FROM THE EDITOR: Colorado Springs readies for Presidents’ Day event


T


he Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Associa- tion (CSAHA) will host its 35th annual Presi-


dents’ Day Tournament next month, and this year’s event figures to be the biggest and best yet. With around 60 teams competing, according to


Jim Haverstrom of the CSAHA, the showcase will run from Friday, Feb. 17 through Monday, Feb. 20 with games being played in 12 divisions: Midget Major A; Midget Minor AA and A; Bantam AA, A and B; Pee Wee AA, A and B; and Squirt A, B and C.


The championship and consolation games will all Matt Mackinder


go down on Feb. 20. Games will be played at five venues, including Sertich Arena, Honnen Arena, World Arena, Colo-


rado Sports Center and Cadet Arena. Individual trophies will be awarded to the first- and second-place teams.


Third-place teams will receive medals and all Squirt teams will receive partici- pation medals. For more information on the event, visit CSAHA.com.


The latest Colorado Thunderbirds alum has committed to a Division I school,


asMatt Cope announced recently he’ll head to Robert Morris University (At- lantic Hockey) beginning next season. The 18-year-old Lakewood native, now in his second season with the


Wenatchee (Wash.) Wild of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), made his decision to commit to RMU, located in Pittsburgh, on Christmas Eve. “It’s really exciting,” said Cope, a forward. “A lot of thought went into the


decision. It was a relief and a big weight off my shoulders to find the place I’m going to attend college and play hockey.” Cope played on the Thunderbirds’ 16U AAA national championship team in


2009-10 under coach Angelo Ricci. He also played the prior two seasons for the Thunderbirds. “We’re extremely excited for Matt and wish him all the best in the future as


a student-athlete,” said Ricci. “He was a Thunderbird for three seasons and his game kept getting stronger each season. He’ll be a wonderful addition to the RMU program.”


Colorado Springs nativeBen Holmstrom returned home last month, but


with good reason. Called up from the American Hockey League’s Adirondack Phantoms, the


Pikes Peak Miners graduate dressed for the Philadelphia Flyers against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on Dec. 19. Holmstrom was held scoreless in the Avs’ 3-2 shootout victory.


Speaking of the Miners, their 18U AAA team delivered an impressive perfor-


mance at the North American Prospects Hockey League’s (PHL) fourth show- case of the season in Dallas over the holidays. Pikes Peak posted a 4-0-1 record to improve to 13-4-1 overall, good for third


place in the 17-team 18U division. ForwardAlec Butcher, from Alaska, racked up six goals and five assists in


five games for the Miners. The new National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), an eight-team


league that will hit the ice in 2013 with its headquarters in Colorado Springs, named Jim Scherr its first commissioner earlier this month. The NCHC will include Colorado College and the University of Denver, two


schools that will leave the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the new entity. “It was an easy decision for me,” Scherr said.


Congrats to Colorado Eagles forwardChad Costello, who was named the


ECHL Plus Performer of the Month for December after leading the league with a plus-19 rating.


Contact Matt Mackinder at matt@rubberhockey.com 4 Carter Yang, captain of the Littleton Hawks’ Bantam AA team


Members of the University of Denver Jr. Pioneers, including Pee Wee AA player Luke McFarlane, are helping elevate the association to new heights in the local hockey circles. See more on the program’s emergence on Page 9.


publisher: Brian McDonough managing editor: Matt Mackinder senior designer: Julie Wilson cover photo: YSPN.com


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