Marianist Cup - "Hockey Fights Cancer"

MEDIA ALERT
For more information,

Christine Winter, Communications Director

American Cancer Society

314-314-517-9037

Hockey Fights Cancer Game,

Marianist Cup Game Between Chaminade and Vianney Hockey Clubs to Honor Those Affected by Cancer

WHAT:  Chaminade and Vianney high schools partner for Hockey Fights Cancer game to celebrate and honor all those affected by cancer in their community.

Both teams have joined in designating their Marianist Cup game as an opportunity to honor and celebrate those in their communities affected by cancer. The night of the Marianist Cup game between the two Varsity teams there will be a preliminary game between the JV teams. Before, during and after the games there will be special events planned to support and raise money for the American Cancer Society.

WHEN: Chaminade vs. Vianney Hockey Fights Cancer

5:30 pm   Teams arrive and receive Hockey Fights Cancer helmet decals and lavender stick tape

6:45 pm  JV Game – Chaminade vs. Vianney BLACK

8:00 pm  Varsity Marianist Cup Game – Chaminade vs. Vianney

WHERE: Affton Ice Arena

               10300 Gravois Rd. Saint Louis, MO 63123

WHO: Coaches, players and fans will have the opportunity to celebrate and honor those affected by cancer

Onsite contacts:

Kate Bohn, American Cancer Society – (573) 837-2855   Michaela Reynolds, (314) 799-2424

Background: Hockey Fights Cancer™ was founded in 1998 by the NHL® and the NHLPA to unite the hockey community in support of cancer patients and their families. HFC Assist allows youth and local hockey teams across the country to support Hockey Fights Cancer just like their favorite NHL teams and players. To get started, visit crowdrise.com/ACSHockeyFightsCancer today.

The American Cancer Society has a vision for a world without cancer. Funds raised in partnership with Hockey Fights Cancer will enable the American Cancer Society to direct resources to support people affected by cancer, their families, and caregivers in many ways including free rides to treatment, free lodging and our 24/7 Helpline.

This season the Annual Marianist Cup game between Vianney and Chaminade will take place on Sat. Dec. 22, 2018 at the Affton Ice Arena (Game Times of JV 6:45 PM and Varsity Game 8:00 PM). But this season the games takes on a new purpose. Vianney and Chaminade will team up together to show that not only the NHL Fights Cancer but, High School Hockey Fights Cancer.

The night of the Marianist Cup game between the two Varsity teams there will be a preliminary game between their two JV teams. Before, during and after the games there will be special events planned to support and raise money for the American Cancer Society to help fight this disease that has affected so many people in all of our lives.

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http://www.nahl.com/news/story.cfm?id=21132

The Janesville Jets, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), are pleased to announce that defenseman Adam Roeder has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey for the Northern Michigan Wildcats of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).

Roeder (5’11/185), the 147-game Jet veteran, spent his entire NAHL career in Janesville, and was voted captain by his teammates at the beginning of the 2016-17 season. The St. Louis native wrapped up his Jets career with an impressive 32-point season and was named to the 2017 NAHL Robertson Cup All-Tournament Team with seven assists in nine playoff games.

Roeder was selected to and played in the 2017 NAHL Top Prospects Tournament for the Midwest Division Team.

“Adam is a great kid who might be the best example of what this league and this team aim to do,” said fifth-year head coach and general manager Joe Dibble. “He has fought so hard over his career to achieve what he has. In his time with us we’ve watched him develop as a player and as a human being, and he obviously proved that by leading this team to Duluth. He leads with respect for his teammates, his coaches, and the game.”

Roeder, who set a franchise record this year in career goals from a defenseman with 15, began his junior career with the NA3HL’s St. Louis Jr. Blues, where he tallied 31 points in 45 games in the 2013-14 season. That offensive production put him on the Jets’ radar. He signed a tender contract and played in four affiliate games in the 2013-14 season. Roeder said he knew from the start that Janesville would be the team to help him advance.

“The Jets have done everything for me,” he said. “I tendered four years ago and played just a few games, but I knew at the start that coach Dibble would do everything he could to get me a Division I scholarship and help me grow into a contributor in this league.”

Roeder attributed much of his development to his assistant coaches in Janesville, who primarily work with the defenseman. Erik Largen was the assistant for Roeder’s start in Janesville and now will face Roeder as an assistant coach for the WCHA’s Alaska Nanooks.

“The three assistant coaches I’ve had in the past three years—coach Largen, coach [Cody] Campbell, and coach [Kyle] Forte—I can’t thank them enough as well. They all worked with the defensemen and helped me develop into the player I am.”

This season, Roeder led Jets skaters with a +29 mark, and alongside partner Blake Wareham, was often tapped for important minutes in key situations. The confidence required to shut down opposing attacks in the most pivotal moments was Roeder’s biggest overall growth, he said.

“Coming in as a first-year guy, it’s easy to get nervous or tense and start gripping the stick too tight,” said Roeder. “You’re often scared to make mistakes. Over my three years, my confidence has grown and I now know I can be the player who the coaches want over the boards in the big situations. If you stick with it and listen to your coaches, who are only trying to develop you, the sky’s the limit.”

The Wildcats play at the 4,000-person Berry Events Center in Marquette, Michigan, in the state’s upper peninsula. Northern Michigan has a storied past, featuring three Frozen Four appearances and a 1991 national championship. In April, the Wildcats tapped former Minnesota Gophers assistant Grant Potulny as the third head coach in school history. Roeder has an interesting opportunity awaiting him in Marquette: start a college hockey career with a program turning a new page.

“The [Wildcats] coaches respect that I stuck through the three years in this league and trusted the process to get to this point,” said Roeder. “I think I’ll have a great relationship with these coaches as a freshman. They want to change their style a bit to more of what Minnesota plays: moving the puck and scoring more goals. That’s what I’m most excited about. I can’t wait to contribute to a program with new coaches and be a part of a new era.”

Just days ago, Roeder, like his fellow age-out teammates, played his final game of junior hockey as the Jets fell to the eventual Robertson Cup Champion Lone Star Brahmas, 3-1 in Game 2 of the Semi-Finals series. Though that loss still stings, he said he could not be more excited to finally achieve his goal of becoming a Division I player.

“To be honest, when I committed, I was at a loss for words,” Roeder said. “I have put so much blood, sweat, and tears into this game. Losing in the Semi-Finals my first year, losing in the first round last year to the same team, and losing again this year in the Semi-Finals…there have been a lot of growing pains, let’s just say that. It’s all worth it in the end, though. The brothers I’ve made relationships with over the last three years are incredible. These are the guys I’ll get together with down the road and reminisce about the junior days, staying up playing Xbox, goofing off, and winning games and making postseason runs. It’s a great thing to be able to commit here in my last season as a Jet. It’s the perfect story to be able to do this with the greatest team I’ve ever played with.”

Roeder becomes the 11th player of the 2016-17 Janesville Jets to commit to a Division I program, joining Derek Schaedig (Harvard), Blake Wareham (Canisius), Adrian Holesinsky (Maine), Jakov Novak (Bentley), Chris Dodero (American International), Cole Paskus (UMass Lowell), Colin Felix (UMass Amherst), Jack Gates (Colorado College), Michael Maloney (Brown University), and Joey Abate (Wisconsin).

http://goicerays.pointstreaksites.com/view/goicerays/news-1644/news_449459

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS - The Corpus Christi IceRays of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are proud to announce the commitment of forward Brady Crabtree to Hamline University, a NCAA Division III program in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), for the 2016-17 season.

“It’s just a huge relief,” said Crabtree on his commitment. “I’ve been trying to figure it out for a long time. My parents helped me a lot in deciding it all. It’s just a relief knowing where I’m going to be for the next four years.”

Crabtree, 21, concluded his junior hockey career with the IceRays, playing 18 games since being acquired in a trade on February 3 from the Amarillo Bulls and recording two goals and three assists for five points with one shorthanded goal. The St. Louis, Mizz. native was no stranger to the South Division, playing his entire NAHL career between the Bulls and IceRays, recording 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points with 146 penalty minutes, three power play goals, and one shorthanded goals. Crabtree played his 100th NAHL game on April 7 in a 4-1 road loss to the Wichita Falls Wildcats. 82 of his 100 NAHL games came with the Bulls. Over his 129-game junior career, he earned 23 goals and 22 assists for 35 points with five power play goals and one shorthanded goal.

The 6-foot, 195-pound center first came out of the St. Louis Amateur Blues U18 program of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League (T1EHL) in 2013-14 after three seasons to join the Sicamous Eagles of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) for the first 28 games, earning 13 points before moving to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) for a short stint and then returning to the T1EHL with St. Louis. The following season, he earned a place with Amarillo in the NAHL, and his game altered with the change in style.

“I really didn’t plan to change my game. What worked for me in the past was what I was going to keep doing, but the speed was different, and to survive in the South Division you had to be more physical. I couldn’t skate around everyone like I used to, so I had to start running people over.”

The South Division is notorious for playing closer to a minor professional level: tough, physical, and gritty. The elevation in that aspect of Crabtree’s game led to a strong fit for the forward within the system, helping him to his most productive season from a points perspective, totalling 13 goals and six assists for 19 points through 49 games. It did lead to more penalty minutes (92), but soon the name “Crabtree” was synonymous with that style of game throughout the division. Leading into his second season, his presence became apparent around the locker room with helping others transition and improve their game, eventually solidifying himself with becoming one of the team’s alternate captains.

“I had a good first year, and I knew the possibility going into the second year that I would get that opportuinity. Even with the coaching changes, I’d have a chance to do that being a verteran player coming back. Starting from training camp, I just kind of embraced it.”

These traits, along with his continued persistence as a physical, aggressive forward along the boards and in the faceoff circle led to the IceRays acquiring Crabtree right before the NAHL Trade Deadline. The move came as a shock across the board, but the role he developed over two seasons became a peak interest and a need for a team fighting for a playoff spot in the same division. The familiarity continued to help grow his game, something he knew the league could help with in his transition to collegiate play.

“I think it made my overall game better. College hockey is going to be the same way. I think the South Division especially, but the NAHL in general, developed me as a player a lot and will help my game in college more so than less physical leagues.”

“Hamline is not only getting a great young man but also a real warrior,” said IceRays general manager Pat Dunn. “Brady played his heart out for us the minute we got him in the trade. He played through some pretty serious injuries but never gave up and refused to sit out. He’s the real deal. Coaches never get enough of guys like Brady. He also excels in the faceoff circle, therefore he will be key in critical situations for his new team.”

Crabtree joins a competitive Hamline Pipers program in the MIAC for next season and will be in good company with numerous IceRays and NAHL alumni. The Pipers made the MIAC Playoffs despite falling to eventual champion Augsburg College in the second round. The program saw three players named to the D3Hockey.com Team Honors, two were named ACHA Division III Men’s Hockey West Division All-Americans, and one was named MIAC Player of the Year. Notable names within the conference include Joe Chitwood (‘13-’15), Matt Colford (‘14-’15) and Connor Kelly (‘13-’15) at Saint John’s University, Jon Grebosky (‘11-’13) at Concordia College, and John Roisum (‘12-’13) and Ben Myers (‘12-’14) at the University of St. Thomas.

The program wasn’t the only element that attracted Crabtree. It was also a former teammate that tipped him off to the idea.

“My captain from Amarillo my first year, Mitch McPherson, was egging me on to go for a visit at least,” said Crabtree. “I started talking to the coach and really liked Coach Cory [Laylin], what he had to say about the program, and his goals for the next four years. He took me on a tour, and I loved how everything was close, right in the Twin Cities.”

Crabtree is the eighth member of the 2015-16 IceRays squad and seventh active player to make a NCAA commitment, joining Michael Bevilacqua (Canisius College), Nathan Bryer (Mercyhurst University), Adam Canepa (University of New England), Carter Johnson (Miami University), Cody Lichtenvoort (Buffalo State College), and Jimmy O’Brien (Colorado College). Canepa, Crabtree, Lichtenvoort, Johnson, and O’Brien all committed during the 2015-16 season. In total, 66 players have moved on to NCAA programs in the last six seasons with 25 joining NCAA Division I programs and 41 on NCAA Division III teams.

From the bus trips and hotels to playing in front of home crowds to time outside of the rink, the memories Crabtree retains are the best times with his teammates throughout his junior career. And in Corpus Christi, more specifically, knowing he had a welcoming place in seemingly hostile territory made the end of his career that much more enjoyable.

“I came in late, and I’d never been through a trade. I didn’t know what to expect, and before I knew I was on the team that a lot of guys probably hated me there. There were all very welcoming, and it made [the trade] really easy for me to jump on to a new team and get on the ship.”

Full and partial full season memberships for the 2016-17 IceRays season are on sale now! Reserve yours by contacting the IceRays Front Office at 361-814-PUCK. In addition, stay connected with the IceRays on Facebook (/CorpusChristiIceRays), Twitter (@goicerays), YouTube (IceRays TV), Instagram (CorpusChristiIceRays), Vine (@goicerays), and Periscope (@goicerays).

FROM: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/hockey/professional/article_6c8d8271-0250-5df6-bd29-85ee674c1feb.html

Of all the sports Chris Wideman played growing up in St. Louis, a career in the NHL perhaps seemed the most unlikely.

The Widemans had no background in hockey. Chris’ father, Gary, played point guard at Southwest High and later at Central Methodist University. He could dish the rock but never tried a saucer pass.

Gary and wife Julie, however, were one-time Blues season-ticket holders and took Chris and his younger brother Alex to games. Like being yanked by a stick, they were hooked.

“Watching Brett Hull play and that year they won the Presidents’ Trophy (1999-2000), those are two things that really stick out in my mind,” Chris said. “That whole group of guys around the Presidents’ Trophy team, that’s what I grew up with. They had good teams back then and they were fun to watch.”

That spawned a young fan, but it wasn’t enough for a wide-eyed Wideman, who attended Chaminade Prep. He turned power-skating lessons into a college career at the Miami University (Ohio) and turned the heads of the Ottawa Senators’ scouts into a fourth-round draft selection in 2009.

An undersized defenseman who stands 5 feet 10 and weighs 185 pounds, Wideman had only half the odds beaten at that point. But after winning the “Eddie Shore Award” as the American Hockey League’s best blueliner with the Binghamtom Senators in 2014-15, he was called up by Ottawa in October and has become a regular.

On Monday, Wideman will skip the turnstiles at Scottrade Center and instead slip in through the player entrance for his first game in his hometown. A group of about 40 family members and friends will be on hand to watch the 25-year-old face the Blues in a game that begins at 7 p.m.

“They’ve been so supportive and sacrificed so much for me to get me to this point,” Wideman said. “It’s really a tribute to them and everything that they’ve done for me. Hopefully it’ll be a fun night for everyone and they can enjoy it.”

After attending Blues games in the 1990s, Chris and Alex Wideman, who is two years younger, wanted to lace up their own skates. The family, which lives in Richmond Heights, drove to Brentwood Ice Rink, where Gary spotted a man giving lessons. He introduced Chris, then 5, and Alex, 3, to John Standbrook and asked if he could help.

“I just tried to make it fun for them,” said Standbrook, the son of former Maine and Wisconsin assistant coach Grant Standbrook, who won five NCAA national titles. “If you can’t skate, you just can’t compete. So we just built it from the base up — the fundamentals of the stride, agility, cross-overs, backwards. It was skating, skating, skating. Once they got that, as I always told Gary, everything else is going to be so much easier.”

Chris stuck with it, joining the AAA Blues at age 11 and playing three seasons at Chaminade. At age 16, with the AAA Blues, he was promoted to play with the 18-year-olds.

“That’s probably when you could look at him and say, ‘This kid has got something special going on,’” said Scott Sanderson, his AAA coach with the 18s. “You could never really look at a 16-year-old and say he’s going to play in the NHL. But you could tell he’s dominating the level that he’s at and he’s doing it in a very quick fashion.”

Wideman’s career was now really taking off. As a junior, he accepted a scholarship to Miami and, in 2007, became the third player selected in the United States Hockey League draft by Cedar Rapids.

“I probably didn’t think about anything past high school until I got drafted into the USHL,” Wideman said. “That was kind of an eye-opening experience, like maybe I could play in college and maybe after.”

As a freshman at Miami in 2008-09, Wideman had 26 assists in 39 games. The Redhawks advanced to the NCAA national title game against Kevin Shattenkirk and Boston University, which erased a two-goal deficit late in regulation and rallied for a 4-3 overtime win.

That summer, Ottawa made Wideman the 100th pick in the NHL draft, which he was not even watching. Current Detroit Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill, who had recruited Wideman in college, was the one who notified him.

“Chris called me up and said, ‘Hey, I got drafted,”’ Gary Wideman remembers. “It was exciting. I was happy for him. He worked so hard. He could never coast. He always had to be working harder than people that aren’t his size. That may have been a godsend.”

Wideman played four seasons at Miami, adding another NCAA Frozen Four appearance in 2010. He followed that up with three seasons in Binghamton, posting 19 goals and 61 points in 75 games last season en route to the Eddie Shore Award.

Neither Wideman's size, nor the fact that his family had hockey ties, has held him back.

“I learned a lot of stuff from my dad, work ethic and how you approach things on a daily basis,” Chris said. “You want to be able to look at yourself in the mirror and know that you gave your most honest effort. That’s the biggest thing that has stuck with me my whole career — just be the best you can possibly be.”

And now Wideman's unexpected career is bringing him back to Scottrade Center, where in 2007 he was part of Chaminade's 11-1 loss to CBC in the Mid-States Hockey Association championship game.

"It's unbelievable, I remember telling him at the time 'It would be so cool if you played for the Blues or played against the Blues here one day,'" said Alex Wideman, who plays for the Evansville (Ind.) IceMen, Ottawa's ECHL affiliate. "It's just crazy how it's finally here. I can't wait to watch it."

The Chaminade College Prep Hockey Club would like to congratulate one of our own, Matt Buha Sr., on his entry into the St. Louis Amateur Hockey Hall Of Fame.  This great honor is bestowed upon those who have selflessly given back to the St. Louis Hockey community over time.  Coach Buha has influenced numerous players and coaches over the years and continues to do so today as many of his former players are coaching youth hockey around the Metro area.  Coach Buha spent many years coaching the St. Louis Junior Blues, AAA Blues and of course Chaminade College Prep Varsity Red Devil Hockey.  Help support Coach Buha and the St. Louis Amateur Hockey Hall of fame by attending the induction dinner and ceremony August 29th at the Sheraton St. Louis City Center.

http://www.stlamhhof.com/index.html