Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Las Vegas – The UNLV Rebels will have their annual Scarlet and Gray scrimmage game this Friday 7 pm at City National Arena. This game historically draws a sellout crowd and is a prelude to the new season.

UNLV opens the season vs a great rival University of Colorado at City National Arena on Friday, September 13.

https://rebelhockey.com/site/

We are less than one month away for our main camp! Register now and be apart of the Las Vegas Thunderbirds! https://www.lvtbirdshockey.com/player-tryouts  #VegasHockey #WSHL

Monday, August 19, 2019

Innsbruck, Austria – Las Vegas coach Rob Pallin and HC TWK Innsbruck beat Bietingheim from Germany by 2-1 in their first pre-season game. Coach Rob added “We have two American players on our roster this season CJ Motte and Caleb Herbert. CJ played at Ferris State and Caleb played at Minnesota Duluth.”

Monday Update…

Special to Vegas Hockey

UNLV Rebels head coach Anthony Greener said the team roster for 2019-20 will be formally announced this week. There is at least one hometown skater who was at the open tryouts last week – no word yet on any of the skaters yet – Lee

“OUR LEAGUE”

https://terrencefogarty.com/

 

Special to Vegas Hockey

Evansville, Indiana – The SPHL Macon Mayhem announced today that Las Vegas goal scorer Derek Sutliffe has been traded to the SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts. The deal was Sutliffe for Chris Hatcher and future considerations. Derek, 27, was a 21-goal scorer last winter for the Macon Mayhem. Hatcher, from Haddonfield, New Jersey, is the son of former NHLer Derian Hatcher. Derian last played in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers in 20007-08.

The Evansville Thunderbolts play home games at the Ford Center here in Evansville.

Wednesday, August 20, 2019

Most Searched Today

#1 THE GREATNESS OF MICAH SANFORD

#2 UNLV SCARLET AND GRAY GAME FRIDAY NIGHT

#3 UNLV REBELS TO ANNOUNCE ROSTER

#4 WSHL LAS VEGAS THUNDERBIRDS 

Three straight weeks one of of the highest searches

#5 JAKE MCKENNA

#6 AIDAN MCNABB

#7 GOALIE LUKE FUNDATOR

#8 JERRETT OVERLAND OF LAS VEGAS TO BCHL WENATCHEE WILD

#9 VITO CARLO

Hometown player Vito Carlo is off to play college hockey for the first time at NCAA Franklin Pierce University in New Hampshire.

#10 ROB PALLIN, HEAD COACH, TWK INNSBRUCK AUSTRIA

Rob is an 8-time Vegas Hockey Coach of the Year; he coached the very first Las Vegas team – the 2001-02 AA Las Vegas Mustangs 18u – who were the first to win a Pacific Division Championship and advance to the U.S. Nationals. That team ignited the greatness of youth ice hockey in Las Vegas.

#11 SEAN KEDRA SIGNS WITH WSHL LAS VEGAS THUNDERBIRDS

Sean played in AA Vegas Jr Golden Knights youth hockey…..

#10 ZACH POCHIRO

#11 CORY WARD

#12 MIKE YOCHUM

#13 JOHNNIE GOLD

Today’s readers are from all parts of the USA and Canada 

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How to contact Vegas Hockey with stories, scores..

leesamuels07@aol.com

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JUST IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS – THE ‘CHOSEN ONE’ AND THE POWERFUL NORTH POLE ICE DRAGONS INVADE THE SOBE ICE ARENA – A VEGAS HOCKEY HOLIDAY ADVENTURE STORY RELEASED HERE ON THANKSGIVING EVE

(To all, if you want to be included in this story let me know; to everyone else, don’t get too close to the rinkboards on Thanksgiving Eve – Lee)

By Lee Samuels

When we saw Spike Neely play for AA Las Vegas Mustangs 18u in 1999-2000 we knew what All Heart was all about.

Getting over the wall, into the game and blasting down the ice like Spike did.

He is the reason there is an All Heart award here on Vegas Hockey

Spike was on the Triple Threat Line with Travis Roseberry and JC Caron.

That was the first bigtime top line we ever saw in Las Vegas.

Bryce Reddick of Las Vegas – EIHL Cardiff Devils

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Las Vegas Players Away from Home

2019-2020

Gia Avalone, AAA Anaheim Lady Ducks 16u

Steven Avalone, Kindersley Klippers – Saskatchewan Jr Hockey League

Brennan Blaszczak, NCAA Alaska Fairbanks

Zane Branson, ACHA D1 Western Michigan

Vito Carlo, NCAA Franklin Pierce University – New Hampshire

Chris Francis, MEC Halle 4/Germany3

Brenden Fehlig, NA3HL Texas Roadrunners

Dom Garcia, NCAA Arizona State

Gage Quinney, AHL Chicago Wolves

Graham McPhee, NCAA Boston College

Adrian Nicholas, ACAC Briercrest College, Caronport, Saskatchewan

Michael McNicholas, ECHL Maine Mariners

Jerrett Overland, BCHL Wenatchee Wild

Zach Pochiro, Esbjerg Energy, Denmark

Ash Printzen, AAA Meijer Girls 19u – Western Michigan 

Cody Printzen, WSHL Fresno Monsters

Joey Raats, Briancon Red Devils, France

Bryce Reddick, EIHL Cardiff Devils

Ethan Sodoma, AAA Arizona Bobcats 16u

Joe Sullivan, ECHL Indy Fuel

Derek Sutliffe, SPHL Evansville Thunderbolts

Mike Yochum, ACHA D1 Canisius – Buffalo, N.Y.

Cory Ward, ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones

Cody Williams, Evry/Viry/France3

To contribute here send to leesamuels07@aol.com

Micah Sanford with the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs

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THE GREATNESS OF MICAH SANFORD

Lee Samuels

Micah Sanford of Las Vegas was our first star player – in ice and roller – here in Las Vegas. 

He was the first from Las Vegas to leave home and play on the AAA level ice hockey with the AAA Vail, Colorado, Avalanche midget 18u team, the first to play in the BCHL with the Chilliwack Chiefs Jr A in Canada, and the first to play on a college scholarship at NCAA Division One Nebraska Omaha.

Micah launched his career here in Las Vegas in roller hockey which is the same route star players such as ice hockey stars Jason Zucker, Adam Naglich, Chris Francis, Eddie Samuels and Eddie Del Grosso also took.

Micah’s father Larry Sanford was the head roller hockey coach who took Las Vegas teams to major tournaments throughout the country. Big rivals for Las Vegas back then included the Orange County Blades, Brea Bulldogs, Arizona Stars and the Northern Colorado Blast.

When Micah was 16, he was named the National Roller Hockey Player of the Year.

“My Dad (Larry) played a lot of roller hockey when he was in his early 20’s,” said Micah. “He played for a team out of Louisana that was one of the best in the nation. He held the scoring title nationwide for about five years. We moved to Las Vegas because my folks thought roller rinks would do well here in town.”

That big roller rink was called Crystal Place built on North Rancho Drive. They call it “The Little House of Champions.”

“My favorite teammates in roller hockey were Freddie Young, Patrick Stevenson, Travis Gunderson and Leroy Garcia. We really meshed well together and we were all work horses – never getting out-competed,” Micah said.

That roller team – the Las Vegas Rolling Thunder – was an unstoppable force on a national level.

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MICAH’S GREATEST HOCKEY COACH

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Micah Sanford had many great coaches starting with his father Larry in roller hockey. Larry is a six-time Vegas Hockey Roller Coach of the Year.

Micah’s first travel ice hockey team was the AAA Vail Avalanche 18u in Colorado. Brad Buetow was the head coach. Brad was a former head coach at the Minnesota University and Colorado College hockey programs.

To get to Vail, Colorado, Micah packed up his gear in his pickup truck, then he drove back to the Crystal Palace roller rink where he grew up in Las Vegas. There was a group of younger players and hometown hockey moms and dads who were there and who wished him well and watched him drive off on North Rancho Drive. Micah was the first to leave Las Vegas to play the game and it was big news in the world of hometown hockey.

Micah also played for one of the greatest coaches in Harvey Smyl, a legend with the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs in Canada. When Micah played for Chilliwack hockey dad Larry Sanford would wear his black and yellow-striped Chilliwack jacket at Crystal Palace.

When Micah was at Chilliwack he told Vegashockey.com in 2000 “…I could always stick-handle and score but they worked on my skating and made me more of a complete player.”

After his first season with Chilliwack Micah went to the Peter Twist Skating School in Vancouver.

But who was Micah’s best coach?

“Harvey Smyl at Chilliwack was the best coach I ever had on the bench during a game. But Brad Buetow was the best coach I ever had at running a practice and teaching skills.

“Harvey was great managing his bench, knowing game situations and who to put onto the ice.

“Brad Buetow was the best at motivating his players and getting the best out of them,” said Micah.

Brad Buetow retired a few years ago, as did Harvey Smyl.

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MICAH’S ASTOUNDING GOAL-SCORING IN 2001-02 PLAYOFFS

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When Micah played for the BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs in Canada hometown fans back in Las Vegas listened to the play by play on radio from the Chiefs two great announcers Barry Douglas and Richard Brew who called the game from the press boxes no matter where the Chiefs were playing. And little did Barry and Rich know  – and their radio listeners – they were about to go onto the biggest ride of their lives.

Chilliwack finished the regular season with a record of 46-10-4. Micah, on the top line, led the team with 47 goals. He was 19 years old.  His linemates and best rink friends were Kaleb Betts with 35 goals and Matt Gibbons with 28 goals.

On this same Chilliwack team was 17-year-old Gabe Gauthier the former GM/head coach of the WSHL Las Vegas Storm and the Hockey Director at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Gabe had 37 goals that season for Chilliwack. Gabe’s linemates were David Van Der Gulik, 38 goals, and Jeff Tambellini with 46 goals.

Micah always played on top lines. When he was with AAA Vail midget majors he was on the number one line with the great Teddy O’Leary.

Micah was now in his second season with Chilliwack and suddenly – and no one, including him – knows how and why Micah Sanford began scoring so many goals in the playoffs.

While Chilliwack was winning the Nowat Cup and the Doyle Cup and qualifying for the grand finale – the Royal Bank Cup in Halifax – Micah had racked up 31 playoff goals. When he was interviewed by me at Vegashockey.com (the old site, not this one) Micah said….

“I’m not doing anything differently. It’s like everything I shoot – no matter what part of the net – the puck goes right into the net. I cannot explain it.”

On the Chiefs radio Barry Douglas and Richard Brew were going insanely wild calling the games.  Gauthier said “…it was unreal, so intense.”

At the Royal Bank Cup in Halifax – the one last crown to capture – Micah and the Chiefs worked their way to the Final 4.

They took on the OCN Blizzard from the Manitoba Hockey League.  It was a close, tight game, right down to the final buzzer at the Halifax Forum.

OCN won 4-3.

When the game was over – and maybe it was the pressure of winning so many times – the Chiefs players collapsed onto the ice in all parts of the arena.

On the radio Barry and Richard lost it – they both wept.

They were trying to describe and capture in their own words the final time this great Chilliwacks Chiefs team would ever be on the ice.

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Micah scored 31 goals during the playoffs. For the season he had 78 goals, 80 assists – by far the most goal and assists and points by any Las Vegas skater on any level of the game.

Gauthier said “this was such a great team. Micah was a big part of it. I counted 12 of our players who went to NCAA Division 1 teams.

Chilliwack coach Harvey Smyl sized it all up when he said “Micah was a man among boys with his determination and strength.”

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Micah got a scholarship to play at Nebraska-Omaha. After four years he played professionally signing with the ECHL Bakersfield Condors.

In 2009 Micah retired as an active player.

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MICAH SANFORD CAREER ICE HOCKEY RECORD

1997-98 – Las Vegas Mustangs Midget A

1998-99 – Las Vegas Blackjacks Jr B

1999-20 – AAA Vail Avalanche midget major – 49 goals/35 assists

2000-01 – BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs Jr A – 12 goals/9 assists

2001-02 – BCHL Chilliwack Chiefs Jr A – 78 goals/80 assists

2002-03 – Nebraska-Omaha 8 goals/9 assists

2003-04 – Nebraska-Omaha 1 goal/0 assists

2005-05 – Nebraska-Omaha 1 goal/6 assists

2005-06 – Nebraska-Omaha 1 goal/0 assists

2008-09 – ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers 0 goals/0 assists