From The Editor: Jr. Panthers getting set for Presidents’ Day Challenge next month
F
irst off, I hope everyone had a wonderful holi- day season and is anxious to start 2012 on a
positive note. In what has become an annual spectacle at the
Saveology.com Iceplex in Coral Springs, the Florida Jr. Panthers will again host the Presidents’ Day Chal- lenge next month with more than 30 teams, includ- ing two from Russia and one from Slovakia, partici- pating in ten different age levels. Several Florida-based organizations, including the
Matt Mackinder
Florida Jr. Everblades, Florida Jr. Bolts, Palm Beach Blackhawks, Miami Toros, South Florida Golden Wolves and the host Jr. Panthers have already com- mitted to play at the event slated for Feb. 17-20. What makes this tournament unique is that the Russian and Slovakian teams don’t stay in hotels,
but rather in the homes of area families. Alex Braverman, a key individual in coordinating this event, is looking for host
families to house the European players and said the response thus far has been tremendous, but more people willing to help out would be appreciated. “Some families that have done this before are doing it again because they
enjoyed the experience so much,” said Braverman. “Everyone that has housed a player from Europe has expressed their utmost appreciation for the opportunity and like I said, many of them ask me as soon as their player or players leave to go back home when the next tournament is so they can plan to have a houseguest for a couple days.
“This tournament is definitely getting bigger each year and so, too, is the com-
petition.” For more information on housing a player from Russia or Slovakia, please con- tact Alex Braverman at
albocaex@att.net or call 561-213-1051.
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Estero native and United States Hockey League (USHL) star Austin Cangelosi has the potential to play in the NHL and will have the chance to perform in front of a slew of NHL scouts and general managers with other top NHL prospects on Jan. 24 in the first-annual USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Muskegon, Mich. The 17-year-old Cangelosi is in his first year with the Youngstown (Ohio) Phantoms. The speedy 5-foot-8, 185-pound center has been near the top of the Youngstown scoring chart all season and leads the entire USHL with five short- handed goals. Cangelosi played for Team USA at the World Junior A Challenge in November and is committed to Boston College (Hockey East) for the fall of 2013. “Austin is a dynamic player who can be a game-breaker with his speed, his quickness and his playmaking ability,” Youngstown coach Anthony Noreen said. “His hockey sense, especially for his age, is phenomenal. I think that’s what sepa- rates him. There are little guys whose size hurt them, but I’ve never seen Austin shy away from physical play, no matter what. When he goes into the corner for a battle, he comes out with the puck.”
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A new year has brought a new name to the St. Pete Times Forum. Effective with the calendar changing to 2012, the home rink of the NHL’s Tampa
Bay Lightning is now known as the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Lightning CEO Tod Leiweke said the name change is due to the arena’s nam- ing rights partner, the St. Petersburg Times, changing the name of the newspaper to the Tampa Bay Times. “The St. Petersburg Times has evolved into being a regional newspaper,” said
Leiweke. “As its management makes the significant step of changing the name on the masthead to represent that regionalization, we are pleased to embrace the new name in the title of the home to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Tampa Bay Storm (of the Arena Football League) and the 2012 Republican National Convention.” The naming rights agreement runs through Aug. 31, 2018. The arena originally opened as the Ice Palace in Oct. 1996 and changed to the St. Pete Times Forum in Sept. 2002.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pensacola Ice Flyers goalie Steve Christie was selected as the Southern Pro-
fessional Hockey League’s (SPHL) SBK Player of the Month for December. Christie went 8-2 with a 2.29 goals-against average, a .923 save percentage and one shutout for the Ice Flyers. He had a five-game winning streak during one stretch and gave up two or fewer goals in six of his 10 games. Obviously, the Ice Flyers owe a lot of their success this season to their last line
of defense. Reach Matt Mackinder at
matt@rubberhockey.com 4
Six Florida-based teams took home championship hardware at the Florida Holiday International Invitational at Germain Arena last month. One of the title games between the Florida Jr. Everblades and Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning was a nail-biter, but which team came out on top of the Squirt A division? See the full rundown on Page 10. Photo/Jacie Cahoon
Members of the Empire Junior Hockey League’s Florida Jr. Blades: Back row, from left: Josh Koerner, Josh Stanclift, Ty Lasker, J.P. Larmoyeux, Kristian Avellanet and D.J. Thomas; Front row: Eryn Siracusa, Joe Keyser and James Hyatt. Photo/Aleta Bellizia/
SwampHockey.com
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