Alliance Bantam Majors hoping dedication, hard work pays off By Bob Miller
W
hen the Florida Alliance Bantam Major AAA team was formed in the spring of 2011, the
impetus for creating the team was to serve large numbers of players who were interested in moving on to a prep school over the next few years. To get the exposure the players needed for prep
school recruiting purposes, the acknowledged plan was that the great majority of the schedule would involve out-of-state tournament travel facing strong opponents in different regions. Because of that need for AAA competition, the team has adopted a road warrior attitude through the fall of 2011 and into the remainder of the schedule in 2012.
The Prep Showcase in Stamford, Conn., followed
by the Buffalo Regals Columbus Day Invitational in Western New York provided the team with its first out-of-state competition in the challenging environ- ment that the team sought when it was created. “I consider our rigorous trip to Buffalo to have been the highlight of the season so far because of the way our team overcame adversity,” said team forward Ian Keller. “During the tournament, we lost four players to injury and we were down to only ten skaters. We fought through the battles and I was proud of my team and how every teammate of mine played for the kid sitting net to them on the bench and how they all made sacrifices.” The Alliance has also played in tournaments in
Detroit and Chicago and has fared well. Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, the team took the trip that
supported one of the original reasons that it was formed a half-year previously – a prep school tour in Massachusetts. During the tour, the Alliance visited and toured five
prep schools and played six games against Massachu- setts-based AAA teams, posting a record of 3-3. The six games provided just the scouting opportunity in front of prep school coaches the Alliance had hoped for at its inception. “The highlight of the season so far definitely had to be our trip up to Massachusetts,” said forward Chris Adams. “We visited the Governor’s Academy, the Williston Northampton School and a few others. This introduced me to the prep hockey scene and re- ally helped me gear up for next year.” “My favorite was when all of the prep school coaches came to watch our team play,” agreed defenseman Zach Greenwood. “I have never been exposed to coaches of higher levels before in that way and although I was a little nervous, it felt good to play while they were watching me.” Down the line, the team will participate in the Statewide Amateur Hockey of Florida, Inc. (SAHOF) state tournament back at Germain Arena in Estero in late February and attempt to earn their way to district playoffs. “Most of our players have
played at the Tier I AAA level in
the past, but for several different teams,” said Alli- ance team manager Evan Keller. “This has essen- tially been a new team with players having to become familiar with new teammates. The team trained hard over the first two-thirds of the season and played against some very challenging competition. “As we head into the final third of the season, the
players are starting to bond and the lines are start- ing to gel. While we have not won any tournaments yet this season, we have played in some of the top tournaments in North America and against some of the stiffest competition, including four of the top 15 teams in the nation. The team hopes that all their hard work and dedication comes together and pays off with a strong showing at states and hopefully a trip to districts and then to nationals.”
The Florida Alliance Bantam Major AAA team - Top row, from left: Assistant coach Sal Lucania, Ethan Nitkin, Michael Acquaviva, Sutton Fisher, Garrett Amaya, Dylan Cantwell, Kyle Gliwa, Billy Gardner and head coach Matt Pinchevsky. Bottom row, from left: Tim Baumann, Zach Greenwood, Brandon Neimark, Ian Keller and Chris Adams. Not pictured: Jackson Costello, Joey Savinsky, Grant Wellinger and Kevin Weinkauff. Photo/Ed Fisher
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