ARIZONA MAGAZINE


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The Arizona Hockey Union Knights’ Bantam Minor team was one of four local squads to bring home championship banners from the season-opening Made in the USA tournament, which was held over Labor Day Weekend at Polar Ice- Chandler and -Gilbert. See more on the showcase on Page 15.


Arizona Rubber Magazine is a production of:


Members of Northern Arizona University’s ACHA Division II team, from left, junior forward Taylor Dustin, senior defen- seman Rob Brown, junior goaltender Quinn Mason, junior forward Nick Short and senior forward Tucker Braund


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publisher: Brian McDonough managing editor: Matt Mackinder editor: Shane Dale designer: Julie Wilson cover photo: Joey Sprentall


EDITOR’S COLUMN: High school’s Labor Day event a success


B


y all accounts, the Arizona High School Hockey Association’s (AHSHA) inaugu- ral Back to School tournament held over Labor Day Weekend was a successful


venture. “The purpose was to provide a venue for our players and teams to prepare for the


season, for coaches to evaluate their players and for the AHSHA to evaluate teams for placement in the right division for the regular season,” said AHSHA vice presi- dentJeff Farr. The AHSHA also used the showcase to evaluate its new Fair Play


rules, the four-man offi ciating system and provide information about its new Concussion Awareness Program in partnership with Minnesota’s world-renowned Mayo Clinic, Farr added. “The feedback from parents and players was positive, and we plan


on conducting the tournament on an annual basis,” Farr said. The winning high schools were Brophy (5A), Flagstaff (4A), High-


land (3A) and Brophy (JV). An Arizona-based hockey offi cial is asking for help in the care of his


father who suffers from hepatitis C and cirrhosis of the liver, and was diagnosed with liver cancer last December. Rigel Pihlaninen, who offi ciates youth and adult hockey at Polar Ice-


Dale


Chandler and -Gilbert, says his dad is slowly progressing, but has repeatedly been in and out of the hospital. As a result, he’s been paying close to $2,500 a month to cover his dad’s medical costs. Pihlaninen has askedArizona Rubber Magazine readers to visit GoFundMe.com


and enter Rigel’s name to donate toward his father’s medical care needs. “Our goal is to get him healthy enough to travel this month back to Ann Arbor, Mich., where his liver specialist is located,” he said.


4 magazine The Ice Den landed a good one inMatt Shott, who last month was hired as the


Scottsdale facility’s new director of adult hockey. Shott, who attended Desert Vista High School in Phoenix, also serves on the


Phoenix Coyotes event staff, where he helps set up team appearances and charitable events. He studied sports journalism at Centennial College in Toronto.


With the 2011-12 season in full swing, so, too, is this year’s Alumni


List (see Page 20). There, we like to recognize all of our locally-born-and-developed


players who are competing in the professional, collegiate, junior and prep school ranks this season. As always, we encourage you - the readers - to help us fi ll in any


blanks with players who may have slipped through the cracks or change teams during the season by e-mailing alumni@rubberhockey. com.


Not a fan ofArizona Rubber Magazine on Facebook yet? Well, it’s


time you start to “Like” us. This month, we’re kicking off our “Free Stuff Friday” promotion in


which fans of our page are instantly eligible to win neat hockey prizes all year long (see more on the opposite page). Join us at facebook.com/arizonarubber!


The Desert Youth Hockey Association made its North American Prospects Hockey


League debut last month at the circuit’s highly-scouted season-opening event in Minnesota. The Firebirds’ 18U team fi nished with a 2-3 record at the showcase; the 16Us went 0-5; and the 14Us forged an impressive 4-1 mark.


Reach Shane Dale at shane@rubberhockey.com


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