IN THIS ISSUE
Volume 5 Issue 23 |  March 28, 2018
THANK YOU, CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS!
The entire AHAI membership is fortunate to have the Chicago Blackhawks organization supporting many of our programs starting with the Illinois State High School Hockey Championships. Under the leadership of Rocky Wirtz, John McDonough, Jay Blonk and Pete Hassen, the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization has continually supported the growth of amateur hockey within our region.
 
The Chicago Blackhawks have sponsored the Illinois State Hockey Championships for 31 years, culminating with the High School Finals being held at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks staff, Matt Brooks, Annie Camins, Spencer Montgomery, Laura Jordan and their team, pull out all the stops to ensure a Blackhawks 'Game Day' atmosphere for all the fans and teams lucky enough to make it to the finals. With 12,000 plus fans, TV coverage, and Jim Cornelison singing the National Anthem, the day is always the pinnacle of an entire season.
 
While the Championships at the United Center are very special, it only scratches the surface of the Chicago Blackhawks support for the Youth programs in the area. Needless to say, the recent success of the team has helped spur growth at the youth level. However, the continued support from the Blackhawks has always been there for the youth hockey community long before the recent Stanley Cups. Opening the community based MB Ice Arena, supporting programs such as the Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey and Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey teams, and the Hornets Sled Hockey Program and Warrior teams. Chicago Blackhawks players, alumni and staff also visit schools and organizations expanding the presence of the game and supporting diversity within it. The Chicago Blackhawk Alumni Association recently handed out its 100th college scholarship to unbelievably deserving student athletes.
 
The continued generosity of the entire Chicago Blackhawks organization is a major factor in the success of our youth programs. On behalf of all AHAI members, we want to say thank you!

John Dunne
AHAI President
THANK YOU SPONSORS!



AHAI NEWS & INFORMATION
AHAI Announces Players to Participate in USA Hockey's Central District Player Development & Boys' Bantam Camps!
Congratulations to the players who have been selected to participate in USA Hockey's Central Player Development Camps May 11-13th at Cedar Rapids Ice Arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the Central District Boys' Bantam Camp June 17-22nd at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. VIEW PLAYER SELECTIONS>>
New Coach Leading Illinois In The Annual America's Showcase Girls Tournament 
By Ross Forman ~  Michelle Lichterman is admittedly nervous as the new head coach for the Illinois girls' squad ( view roster ) that will compete in the 2018 America's Showcase, but super excited too.  Michelle brings a strong resume to the role, having played in the prestigious annual tournament about 10 years ago, and having been a Showcase assistant coach for the past two years.  "Having experience in this event, I think I can succeed as a head coach. I know what the tournament is about and what I need to do to help these girls succeed," Michelle said.  READ MORE>>
New Heads Up Don't Duck Decals Available from USA Hockey
Display these around your rink to promote HUDD (Heads Up, Don't Duck). Scan the QR code to view the video and to see our Heads-Up Hockey guide, complete with drills to incorporate into your practice to teach this important concept. To obtain decals for display, please email contact name and address to   kevin.margarucci@usahockey.org. Decals will be mailed within 2-3 days of receipt of request. Thank you for your support for this ice hockey safety initiative!
Men's & Women's 2018 AHAI Adult State Championship Tournament
By Robert Fiorio ~ The Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois Adult Committee is proud to present the 2018 Adult Illinois State Championship Tournament hosted by the AHAI Adult Committee and The Edge Ice Arena. The Adult State Tournament will take place April 25 - April 29, 2018 with all Championship Games taking place on Sunday, April 29, 2018 at The Edge.  MORE INFORMATION & REGISTRATION>>
USA HOCKEY'S NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
15 Teams to Represent Illinois at USA Hockey's National Championships
 
TIER I GIRLS
Mission Girls 14U
CYA Girls 14U
Mission Girls 16U
Mission Girls 19U
CYA Girls 19U

TIER II GIRLS
Warhawks Girls 14U
Falcons Girls 16U


TIER I YOUTH
Mission 14U
Mission 15 Only
CYA 16U
Mission 16U
Mission 18U

TIER II YOUTH
Northern Express 14U
Falcons 16U
Chicago Bruins 18U

10 Tier I teams and 5 Tier II teams will be representing Illinois at USA Hockey's National Championships April 5-10, 2018! AHAI will post a daily wrap-up of how our teams are doing each evening on our social media sites. Make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram. You can also watch your favorite teams LIVE on HockeyTV. Good luck to all our Illinois teams!
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS NEWS
Chicago Blackhawks Youth Hockey Summer Camps
Registration is now OPEN for the 2018 Chicago Blackhawks Summer Camp! Camps will be held at MB Ice Arena and Mt. Prospect Ice Arena. Our last day of camp will consist entirely of fun events (cross-ice tournament games, challenges and much more!). Our girls camp will feature VERY special guests from Team USA, and all of our camps will feature experienced and highly skilled coaches, including Blackhawks alumni, to help your son or daughter learn from the very best in the business. Please click HERE for more information.  Contact Michael Rigitano at  312-455-7662  or  mrigitano@chicagoblackhawks.com with any questions. REGISTER NOW>>
Chicago Blackhawks Elite Academy
Blackhawks Elite Hockey Academy is designed to provide opportunities for players who have a strong desire to reach a higher level of competition and skill development. All camps will be held at MB Ice Arena.  REGISTRATION & INFORMATION>>
MARCH PHOTO OF THE MONTH ~ TOP 5
Your votes have been counted and the Top 5 Photos for February have been selected! Congratulations to our winners! Click HERE to view our 19 Finalists and visit AHAI's Facebook Page to see all photos submitted in March! 
"Flexing"
Max Yarbrough,  Sabre Hockey - Bantam 1
"4-Time Champion"
Nick Curley,  Falcons - Bantam
"Gymnastics in Goalie Gear "
Abby Burokas
Chicago Hawks Silver Mite
"Put me in, Coach; I'm ready!"
Luciano Porcaro
Park Ridge - Learn To Skate
"Superheroes are real!"
Haley & Ellie Kliczko
CYA Girls 19U
GREAT ADVICE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Going for Your Goals: Advice for Athletes
When athletes are looking to improve their workouts and stay in shape this season, finding ways to maintain their goals is important. Carrie Jaworski, MD, Director of Primary Care Sports Medicine at NorthShore answers common questions from patients about staying positive and productive in order to achieve their fitness goals. READ MORE>>
IHOA NEWS & INFORMATION
Ask the Official
By Dave Zednik, IHOA VP of Rules & Ethics
Question: Player A from attacking team has positioned himself in front of his opponents net. His teammate takes a shot from the blue line. Player A deflects the shot with a high stick into the goaltender.  The rebound comes back out to Player A who shoots again and scores. Should the goal be nullified for playing the puck with a high stick or allowed since it deflected off the opposing team's goaltender? ANSWER>>
IHOA & AHAI Recognize the Officials Who Worked the 2018 Illinois
State High School Hockey Championship Games at the United Center
GIRLS VARSITY
Mathias Cyranek, Samantha Cebulski & John Oldenburg, Jr.
RED VARSITY
Justin Pirard, Rick Faron, Brandon Janda & Matthew Warco
COMBINED VARSITY
Colin Gruenke, Joe Siepka, Mitch Cmunt & Derek Radek
HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY LEAGUE NEWS
Champions Crowned at the United Center
No. 1-Ranked Loyola Gold Skates Past Stevenson for School's First State Championship in 22 Years
By Ross Forman ~ Move over, Jack Raith; you have some company on that bench-of-awesomeness.  Two years ago, as a junior for New Trier Green, Raith scored 4 goals in the Trevians' 5-2 win over Providence Catholic to claim the Illinois High School Hockey State Championship (Red Division). New Trier coach Bob Melton said at the time that it was, "the best single-person performance I've seen in a state championship game." Raith is now a freshman at the University of Denver.  Well let's meet Brendan Buckley, a junior forward for co-op BG/H/W, the team filled with players from Buffalo Grove, Hersey and Wheeling. READ MORE>>
Gold Medal Winner Kendall Coyne Shares Her Experience, Honored At Illinois High School Hockey State Championship Games 
By Ross Forman ~ Kendall Coyne was only 7 years-old when she skated at a hockey camp run by Cammi Granato ... and that's when her Olympic dream truly started.  Granato pulled out her Olympic Gold Medal, which she won at the 1998 Nagano Games, and Coyne turned to her parents and proudly said, "I want to go to the Olympics." "I still remember that moment of empowerment," Coyne added. READ MORE>>
Metro Girls League News: New Trier Named 2018 State Champions & Much More!
By Pam Flores ~ Congratulations to New Trier Varsity on taking the State crown on Saturday, March 24! They faced off against the reigning 2017 Champs, Glenbrook South, beating them by a score of 5-1. The first and last goals for New Trier were scored by sophomore Kate McLaughlin, the second by sophomore Julia Laden, the third by junior Maddie Babnik, and the fourth by sophomore Mae Olshansky.  The sole Glenbrook South goal was notched by senior Hannah Jensen. READ MORE>>
Hayes-Suburban League Champions Crowned
By Ron Abels ~ The Hayes-Suburban High School League brought its season to a close with the awarding of the League's championships in their various divisions. Brooms were out in full force for the finals in both the two Varsity and two Junior Varsity Divisions - all Championship series were decided in two-game sweeps. READ MORE>>
IHSHL-North Central Divisions' BGHW Has Incredible Season
By Christopher Waters ~ BG/H/W followed up on its IHSHL North Central regular season conference championship and post-season conference tournament championship with a mind-blowing run in the Illinois State High School Hockey Championship. The Stampede defeated the Kings and two of the top teams from the IHSHL Hayes-Suburban League, Leyden (East Leyden, West Leyden, Elmwood Park, and Ridgewood) and AWFM (Addison, Willowbrook, Fenton, and Montini Catholic) to reach the state championship game at the United Center, outscoring their opponents 14-2 in the process. READ MORE>>
DISABLED HOCKEY NEWS
Illinois' Roybal, Misiewicz & McKee Golden at 2018 Winter Paralympics
By USA Hockey ~ Declan Farmer (Tampa, Fla.) scored the equalizer with just 37.8 seconds to play in the third period and tallied his second of the game 3:30 into overtime as the  2018 U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team topped Canada, 2-1, here today to win an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Games. READ MORE>>
Volunteers Vital to Making Disabled Hockey Festival a Success 
By Greg Bates, Special to AHAI ~ For the first time in a decade, the Toyota-USA Hockey Disabled Hockey Festival is back in Chicago.  Over 1,500 participants are expected for the event. That number doesn't include all the family and friends who will be traveling to cheer on their favorite athletes. With so many events and so many participants and family and friends, volunteers are in great demand.  According to volunteer coordinator Malisa Komalarajun, 200 volunteers have signed up to help, but 600 more volunteers are needed. READ MORE>>
NIHL NEWS
NIHL Championship Banner Presentation Day with the Chicago Blackhawks
By Ruben Medina ~ What could be more fun than winning a NIHL Championship? Well if you happened to be the MVP of that NIHL team on Monday, March 26th things got a little sweeter. Our NIHL MVPs and their families were invited to be on the glass at the Blackhawk's Morning Skate at the United Center. They then received a guided tour of every corner of the Hawk's new training facility at the MB Ice Arena and took pictures with their teams' NIHL Championship banner on the ice. And if that was not enough, they got a live shout-out during the 1st period of the Blackhawk's game against the San Jose Sharks.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Meet Gold Medalists Jocelyne & Monique Lamoureux
On Tuesday, April 3rd come meet two of the U.S. Women's Olympic Hockey heroes at MB Ice Arena from 5:30pm to 7pm. Both Jocelyne and Monique Lamoureux played integral roles in securing the 1st Gold Medal for the U.S. Women's Hockey Team in 20 years. Here's your chance to meet the Olympic Heroes, get their autograph and get a first-hand look at their Gold Medals. Click HERE for complete details on this FREE event.