Volume 8 Issue 6 |  February 2020
IN THIS ISSUE


SPRING REGISTRATION OPEN

We are excited to have our Spring 2020 programming live on our website. We have great programs for 8U-14U, Midgets, and Girls including Power Skates, Goalie Sessions, Tournaments, and new for this spring our Elite Development Program for 10U-14U. For more information and to register, click here.
GET YOUR SHOUT OUTS FOR YEARBOOK



IT'S TIME TO GIVE A SHOUT OUT 
TO YOUR SKATER OR TEAM.


On March 28, 2020 Sabre Hockey Association will celebrate our 48th successful season of bringing youth hockey to Naperville and the surrounding suburbs. At this event we will have an opportunity for you to send a Shout Out to a player or team either on the big screen during the event, or in the keepsake Award Ceremony Program that each player will receive. Don't miss out on this exciting way to recognize your player's or team's hard work and memories from the season.  
For more details: click here.
Contact Suzuka Hetterich at  shetterich@sabrehockey.com 

Deadline for submission is Sunday, March 1, 2020.
SABRE BOARD NOMINATIONS


Sabre Board Nominations


The Sabre organization is currently taking nominations for Board positions. To submit a nomination please email  nomination@sabrehockey.com. Please include your contact information, reasons for your nomination and relevant background information. Nominees will be interviewed by the Nomination Committee at a later date, and the Board will vote on these positions at the April Board meeting. Please submit nominations by March 1, 2020. The following positions are open for nominations. 


Please click the below links for a full description of each position per the Sabre Bylaws:

Vice President, Operations ( Section 3.13)
House Director ( Section 3.15 )
At-Large Positions ( Section 3.19)
REMINDER FROM RULES & ETHICS


CALLING ALL FORMER SABRE PLAYERS


We would like to include an Alumni page in our Annual Award Ceremony Yearbook.

If you are a former Sabre player, please email Suzuka at shetterich@sabrehockey.com.

Please include a photo in the email along with the year you were a Sabre.
SAVE THE DATE
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR AWARD CEREMONY

We need volunteers to make this event successful. Please consider volunteering your time during our Award Ceremony by clicking here:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C054AADA928ABFE3-20192020

TRY HOCKEY FOR FREE DAY



Our USA HOCKEY  "Try Hockey For Free Day" will be held at ALL SEASONS ICE RINKS on Saturday, February 22nd, 2020. We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our USA HOCKEY event. To make sure your child enjoys their first youth hockey experience, below are some helpful tips.
 
TIME: Try hockey starts at 10:45am.  Please plan to arrive at the rink at least 30 minutes prior for check-in and to be fitted with equipment.
 
WHAT TO BRING: We encourage those who have access to equipment, to please bring it. 





If you do not have any equipment, please bring:
  • A loose-fitting pair of sweatpants or snow pants
  • Thick pair of gloves (they don't need to be hockey gloves- mittens are fine)
  • Biker Elbow Pads and Knee Pads
  • And A Smile
WHAT WILL BE PROVIDED IF YOU DO NOT HAVE EQUIPMENT:
We have skates you can rent for $3 at the front desk and a limited amount of equipment available for you to borrow. First come basis. They will also receive a jersey and a goody bag.  If you have any equipment questions, please call or email me anytime. 
 
ON-ICE EXPERIENCE: We will have plenty of coaches on hand to give your child a great youth hockey experience, they will get an opportunity to learn the basic skills of youth hockey and enjoy their first experience.
 
AFTERWARDS: If you have any questions or would like to start in the All Seasons Developmental Hockey Programs, please talk to Chris Chelios and his staff afterwards. 
 
If interested and to reserve a spot, please contact Chris Chelios at 630-851-0755 ext. 813 or his email at cchelios23@gmail.com.
SABRE GIRLS PROGRAM 
Sabre Girls 19U Seniors
Sabre Girls 10U join the Chicago Steel on ice

Sabre Girls 12U Winter Classic Champions
Sabre Girls 12U & 14U give back at 
Feed My Starving Children

Sabre Girls Program by Carissa Baier

To kick off the new calendar year, many of our teams competed in tournaments over MLK weekend. The 10Us competed in a 10U youth division against NIHL Silver and Bronze division teams. While they didn't come away with a trophy, the girls were determined to give the boys a run for their money keeping the games close. The 12Us, 14Us and 19Us competed at the Chicago Girls Winter Classic and our 12U girls were able to bring home the championship banner after going 5-0 in the tournament and beating the San Diego Jr Gulls 3-0 in the championship game.
 
The 12U team is ending the regular season undefeated with a 12-0-3 record earning their Presidents Cup Banner. What an accomplishment! And our 10U team ended their season with a 16-2-2 record earning 1st place at the end of the season and their own President's Cup Banner as well. Way to go ladies!!
 
Beyond the competitions on the rink, our 12Us and 14Us teamed up to give back to the community by donating their time at Feed My Starving Children in Aurora. While there, the girls packed 35 boxes of food! The 10Us were invited by the Chicago Steel to participate in their Youth Hockey Experience. The girls were able to spend some time on the players bench, participate in a pre-game relay race and play in a mini scrimmage between the first and second period. The rest of the game was spent laughing in the stands and cheering for the Chicago Steel.
 
Our Sabre 19U girls held their senior night on February 1st where the following players were recognized:
 
Nikki Nudera (Naperville Central HS) will be attending St. Norberts college
Brie Ruggiero (Oswego HS) will be attending University of Michigan or University of Minnesota
Allie Ruggiero  (Oswego HS) will be attending University of Minnesota or University of Illinois
Ashley Monroe (Batavia HS) will be attending Waubonsee Valley
 
Congratulations to the Seniors on all their accomplishments and best wishes for the future! And thank you to all of the parents, family members and players who came to the rink to celebrate our girls.
 
SABRE GIRLS SPOTLIGHT
 
Each month we'd like to recognize those girls who are not only contributing to their team on the ice but who also work towards making a positive impact in their community. This month we'd like to recognize:
 
Daniela Trimper (16U) - As a Sophomore, Daniela was named first chair for Alto Sax at the ILMEA state competition. This accomplishment has made her eligible to be considered in an All State band competition!
 
Brianna Carlini (19U) - Brianna competes in track at Oswego East High School in the spring and volunteers at Autumn Leaves Alzheimer's Senior Living Facility. .
 
Hannah Castro (14U) - Hannah spends much of her free time volunteering at Feed My Starving Children, Naperville Safety Town Summer Camp and will be going to Cincinnati with her youth group this summer to help those who are homeless and families in need.
 
Chloe Darche (14U) - Chloe is currently in a dual credit photography class at Metea and had one of her photos selected to be entered into the Scholastic Art and Writing Contest.
 
Brie Ruggiero (19U) - Outside of hockey, Brie is involved in many bands including playing clarinet in Concert Band and Pep band, working as conductor in Pep band and marching as the Drum Major in Marching Band. She also is a member of Math, National Science, Social Studies and Music Honor Societies along with National Honor Society.
 
Allie Ruggiero (19U) - Allie participates in Youth and Government where she is the co-president, Panther Leaders and Best Buddies Club. She is also a member of Science and Social Studies National Honor Societies, National Technical Honors Society and National Honors Society.
 
Good luck to all our teams moving forward in the NIHL and State Playoffs!!

CAROLINE HURST WINS BLACKHAWKS MINI 1 ON 1


Congratulations Caroline Hurst 
Blackhawks Mini 1-on-1 Champion!


Congratulations to Caroline Hurst of our 10U CSDHL team for winning the Mini 1v1 Shootout and earning a VIP package for the All-Star game. 
After she won she got to check out the locker room and hang out with Corey Crawford  in St. Louis! 

CONGRATS MIDGET 16U
 

Congrats to Sabres Midget 16U team. 
They took second place in the CSDHL playoffs last Sunday.
YEARBOOK COVER CONTEST
 
DEADLINE EXTENDED!!!

Once again we will have a cover contest for our Award Ceremony Yearbook.  Please submit 8.5x11 artwork electronically to  shetterich@sabrehockey.com  by February 20, 2020.
COACHES CORNER -- BY MIKE MCGINNIS
 

Coach's Corner: "What Do Coaches Notice?"

Recently I had a parent approach me after a game questioning my decision on playing time and why his son was not playing as much. His son is by far one of our most skilled players, but recently his minutes have been limited. His father asked, "Shouldn't you as a coach, be starting you best skilled players?"

Many times, players, parents, and some coaches think skill is everything and the ones with the most skill will get it done the best. But this is the furthest thing from the truth. There are many things that coaches looking and strongly notice when it comes to who to put out on the ice or on the field and skill is just one small component of that. Overall, coaches and teammates notice including effort, attitude, communication, body language, how one handles success, how one handles failure and so much more. This may be obvious but there are many small things that often players and parents assume are not as important but truly are when it comes to building a team.

In my conversation with the son and his father about playing time, I explained to the father (and to his son already many times throughout the season) that he is very skilled but he is not playing much because of his attitude. He often criticizes his teammates, has negative body language towards the ref and his teammates, and pouts when things don't go his way. For me, these are the things that matter most and are very counter-productive for the team. I often tell my players that your effort and attitude are totally in your control and no one else. I am fine with the missed execution of skill, like missing a pass or a shot, but lacking a positive attitude makes no sense. The son actually apologized on behalf of his dad's rude question and finally realized that this was important and if he wanted to get better than he needs to adjust his attitude, and he did.

Here are some things that coaches are constantly monitoring that maybe players don't realize and often parents don't see since they are not in the lockers rooms or on the ice with the skaters.
  1. When coaches talk on the ice or in the locker room, who is making eye contact and who is engaged? Many times, I'll see players simply undoing their laces or digging through their bag when the coach is talking after a game. This alone may be the marginal difference between a successful season or not.
  2. Who is paying attention when in line during a drill at practice and actually watching their teammates and learning? Many times we see players off to the side playing with pucks or simply goofing around. Who is watching and learning and use is not?
  3. Whey a coach addresses an individual player like giving some feedback on how they performed a certain drill during practice, how does that player react? Do they make excuses; do they look away and not even pay attention; or do they take in what you said and try to apply it the next time?
These are all just seemingly small things, but in a coaches eyes are the big things that show how a player and team is doing. " 9 Bad Habits That Show Your Coaches You Don't Care " is a recent article that outlines some more examples of the small things that have a big impact in sports. In closing, here is one last example to show how important the little things are in a big way:   My father is a life-long football coach just completing his 48th season on the sidelines and still loves it. For several decades he spend his time at the college level as a lead recruit for college level talent. When he goes and watches a top recruited high school quarterback to see if he is good enough to play at the next level this is his measuring stick. He wants to see the quarterback throw an interception! Why would any college recruiter want a quarterback that throws interceptions! That show a lack of skill and simply poor decision making. Why would he be wanted at the college level?

My father's response is simple. He knows that quarterback has talent as he has reviewed his stats and seen film on the player so skill is important, but it is not the reason why he drove hours to go watch him play live on a Friday night. My dad wants to see how he handles failure!   After the interception, how does the quarterback act on the sidelines? Is he yelling and blaming the wide receiver and pointing fingers at the offensive line? Is he dis-engaged on the sidelines and pouting on the bench? If he is, then my dad is out of there. But if he remains composed, motivates his teammates and shows up during the next series with a new found attitude then yes he will be wanted at the next level. It really is as simple as that! What does it take to play at the next level? Skill followed by a whole lot of all the little things that matter. That is what he notices.

SABRES MIDGET 18U SENIORS
 
 
The U18 Midget Major team celebrated Senior Day on Feb 2 before their game against the Chicago Hawks.  Many of the 13 seniors on the team are lifelong Sabres and those that have just joined us play like they are.  Amongst this group are state champions, NIHL champions, Silver Stick Champions and more.  We wish all of our seniors good luck in their future endeavors and thank them for their dedication  to our program.  We are so proud of the way they have represented themselves and our organization over the years.
SABRE COACH JIM PORTER
 
 
Welcome back to Sabre coach Jim Porter. Click here for the full story by NCTV 17.



SABRE YOUTH NIGHT WITH THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS
 
 
The Chicago Blackhawks are excited to invite the Sabre youth hockey community to the United Center on Tuesday, March 31st when they take on the Montreal Canadians. The offer includes a memorable pregame experience at Fifth Third Arena, practice home of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Tickets are available in the 300 level at a discounted rate of $87.81/ticket and each guest will receive the following with the purchase of a game ticket: 

  • Pregame Buffet featuring entrees, sides, desserts, soft drinks and water (cash bar available)
  • Open Skate: Fifth Third Arena (skate rental included)
  • Tour of the Blackhawks Locker Room and Training Facilities at Fifth Third Arena
  • Blackhawks Gift for each member of your group

T o purchase or for information about bringing out a group of 10 or more, please contact Logan Oppegard at 312-455-7011 or loppegard@blackhawks.com . 



TONY'S TIPS
 
 
Tip #25 End of Season and Beyond


Hello Goalies! 

Hello Goalies! With the season's end right around the corner I would like to focus this article on spring and summer training. It is important to remember that stepping back from a long season to unwind will only help you mentally and physically. This will revamp your energy and give you a sense of a fresh start. Continuing to extend the season longer without a proper break can cause long term injuries and hurt you mentally, feeling as if you are incapable or overworked. It is a stressful run in many ways even if you had a great season with a great coach. 

Just take the proper precautions to take time and rest before you are ready to jump on the ice and train again. Many times it's the players that take time off once the season ends that benefit the most. They feel like they haven't been on the ice in months and are excited to get started with a mental approach that's 100% on point with full attention and ambition to learn. A player who has not had a break will not be ready to take in a practice or lesson because they are overworked and ready for change of scenery. It will take longer for players to grasp concepts when they are overworked. It is always best when a parent motivates in a positive manner. 

Coaches should have to be the ones that set a tone when on the ice. The last thing they would need is a coach in the car on the way home. Players need a spot to get away and be able to download and process things. The best success comes from parents who are compassionate but know when to hold their kids accountable. Once the season ends, it's good to take a break and be kids. 

Before you know it, they will be in high school getting ready to receive their license and looking for colleges. Motivate through positivity and you will build positive attitudes for success!   

Coach Petrak

ROCKET ICE PROGRAM INFORMATION




ALL SEASONS PROGRAM INFORMATION
C2 Hockey - For upcoming Camps and Clinics click here. Go to Chelios Hockey and like us on FaceBook.
Join us at All Seasons for our Developmental Hockey Programs and Leagues.  For more information,  click here . 
MEGA MITES HOCKEY LEAGUE
*Geared toward Jr. Sabres U6 & U8 players.  For more info, click here.
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Email  logo@sabrehockey.com  to get yours today.

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