Informer. Omaha Hockey Club LET S PLAY HOCKEY. Check out our sponsors. Board Meetings. Letter from the President Neal Krauss. We need your input

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1 Omaha Hockey Club Informer Board Meetings We need your input Letter from the President Neal Krauss October 2012 October Board Meeting will be held on October 16 th at 6 pm at Moylan IcePlex. Missed the Board Meeting? Minutes are available on line for each meeting once approved by the Board. Enjoy getting this newsletter; join the OHC Mailing List on our website, I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE Squirt-Bantam House Update Joust Tournament need volunteers Chris Wilkie Update Patrick Grasso Commits 5 Lancer s and Mav s Schedule 8 Car Decal order form LET S PLAY HOCKEY Check out our sponsors. Welcome to the Hockey Season! This is by far the most stressful but enjoyable time of the year for the Board of Directors. Most stressful because we want to put our best foot forward and make sure that everyone starts the year on a positive note and most enjoyable because we finally get to see all of our work in preparation over the last 6 months come to fruition. This year is especially exciting as we bring the Ralston rink online. The Ralston Rink will officially open on October 15 th. Because of this, the first 2-3 weeks of our OHC season will be a little disjointed, but I am sure that in the long run it will all be worthwhile as we look forward to playing in a great new facility. To have 3 great venues to play in, really takes OHC to the top of the affiliates in the Midwest Affiliate. As we open a new season, I want to bring to your attention a great article that was in the most recent USA Hockey Magazine. I have linked the entire article here; If you haven t read this article yet, I highly encourage you to do so. In short, the article really talks about who the most important individual is in our organization, the player. It s not about wins and losses, a coach s record, the parent or the board, it s about the player and their love of the game, the playing of the game. I will admit right now, to the entire hockey community, I did not find this article, my son did. He brought it to me with the comment, You and every other parent should read this article. At first I didn t know what he was talking about. Then it started to hit me. In retrospect, I was one of those parents that became too emotionally involved at times with the success or lack thereof of my son and his team. I like to think over the years, I have calmed down Continued page 5 OHC 1

2 Squirt-Bantam House Update Michael Hughes Congratulations to all players that have registered, the season kicks off with practices starting October 6, 2012 and games will begin with participation in the Nebraska Hockey League Novebmer 4, All teams have received their practice schedules and the game schedules will be available very soon - all primary practices will be on Saturdays and games will be on Sundays. Personal Fundraiser Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies Sales now thru 10/14 Check out the website for more information. $6.40 from each cookie tub goes directly to the skater!! A big THANK YOU goes out to my volunteer commissioners for the season, if you see these individuals around the rink please thank them for helping run the divisions this season. The commissioners for the season are: Squirt Peewee Bantam Jordan Rishel Steve McAlpine Ken Guhl Kim Dubois Patrick Spencer Ray Anderson Also a huge THANK YOU to all of the volunteer coaches - without all of you this season would not be possible! Please be sure to thank your individual coaches on your team for taking their time to help our children learn and play the greatest game on earth! Good luck this season to all players, coaches and parents. House League Practices will begin October 6, all current rosters have been delivered to the coaches and they should be in touch with you soon. Continued pg Spring Joust Hockey Tournament (A and C/Select) March 1-3, 2012 We are looking for volunteers - if you would like to volunteer to help with this home tournament please contact: omaha.joust@gmail.com We are looking for volunteers to help with the following: Sponsorship Game Day Organization (clock, score sheets etc) Hospitality Program (for the players) Host Liason Organizer (we are trying this for the first time and would like to have a parent become the liason for out of town teams to help them with navigation/sight seeing/restaurants etc). More information on this to come during the planning sessions. Plus additional opportunities OHC 2

3 Chris Wilkie Learns from Dad s NHL Experience. By Becky Olsen, special to USAHockey.com National Team Development Program Under -17 forward Chris Wilkie might have had a head start on hockey. In 1992, the Montreal Canadiens selected Wilkie s dad, David Wilkie, 20 th in that year s NHL Draft. Growing up, Chris Wilkie remembers learning from his dad s professional experience, which included six seasons in the NHL as well as time in the American Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League. I liked being around the game and down in the locker room with my dad and all the players, Wilkie said of why he started hockey. I have always loved it. I remember being in the locker room and going out and skating with them after practices. David has had a big influence on Chris, who started skating when he was just 2 years old. More than anything, David has been Chris teacher. He has been there and he knows what it takes, Chris said. He has always taught me what it takes to get to the next level. That definitely helps to have someone with that experience of being there. He has been a good teacher to help me get through my career. Of course, there were some words of advice from father to son as Chris moved away from home in Omaha, NE to play for USA Hockey at the NTDP in Ann Arbor. Work hard. Prove myself. Never stop competing. Never give up, Wilkie remembers his father saying. For Wilkie, the first Nebraska native to join the NTDP, the transition from Midget hockey to the NTDP has been going pretty smooth. The workouts are tough, he said, but at the same time, he knew what was expected of him. The biggest adjustment, he said, has been the speed of the game. The hockey is definitely faster. The adjustment might take a little while, but I ll definitely get there, he said. I know where I need to improve. Playing against bigger and faster teams, it shows some of your weaknesses. I need to keep working hard every day to get better. The best part for Wilkie so far was walking into the U.S. locker room and seeing the USA jersey hanging by the stalls for the first time. It made him appreciate the honor and prestige that comes with wearing the crest, each and every day. It s a huge honor, he said. It s everyone s dream to represent one s country. There are not really words for it. You can t really explain it. It s awesome. As Wilkie and his teammates prepare for the USHL openers this weekend against Des Moines and Muskegon, a few things stick in his mind. It the short term, he looks forward to the team s December trip to play Omaha, when his family and friends can be there to see him play in person. And in the long term, he is thinking about the full two years with team USA. I m looking forward to starting the games that actually count, he said. It would be nice to get off on the right track and start winning with this team. It s going to be a tough two years, but it will be good for sure. Story courtesy of Red Line Editorial, Inc. OHC 3

4 Grasso to play hockey at New Hampshire By Dan Holm, Des Moines Register Patrick Grasso s ultimate goal is to play in the National Hockey League. At 5 feet 5 inches and 137 pounds, the 16 year-old forward is not a typical NHL prospect. But with his speed and quickness on the ice, Grasso has drawn the attention of some of the top collegiate programs in the country. Grasso recently committed to play for the University of New Hampshire. Ivy League schools Harvard, Princeton and Yale were among the other Division I programs that recruited him. It was a pretty hard choice, said Grasso, who previously attended Ankeny Christian Academy. There were a few schools that it really came down to, but I just felt (New Hampshire) was the best fit for me. Grass has played all of his youth hockey for the NPI Leafs AAA Hockey Program, which is based in Urbandale. He has been coached throughout his career by his father, Michael, who once played for the Wisconsin Capitals of the United States Hockey League. Grasso also turned in a breakout performance at the Des Moines Buccaneers tryout camp in June. He was offered a spot on the Buccaneers roster, but he elected to start out the regular season playing for the Omaha AAA U16 Lancers of the NAPL. I just felt like I needed a little more time to mature physically, Grasso said. Grasso, a junior, is currently attending a small high school in Omaha while he plays for the Lancers. He s been able to make a smooth transition from Ankeny Christian. It s a lot like my old school, he said. I m also living with a few of my teammates from last year, so that has made things easier. To read more about Patrick Grasso, check out blogs.desmoinesregister.com. Joe Peleska - State Farm Sherrie s Pet Grooming OHC 4

5 Letter from the President continued Squirt-Bantam House Update continued Select Tryout Dates: Squirt - Friday, October 7:15 pm (Motto Mclean Arena) Peewee - Tuesday, October 7:15 pm (Ralston Arena) Bantam - Tuesday, October 8:30 pm (Ralston Arena) The house select tryout times have been set and will be conducted on the following evenings. This year we will be hosting the following teams pending enough players to fill these teams: 2 Squirt House Select Teams 1 Pewee House Select Team 1 Bantam House Select Team Preliminary budgets will be available during these sessions. quite a bit. But I am not perfect and the competitive fires still burn inside of me. With that said, I am not the one playing in the game, he is. He plays for the love of the game, the desire to be in a competitive atmosphere, the ecstatic feel of winning the big game and the agony of defeat. He doesn t play harder, because I am yelling in the stands, berating him on the way home because he missed a pass or a check or even paying him for goals, checks, assists (I never did that by the way, the paying that is). Those things will push him away from the game that he truly loves because he will quickly realize it is never good enough. As a parent, I am there for support. To overcome the agony of defeat, to help keep his head on straight after a big win, to positively support him and his team at all times and most importantly to help him in growing HIS love of the game. So again, don t take my word for it. Take the word of our most important members of our organization, our players, and take a couple of moments to read the article and ask yourself Did I forget the snacks? I want to wish, everyone a fantastic season. From IP Varsity and AAA, remember, the logo on the front of the jersey is special and it represents the best organization in the Midwest. Wear it with pride, compete like a champion and represent Omaha Hockey Club with pride. Good Luck Neal Krauss President OHC IT S HOCKEY TIME IN OMAHA Friday, Oct 19 th vs N. Michigan 7:37 pm Saturday, Oct 20 th vs N Michigan 7:07 pm LET S PLAY HOCKEY!!! Friday, Oct 26 th vs Tri City 7:05 pm Sunday, Oct 28 th vs Des Moines 5:05 pm Friday, October 26 th vs Bemidji State 7:37pm Saturday, October 27 th vs Bemidji State 7:07 pm WELCOME TO THE NEW RALSTON ARENA OHC 5

6 Great Clips for Hair High School Coaches Selected PASSION AND LOVE FOR THE GAME IS WHY WE ARE ALL HERE. "To win games is great" Team Name Creighton Prep Elkhorn Lincoln East Lincoln Southeast Metro North Millard North Millard West Papillion Tri City Westside Head Coach Phil Buttner Michael Hughes Jeff Mutum Mark Dornbos Jon Ish Mark Wehner Erik Johnson Mike Arnold Gilles Terzi John Fletcher "To play the game is greater" "To love the game is greatest of all" Let's help our kids love the game Good Luck to all the teams!! N 120 th St, Suite G-3 (N of Blondo on 120 th ) Store Hours Weekdays: 9 am 8 pm Saturday: 9 am 6 pm Sunday: Noon 5 pm Check out the Moylan Ice Plex web site for a calendar of the many open skates and hockey drop in s throughout the month. OHC 6

7 The Goddard School Miracle Car Wash Dr. Jeff Strohmyer Paragon Dental Phoenix Pools & Waterfalls OHC 7

8 Omaha Hockey Club Decal Order Form Helmet Decal Vehicle Decal P l e a s e t u r n i n y o u r o r d e r f o r m w i t h p a y m e n t t o y o u r t e a m C o a c h o r M a n a g e r b y 3 1 O c t o b e r Cash Method of Payment Check Name: Mailing Address: Phone/Cell: #1: #2: Items: One Helmet Decal Price $10.00 NOTE: Helmet decals are for all House teams and Mite Travel ONLY!! Squirt, Peewee and Bantam Travel teams will have their own. $15.00 One Vehicle Decal Package #1 Two Vehicle Decals ($5.00 savings) Package #2 One Vehicle Decal and One Helmet Decal ($5.00 savings) Package #3 Two vehicle Decals and One Helmet Decal ($10.00 savings) $25.00 $20.00 $30.00 Player Information Print First Name: Team: Jersey number: # Sign for verification of spelling X If you have any questions please contact Kendra Stachum kstachum@gmail.com