I would like to say thank you to the parents and players for helping make this a great hockey season.
The 2008-09 SCVHA Mite Season came to end last weekend at the NorCal Jamboree. The Blackhawks played 2 games on Saturday winning both. Our first game was against our friends from across town the San Jose Jr Sharks. The boys played great against their rivals. They hustled, passed the puck and worked well together as a team. This was another low scoring affair against the Jr Sharks. With 36 seconds left we had them 2-0 with some extra pressure in the slot the Boys in Teal were able to get 1 past us and make it 2-1. Great job Blackhawks… with this win our final record against SJ was 4 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie! I think this shows great improvement over the season and hard work in the games. Dustin showed why they say goal tending wins championships. Dennis Franklin and Tyler Starbeck had great games against the Jr Sharks again. For some reason Tyler seems to play his best hockey against the boys in teal. Go figure.
Our second game was against the Santa Rosa Flyers a team we have not seen for several months. Santa Rosa has some very talented players but not the depth.. The game was very tight in the beginning then the Blackhawks put the pedal down and pulled away from Santa Rosa. Cross made some great saves and Ryan Cance scored on a beautiful feed from Gio. We told Cross before the game that unless he was bleeding, vomiting or about to die he was going to stay in the net for the duration. He survived…nicely….holding flyers to only 1 goal.
This was a great season and I had a lot of fun coaching the boys. We are a long way from the training camp we did in September. The kids have developed a lot over the season and hopefully had a lot of fun. Just before our last game on Saturday we asked the boys what their favorite memories are from the season? Here they are in no particular order:
· Laser Tag
· Beating the Sharks
· Winning The Winter Classic
· The Trip to LA
· Lemonhead
· Knee hockey in Phoenix
· Scoring goals
· The shoot out at the Shark Tank
· The Hardhat
I enjoyed watching the boys develop as hockey players and making friendships that I hope last a lifetime. Thanks again parents for making this a great season, we had a lot of fun and I am looking forward to see all of you back next season as Blackhawks.
One last time….
Blackhawks on 3.
1! 2! 3! BLACKHAWKS!!
Coach
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Phoenix Weekend
This was a tough weekend in Phoenix. We went 1-3 and went home early from the tournament. I am frustrated for a lot of reasons…some of them are just disappointment. We could have done better and we really should have done better. Other frustrations are with the Jokers running this tournament and the B.S. our kids had to go through because of them. Bad officiating…fine whatever…scheduling shenanigans…ok fine we’ll deal with that. But for 2 years in a row I have seen a player from my team cross checked to the ice and kicked. No call either time. Last year it was Aidan this year it was Gio. That is just pathetic. Hockey has “The Code” and trust me kicking a player is way outside The Code.
I am not one to complain about physical aggressive play. I will complain about interference, holding the stick and tripping fouls that don’t get called. Hockey is a physical game and to succeed at it you need to be prepared to push and shove and battle to win control of the puck. Hooking, holding the stick, tripping a player on a break away are not examples of tough physical play they are examples of a less skilled team taking the easy way out. Unfortunately the officials were not holding them accountable.
I spoke to coaches from a couple of other California teams during the tournament. Pretty much across the board they all had the same complaint…the officiating was awful. Not just bad but overtly biased. Of the 4 coaches I spoke to all of them said they will never do this tournament again…plus me that makes 5.
End of Rant.
The boys played 2 really good games and 2 stinkers. Ugh. The game against the Ducks was a reasonably good game. We were holding the puck too long but when we passed and were in position we moved the puck pretty good against the 2nd best team in California. The game against the Roadrunners Squirt B team was the best game the boys have played in a long time. They passed, they were in position they back checked, they crashed the net they were awesome. Honestly, I saw that and thought to myself, “we got it…we’re there. We have figured out how to move the puck, work together and play as a team”. The game against the Roadrunner Mites proved me wrong.
We came out a bit flat but mostly they came out thinking they had already won the game. Every single time we do this we lose. There’s a lesson to be learned there for sure and we talked to the boys after the game about…showing up…giving your best effort and playing to win…every game… every time.
With our backs against the wall we faced the Eagles. Unfortunately we lost both Cole and Andrew to the flu. Without D-day and Coltrane the boys seemed out of sorts. They were flat but they also just seemed lost. We tried to shuffle things around on the bench a bit but we could not find the spark to get them going. This was also a game with some just odd officiating. What gets me is the officials after the game went immediately to the other bench and shook their hand….hmmm no one came to our bench…in fact the official wouldn’t even make eye contact with me after the game. I don’t know if they just don’t like Santa Clara or maybe it’s guilt by association (with Mark Borrecco who endeared himself to the officials) or maybe it’s me. I don’t know but that was just odd.
The kids worked hard, they had fun and I think if you asked them they will tell you they had a good time. A lot of the things we see as adults they are blissfully unaware of and honestly that’s good. The boys have improved a lot and hopefully they want to come back and play hockey again next season. It is easy to get caught up in this but at the end of the day Mite hockey is about teaching solid fundamentals and having fun. Hopefully the boys have had plenty of both.
Thanks to all the families. You made this another great trip I will always remember.
Coach
I am not one to complain about physical aggressive play. I will complain about interference, holding the stick and tripping fouls that don’t get called. Hockey is a physical game and to succeed at it you need to be prepared to push and shove and battle to win control of the puck. Hooking, holding the stick, tripping a player on a break away are not examples of tough physical play they are examples of a less skilled team taking the easy way out. Unfortunately the officials were not holding them accountable.
I spoke to coaches from a couple of other California teams during the tournament. Pretty much across the board they all had the same complaint…the officiating was awful. Not just bad but overtly biased. Of the 4 coaches I spoke to all of them said they will never do this tournament again…plus me that makes 5.
End of Rant.
The boys played 2 really good games and 2 stinkers. Ugh. The game against the Ducks was a reasonably good game. We were holding the puck too long but when we passed and were in position we moved the puck pretty good against the 2nd best team in California. The game against the Roadrunners Squirt B team was the best game the boys have played in a long time. They passed, they were in position they back checked, they crashed the net they were awesome. Honestly, I saw that and thought to myself, “we got it…we’re there. We have figured out how to move the puck, work together and play as a team”. The game against the Roadrunner Mites proved me wrong.
We came out a bit flat but mostly they came out thinking they had already won the game. Every single time we do this we lose. There’s a lesson to be learned there for sure and we talked to the boys after the game about…showing up…giving your best effort and playing to win…every game… every time.
With our backs against the wall we faced the Eagles. Unfortunately we lost both Cole and Andrew to the flu. Without D-day and Coltrane the boys seemed out of sorts. They were flat but they also just seemed lost. We tried to shuffle things around on the bench a bit but we could not find the spark to get them going. This was also a game with some just odd officiating. What gets me is the officials after the game went immediately to the other bench and shook their hand….hmmm no one came to our bench…in fact the official wouldn’t even make eye contact with me after the game. I don’t know if they just don’t like Santa Clara or maybe it’s guilt by association (with Mark Borrecco who endeared himself to the officials) or maybe it’s me. I don’t know but that was just odd.
The kids worked hard, they had fun and I think if you asked them they will tell you they had a good time. A lot of the things we see as adults they are blissfully unaware of and honestly that’s good. The boys have improved a lot and hopefully they want to come back and play hockey again next season. It is easy to get caught up in this but at the end of the day Mite hockey is about teaching solid fundamentals and having fun. Hopefully the boys have had plenty of both.
Thanks to all the families. You made this another great trip I will always remember.
Coach
Sunday, February 8, 2009
4-0 loss in Dublin
Ugh!!
What can I say. The boys came out flat and did not execute on ANY of the things they have been doing well all season long. The Blue Devils played a great game and to their credit they were on the body and battling and doing everything they could to stop us from getting to the net.
The Blackhawks were trying to get it done with individual effort. That will work against easy teams but when you are facing a solid team like Tri-valley you need to be working as a team. The biggest issue in this game was effort. We lost almost every 1 on 1 battle in the game and that is just the result of a lack of effort and determination.
One of the parents told me after the game that it looked like I just stopped pushing the boys halfway through the 2nd period. Absolutely correct. I tried several times to push them and motivate them. When I saw we were getting out worked on a powerplay I decide that maybe the sting of a loss would be a good life lesson. So I changed my tone and I started asking the boys what they were going to do about being out work instead of telling them what they should be doing. They really didn't have an answer the scoreboard reflected that. Their response when I asked them what they were going to do...."Skate harder???"
So that game is behind us and hopefully they have learned the lesson that you need to learn from a loss like that...always bring your A game, the team you beat last week wants to beat you this week.
Cheers,
Kevin
What can I say. The boys came out flat and did not execute on ANY of the things they have been doing well all season long. The Blue Devils played a great game and to their credit they were on the body and battling and doing everything they could to stop us from getting to the net.
The Blackhawks were trying to get it done with individual effort. That will work against easy teams but when you are facing a solid team like Tri-valley you need to be working as a team. The biggest issue in this game was effort. We lost almost every 1 on 1 battle in the game and that is just the result of a lack of effort and determination.
One of the parents told me after the game that it looked like I just stopped pushing the boys halfway through the 2nd period. Absolutely correct. I tried several times to push them and motivate them. When I saw we were getting out worked on a powerplay I decide that maybe the sting of a loss would be a good life lesson. So I changed my tone and I started asking the boys what they were going to do about being out work instead of telling them what they should be doing. They really didn't have an answer the scoreboard reflected that. Their response when I asked them what they were going to do...."Skate harder???"
So that game is behind us and hopefully they have learned the lesson that you need to learn from a loss like that...always bring your A game, the team you beat last week wants to beat you this week.
Cheers,
Kevin
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Hawks vs the Jr Sharks
Blackhawks 2 Jr Sharks 1
Holy Cow! What a game!!! Games against our cross-town rivals have been absolute barn burners! With the last two games ending with just 3 goals total…not the standard for a Mite game.
The boys played great despite some just flat out bizarre officiating. We killed off a couple of 5 on 3’s and spent most of the second part of the game killing penalties. Despite playing short handed the boys managed to bang in a couple or goals and defend our net to steal one away from the Jr Sharks.
Our first goal came when RJ held the zone and got the puck low to Bryan. Bryan twisted and turned behind the until he saw a path to the net and jammed the puck in to take a 1-0 lead in the game. The Jr. Sharks scored when we could clear the front of the net and they were able to take a rebound and get it past Dustin. That would be their only tally for the day. The game stayed 1-1 until Andrew picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired it in to get the game winner. Great job Andrew.
We had more awards to hand out after this game than any previous game. Kendrick created the Chris Pronger award to the top defenseman…this one went to Goose who played a great game. There were the traditional 3 stars those went to Tyler, Aidan and Bryan, there was the Patrick Starfish award that went to RJ for holding the zone and setting up our first goal and of course the hardhat that goes to the hardest working man on the ice…and that was Dustin. Phew! More people thank than an Oscar Award Winner.
Congratulations boys on a great game.
Coach
Holy Cow! What a game!!! Games against our cross-town rivals have been absolute barn burners! With the last two games ending with just 3 goals total…not the standard for a Mite game.
The boys played great despite some just flat out bizarre officiating. We killed off a couple of 5 on 3’s and spent most of the second part of the game killing penalties. Despite playing short handed the boys managed to bang in a couple or goals and defend our net to steal one away from the Jr Sharks.
Our first goal came when RJ held the zone and got the puck low to Bryan. Bryan twisted and turned behind the until he saw a path to the net and jammed the puck in to take a 1-0 lead in the game. The Jr. Sharks scored when we could clear the front of the net and they were able to take a rebound and get it past Dustin. That would be their only tally for the day. The game stayed 1-1 until Andrew picked up a loose puck in the slot and fired it in to get the game winner. Great job Andrew.
We had more awards to hand out after this game than any previous game. Kendrick created the Chris Pronger award to the top defenseman…this one went to Goose who played a great game. There were the traditional 3 stars those went to Tyler, Aidan and Bryan, there was the Patrick Starfish award that went to RJ for holding the zone and setting up our first goal and of course the hardhat that goes to the hardest working man on the ice…and that was Dustin. Phew! More people thank than an Oscar Award Winner.
Congratulations boys on a great game.
Coach
Monday, January 12, 2009
Spam Musubi and the Shoot out at The Shark Tank
The Blackhawks fresh off their victory at the Winter Classic were able to participate in the intermission show at the Shark Tank. The sharks were playing the New York Islanders and the boys were invited to play a 2 min scrimmage between the 1st and 2nd periods. Instead of playing the equivalent of 1 shift we decided that it would be more interesting to do a shoot out where each player’s name is called and they get a chance battle 1 on 1 with the goalie in front of 17,000 shark fans.
Kai and Ryan were on the Jumbo-tron. Just before the other boys went on the ice. We all learned a lot about the boys but I think everyone learned something when it came to Kai’s favorite and least favorite foods…which were…Spam Musubi and Eel….of course.
“Now taking the ice the 2008 Mite A Winter Classic Champion Santa Clara Valley Hockey Association Blackhawks!!!” “Oh by the way, these are the 2008 Mite A Winter Classic Champions”. The announcer at The Tank must of said, “2008 Mite A Champions” 3 times.
Anthony played goal at one end and Dustin the other. One by one the announcer called the boys names, they took the puck from Sharkie at the red line and went in for their shot. Anthony stopped all 5 shots for a shut out, great job not bad for your first try at goalie. What are you planning for an encore? Dustin stopped 4 of 5, Tyler Starbeck broke out some crafty stickhanlding and beat Dustin for the only tally of the evening.
Anyone who checked their Tivo saw that Dustin and Bryan were the lead in back after the 1st intermission.
Thanks to everyone who helped set this up. The boys had a great time and this is something that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Cheers,
Coach
Kai and Ryan were on the Jumbo-tron. Just before the other boys went on the ice. We all learned a lot about the boys but I think everyone learned something when it came to Kai’s favorite and least favorite foods…which were…Spam Musubi and Eel….of course.
“Now taking the ice the 2008 Mite A Winter Classic Champion Santa Clara Valley Hockey Association Blackhawks!!!” “Oh by the way, these are the 2008 Mite A Winter Classic Champions”. The announcer at The Tank must of said, “2008 Mite A Champions” 3 times.
Anthony played goal at one end and Dustin the other. One by one the announcer called the boys names, they took the puck from Sharkie at the red line and went in for their shot. Anthony stopped all 5 shots for a shut out, great job not bad for your first try at goalie. What are you planning for an encore? Dustin stopped 4 of 5, Tyler Starbeck broke out some crafty stickhanlding and beat Dustin for the only tally of the evening.
Anyone who checked their Tivo saw that Dustin and Bryan were the lead in back after the 1st intermission.
Thanks to everyone who helped set this up. The boys had a great time and this is something that they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Cheers,
Coach
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Hawks Win Winter Classic!!!
Wow! What a tournament!!!
The boys played 4 games in the Winter Classic last week and took home the top honors. They only gave up 3 goals in 4 games and dominated play on both sides of the puck.
They started out Saturday against the West Valley Wolves. Most Mites games are high scoring affairs, the game against West Valley had only 2 goals. 1 came with about 1 min left to play in the 1st. The West Valley player batted a rebound out of the air and made an incredible play to score. The score stayed 1-0 until 6:03 in the third when Cole hit Aidan with a cross crease pass that Aidan buried to knot the score at 1. The shots were 14-21 .....hmmmm I do not like being out shot but hey we got a point and that's good.
Sunday...We played our cross-town rivals, The Jr Sharks. The game was very tightly played until 5 min left in the 1st when Gio scored twice within 30 seconds. Cole scored in the 2nd with under 2 min left. Andrew sealed the deal in the 3rd with 2:27 and the Hawks shut out the boys from San Jose 4-0. The shots in this game were very close which I believe is the key to playing against The Jr Sharks.
Monday LA Jr Kings. Oh my GOD!!!! Where do they find these officials? OK I have seen a lot of penalties. HOWEVER...I have never seen a player called for checking when he is in control of the puck. We finished with 8 penalties including 2 3 on 5's....both of which we killed. The final was 4 to 1. The Jr Kings scored with 00:0 left on the clock….interesting. The penalties in this game really held us back, the boys persevered and went into finals on Tuesday in 1st place.
Tuesday THE FINALS!!! The final against the Jr Sharks was a close game and the boys took away time and space and kept the Jr Sharks to one goal unitl the second perid. Aaron "Goose" Mills took a turn over from our blue line to their goal and scored. Byran scored the game winner when he went hard to the net. The shots in this game were the fewest we have seen all season I think both sides combined for something like 22 shots. I know we held the Jr Sharks to less than 20 shots. Great job boys!
We had a lot of fun and the boys have really developped and grown as hockey players. Everyone contributed to this win and everyone played great. In the intense setting of a tournament you can really see the boys elevate their game…skating faster, working harder and pushing themselves beyond their limits. Whether they scored a goal, made an assist, forced a turn-over, agitated the other team or just skated hard and pressured the other team….every one of our guys did something to contribute to our successs.
Congratulations.
Coach
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