FROM THE EDITOR Wrapping up the season, but hockey seems to never stop
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h yes, the month of May. Just a few leagues and teams are left playing and before you know it, the rinks are empty, the ice is gone and the kids are out of school. Summertime is a glorious time of the year and gives us all a chance to kick back and unwind from the grueling grind of hockey season (yes, magazine editors go through the grind, too!). That said, there really is no offseason any more, what with summer showcases and tryout camps, junior hockey drafts, college commitments and next month’s NHL Draft in Chicago. I just want to take this opportunity to publicly thank everyone we here at California Rubber Magazine work with throughout the course of the season that Matt Mackinder makes our jobs easier and even more enjoyable. To thank everyone by name would be a separate column, but you know who you are for that, stick taps for everyone! Be safe and we’ll see you in July! The California Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) announced in late April that its Board of Directors appointed a special Tier Committee to assess the Tier II (AA) division in hopes of “improving competitiveness and address ongoing concerns of our membership.” Based on their recent proposal, the Board voted in favor of the below changes to Tier II for the 2017-18 season. All teams that wish to declare 12U, 14U or 16U Tier II must attend the CAHA Labor Day Jamboree in San Jose from Sept. 1-4, 2017. Teams may also be required to participate in two weeks of local pre-season games. Following evaluations teams will be placed accordingly as follows: 1. Placed in top flight of division 2. Placed in bottom flight of division 3. Removed from the Tier II division (dropped to ‘A’) All teams shall play each team within their respective flight during CAHA mandated weekends. At the conclusion of the regular season, the first-place team in the top flight will automatically advance to state championships. Playdowns will include the second- through eighth-place teams in the top flight. The top team in the bottom flight will have a chance to compete for the final playdown spot. All Tier II teams must meet the feeder and PDR requirements as previously set forth by the CAHA Board. These changes do not include the 18U division. Congratulations to the six players from the California Wave 19U team that took third at last month’s USA Hockey Youth Nationals in suburban Detroit who will be moving on to play college hockey next season. Tanner Gates and Samantha Smigliani will play Division I for Colgate University (ECAC Hockey), Christina Kao for Yale University (ECAC), Brooke Bryant at Minnesota State University (WCHA), Aubrey Pritchett at St. Cloud State University (WCHA) and Devin Gilman at NCAA D-III Elmira College (ECAC West). Well done, ladies! Congrats to the four California natives - Hunter Stanley (Camarillo, Titans), David Marabella (Clovis), Carson Kelley (Portola Valley, Jr. Sharks) and Alex Stoley (Manteca) - that won the North American Hockey League’s Robertson Cup with the Lone Star Brahmas on May 14. Well done, boys! Mission Viejo native Joe Cook has been named the head coach of the 2017 U.S. National Inline Team that will compete at the 2017 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Inline Hockey World Championship from June 25-July 1 in Bratislava, Slovakia. Cook previously led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2013 IIHF Inline Hockey World Championship in Dresden, Germany. Team USA opens play against Slovakia on Sunday, June 25. Gotta love this quote from new LA Kings head coach John Stevens from his press conference last month: “We know there is a lot of work to be done, but we’re willing to get the work boots on and start climbing the mountain.”
Contact Matt Mackinder at matt@rubberhockey.com 4
California Rubber Hockey Magazine
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publisher: Brian McDonough senior editor: Matt Mackinder inline editor: Phillip Brents senior designer: Julie Wilson
GOOD AS GOLD
Skittles came out ahead of the competition and captured the Bantam Platinum Division championship at April’s NARCh Irvine regional tournament. Check out more inline coverage in this issue starting on Page 25. Photo/NARCh
ON THE COVER Players from the Ontario Jr. Reign youth program pose with Ontario Reign AHL forward Paul Bissonnette, bringing the two Reign organizations together. Pictured, from left to right, are Joshua Herrera (8U Mite Red), Bissonnette and Xander Tucker (10U BB), with JaeLynn Lorang (8U Mite White) in the front. Photo/Jessica Harsen