey Smyl's Langley Chiefs Jr A by 3-2 on Saturday night...
Todd Bowman (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) impressed a whole lot of scouts when he flashed about and skated in the Global Showcase over at the Las Vegas Ice Center this summer. He was immediately signed by the BCHL Trail Smokeaters Jr A. On Saturday night, Todd scored his very first goal of his Junior career -- a game-winner too as Trail beat the very tough Penticton Vees Jr A. Todd's captain retrieved his puck from the net and after the game the puck was delivered to him. Trail is off an to an amazing 6-1-0 start.
Andrew Sherman's AAA Colorado Rampage had a fantastic weekend, working its way to the Final Four at the 20-team Marquette Fall Classic. Then, the Rampage met a wrecking ball in the AAA Dallas Stars who are on fire right now. Dallas won and went into the gold medal game. All three of the Rampage losses are to Dallas....
AAA Dallas Alliance Bulldogs 18u won its last two games at the Pittsburgh Viper Stars Shootout. The Bulldogs, like practically every team, are trying to solve whatever the officials are calling right now -- early in the tournament the Bulldogs fought off waves of 5-on-3 attacks which put extreme pressure on their goalies....
There were a lot of big games this weekend but one score really sticks out: AAA L.A. Selects 16u over the AAA Anaheim Wildcats by six goals. It's only September but the Selects are off to a very strong start and are looking more and more like a top team nationally in their division.
Saturday, Sept. 23 - UNLV's season-opener was about as exciting as it gets - a huge crowd, freshman skaters buzzing around, all kinds of firepower, defenseman Jeff Root blasting away, goalie Chris Tate knocking everything away and it all added up to a 5-1 win over Arizona State. Tonight, UNLV and Arizona State return in what should be a fiery return game at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta Hotel-Casino over on North Rancho Drive. It all starts at 6:30 pm...
Friday, Sept. 22 - There's a big buzz tonight as Eddie Kawa's UNLV Rebels college team hits the ice to open a new season. There is plenty of returning firepower on the Rebels plus a group of highly energized freshman skaters. UNLV takes on Arizona State, a team which always play tough vs the Rebels, tonight at 6:30 pm at the SoBe Arena inside of the Fiesta. A big crowd is expected and we will have two reporters taking notes on the south boards, to the right of the net. For out of state parents and friends, we will put together some updates after after period. It's a big hockey weekend as this is a two-game series which winds up Saturday night.
Thursday, Sept. 21 -- It doesn't get bigger than having Jerry Tarkanian drop the first puck of the season. The Tark will at center ice on Friday night when the UNLV Rebels college team opens the season against Arizona State. Kelli Crossley of Las Vegas will sing the National Anthem and then the high-powered Rebels will be off and running, just the way Jerry Tarkanian would like it.
Admission is $5; Students $3. Faceoff 6:30 pm Friday at the Sobe Arena inside of the Fiesta Stations Hotel-Casino on North Rancho Drive.
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On the hockey wire: This is the first we've heard of this one, as reported by Donna Spencer on Slam! Sports.com
"....Speaking of (WHL) Everett (Silvertips), fiery head coach Kevin Constantine....is serving the remaining three games of a league suspension for making his players eat and ride the bus home in their equipment for four hours after a pre-season loss.
(We checked and according to newspaper reports coach Constantine was ticked following a 5-0 pre-season loss last week. He was fined $5,000 plus game suspensions - that's a pretty big penalty, actually, by the WHL who noted concern for the dignity of players, etc.)
Wednesday, Sept 20 -- One of the best referees ever from Las Vegas, Adam Hendren, takes a giant step from youth sports to professional hockey this coming season. Adam, who has worked hundreds of games in every level in Las Vegas and more recently as a referee in the USHL and NAHL Junior A Leagues, will move to the ECHL which includes the Las Vegas Wranglers who skate out of The Orleans Arena on Tropicana Ave. Adam has received his first ECHL assignment, as he notes in the attached note he sent to his best friends yesterday:
"...As some of you may know I have been hired on as a Full Time Referee in the ECHL based out of Las Vegas. I have just received my first ECHL game in Las Vegas and I would like to invite all of you to please attend the game.
"ECHL Pre season: Thursday October 12Th at the Orleans Arena at 7:00 pm -- Phoenix vs. Las Vegas.
"I have worked very hard to get to this level over the last five years
and every one of you have helped me in some way to achieve my goal.
Whether it was hockey wise, friendship wise or both. I have sacrificed a
lot over the last three years while I was relocating and I realize so
have all of you. Giving me the support I needed to make it to the next
level.
"So thank you to all for helping me along the way. And I look forward to
seeing all of your faces in the crowd."
Sincerely,
Adam Hendren
Tuesday, Sept. 19 - On the hockey wire:
"The BCHL Salmon Arms SilverBacks Jr A have traded Auggie Aiken (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) and futures for Cody McMullin and futures. McMullin is currently signed with Westside Warriors Jr A but had played the last two seasons with the Vernon Vipers. McMullin is 510 and 175 pounds; in 05/06 he played 33 games and had 12 goals and 12 assists. The 19 year old is originally from Cranbrook and is excited to wear the SilverBacks jersey and will be on the bench for Friday nights game against Surrey."
Tuesday, Sept. 19 -- Bobby Ryan and Brian Salcido (Jr. King's 16AAA Coach Frank Salcido's son) put on NHL Anaheim Duck's uniforms and skated in their first ever pre-season NHL game against the Kings last night in Anaheim. Both are products of the AAA L.A. Jr. Kings program. Proud Dad Frank was at the game to see his son on the ice. Both will probably head to the Ducks AHL affiliate in Portland Maine, but last night, they were officially Ducks
Also, to celebrate his 20th birthday, Raymond Macias (Jr. Kings 18AAA Manager Helen Alex's son) was on the ice in a Colorado Avalance uniform in his first pre-season pro game last night in Denver, Colo. Called the Burgandy and White game and played at Denver University, this yearly event raises money for the youth hockey program in Colorado. Raymond played youth hockey for the Jr. Kings and the San Diego Gulls.
Monday 'Late Night' Sept. 18 - Goalie Alexander Miklovic sure has come a long way. Three seasons ago, in 2003-04, he was the starting goalie for the San Diego Surf Bantam A team. Now Alexander -- with one shutout and only four goals allowed in three games -- is a top performer and an elite goalie for one the best teams in the West -- the AAA Anaheim Ducks Alliance 18u team.
Monday, Sept. 18 - Las Vegas skater Kyle Clay got rave reviews for his hard work, playmaking and hustle this past weekend for Pokey Reddick's Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team which went 3-0-1 at the MROC Tournament in Chandler, Az. Clay, always a hard worker and a terrific prospect, had four goals, four assists...
It's always good to get the first goal of the season under your belt. That's what two-time Las Vegas 'Playmaker of the Year' Conrad Trimbath did over the weekend when he fired in a backhand shot for a goal for the Northern Cylones Jr A who beat the Walpole Express, 5-4....
The penalty bug hit one of the top Pacific region teams, the AA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 18u who had 32 called in their only loss of the weekend, 5-2 to the Phoenix Polar Bears....The Ice Dogs got a terrific effort from goalie Taylor Nigh who was in the net in a 3-0 win over the Phoenix Firebirds...
Sunday 'Late Night' Sept 17 -- That was a big win for Ken Quinney's AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team which had to dig in, get physical and out-battle the PF Changs-Phoenix midget minors to win 3-1 today in Scottsdale, Az. We're told that Las Vegas goalie Steven Bolton was spectacular in the net.
Pokey Reddicks' Las Vegas Outlaws 18u team went 3-0-1 in Chandler, Az. Big goal scorer Robbie Silvernail had seven goals for the weekend....
On the AAA front: John Paul McNicolas of Las Vegas fired in a powerplay shot, a linemate tipped it in and the AAA Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs 18u team beat the Valencia Vipers Jr B 2-1....JP is getting a lot of time on the Ice Dogs powerplay units...
Las Vegas skater Alex Winnick, we are told, is playing for the AAA Cal North Stars 18u team....
Jason Allen scored two goals, linemate Geoff Kemper scored two more for the Senators men's league team who tied the Jokers 5-5 in regulation over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Sunday night. The Jokers won it in a shootout. Allen was spectacular with his rushes and his second goal was a 20' laser which blasted into the net....Josh Odoms also scored for the Senators who won the gold during league play this past summer....Derek O'Harrow, who used to play roller years ago, skated hard and dealt a couple of assists....The Senators goalie is Gordon Lawes who years ago was in the net for the Las Vegas Aces pro team which played home game at the Santa Fe Stations Ice Arena....
Sunday, Sept. 17 - Down 2-0, Las Vegas skater Chris Francis and the WHL Portland Winter Hawks put together a dramatic three-goal rally to beat the Tri-City Americans 3-2 today. It was the final pre-season game for the Winter Hawks who open their regular season this coming weekend......
Biggest news this weekend: Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas scored his first goal in Junior A -- and it helped the Cowichan Valley Captials beat heated rival Alberni Valley Bulldogs Jr A in a big Friday night game.
On the AAA battlefield: Derek Eisler's AAA San Jose Jr Sharks went 1-1-1 with the #1 rated AAA Dallas Stars -- and all three games were thrillers with San Jose winning the second game 5-2 and tying the third 2-2.
More AAA: Ryan March's AAA Alaska Wolves continue their march on a winning path in two games vs. the AAA Fairbanks Arctic Lions. The first game was 5-5, the second was won by the Wolves by 4-2. Since the San Jose Labor Day Kickoff, the Alaska Wolves have not lost a game.....
AA 18u: Hope you didn't miss this score - the AA San Diego Jr Gulls 18u team today beat a very solid AA L.A. Hockey Club 18u by 4-1. The Gulls are off to a good start.....AA San Jose Jr Sharks 18u a perfect 4-0-0 in Chandler, Az this weekend....Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws 18u opened their season 3-0-1 at Chandler, Az -- considering all of the penalties and lack of game flow, that's a terrific start for Las Vegas which has top, skilled skaters...Matt Bardsley's #1 rated Portland Jr Hawks 3-0-0 this weekend -- and the Hawks only allowed two goals in those three games to the AA Tri-Cities Americans.....
AA 16u -- Dennis Gilbert's very young AA So-Cal Vipers 16u hockey team had to dig in and rally to beat AA Cal Wave 16u by 5-3 today in what Gilbert described as "...a real good hockey game."
Still need your hockey fix? There's a big men's league game tonight at 8 pm as Jason Allen and Geoff Kemper of Las Vegas will be on the top line for The Senators over at the Las Vegas Ice Center on Flamingo Ave. Nevada Senator Dennis Nolan is the team captain.
Sunday, Sept. 17 - It's going to be a tough Sunday morning for the UNLV college skaters: Roadwork begins at 6 am on the winding trails of Mount Charleston.....
Chris Francis of Las Vegas will be in the final pre-season game today for the WHL Portland Winter Hawks who head out to take on the Tri-Cities Americans at 2:50 pm. Go to the Winter Hawks website and you can listen to an internet broadcast.....
Jason Zucker, in his first season of midget hockey, already has 12 goals for Ken Quinney's AAA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u team which is in Scottsdale, Az. this weekend....
Saturday, Sep 16 - On the hockey wire -- goal scorer Mike Zenzola (AA Inland Valley Wild 18u) is on the roster of of the BCHL Westside Warriors Jr A who skate out of Kelowna, B.C. Mike had a big season with 47-8-2 AA Inland Valley midget majors last winter and was also a standout at the Las Vegas Showcase over at the Fiesta this summer....Mike, an '87, is listed at 6'2, 200....
Derek Eisler's heart was pumping last night. His AAA San Jose Jr Sharks midget majors had #1 rated AAA Dallas Stars on the run, taking a 3-2 lead into the third period......Dallas rallied, put together a four-goal burst and won it 6-3....There are two more games in this terrific weekend series...
The AAA So-Cal Titans 18u have had a big weekend -- but they sure noticed the goalie in the net for the Capital Centre Pride 18u on Thursday night.
That was Kyle McMahon (AAA Cal Wave 89s, AA Long Beach 16u; AA San Diego Jr Gulls 14u) who is now in his second season as a top goalie with the Capital Centre Pride who skate out of Lansing, Michigan. Kyle is getting a good look by the over 200 scouts at the NAHL Midget Showcase in Blaine, Minnesota.
Capital Centre Pride is 2-0-0 so far - the 1-0 win over the So-Cal Titans and the huge 5-4 OT shootout win over Top 10 rated Texas Attack.
Goalie Clark Oliver (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) got one his biggest wins in the net as the Bismarck Bobcats Jr A defeated the Wichita Falls Wildcats Jr A 5-1 at the NAHL Showcase.
Saturday, Sep 16 - After three games at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minn. here are the Western skaters who are among the NAHL Jr A leading scorers with goals and assists:
Nic Polaski (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) 1/5, Rafael Rodriguez (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 0/6, Eddie Samuels (AA Las Vegas) 2/3, Randy Swank (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 2/2, Max Maleev (AA Las Vegas) 2/2, Adam Cardwell (AAA L.A Selects) 2/2 and Johnny Stoddard (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) 1/2.
We listened on internet radio and it was reported there was a loud, frenzied standing-room-only crowd - packed in bleachers and around the boards - to watch the Fairbanks Ice Dogs Jr A (Eddie Samuels and Max Maleev) battle the Southern Minnesota Express Jr A at the NAHL Showcase on Friday night......
Friday, Sept. 15 - Bryce Reddick (AA Las Vegas Outlaws 16u) scored his first goal in Junior A hockey tonight and it was a beauty - a key goal to help the BCHL Cowichan Valley Capitals Jr A get to a two-goal lead and and a 6-5 home win over the Alberni Valley Bulldogs Jr A before 1,358 at the Cowichan Community Center on Vancouver Island.
In Blaine, Minnesota, there was a very rough Junior A game with a number of fights involving the Alaska Avalanche Jr A and the Marquette Rangers Jr A at the NAHL Showcase. Alaska broke to a quick five-goal lead which triggered skaters mixing it up and that continued right to the end of the game. Alaska, with Adam Krauss (AAA L.A. Jr Kings) in the net, fought off late rushes and scraps to win, 8-5...
On the AAA battlefield: Wow - the AAA So-Cal Titans 18u almost pulled it off on Friday night - holding a one-goal lead late before losing a tough one 4-3 to Little Caesars Detroit midget majors at the NAHL Showcase in Blaine, Minn. We are told over 200 scouts are attending the tournament which also includes all NAHL Junior A teams...
AAA Alaska Wolves 18u are on a hot run, winning their third straight game, 4-2 over the Alaska Blue Devils.
Friday, Sept. 15 - Pokey Reddick's AA Las Vegas Outlaws midget 18u open their season tonight, going to Phoenix to take on the Peoria Roadrunners 18u team....There are some top Las Vegas players on this team including Kyle Clay, Robbie Silvernail, Ryan Townsend and Ray Teichman. Goalies Ryan Sutliffe and Matt Vorce are very strong in the net. Townsend last year played for the AAA Dallas Jets 16u travel team.....All three Las Vegas Outlaws teams - the AAA 16u, AA 18u and AA 16u will be playing in a round-robin of games at Phoenix....
In AA 18u, the six-team field at Phoenix includes Las Vegas, Long Beach Jr Ice Dogs, San Jose Jr Sharks, Peoria Roadrunners, Phoenix Polar Bears and Phoenix Firebirds. Each team plays three times and playoffs are set for Sunday....It will be interesting to see who moves out of the pack and into the gold medal game.....
Matt Bardsley's #1 rated AA Portland Jr Hawks 18u team will be in a weekend series on the road, taking on the Tri-Cities Americans three times....
In AAA 18u, the #1 rated AAA Dallas Stars rumble into San Jose to take on Derek Eisler's AAA San Jose Jr Sharks in a three-game weekend series.
Thursday, Sept. 14 - Randy Swank (AAA San Diego Jr Gulls) scored two goals for the Santa Fe Roadrunners Jr A who were locked in an all-out 4-4 firefight vs. the Mahoney Valley Phantoms Jr A at the NAHL Showcase today in Blaine, Minn. Mahoney Valley scored in OT to win it, 5-4.....
Defenseman John McAfee (AAA Pikes Peak Miners) was in his first Junior hockey game today - he was in a wild one with the Alaska Avalanche Jr A who out-battled the NAHL At Large team 3-2 in overtime...
(Earlier Ticker notes moved to the Archives area...)
