SLAPSHOT Issue #3 - Winter 2005
January 5th, 2006
Inside
AND WE'RE UNDERWAY - FROM THE STANDS
MEN - even with losing our 5 on 5 facility for the '05 winter season, we were still able to field 14 men's teams (maybe 20, but had to pull the plug on 6 late comers), spread out over 3 tiers of play. Many of our teams wanting to stay with the 5 on 5 format, and not go with 3 on 3 this year, chose to partake of the other winter league in town, and from the responses we've had, most of them regret it now. No worries, as we'll gladly welcome them back next year when we are in our new 5 on 5 facility.
Nevertheless, the competition with our existing teams remains high, and the energy and enthusiasm displayed both on and off the floor, bodes well for the job the league is doing. In our next issue, we'll go over our projections for the final standings, and who should advance thru the playoffs.
JUNIORS - it's been a sheer pleasure to see our junior numbers grow once again, on all 3 levels! From watching the games between all teams, no team or division is safe as far as predictions go, everybody can and has beaten the other teams in their division. We have a great group of coaches and parents guiding our kids thru yet another winter season, and the home stretch of games promises to be exciting indeed!
WOMEN - as with many of our men's teams, the women chose en masse to remain with a 5 on 5 format for this winter, and not join our 3 on 3 format. However, staying in touch with many of our team reps and players, it's become clear that they are not enjoying themselves, and the quality of product, service, and treatment they've been receiving. This will only serve to ensure their return to Metro and our new 5 on 5 facility next winter, and a return to the fun and enjoyment they've had with Metro the last 8+ years. However, in order to appease the ladies, they will of course be invited to attend the 2nd Annual JAWS tournament to be held in Mar. '06 which Metro is hosting. (see later in this newsletter)
ALL STAR SUNDAYS
All Star Games and Skill Competitions for the Men and Juniors has been scheduled for Feb. 5th and Jan. 22nd respectively. Team and information packages will be distributed to all team reps and players, and posted on our bulletin board the weekend of Jan. 6th. For your convenience, it has also been uploaded to our website for your perusal.
Both days promise to once again be full of fun and surprises, and everyone is welcome to come cheer on your All Stars!
REFEREES CREASE
This exerpt was taken from the newsletter of the Ontario Ball Hockey Association. It's a nice little blurb that is certainly applicable reading for all players. Gives us all a little insight.
It's that time of the year again. Coaches and teams race to games after work readying themselves for the winter season. It's that time of year, winter is in the air and so is winter ball hockey.
It is also time for the officials to begin working on their skills and working on game management. It is the officials objective to call a game in a way that allows the teams to decide the outcome through intense action and determination. The people in stripes DO NOT control the game, rather they keep the teams under control, which can be difficult in the heat of emotions.
Game management is essential in all games. The teams set the tone very early in a game and they decide whether they want to play hockey or become barbaric. The aim of the officials is to lead the teams into a fast and exhilarating pace involving clean and breathtaking play at both ends of the floor. Body contact and stick work that threaten the safety of players will not be tolerated and will be penalized early in the game to send a message and avoid future problems.
After establishing the desired atmosphere, officials will take one of two routes depending on how the game is evolving. Different approaches are taken when the game is one sided than when the game is close. In order to keep the game under control, common sense is used to guide game management. If a team has no chance at winning or keeping the game within reach, they will show their frustration by taking unnecessary penalties. On the other hand, if a game is close, the last thing an official wants to do is influence the outcome by making a team shorthanded. Unless the infraction threatens the safety of players, or impedes a scoring opportunity, the officials will allow the teams to battle hard until the end of the game.
Game management is essential to keeping the game under control, to provide a safe atmosphere. All things considered when game management skills are applied and the officiating is consistent: and the players are competing through fast, intense, and exciting ball hockey the sport is better for it.
9th ANNUAL SNOWBALL CUP
Well, after much cajooling and patience, we managed to pull off our 9th Annual Snowball Cup! We ended up with 6 teams, in 2 pools, ?3 teams in each, competing for the $500 cash prize!
In Pool A, we had Marshall's Maniac's (a fitting term for 'ol #77, lol), the Computer Geeks (nice to see Jay bring his boys back!), and the Sharks (a collection of young & old from 3 or 4 different teams).
In Pool B, we had the Whalers (Jeremy and his young bucks), Pete's Generals (which could also have been called the 'Old Timers', sorry Seles and Biener!), and of course the Posse (Mikey and Huculak boys!).
A brief rundown includes:
The Posse ran up against some high powered offense, and unfortunately went 3 and out in the round robin, BUT what was nice to see was Ian, Mike, Cory, and the boys light the lamp as much as they did, and to watch Gerry turn in another performance in net against the Whalers worth a HON Candidate! Regrettably, they just couldn't keep the GA down enough to steal a W, and sneak into the playoff round.
Jay and the Computer Geeks proved that they belonged in this tourny, and were the class act we expected them to be! They grabbed a W in their 1st game against the Posse, and gave the Sharks and Maniac's a solid run for their money. Throw a couple younger legs on that team, plus the huge goaltending they got, and they've got the makings of a solid tier 4 team come summer!
Losing Marshall in their 1st game wasn't the start they wanted, but the Maniacs proved that they could run with any of the teams in this tourny, and were only within 1 goal and perhaps 30 secs of being in the final! Missing a couple bodies on the bench MAY have hurt them a bit, but with Adriyel and Nathan leading the way up front, with the twins doing their usual running of the floor, and Deniz tending the pipes, perhaps next tourny we'll finally see them again in a final!
Pete and the boys had a solid round robin, only losing to the Whalers by one goal late in the game, beating up on the Posse on the scoreboard big time in the RR, but only to fall short in the semi final crossover game against the Sharks. Losing old timer and potent scorer from the point on D, Scotty C., probably didn't help them any!
The lead horse in this tourny would most definitely have to go to Jeremy and his stable of young runners, the Whalers. LOADED with offense, speed, and goaltending, this was the team to watch out for, and they proved it by going 3 - 0 in the round robin, knocking off the Maniacs's in the semis (albeit a controversial game officiating wise, and with a last second goal), It was only in the final that they finally lost to the Sharks.
The Sharks managed to pull it together in the semi's and final, and come out the tournment winner. Each game it was different, as a different pair of forwards showed up to put up the points. From Deano and Mo, to B and Mysk, to the youngsters Brandon and Dan leading the way in the final! It'd be nice to say experience won out in the end, but overall just a solid defensive effort, and Blakester making the stops he had too!
MASTERS DIVISION
We'll probably only end up with a couple teams in this division for winter, but will form the basis for us establishing our summer program. Word of mouth and referral will be the tools necessary here to grow this division. Remember, anyone over the age of 35 is eligible to play, AND it won't interfere with your normal team if you play in one of the regular winter divisions or tiers.
With luck, we'll be able to grow this division to 6 - 8 teams or more!
CO-ED DIVISION
It is official, Metro is proud to present the start of our 1st Co-Ed division of play on Tues., Jan. 10th. It will consist of a division of 4 teams, mostly made up of husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, brothers and sisters, you get the idea. The team names are quite unique too! lol
All 4 teams will play a mini-season of 9 games, with games being taped and played back at our local league sponsor pub, Peppers Sports Lounge. No championships, no trophies, nothing on the line, just the opportunity for men and women to play together, and perhaps share some fond memories and a few beers and wings!
2nd ANNUAL JAWS TOURNAMENT
Well, what spring wouldn'be complete without the annual JAWS Ball Hockey Tournament! This is scheduled to take place in May long weekend at our 3 on 3 facility, the Westmount Fitness Club! The executive board decided to keep it 3 on 3, instead of 5 on 5, due to the close timing to summer season starting, AND to keep the entry fee costs DOWN, and prize money UP!
Further details will be posted on our website by the end of January, and in our next newsletter. It will be available for Women's B and C teams, and Men's Tier 2, 3, and 4 teams. STAY TUNED!
SUPERLEAGUES - CALGARY WINTER BALL HOCKEY
Calgary Ball Hockey, now known as 'SUPERLEAGUES', has been around for many, many years, and have had the benefit like us to enjoy our sport year round with a spring/summer, fall, AND winter program.
The history of ball hockey in Calgary is long and provides for some extremely interesting reading, but we'll save that for another day! For now, we'll be content for a "shorter", more recent version.
Our brothers to the south were on pace in the early years to match Edmonton as far as growth and numbers in our sport, but then tailed off in the '90's to the point where the league almost didn't exist anymore.
However, thanks to Jason Smith, who basically came in, grabbed the reins, and reorganized everything from the top down, the sport of ball hockey in Calgary is alive and well! Since 'Smitty' took over a few years ago, he and his staff and volunteers have seen a steady growth of teams every year to the point where the league has to grab floor time almost anywhere at any time to accommodate the expanding membership.
Thanks to Smitty's innovative ideas and marketing when it comes to the sport, including administration, team and player's feedback, Superleagues has indeed enjoyed the fruits of his labor. With this past summer's HUGE success with hosting the 2005 Canadian National AND Western Championships, at the same time no less, Calgary can now firmly state they are "back on top" when it comes to our sport.
With over 28 teams in their summer program, another sold-out fall and winter program, Superleagues we're sure will be looking to top over 40 teams for their '06 summer season. We look forward to seeing our southern cousins at the many tournaments going on around our province, some of which Metro and Superleagues will be hosting, and or course to locking horns once again at the '06 Wild Rose Provincials scheduled for Medicine Hat!
2006 SUMMER REGISTRATION AND INFORMATION
2006 Summer registration and information will be posted to our website here very shortly, and team and individual packages will be mailed and emailed out to everyone by January 15th. There are many surprises to look forward to for our upcoming summer season, not the least of which includes our new "home" rink!
Check it out all on-line, and in our next issue later this month, we'll have a complete breakdown for you!
