White Bear Lake Area Hockey Association. Girls Hockey Newsletter

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1 White Bear Lake Area Hockey Association Girls Hockey Newsletter Vol. 2 January, 2011 All Girls Hockey Group Photo and Skate with the Bears Event a HUGE Success! Written by: Steve Snyder On January 23 rd we invited all Girls hockey players to the Vadnais Heights Sports Complex for a very special day. The girls were told to arrive at the arena by 10:45am. As the time grew closer, the Vadnais Heights arena was overrun by White Bear girls hockey players from all ages all of them decked out in Black, White and Orange. As I directed the foot traffic of the girls entering the arena from the front door towards the locker room area I began to ask myself, where are we going to put all these girls and more importantly how are we going to keep all these girls under control? By 11am all the girls participating in the photo were present and ready to go. As I walked through the sea of parents in the arena lobby on my way to the locker room area, I was wondering what I would find when I opened the door. As I got to the door and peered through the window, I was greeted by a sea of Girls hockey players, dawning their White, Orange and Black game jerseys, that stretched from one end of the locker room area to the other. It reminded me of walking down Dan Patch Avenue at the State fair, people as far as you can see. It was a bit surreal. I took a deep breath and entered the locker room area hoping we could get the girls lined up in some sort of orderly fashion. As I disappeared into the crowd of kids trying to get them lined up in some sort of order, I knew I was in for a big challenge and wondered if this would ever come together. As I sifted my way through the crowd of kids, things didn t seem to be coming together. I got to the end of the group, looked back and things didn t look any more organized than when I started. That s when a special group of people took over, The Hockey Mom s. As soon as the Hockey Mom s jumped in everything fell into place. I stood back and watched. One by one the girls lined up team by

2 team. Clinic, U8, U10, U12 and U14 all lined up from one end to the other. In a matter of minutes the locker room hall way was transformed into a perfectly assembled group of White Bear Lake Girls hockey teams, thanks to the Hockey Mom s! After all the kids were lined up in the hallway, it was time to step on the ice and get lined up for the group photo. The Hockey Mom s continued to work their magic and in a matter of just a few minutes, the association kids were lined up and ready for the picture. The Girls High School players stepped on the ice and took their spots as well in this awesome sea of Girls hockey players. The photographer was high a top a ladder trying to get the best angle for this group picture. As the photographer was getting his camera ready, parents lined up throughout the arena hoping to get a few of their own pictures to capture this moment. A few more directions from the photographer. Move left, move right and squeeze together and true to form the Hockey mom s were right there side by side ensuring the girls were in the right spot. Finally, the photographer yells SMILE. For the next minute or so all that was heard going off was the clicking, flashing and shuttering from each and every camera in the arena, again to capture this very special moment. After one silly final photo was taken the photographer yells got it! The kids hesitate for a moment not knowing if it s OK to move yet, one last we re done from the Hockey mom s and chaos ensues on the ice. After the Group photo was taken, it was on to Skate with the Bears. For the younger association kids this was the absolute highlight of the day. The association kids scurried to get their helmets on and buckled so they could go skate with HS Girls players. Each and every HS player remained on the ice after the group photo. All the association kids were given pens and HS game programs to get autographed. The ice turned into an autograph bonanza for these kids.

After all the kids got their programs and even some of the U8 s and clinic kids got their jersey s signed by their hockey idol s, the

Everything from conga lines to games of Red light/green light took over the ice surface led by the HS girls.

By 1:15 there were still a good number of association kids as well as HS players remaining on the ice.

3 After all the kids got their programs and even some of the U8 s and clinic kids got their jersey s signed by their hockey idol s, the rink now turned into a playground. Everything from conga lines to games of Red light/green light took over the ice surface led by the HS girls. It was now time for the event to end. By 1:15 there were still a good number of association kids as well as HS players remaining on the ice. One by one these young association kids came off the ice grinning ear to ear not wanting this very special day to end. A very big THANK YOU goes out to each and every person involved in the HS Girls Hockey program. This includes all the coaches, the HS Girls Booster club and especially the HS Girls players who made the day of many young girls hockey players who someday want to be just like them!

U12A s Varsity Pre-Game Skate Future HS Bears Written by: John King Great athletic programs have a long reach. Eden Prairie football famously runs the same system all the way down their youth program.

4 U12A s Varsity Pre-Game Skate Future HS Bears Written by: John King Great athletic programs have a long reach. Eden Prairie football famously runs the same system all the way down their youth program. Bill Belichick has established The Patriot Way in New England, and Mike Tomlin recently said of Steelers football, the standard is the standard. My family was able to experience the reach of the White Bear Lake girls hockey program recently when my U12A daughter and two of her teammates were invited to skate warm-ups with the varsity during a home game at the new Vadnais rink. Going in I must admit I had no idea what to expect. The family was excited so we decided to make a night of it meeting some of the other parents at Sak s for dinner. The girls were excited too as they set a goal to score on a varsity goalie as they sipped down their Sprites. The energy in the restaurant was great with all of the servers wearing their jerseys in support of the girls game that night. The three U12 skaters were asked to check-in at 6:15. It was senior night so this game was even more of a production. After the J.V. game the varsity jumped onto the ice for warm-ups and there were our three U12 kids right in the mix. It was fun to watch the uncomfortable trio of younger girls try to warm-up on their own, only to be pushed (literally) right into the actual varsity warm up drills by some of the more out-going older girls and captains. The elaborate ten-minute varsity warm-up was quite a change to the five-minute corners! warm-up our girls were used to in U12. After warm-ups the girls were allowed into the locker-room for Head Coach Jerry Kwapick s grease board Xs and Os. When I asked my daughter later what the game plan was she said the head coach had requested a in other words the Bears needed to score 4, couldn t allow more than 2, and he didn t want the team taking more than 3 trips to the penalty box. That s how she remembered it anyway. After the chalk talk came the starting lineups and much to our surprise our three U12 girls were announced by name and number as future bears over the PA system and took their places on the blueline along with the actual starting six for the anthem. After the anthem the girls even got to Bear it up in the pregame huddle over the home net. Once again content to stand in the back, Varsity captain Mary Rappa gave the three U12s a friendly push right into the pile.

During the first period the three girls came out of the locker-room carrying keepsake White Bear Lake pucks. But more than that they had stories to tell, and yes, even a goal or two in warm-ups.

5 During the first period the three girls came out of the locker-room carrying keepsake White Bear Lake pucks. But more than that they had stories to tell, and yes, even a goal or two in warm-ups. The Bears went on to defeat Forest Lake that night sending off their seniors in style. And yes they scored 4 goals, gave up just 2 and I m pretty sure they were penalized less than 3 times. A good game plan, and an even more special night for three future Bears. As a parent I must say it was nice to have the long arm of the varsity program pat our kids on the back. In some ways our families felt just like the girls being pushed into the friendly huddle of the varsity program. Connecting the dots in the girls program and doing things like this has been talked about for years, it was great to see it really happen as outreach like this will only make the program stronger. Thanks White Bear Lake hockey for a special night. The U12A Varsity Pre-Game Skate is for the 2 nd year U12A players. The girls get to participate in the HS Varsity pre-game warm-up as well as get introduced with the starting lineups as Junior Bears. Great showing for U10 teams in the 1 st ever U10 Moose Goheen Tournament Written by: Steve Snyder This year the WBLAHA hosted the 1 st annual U10A/U10B Moose Goheen Tournament. We had a great field of teams in both the U10A and U10B tourneys. All three White Bear teams did the home town proud. The U10A team took 2 nd place after a hard fought and well played game against the eventual tournament champs from Eagan.

The U10B Orange team brought home the 3 rd place trophy. The played against REV for the 3 rd place championship.

6 The U10B Black team also brought home a 2 nd place trophy. They played against Mound-Westonka for the title. It was a back and forth game and wasn t decided until the last 2 minutes of the game. The U10B Orange team brought home the 3 rd place trophy. The played against REV for the 3 rd place championship. Another hard fought back and forth game by both teams. Job well done by all three of the U10 teams and keeping some of the Polar Bear trophies home where they belong!

U10B Black Goalie Julia Farraher a Wild Child Julia Farraher, U10B Black goalie was the lucky winner of a drawing and got to plant the Wild flag at center ice before a MN Wild game earlier this year.

7 U10B Black Goalie Julia Farraher a Wild Child Julia Farraher, U10B Black goalie was the lucky winner of a drawing and got to plant the Wild flag at center ice before a MN Wild game earlier this year. Here s Julia in action (with special guest Brent Burns) Girls Team Updates (not all teams sent in updates) U8 Orange Team Update Submitted by: Rachel Franco The girls competed in the Winter Carnival Mites Tournament held at Phalen Arena (outside!) They played Johnson/Como, Highland and South St Paul. Their first game was held on Fri Jan 14 th, under the big lights with falling snow! While the game played, they had to keep an eye out for the staff shoveling the snow off the ice- it was quite a scene. They retuned on Saturday to face Highland and had a great game. Sunday against South St Paul was a tough loss but the girls gave it their best. At the end of the tournament each girl received a trophy with their name and number- certainly the highlight for all of them. February will be a busy month of games versus Tartan, Forest Lake and Stillwater. The girls are improving in their game, while having fun! U10B Orange Team Update Submitted by: Kristi Schillinger January was a busy month for the Orange team. The majority of our league games were played in January, along with the other U10 teams we played in the very first U10A & B Moose Goheen Tournament White Bear has hosted and we held a team dinner at Bear Town (our sponsor this year) prior to attending the varsity girls game on January 20 th.

U10B Orange Team Dinner w/sponsors To date we ve played in two tournaments, the first in Alexandria, MN in December and the second in our own Moose Goheen tournament.

8 U10B Orange Team Dinner w/sponsors To date we ve played in two tournaments, the first in Alexandria, MN in December and the second in our own Moose Goheen tournament. In each tournament we ve taken third place and were able to earn some hardware. I would like to say a big Thank You to the parents of the Orange team for quickly filling the volunteer hours our team was assigned during the Moose tournament. Your willingness to step up quickly when asked has really helped to make my job as manager an easy one. On the horizon for the Orange team is our final tournament of the season, a few remaining league games and district playoffs in early March. We are also looking forward to welcoming Livy back to the game after her short hiatus for the broken arm she suffered during the Moose tournament. U10B Black Team Update Submitted by: Andy Rausch The U10 B Girls played in the White Bear Lake sponsored Moose Goheen Tournament recently. It was so exciting for the fans to watch the girls play so hard and so well. The girls came to play at every game and had so much fun too! Their first game was late on Friday Night against North Metro. The team came out to play and in the end they were the winners. However, they did not have much time to celebrate because the win put them on the early show Saturday morning against Rosemount/Eastview. Once again the girls played hard and won another game. They made it to the championship game against Mound-Westonka on Sunday. But, Saturday they had to time have some fun. The team and their families were all invited to a spaghetti feed at Emma Kaske s house. What a great time of team building, good food and some great laughs. That night the team went to the White Bear High School Girls game. The cheered the Bears to a win. Sunday morning came fast and soon it was game time. The girls were up against a tough team named Eagan and they had to come out and play. Which is exactly what the team did, they played hard from the first face off to the end of the game. The Bears took the lead in the first and Mound-Westonka came back in the second to tie. Unfortunately, late in the third Mound-Westonka scored the game winner and were crowned Champions. But, for the U10 B Black team, they could hold their heads up high and

know they played hard and worked hard all weekend. They had taken second place and they were very PROUD! But what should they do with the SECOND PLACE TROPHY?

9 know they played hard and worked hard all weekend. They had taken second place and they were very PROUD! But what should they do with the SECOND PLACE TROPHY? It has become the Stanley Cup and each girl gets it for a few days to take home and show off to family and friends. After all, it took every girl on the team to work hard and win that trophy. So from all the fans, thanks girls for playing so well and making us all proud! U12A Team Update Submitted by: John King A year ago the U12As headed up to the Duluth Icebreaker and left town three days later with their tails between their legs and zero victories. One, if not the best, U12 tournament in the country the Duluth Icebreaker was once again on the schedule for the season. This year things turned out differently. The Bears got off to a fast start defeating Burnsville in a 7am Saturday tilt before handing #5 ranked Elk River their first loss of the season in a dramatic shootout victory later that same day. The Bears couldn t quite get past #4 ranked Osseo Maple Grove on Sunday, but ended up finishing third place overall in a tournament stacked with top ranked teams from across the state. After hovering around.500 for most of the season the Bears have been playing better hockey as of late including a big 3-Point weekend defeating D2 leader Tartan/North Saint Paul 4-0 and tying rival Roseville 1-1. More consistent play and strong goaltending has been key in the Bears recent resurgence. With 5 league games remaining the Bears have a chance of finishing near the top of the D2 standings and setting themselves up for a strong postseason run. U12A team after Christmas caroling w/ Mary Rappa

U14B Team Update Submitted by: Krista Johnson 14B Bears Tie For First At New Richmond Tournament After an ugly 5-0 loss to Hudson on Friday night the Bears rebounded to win their next 2 games.

10 U14B Team Update Submitted by: Krista Johnson 14B Bears Tie For First At New Richmond Tournament After an ugly 5-0 loss to Hudson on Friday night the Bears rebounded to win their next 2 games. On Saturday they played a tough ECA Stars team from Eau Claire/Altoona and held on for a 1-0 shutout. On Sunday morning at 8:00 (yes that's AM) these bears proved that they were awake and beat Mora 4-2 on an empty net goal. ECA beat Hudson Sunday morning creating a 3 way tie for first. Unfortunately since this was a round robin format the Bears technically finished third, based on goals against. Anytime that a team finishes a tournament with a 2-1 record they deserve congratulations on a great accomplishment! WBLAHA Girls Hockey News and Notes District playoffs upcoming for all the U10-19 teams. Please check the WBLAHA website for games and times and come cheer on the Bears! Good luck to all teams! U8 Reese s Cup has been scheduled for Sunday March 6 th. Check the U8 websites for further updates. Cheer on the White Bear Lake Varsity Girls HS team as they start their playoffs and hopefully earn a place in the State Tourney! Playoff games and times will be posted on the Girls hockey page on the WB Hockey website. STS will be having a U12 summer camp starting in June. It s intended for incoming 12's, current 12's and outgoing U12 players. Check back to the girls hockey page regularly for further updates/details.

The Director s Final Thoughts As we come to the end of another hockey season we all need to look back and reflect on the season. As we know, youth sports are all about the kids.

11 The Director s Final Thoughts As we come to the end of another hockey season we all need to look back and reflect on the season. As we know, youth sports are all about the kids. If the kids aren t having fun they won t want to play and they ll find something else to do. As parents, coaches, Directors, Presidents, etc. we need to ensure each and every kid is having fun playing this game. It s not about the wins or the losses, it s not about how many goals you score it s about being with your friends and having the time of your life playing this great game of hockey. We need to make sure after every game or practice no matter how great they played or didn t play or how well they did the drills in practice, we greet them with a smile and provide them positive encouragement no matter what. So let s make sure all the kids in our Girls Hockey program are having the time of their lives and we as parents/coaches, etc. are holding up our end of the bargain as well!

Bill Guerin has won two Stanley Cups, is a three-time Olympian and scored 829 points (429G- 427A) in 1,263 games in the National Hockey League.

Daily Clips 7/22/11 Guerin Thoroughly Enjoying New Role By Michelle Crechiolo Bill Guerin has won two Stanley Cups, is a three-time Olympian and scored 829 points (429G- 427A) in 1,263 games in the National