| May 2006 |
5/27/2006
93s and 96s Win in Toronto over Memorial Day
The 93s and 96s both made it to the crossovers in their respective Memorial Day tournaments. The 93s lost by a goal to Regional
Express and, after going 4-0 in the preliminary round, the 96s lost in a shootout to a GTHL (Toronto) All Star team. Great job by our
coaches (93s Frank Maraschiello & 96s Kevin Orzechowski) and the kids. It is always great to be able to play 5 games in three days.
5/21/2006
A Great Sunday for the 94s in Toronto and for our other teams in Buffalo
For the second time in as many tournaments, the 94s advanced to the crossovers in the Red Wings tournament. This time they went 3-
1 in the preliminaries before falling in the semis to a stacked Cleveland/Pittsburgh team. Jerry Shorthouse and staff are to be
commended for battling hard and sticking to the plan. The kids worked extremely hard - and a bunch even showed up for their third ice
of the day at last night's clinic. Great job guys.
Back in Buffalo we had great programs running on each of the rinks. Bob Prier (St. Lawrence) and Dave Insalaco (Geneseo) did a
great job teaching and emphasizing the importance of puck support and passing. They ran a lot of the drills they run for their respective
college teams. Thanks for all the positive comments we got. They will be back the weekend of June 3-4 (flipping sides) for more high
level instruction. Both of them complimented the skill level and behavior of the Prospects players. They also made note of a bunch of
players they feel have the potential to play college hockey.
Off the ice, we were once again honored by yet another contribution to the Prospects program from James Patrick. In addition to being
on the ice a ton, last night he broke down and showed an NHL tape to the u14 girls in the office. As you know, he has a wealth of
knowledge and he's a great guy as well! I learned from the session just hanging around, and I am sure the girls eyes were opened to
a number of things. Thank you James.
5/15/2006
College Coaches in for Clinics this Weekend
Bob Prier, former St. Lawrence player and current coach, will be in the weekends of May 20-21 and June 3-4 to lead our skills clinics
those weekends. Bob has an outstanding reputation among his peers in the coaching fraternity and is widely viewed as a potential
head coach at the Division 1 level someday.
The weekend of May 20-21 Dave Insalaco who coaches at Division 3 powerhouse Geneseo will be running the pad opposite Bob.
Dave is a Rochester native who earned a minor pro tryout and contract through the World Hockey Institute Free Agent Camp he
attended. He is a intelligent and well respected coach, one who will move up the coaching ladder quickly.
5/7/2006
Christiano at Worlds, Carraire in Buffalo, Prospects in Crossovers
Jon Christiano, one of the Prospects lead instructors is serving as an assistant coach with the Italian National team at the 2006 IIHF
World Championships in Latvia.
Nick Carriare, head coach at Buffalo State and Division III Coach of the Year, has been assisting with several recent team clinics and
will be doing more over the next several months.
Several of our Prospects team racked up winning records in their first four tournament games and went on to crossover and
championship games. Congrats to the 95s, 94s, and 92s for their recent showings.
It was great to get back with the kids last night after 2 weeks away. We are extremely pleased with the job that all of our dedicated &
competent coaches are doing as we approach the half way mark. Things are running extremely smoothly. The kids are learning and
they are building up a passion for the game - as evidenced by all the hustle & smiling faces I saw last night.
5/1/2006
Should We Have Chosen Chess Instead?
Should We Have Chosen Chess Instead?
by John Hannon
After having been at the Pepsi Center for 19 of the first 21 days of the Prospects program, being 9,500 miles away from the rink for a
week has allowed me to step back and give more thought to a question that rattles around my brain often, “Why do we put so much
time, effort, and money into our children’s youth sports?”
I have to admit, I am sometimes torn up over pouring so much into what sometimes seems like an addiction. With the amount of
money we’ve spent on our three sons over the last 10 years, we could have bought and paid for a condo in Florida or a stable of 5-6
cars and boats. Speaking of boats, when we have to go without this or that, sometimes it seems like we missed the boat.
So, why have we chosen to invest so much of our time and our money in our kid’s sports?
Some would say you and I do it because it is an investment that will pay off in a college scholarship. If that were the case, the odds and
the payback probably aren’t worth it. If we’d saved and invested the same amount of money instead of handing it over at a rink, hotel, or
sporting goods store somewhere, college might already be bought and paid for.
There must be reasons, other than we’re all crazy. I’m not sure if you’ve sorted out these reasons that your family pursues youth sports
with the passion you do, but after some careful thought, I’ve settled on our three: Fitness, Friends, and Fullness.
To start, youth sports, when pursued toward achieving excellence, require exhausting physical dedication and precise execution. Mind
you, there is a difference between one of our son’s baseball coaches who said, “It’s time for some conditioning. Let’s run around the
bases once and we’re done,” and disciplined hard work that pushes you to your physical limits and makes every muscle ache. First
and foremost, youth sports are about physical fitness, the enemy of inertia.
Next, youth sports necessitate and foster the making of good friends. Meals, sleepovers, travels, pre-game speeches, and time in the
locker room all serve to strengthen the bonds of friendship. Once the contest starts, passing to each other, protecting each other, and
pulling for each other bind athletes in a unique way. When the game is over, winning or losing generates emotions and actions that
shape the way a young person will react to similar situations numerous times over that person’s life.
Finally, youth sports provide a bigger, crazier arena for kids to experience the fullness of life. You make a team or you don’t. Things are
fair or they are unfair. You win or you lose. You score the winner or you are the goat. You get the spotlight or you toil away unnoticed.
Fullness is also found in the natural deepening of the parent/child relationship that slowly bakes during the thousands of hours spent
together over the career of an athlete. You travel to & from practice and games. You kill time together between games. You stay
overnight together. Indeed, if you are like us, we see more of our kids under these circumstances than we do for weeks on end co-
existing under the same roof.
Who knows, maybe all this good could be accomplished by joining a chess club for $100 or $200 a year. I don’t think so, and I know I
don’t have any regrets about not choosing that route. I can’t quite figure out how fitness, friends, and fullness could be achieved
through chess or other many other pursuits. When I calculate the costs and benefits, something deep down tells me that our decision
to invest our time, our money, and our children’s’ time in youth sports makes us all winners in the bigger game of life.
93s and 96s Win in Toronto over Memorial Day
The 93s and 96s both made it to the crossovers in their respective Memorial Day tournaments. The 93s lost by a goal to Regional
Express and, after going 4-0 in the preliminary round, the 96s lost in a shootout to a GTHL (Toronto) All Star team. Great job by our
coaches (93s Frank Maraschiello & 96s Kevin Orzechowski) and the kids. It is always great to be able to play 5 games in three days.
5/21/2006
A Great Sunday for the 94s in Toronto and for our other teams in Buffalo
For the second time in as many tournaments, the 94s advanced to the crossovers in the Red Wings tournament. This time they went 3-
1 in the preliminaries before falling in the semis to a stacked Cleveland/Pittsburgh team. Jerry Shorthouse and staff are to be
commended for battling hard and sticking to the plan. The kids worked extremely hard - and a bunch even showed up for their third ice
of the day at last night's clinic. Great job guys.
Back in Buffalo we had great programs running on each of the rinks. Bob Prier (St. Lawrence) and Dave Insalaco (Geneseo) did a
great job teaching and emphasizing the importance of puck support and passing. They ran a lot of the drills they run for their respective
college teams. Thanks for all the positive comments we got. They will be back the weekend of June 3-4 (flipping sides) for more high
level instruction. Both of them complimented the skill level and behavior of the Prospects players. They also made note of a bunch of
players they feel have the potential to play college hockey.
Off the ice, we were once again honored by yet another contribution to the Prospects program from James Patrick. In addition to being
on the ice a ton, last night he broke down and showed an NHL tape to the u14 girls in the office. As you know, he has a wealth of
knowledge and he's a great guy as well! I learned from the session just hanging around, and I am sure the girls eyes were opened to
a number of things. Thank you James.
5/15/2006
College Coaches in for Clinics this Weekend
Bob Prier, former St. Lawrence player and current coach, will be in the weekends of May 20-21 and June 3-4 to lead our skills clinics
those weekends. Bob has an outstanding reputation among his peers in the coaching fraternity and is widely viewed as a potential
head coach at the Division 1 level someday.
The weekend of May 20-21 Dave Insalaco who coaches at Division 3 powerhouse Geneseo will be running the pad opposite Bob.
Dave is a Rochester native who earned a minor pro tryout and contract through the World Hockey Institute Free Agent Camp he
attended. He is a intelligent and well respected coach, one who will move up the coaching ladder quickly.
5/7/2006
Christiano at Worlds, Carraire in Buffalo, Prospects in Crossovers
Jon Christiano, one of the Prospects lead instructors is serving as an assistant coach with the Italian National team at the 2006 IIHF
World Championships in Latvia.
Nick Carriare, head coach at Buffalo State and Division III Coach of the Year, has been assisting with several recent team clinics and
will be doing more over the next several months.
Several of our Prospects team racked up winning records in their first four tournament games and went on to crossover and
championship games. Congrats to the 95s, 94s, and 92s for their recent showings.
It was great to get back with the kids last night after 2 weeks away. We are extremely pleased with the job that all of our dedicated &
competent coaches are doing as we approach the half way mark. Things are running extremely smoothly. The kids are learning and
they are building up a passion for the game - as evidenced by all the hustle & smiling faces I saw last night.
5/1/2006
Should We Have Chosen Chess Instead?
Should We Have Chosen Chess Instead?
by John Hannon
After having been at the Pepsi Center for 19 of the first 21 days of the Prospects program, being 9,500 miles away from the rink for a
week has allowed me to step back and give more thought to a question that rattles around my brain often, “Why do we put so much
time, effort, and money into our children’s youth sports?”
I have to admit, I am sometimes torn up over pouring so much into what sometimes seems like an addiction. With the amount of
money we’ve spent on our three sons over the last 10 years, we could have bought and paid for a condo in Florida or a stable of 5-6
cars and boats. Speaking of boats, when we have to go without this or that, sometimes it seems like we missed the boat.
So, why have we chosen to invest so much of our time and our money in our kid’s sports?
Some would say you and I do it because it is an investment that will pay off in a college scholarship. If that were the case, the odds and
the payback probably aren’t worth it. If we’d saved and invested the same amount of money instead of handing it over at a rink, hotel, or
sporting goods store somewhere, college might already be bought and paid for.
There must be reasons, other than we’re all crazy. I’m not sure if you’ve sorted out these reasons that your family pursues youth sports
with the passion you do, but after some careful thought, I’ve settled on our three: Fitness, Friends, and Fullness.
To start, youth sports, when pursued toward achieving excellence, require exhausting physical dedication and precise execution. Mind
you, there is a difference between one of our son’s baseball coaches who said, “It’s time for some conditioning. Let’s run around the
bases once and we’re done,” and disciplined hard work that pushes you to your physical limits and makes every muscle ache. First
and foremost, youth sports are about physical fitness, the enemy of inertia.
Next, youth sports necessitate and foster the making of good friends. Meals, sleepovers, travels, pre-game speeches, and time in the
locker room all serve to strengthen the bonds of friendship. Once the contest starts, passing to each other, protecting each other, and
pulling for each other bind athletes in a unique way. When the game is over, winning or losing generates emotions and actions that
shape the way a young person will react to similar situations numerous times over that person’s life.
Finally, youth sports provide a bigger, crazier arena for kids to experience the fullness of life. You make a team or you don’t. Things are
fair or they are unfair. You win or you lose. You score the winner or you are the goat. You get the spotlight or you toil away unnoticed.
Fullness is also found in the natural deepening of the parent/child relationship that slowly bakes during the thousands of hours spent
together over the career of an athlete. You travel to & from practice and games. You kill time together between games. You stay
overnight together. Indeed, if you are like us, we see more of our kids under these circumstances than we do for weeks on end co-
existing under the same roof.
Who knows, maybe all this good could be accomplished by joining a chess club for $100 or $200 a year. I don’t think so, and I know I
don’t have any regrets about not choosing that route. I can’t quite figure out how fitness, friends, and fullness could be achieved
through chess or other many other pursuits. When I calculate the costs and benefits, something deep down tells me that our decision
to invest our time, our money, and our children’s’ time in youth sports makes us all winners in the bigger game of life.