Town Toyota Center – Wenatchee Wild

Thursday, Feb 27, 2014

Wenatchee, Washington –  Brendan Harris of Las Vegas had one goal, one assist and was +1 on the ice to help the NAHL Wenatchee Wild beat Kenai River 4-2 before 2,316 at the Town Toyota Center. It was a huge win for Wenatchee which is battling for a playoff spot. Brendan, who began the season with the NAHL Bismarck Bobcats, and Joseph Kaszupski of Las Vegas are top skaters for the Bliss Littler-coached Wild.

Thursday, Feb 27, 2014

Jason Zucker of Las Vegas has been put on the Injured Reserve list, the NHL Minnesota Wild announced today. He was struck while blocking a puck in the quad area during a recent game against Phoenix. Jason had what the Wild described as “…a minor medical procedure.”

Michael McNicholas of Las Vegas scored his 23rd goal, dealt his 46th assist for the BCHL Vernon Vipers in a 5-3 road win over the Trail Smoke Eaters at the Cominico Arena last night. The Vipers are now 30-16-4 and wiring in for the upcoming playoffs.

AAA Las Vegas Storm alum CJ Stubbs of Utah has 6 goals, 7 assists for the Hawkesbury Hawks in the CCHL in Canada. CJ and the Hawks have five regular season games left on their schedule.

Matt Edlin, president of the Las Vegas Jr Wranglers here in town, notes that there will be a ‘Try Hockey For Free’ for boys and girls ages four to nine years old, at The Orleans Arena, Saturday, March 1, 4 pm. Try Hockey for Free is part of Come Play Hockey Month, USA Hockey, with over 500 locations nationally for this unique opportunity. The Orleans Arena is on Tropicana Avenue. Players can register at http://www.jrwranglers.com

Regulators’ special needs program a winner

By Matt Mackinder

When Utah Regulators president Mike Holmes first helped create a special needs hockey program in Utah back in 2008, he had no idea it’d grow to be as big as it is today.

The organization has a south team located in Provo and a north team in Salt Lake City and is comprised of male and female players ages 5-50 with cognitive disabilities. The only requirement to participate is that the players be ambulatory and able to take verbal instruction. 

The ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies are a main supporter, while the Regulators are the main sponsor, providing gear and finances when needed. The Grizzlies provide the jerseys, ice and tickets to their games.

There are no fees assessed to the players due to the high cost of care and treatment, and games are played The Peaks in Provo and the Olympic Oval in Salt Lake City.

“Some of the players are quite memorable,” said Holmes. “Kanu had great difficulty wearing his helmet. He’d tear it off and throw it across the ice. It took three years for him to understand that he couldn’t go onto the ice without it. He still hates it, but wears it anyways.”

“Jhessi wouldn’t speak, but loved being on the ice. For four years, she needed full-time support on the ice. Finally, one day when the support wasn’t right there when she was ready to go, she just couldn’t wait any longer and just took off on her own. She’s been doing it ever since.

“Douglas has cerebral palsy and had one foot that turned inward. He couldn’t speak, but had devised his own sign language. We jerri-rigged a tripod that would allow him to be strapped in and keep him from falling over. He insisted he be allowed to go on the ice without help and did just fine.”

Deann Torsak, a parent and co-manager of the south team, has been impressed with the program since Day 1.

“My son, Jathan, is one of the original six from when this started and hockey has given him a sense of belonging,” said Torsak. “He had played other sports in the past with some success, but never really felt any connection to them. With hockey, it’s a completely different story.”

Rich Henricksen has a daughter, Karissa, in the program and coaches the north team. His wife, Tammie, is one of the team managers.

“Karissa has Down Syndrome and hockey helps keep her active,” said Henricksen. “Playing hockey has been a big positive for her. In the past, she’d watch dad and her two brothers play. Now, she has her own team, everyone watches her, and she loves it.

“She loves skating with her friends and scoring goals. She’s always packed and ready for practice on Saturday and can’t wait to get on the ice.”

The local high school hockey teams play games with the teams, making sure each kid scores at least one goal. The special needs kids generally win every game by a score of at least 25-0. 

“The volunteers and high school players have been wonderful, working with a great deal of patience and dedication,” said Holmes. “They generally pay for the ice and donate an afternoon as volunteers, all to make memorable experiences for some very special kids.”

Holmes says the players love the camaraderie, the colorful jerseys (some insist on sleeping in them), equipment and the idea that others are there to watch them.

“My association with these kids has been wonderful,” he said.

Las Vegas Mustangs
2001-02 AAA Southwest YHL Champions
2001-02 Pacific District Tier II Champions

Sean Darby back row, 3rd from left

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SEAN DARBY PASSES – PLAYED FOR 2001-02 LAS VEGAS MUSTANGS 18U – THE FIRST AA LAS VEGAS TEAM TO PLAY IN US NATIONALS

By Lee Samuels

Las Vegas – Sean Darby, one of the heartbeats of a Rob Pallin-coached 2001-02 AA Las Vegas Mustangs midget team which was the first to play in the U.S. Nationals, has passed away.

He died of liver failure, according to a former linemate Justin Grossman who contacted teammates today.

“I’m just so speechless – so young,” said hockey mom Patty Del Grosso, whose son Eddie was a star defenseman on Mustangs. “I ran into the Grossman’s and spoke to (hockey mom) Janet who had stopped up to see Sean on Sunday. I am just heartbroken for his little brother Ryan.”

“Sean had a huge personality – he always kept you smiling in the locker room – he was bigger than life,” said teammate Eddie Samuels.

Darby played on the ‘Gold Line’ with Sean Fox and Grossman.

“Darby, Fox and Grossman was a fierce line. They played hard, finished their checks and wore down the big teams enabling players like Eddie Samuels, Adam Naglich and Josh Jasek to score their goals,” said head coach Rob Pallin, who called from where he is now coaching in Hungary. “Darby, Fox and Grossman were difficult to play against in the biggest of games.

“Sean was very likeable. For a big player, he skated well. This is so sad,” Pallin said.

While playing for Las Vegas, Sean always said he would next play professional hockey and his goal was the NHL.

But after the last Mustangs game – when the team was eliminated at the U.S. Nationals, Sean was one of the last to leave. He was upset and wept when he came out of the locker room to head home.

“Sean played with all his heart,” Pallin said. “But after our season I only saw him one time. I think Sean played in an Alumni game at the rink. I never saw him again.”

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2001-02

LAS VEGAS MUSTANGS — 57-10-3
U.S. NATIONALS AT SAN JOSE
LINEUP CARD

RED LINE
LW-Adam Naglich 47/58
C-Josh Jasek 58/70
RW-Eddie Samuels 42/54

BLUE LINE
LW-J.C. Caron 16/29
C-Travis Roseberry 22/28
RW-Spike Neely 18/9

GOLD LINE
LW-Sean Darby 17/18
C-Justin Grossman 17/28
RW-Sean Fox 10/11

Also: Mike Sullivan 21/12

Defensemen
Eddie Del Grosso 20/36
Justin Johnson 9/28
Josh Shiode 1/23
T.J. Craig 7/13
Steve Novotny 3/10
Chris Anderson 0/13

Goalies
Cody Fulwiler 31-8-2, 1.72
Paul Lowden 26-2-1, 1.75

Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014

It’s going to get physical says coach Nick Robone as the UNLV Rebels roller team prepares to go to the WCRHL Western Regionals in Corona, California this weekend.  UNLV wlll open against 3-time defending regional champion UC Santa Barbara.

“Practices have been sharp and physical. Our league is a physical one. Obviously, full contact is not allowed but there is plenty of contact,” Nick said. “We do a lot of corner drills that work on body positioning and tying players up. Its beneficiary to our forechecking and creates turnovers for us.”

UNLV has qualified to play in the WCRHL Western Regionals three times and is stll looking for its first gold medal.

The Rebels will head out Friday to Corona to get wired in for their first game on Saturday morning at the The Rinks-Corona Inline.

It’s a tough opening game: UNLV takes on the 3-time defending champs UC Santa Barbara at 10 am. Next, UNLV plays Cal Poly, then Arizona State. On Sunday the  teams are seeded for Final 4 eliminator games.

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UNLV’s roller program just started a few years ago according to its website. Take a look:

“The UNLV Roller Hockey team got its start in the WCRHL in 2006.  The league’s policy dictated that the first year of play would be probationary, to show the organization’s commitment to playing collegiate hockey.  Louis Dube and Adam Tamura pooled their resources and got a team together of UNLV’s finest roller hockey players.  UNLV played eight exhibition games in the 2006-2007 regular season and finished with a 7W-1L record.”

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Three years ago defenseman Mike Trimboli of Las Vegas was on an AAA Nevada Stars 18u team which included defensive partners Sonny Zuoaga and Zach Zamora.  Now Mike, 21, 6’1, 185, is playing for an Utah State team which won both of its game at the Western Regionals and will next play in the U.S. Nationals in Marlborough, Mass. on March 21-25.

Mike is in his second season with Utah State. He majors in Business Administration.

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Cory Ward of Las Vegas and Bemidji State will play their final regular-season games at home this weekend. Bemidji State will take on Alabama-Huntsville on Friday and Saturday nights.

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Goal scorer Vito Carlo is working out at the Las Vegas Ice Center. He and the AAA Utah Regulators 16u are preparing for the upcoming Rocky Mountain Regionals in Phoenix on March 6-9.

Adam Naglich of Las Vegas in action for Sapa Fehervar A19 in Hungary

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Sunday, Feb 23, 2014

Long Beach – AAA Las Vegas Storm alum goalie Talon Miller had a three-win weekend to help the WSHL Long Beach Bombers move ahead of Lake Tahoe by five points for the last playoff spot in their division.  With Talon in the net, Long Beach beat the Phoenix Knights 4-2, 6-3 and 5-4 to lift their season record to 23-18-0.  Long Beach has five games left in the regular season, three against the Wichita Jr Thunder and two against their greatest rival, the San Diego Gulls. Talon this season with Long Beach is 12-7-0, 3.27 gaa and an 89.7% save percentage.

Sunday, Feb 23, 2014

ACHA D2 WESTERN REGIONALS

Sunday, Feb 23, 2014

Taylor Spesak – 56 saves vs Utah

It was 6’3″ goalie Taylor Spesak of Loyola-Marymount who stole the show at the ACHA Western Regionals yestersday in Flagstaff, Arizona.

LMU was in the Western Regionals for the first time and took on #4 seed Utah. Spesak, from Valencia, Ca., was spectacular with 56 saves from all sorts of hard shots and angles to keep LMU in the game right down to the final precious second.  Utah hung on to win 2-1 and LMU fans lit up their twitter last night.

A K TiPon Jr ‏@TiponAlJr 9h

@LMUIceHockey thank you boys for the fantastic season. You belong in the #achaD2regionals every year #lmu #ILoveLMU

It was UNLV which beat LMU twice on their home ice earlier this year. UNLV, getting great games from goalies Kyle Kimsey and Ryan Rivera, won 4-3, 6-4 last November 8-9. Those wins put UNLV into the Western Top 10 rankings but the Rebels later dropped out of the Top 10 and did not qualify for the playoffs.

Spesak played two seasons with D3 College of the Canyons and is in his second season at LMU.

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Utah State – Top Seed at Western Regionals

The Western Regionals are down to the Final 4 including Utah State which eliminated Denver 7-1. Mike Trimboli of Las Vegas scored for Utah State in that playoff game. Today Utah State takes on #7 seed Boise State. Utah faces #5 seed San Jose State. The two winners advance to the US Nationals.

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Chris Jones – awesome goal scorer, UNLV

UNLV announced that goal scorer Chris Jones will be the president of the team in 2014-15. He is a high-energy player and an awesome goal scorer. Trey Johnson, always a hard worker on the ice, will be Vice President; Arturo Castro, who played on the Fiesta Line much the season, is Treasurer, and one of the best, most skilled defensemen in the West – Tyler Wilson – will be secretary.