Arizona Redhawks Junior A


Redhawks impress at Showcase Shootout


By Shane Dale T


he Arizona Redhawks left Nevada with six points while impressing a whole lot of college scouts at


last month’s Western States Hockey League (WSHL) Showcase Shootout tournament in Las Vegas. The Redhawks went 2-0-2 at the showcase, and, according to head


coach Rob Powell, 13 players were offered opportunities to play in col- lege - 11 at the NCAA Division III level, and two in the American Col- legiate Hockey Association (ACHA) - as a result of their tourney perfor- mances. “The amount of interest in our players and the compliments on how


far our program has developed were overwhelming,” Powell said. “I was so happy to see the interest in our players after all the hard work they put in over the summer and through the season. A number of our guys really made statements and stood out.” The Redhawks earned wins over the Ogden (Utah) Mustangs, 5-1,


and Cheyenne (Wyo.) Stampede, 3-2, in overtime. They then fell in over- time to the Texas Brahmas, 2-1, before coming back from a 0-3 deficit to earn a point in a 4-3 shootout loss to the Boulder (Colo.) Bison. Following the tournament, Redhawks players Dennis Allingmon,


Andrew Barletta, Theo Campe, Cam Maceau, Matt Mehlaff, Den- ny O’Hara, Kyle Pavlack, Devin Smith, Sean Stahlnecker, James Takacs and Dedrick Wiese were all offered the opportunity to play with NCAA D-III squads, according to Powell, while Matt Crislip and Drew Daley received offers from ACHA schools. Understandably, Powell considers the first half of the season a tre-


mendous success for his Junior A squad. “We’re all excited with the opportunities at our grasp,” he said.


ArizonaRedhawks.com


Northern Arizona University


New seats add to already- Lively crowd


By Shane Dale F


or the first time ever, many Northern Ari- zona University hockey fans will be able to sit


comfortably when the Ice Jacks host the top teams in their region at the Jay Lively Activity Center. The City of Flagstaff and a number of loyal donors raised


the necessary funds to add 500 new seats to the home rink, which were just recently installed. “This will be a big boost to our loyal fans and will help us in-


crease our attendance,” NAU hockey director A.J. Fairchild said. “It took us 14 months. We raised about $50,000 and the City of Flag- staff put in another $30-35,000. It looks like a brand-new place and we’re excited.” Fairchild credits donors from Calgary, Alberta, who wish to re-


main anonymous, along with former NHL players and NAU alums like Greg Adams, who held fundraisers for the arena, for helping get the facility back on its feet. “(Division II coach) Keith Johansson puts on a regular golf tour-


nament and got 106 participants (to play) this past year; those type of things are great fundraisers for us,” Fairchild said. “And a lot of the parents kicked in. We did a sell-a-seat, where if you donate $200 to the seat fund, you get your name put on one of the seats. We sold 75 of those.” Fairchild is excited to see NAU fans continue to sell out the


arena, and he hopes they remain as loud and rowdy as always. “This is a big deal to have the seats,” he said, “but hopefully we


still have a few hundred (fans) standing behind each goal banging on the glass.”


NAUHockey.com


Arizona Hockey Club Coach’s Corner Passion for hockey creates special bonds


U


p until recently, Darcy DeCrescenza was an em- ployee of Goar Hockey and her son, Michael, played for the Arizona Hockey Union since he was a Squirt and participated in many camps and clinics over the years.


Darcy has since accepted a job at the University of Minnesota Veteri- nary Teaching Hospital and moved to Minneapolis this month. What’s to follow is an account of her love of Phoenix hockey and her fond memories and experiences over the years:


Having grown up in a hockey family from Grand Rapids, Mich., my dad was a coach of the local high school varsity team, which, where I come from, is a big deal. I married a man I met in Phoe- nix who was from a football-playing family - also from Michigan. Until we met, I didn’t know there were people from back home who didn’t play hockey.


Mike, my hus- band, had a nearly 2-year-old son at the time. With no children of my own, I instantly had vi- sions of early-morn- ing games, tying skate laces and spending way more money than I had for the sport I love, and was certain Michael (Mike’s son) would eventu- ally love hockey, too.


Being who I am and the family I’m from, I knew that all I had to do was just get him involved and the sport would do the rest. When Michael was around 7, I began taking him to Hockey 101 at Polar Ice-Chandler.


First skate? No, thank you. Second skate? He was hooked. Michael began playing house hockey


in Chandler and the rest is history. Now 16, he’s played many seasons of both house and travel hockey and has loved every minute.


As Michael’s Goar


grown up, I’ve also matured as an individual and a hockey fan and par- ent. I’ve grown up right alongside all of Michael’s peers,


and many of those kids have become such influential necessities in my life. Over the years, I’ve come to love watching them blossom physically, emotionally and mentally into the young men they are today. I’ve also made some amazing, lifelong hockey friends. Sure, I’ve met - and admittedly was one my- self - the crazy hockey parent who I


Kurt Goar is the Arizona Hockey Clubs’ coach-in-chief. RubberHockey.com 9


could spend the next thousand years without, but, for the most part, I’ve found a reliable, loving, giving and supportive group of people that will remain in my heart and thoughts forever.


Most importantly, though, is my relationship with Michael. At any point in time, in any argument or situation, he and I have a special bond that ties us together: hockey. I’d like to acknowledge and thank all of the players, coaches and parents who’ve influenced my family so greatly over the past several years. Kurt Goar, Dil- lon Shaffer, Jeff Alexander and many others have given and given and given to make my stepson the fine young man he is today and will be for the rest of his life.


I was born in Hockeytown, USA, and the truly amazing thing is that my son was, too. Thank you, Phoe- nix hockey, for what you’ve given me and my family.


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