BALL HOCKEY SHOTS Official Newsletter of Minor Ball Hockey Association of Edmonton Issue #1 April 12th, 2015 Welcome to the 2014 Ball Hockey Season! It s time to pull out the sneakers, put away your hockey equipment, and get set to play the great sport of ball hockey! The Minor Ball Hockey Association of Edmonton is kicking off our 29th season of play, making us one of the oldest Minor leagues in Canada. Our registrations are done, and we ended up with a total of 104 teams for this season. We have made a few changes in the off-season to improve our services to our teams and players. First of all, When it comes to scheduling, we have reduced the amount of weekday games we play during the season, and added a few more Sunday s instead. We held 4 new player clinics that were held prior to the season, and the response was fantastic. We will try to add more at the start of next season, something that parents have asked us to do. Also new this year is we will be having a special day in early June, to showcase the 15 young men who have been selected to play at the 2014 World Junior Ball Hockey Championships, to be held in the Czech Republic in late June. This special day will be a chance for our younger kids to meet these special ball hockey players, a chance to get a photo taken and even get an autograph from some of the best ball hockey players in the world! TEAM BREAKDOWN FOR 2014 SEASON... > 22 Major teams > 20 Intermediate teams > 24 Minor teams > 18 Atom teams > 16 Novice teams > 8 Pre-Novice teams We will also be introducing a new award that will honor some Minor coaches who have volunteered and dedicated many hours to the development of ball hockey in our Edmonton league. We will add a few worthy coaches every year, starting at this years Championship Weekend in late June. We have also committed to increasing the amount of these newsletters, as we will be producing a total of 6 issues in 2014. Our league is once again proud to be hosting the 2014 Minor Provincial Championships in Edmonton. The Alberta Minor Ball Hockey Association is expecting over 40 teams at these Provincials, and that would make them the largest ever Minor Provincials held in Alberta. As host league, we will be able to enter at least 2 teams in every division in every level of play, so that would mean a lot of our Edmonton teams will get the opportunity to play at this prestigious event. The Western Canadian Championships will be held in Langley, B.C. and with the early interest we have had so far, we may send 5 to 8 teams to this event. The Minor Canadian Championships are in Winnipeg in early August, and we hope to send 2-3 teams to those championships. So as you can see, we have a lot happening in 2014. Minor ball hockey is booming all across the country, and we are proud to be part of that boom. A thank-you goes out to all the coaches & assistants who have stepped up to help the kids this season. Our 2014 Edmonton Minor League Directors, consisting of President Jeff Romaine, as well as Guy Lunnin, Brian Backstrom, Shirley Ford, Tim Clarke, and Wayne Kirton, wish you all a very safe and enjoyable season in 2014. Parents, we ask that you remember that everything we do is for the kids. Let s let them enjoy playing the great game of ball hockey! In this newsletter Edmonton teams win medals at Provincials Our teams do well at the 2013 Westerns Red Wings win silver at the Junior Nationals 15 local players make Minor Team Canada Our Fall-Winter League was a big hit
2013 Alberta Minor Provincial Championships Edmonton, Alberta EDMONTON TEAMS WIN 11 MEDALS AT PROVINCIALS It was a very successful 2013 Provincial Championships for teams from Minor Ball Hockey Association of Edmonton. A total of 11 medals were claimed by our teams, including 5 Provincial Championship titles. The final tally was 5 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze medals, an all-time high. This year more medals were up for grabs, as the Provincial Association added A & B levels in all 4 age categories. Here is a breakdown of our medal winning teams: 17 & UNDER A LEVEL The absence of some of the top teams from Edmonton and Medicine Hat did not hinder the quality of play at the 17 & Under group. The Edmonton Flying Picos used their pick-ups wisely and it carried them to the A side gold medal. The Picos finished the tourney with a 5-1- 0 record, and they scored 35 goals in the 6 games they played. The Edmonton Rockets picked up the silver medal, as they finished the tournament with a 5-2-0 record, highlighted by a thrilling 4-3 OT win in the semi-finals. 17 & UNDER B LEVEL The Edmonton Oil Kings lost a heart-breaker in overtime, but they did settle for the silver medal. The Oil Kings finished with a 2-5-0 record, and they scored an impressive 23 goals in the 7 games they did play. The Edmonton Highlights took the bronze medal, and even though they did not win a game, they should be commended. Only 8 players showed up to play, and despite the short bench, the boys played very hard in all 6 games they played in. 14 & UNDER A LEVEL The Edmonton Xtreme started a bit slow, as they finished the round-robin with a 1-1-1 record. But come playoff round, they won the semi-final 5-2 and also were 5-2 winners in the gold medal game against the previously undefeated Calgary Fury. The Xtreme, who ended up with a 3-1-1 record, only allowed 15 goals against in the 5 games they played. The Edmonton Saints lost in the bronze medal game and finished in 4th place. 14 & UNDER B LEVEL The only local team to win a medal at this level were the Edmonton Oilers. They finished with a 3-2-1 record, as they beat the Calgary Fury 6-5 in a thrilling overtime win in the bronze medal game. The Edmonton Arrows (1-4-0) and the Edmonton Pistons (0-5-0) both finished 5th and 6th respectively, missed the playoff round. 12 & UNDER A LEVEL It was all local teams in this level, as the Edmonton Blackhawks won the gold medal and the Edmonton Xtreme settled for the silver. The Blackhawks finished 5-0-0 in the tourney, including a 6-1 win over the Edmonton Xtreme in the gold medal game. The Xtreme wound up with a 3-3-0 record and wound up with silver. 12 & UNDER B LEVEL The Edmonton Saints finished off a great weekend with the gold medal at this level. They wound up 2-0-1 after round-robin play, then beat up on the Calgary Fury 7-1 in the semi-final. Advancing to the final, they knocked off the Sherwood Park BallHogs 4-1 to claim gold. The Saints, who would up 4-0-1, only allowed 9 goals in the 5 games they played in. 10 & UNDER A LEVEL The high-scoring Edmonton Retro Oilers could not be stopped all weekend long. They scored 30 goals in 5 games, and they simply outscored all of their opponents. The Retro Oilers finished off with a 4-1-0 record, including a 7 0 win over the Medicine Hat Rockets in the gold medal final. The Maple Leafs wound up in 3rd place and they took home the bronze medal. 10 & UNDER B LEVEL Edmonton teams were shut out at this level of play. The Edmonton Stars finished 2-3-0, but lost 8-1 to the Medicine Hat Aces in one of the semi-final games. The other Edmonton team was the Red Dogs, who finished 0-4-0 and did not qualify for the medal round.
2013 Western Challenge Cup (Western Championships) held in Medicine Hat, Alberta 5 MEDALS AT WESTERNS FOR EDMONTON MINOR TEAMS Teams from our Edmonton League had a very good weekend at the 2013 version of Western Challenge Cup Championships. Our local teams won 5 of the 15 medals that were up for grabs at the tournament. In the totals, our teams won 3 gold and 2 silver medals, which was the most medals any league won at the Westerns. Here is a list of the teams, the age group, and the medal they won: MEDAL WINNERS Western Challenge Cup 2013 U-19 MEDALS Gold: EDMONTON RED WINGS Silver: VANCOUVER METRO STARS Bronze: MEDICINE HAT BULLS U-17 MEDALS Gold: EDMONTON XTREME Silver: SURREY SCORPIONS Bronze: DELTA B.C. GIANTS U-15 MEDALS Gold: DELTA B.C. GIANTS Silver: EDMONTON XTREME Bronze: MEDICINE HAT REAPERS U-13 MEDALS Gold: EDMONTON BLACKHAWKS Silver: DELTA B.C. GIANTS Bronze: SURREY SCORPIONS U-11 MEDALS Gold: FRASER B.C. WOLVER- INES Silver: EDMONTON WOLVES Bronze: VALLEY B.C. VENOM - Edmonton Red Wings (U19)... gold medal - Edmonton Xtreme (U17)... gold medal - Edmonton Blackhawks (U13)... gold medal - Edmonton Xtreme (U15)... silver medal - Edmonton Wolves (U11)... silver medal Edmonton had another 2 teams who played at Westerns, but there were no medals for the Edmonton Xtreme (U13) and the Edmonton Maple Leafs (U11). Both teams had some bad luck, and did not qualify for the medal round. The Edmonton Red Wings used the Westerns as a tune-up for the 2013 Junior Nationals that they would attend a couple of weeks later. The high level of play, especially in the U-19 group, was probably the best it has been in many years. The Western Challenge Cup is the official Junior Championships of Western Canada. Teams attend from Alberta, B.C., Manitoba, and Saskatchewan. The event first started back in 2000, and our league has been a big part of the Westerns every year. Each registered Minor league in Western Canada can send a team in each level. Most league sends all-star teams, but Edmonton chooses to send club teams to all Western Championships. Back to the 2013 Westerns all of our teams played with class, and they represented our league very well. A great job by our 5 referees who worked a lot of games, as B.C. could not send any officials. Our referees did a lot of games in a short period of time, and did a very good job on the floor. A special thank you to the Medicine Hat Minor Ball Hockey League and their volunteers... they did an excellent job in hosting the event. They took care of all the visiting teams all weekend long, and they did a great job in putting on an event of this size. The 2014 Western Challenge Cup will be hosted by the local league in Langley, British Columbia. The site for the 2015 Westerns has not been officially selected, but the Minor Ball Hockey Association of Edmonton will be submitting a bid to hold the event in our city. The last time we held the W.C.C. Championships in Edmonton was 2011.
Fall-Winter League was a Hit! Action from Minor Winter League Finals held at East Soccer Centre The Minor Ball Hockey Association of Edmonton organized a fall-winter ball hockey league for our players, and it was a hit! A total of 20 teams were formed, and they participated in 5 levels of play. We ended up with the following breakdown of teams: > 5 Major teams (ages 15-16-17) > 4 Intermediate teams (ages 13-14) > 5 Minor teams (ages 11-12) > 4 Atom teams (ages 7-8-9-10) > 2 Pre-Novice teams (ages 3-4-5-6) The Fall-Winter league started league play in early November, and it concluded in mid March. We took a 2-week break at Christmas & New Year, and teams played a 14 game regular season plus playoffs. The unique thing about the registration of players for the fall-winter program, was that approx. two-thirds of the kids who played did not play winter ice-hockey. Ball hockey filled the gap, and the once-a-week schedule (games only played on Saturday s) was very popular amongst players and parents. The actual season was good, but there were some good teams and weak teams at the same level. Hard to split divisions when you only have 4 or 5 teams in total, but it worked out. By splitting the playoffs into A and B levels, games were close. In the end, all players won a medal and we even had a team who did not win a game all year won their last game and they won the Major B gold medal. Here is a list of all the medal winners from the 2013-2014 Fall & Winter season: MAJOR A Gold: T-REX Silver: HIGHLIGHTS Bronze: THE BEARS MAJOR B Gold: BLACK MAGIC Silver: TIGERS INTERMEDIATE A Gold: GOLDEN BEARS Silver: THAT TEAM INTERMEDIATE B Gold: WOLVERINES Silver: LEPRECHAUNS MINOR A Gold: MAPLE LEAFS Silver: HORNETS MINOR B Gold: CRUSHERS Silver: SNIPERS Bronze: THE JETS ATOM A Gold: LANTERNS Silver: VIPERS ATOM B Gold: GRIZZLIES Silver: STINGERS Playing out of the East Soccer Centre was a pleasure. Unlike playing games out of the other 2 winter ball hockey facilities in town, things were very good. The building was warm, the floor was clean, dressing rooms & bathrooms were spic-and-span, the fans had good seating, and there was plenty of parking. What else can you ask for? Plans are already underway for us to try to run another Fall-Winter session later this year. We will get a commitment from the Edmonton Soccer Facilities in early June, and once we get that we will release information to all our teams and players. Before our spring-summer league is done, we will have the information out to you. Special thanks to the volunteers, league staff, referees, and timekeepers for helping us run a very good program. Also thanks to the East Soccer Centre staff for their help!
RED WINGS WIN SILVER AT 2013 NATIONALS The Edmonton Red Wings, fresh off their gold medal at the 3013 Western Canadian Championship two weeks earlier, went to the U-19 Jr. Nationals looking for gold, but they had to settle for the silver medal. The Red Wings started off the roundrobin with a 2-1 win over the B.C. West Coast Express. In their 2nd game, they thumped the Oakville Rangers (Ontario) 8-1 as the offence exploded. The 3rd tournament game was a tough 4-3 loss to the St. John s Marshalls, and the Red Wings finished the round-robin with a 2-1-0 record and a second-place finish. As fate would have it, the semi-final saw the Red Wings play the St. John s team once again. This time it was all Edmonton, as they out-worked and out played the Newfies, beating them by a score of 5-2. The Wings were expecting to face the B.C. Wolverines in the final, but the host Oakville team pulled off an upset in the other semi and that set up the Alberta-Ontario Gold medal final. In the championship game, the Oakville team continued the upset train. Playing at home in front of their own fans, they jumped out to take the lead and never gave it up. St. John s hung on for a 5-3 win and they claimed the 2013 Junior National Gold medal. The Red Wings were rewarded at the awards banquet NATHAN PARKS was named top goalie, ERIC MEYER won the tourney MVP, and COLE BEN- SON was named best forward. Top point scorer award was shared by 3 Red Wings, as ERIC MEYER-COLE BENSON-BRANDON MAGEE were tied as leaders. In in. In addition, CODY LUNNIN and BRANDON MAGEE were named to the tournament All-Star teams. Congrats to the Edmonton Red Wings staff for winning the gold at Westerns and silver at the Nationals. That includes Head Coach GUY LUNNIN, Assistants RICK LUTZ & TYREL SPITZER, and Manager NORM SPITZER. Great job! LOCAL BOYS OFF TO WORLD BALL HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS Canada Ball Hockey will be sending 3 teams to the 2014 World Junior Ball Hockey Championships, slated for Bratislava, Slovakia. The 3 teams will represent our country at the World Championships we will send one team in each of the levels Under-20, Under-18, and Under-16. The announced teams will include a huge Edmonton contingent, as 15 of our local players will make the trip to Europe. In addition to the 15 players, there will also be 4 local administrative personnel who have been selected by Canada Ball Hockey. Norm Spitzer was selected as General Manager of the Under-16 team. Norm has been involved in ball hockey for many years, putting together high-calibre teams who played in our Edmonton league. The Xtreme ball hockey program has produced many great teams and strong players over the years, and Norm has been a big part of that. Norm also has been a Western scout for Team Canada Jr. program for the last 4 years. One of the graduates of our Edmonton Minor program is Tyrel Spitzer, who has been selected as the Team Canada Under-18 head coach. Besides being a coach for 2 Xtreme teams registered in our local league, Tyrel is also a very good player on a local Tier One men s team. He will lead the Under-18 team, which will include 4 Edmonton boys. The head coach for the Under-20 National team is Ian Poulson, another local former player, who once suited up for Canada at the Men s World Ball Hockey Championships. This is his third time with the Jr. National program. Also part of the Under-18 team is Bob Pattison, who will be the team Equipment Manager. Bob has taken care of all 3 Edmonton Xtreme teams for many years. The wellliked equipment man has been with the Xtreme to many Westerns and Canadian Junior Championships. Congratulations to our 15 local boys who will wear the Maple Leaf later this summer. We are proud that you have been selected to participate. Here is a list of Edmonton players who will play for Team Canada: TEAM CANADA Under 20 Caleb Belter, Chase Aldridge, Jeff Brown, Cody Lunnin, Nathan Park, Tyler Palmer, Graydon Woodman, and Head Caoch Ian Poulson TEAM CANADA Under 18 Brett Pollock, Michael Zipp, Chris McKay, Kyle Pacholok, and Head Coach Tyrel Spitzer and Equipment Manager Bob Pattison TEAM CANADA Under 16 Ryan Porter, Jack Donald, Brendan Stewart, Matt Berlin, and General Manager Norm Spitzer Here s hoping that all 3 teams can come home with gold medals!
MINOR BALL HOCKEY ASSOCIATION of EDMONTON List of 2013 League Champions > Major A = RED WINGS > Major B = MIGHTY DUCKS > Major C = THE JETS > Major D = OILERS > Inter. A = XTREME > Inter. B = LIGHTNING > Inter. C = CRUSHERS > Inter. D = MAPLE LEAFS > Minor A = BLACKHAWKS > Minor B = SAINTS > Minor C = SHARKS > Minor D = MAPLE LEAFS Contact us at... Minor Ball Hockey Edmonton 17415-106 a avenue Edmonton, T5S-1M7 (780) 944-4090, ext.#2 e-mail) minorbhoffice@shaw.ca Visit us on our website at www.edmontonminorballhockey.com Our office hours are > 6:00pm to 9:00pm Tue-Wed-Thu > 11:00am to 3:00pm Saturday > closed on Friday & Sunday > Atom A = RETRO OILERS > Atom B = KINGS > Atom C = ARROWS > Atom D = PANDAS > Novice A = RED DOGS > Novice B = OILERS > Novice C = STARS > Novice D = SHARKS PLAY-ON 2014 @ WEST EDMONTON MALL May 31 & June 01 To register or get more information, check out www.playon.ca