Noemie Marin joins the Kodiaks for 2011-2012 season
Lac St Louis “AA” Coaches Announced
All “AA” coaching positions have been filled for the Lac St Louis “AA” teams with the exception of the Midget AA Selects.
Alain Savoie will be returning behind the bench after a one year absence as he takes on the Midget AA Elites for the 2011-2012 season. Alain had guided the Bantam AA Elites in the 2009-2010 season.
The Lac St Louis Kodiaks will have former National team member Noemie Marin guiding the team this season. Noemie worked with the team last season as one of the team’s two technical directors (along with Caroline Ouellette). For those of you who do not know Noemie, she is an incredible athlete that not only reached the national team level in hockey but was also an Olympic team member of the women’s softball team.
Of course, the Kodiaks represented the province of Quebec at the Esso Cup in St Albert , Alberta in April and are looking to defend their Dodge Cup title this year in hopes of attending the Esso Cup again.
Bantam “AA” will be the story of the two Brunos. Bruno Dumais returns to the Bantam AA Selects after guiding them to a league championship in 2010-2011. And, the Bantam “AA” Elites will be guided by Bruno de Serres. Bruno has recruited former CEGEP Lionel Groulx coaches Michel St-Martin and Michel Dessureault to join his staff this season.
At Peewee “AA” we have the Elites being guided by Claude Chouchani and his staff of Yvan Maldonado, Brian McGann, Danny Grant and Kim Kinkead. And, at the Peewee “AA” Selects, long time coach (and former Lac St Louis Lions coach) Mike McGrath will be at the helm.
“We are very pleased with the group of coaches that we have assembled this season. To have a group of this calibre demonstrates the confidence that these coaches that they have in our “AA’ program and signifies the changes that have occurred in the girls game,” Lac St Louis Regional Director of Girls hockey Chris Sides had to say.
Clarification on the Goalies Situation
There has been considerable discussion on the changes that we are experiencing in girls hockey this season but no more so than with the treatment of goalies.
All girls that are capable of playing boys “AA” hockey can remain with those teams. Goalies who are released from those “AA’ teams are to report to the girls “AA’ tryouts.
Should they not be able to win a spot at the girls “AA’ level, the goalies that are released will then be eligible to tryout for a “BB” or “CC” team depending on which teams are being formed at the time of the releases from girls “AA” hockey.
“ I have been a party to discussions where people question a “double standard” for goalies. Goalies are treated the same through out the province and probably around the country. Each league wants the best possible goalies in their league. If the number 5 goalie at girls “AA” is still strong enough to compete and win a spot at the “BB” or “CC” level then we want these goalies to be able to compete there,” Lac St Louis girls regional director Chris Sides explained.
This allowance for the goalies is no different than in Quebec Midget AAA when they allow 15 year old goalies to be picked up by other teams in their draft while 15 year old skaters are not eligible for that same draft. Look, that is how the Lac St Louis Lions were able to secure the services of 15 year old Francois Brassard, and look how he developed with that opportunity…we want the same situation for those goalies. And, if they are unable to win a spot, then they have our single letter girls program to continue to develop in, Sides continued.
Goalie Technical Director Available for “AA” Teams in 2011-2012
Lac St Louis “AA” girls program will have the services of Concordia Stingers (men and women’s teams) goalie coach Dustin Traylen to work with the development of the goalies.
“ We are looking to have Dustin host clinics for the goalies, invite their goalie coaches to participate, have Dustin attend practices on occasion and work with the goalie coaches to help build the goalie talent pool in Lac St Louis,” Chris Sides had to offer.
”Dustin is an experienced goalie development guy who is a resource in our community that we wanted to make available to our program and we foresee significant benefits to the teams and coaches that work with him,” Sides continued.
Gold Medalists Carolyn Ouellette and Coach Peter Smith to Lead tryout sessions
Once, again, this season the Doyle Hockey Development group will be handling our on ice tryouts at the “AA” tryouts. And the staff that has been assembled this year includes: Olympic Gold Medalist (3 times) Caroline Ouellette, Vanessa Davidson, Emmanuel Blais, Carly Hill, Alyssa Cecere and 2010 Olympic Gold Medal coach, Peter Smith.
“What an incredible opportunity for our girls to have this group of instructors join us on the ice, teaching our girls some fundamental skills for our tryout sessions. When I heard this, I was so excited! And, to have Peter join us… maybe with a little coaxing we can get Peter to do a brief coaching conference as well,” Chris Sides, Lac St Louis Regional Director Girls hockey commented.
Two Lac St Louis Girls Join National Team for 8 Nation Cup
Dollard des Ormeaux’s Jesse Scanzano and Town of Mount Royal’s Catherine Ward will suit up for Canada during the 8 Nation Cup Aug. 24 to Sept. 3 in Vierumaki, Finland. Also joining the team will be Emmanuel Blais from Montreal.
Brief Commentary
The West Island Gazette website oublished a piece “Major Changes to Girls Hockey. “ http://www.westislandgazette.com/girlshockeylacstlouis/24326
In this column there was a discussion of the reaction to these changes and the possibility of disenchantment from parents that would prefer their daughters play with boys.
Further, there was the suggestion that the onus is on regional hockey boss Chris Sides, to deliver the goods this season and improve the image of the girls’ program.
Girls hockey is not FIFA, not the Tour de France or Major League Baseball. Chris Sides is not A. Bartlett Giamatti having to rid the game of baseball of the gambling Pete Rose! Girls hockey is a program that provides girls with the opportunity to play the greatest sport in the world, to make friends, develop life skills and have fun doing these things. Girls hockey is developing, and Lac St Louis ‘ girls hockey is doing a fine job when you look at the development of players through the growth in our numbers, the number of elite level players that we have playing in the excellence programs, the number of Dodge Cup Championships they have won on the provincial stage (10 since 2006).
To suggest that one person needs to improve the image of a wonderful game is truly silly. For girls hockey to succeed you need people who want the girls to have the best possible hockey experience and that requires volunteers with that goal in mind.
The leadership of girls hockey in Lac St Louis has that goal in mind with every decision that is made. It is not making decisions to slow or retard the development of that peewee aged goalie or that Atom aged forward.
No, they are trying to make the game better, more accessible and more enjoyable FOR ALL THE GIRLS IN LAC ST LOUIS.
One person in Lac St Louis cannot do it alone! And, when you see the level of supporters that have decided to help with the development of the game with their commitment to coach, lead tryout sessions and work clinics, you see that a new positive energy is developing in the region…but we need more… we could use each and everyone of the parents that have daughters in hockey to come to the rink and bring a positive attitude, to spend a few hours of their time to make the game better for the girls, to help us find and develop more female coaches and officials and accept that for their daughter to have a best ever experience it starts at the home and requires a positive attitude to and from the rink.
Or, we can trash talk the program, the leaders and make it the worst possible experience that our children can have because our social standing is no longer the way we like it.
The choice is yours.
So, yes, the leaders of girls hockey in Lac St Louis understand it is about fun (GASP!), the leadership understands that families with twins prefer to have their son and daughter play on the same team rather than double up on the trips to the rink but the leadership also knows that for girls hockey to be here and be successful 10 years from now, these changes were required and a family that has twins may suffer this inconvenience of separate teams for their children (as they might in soccer) while they are having fun!
Schedule Meeting
On September 17th, the LHFDQ will hold an ice scheduling meeting to prepare the 2011-2012 schedule. In that meeting teams will be expected to have their tournament schedules organized and the program in place as there will only be two games permitted to be re-scheduled following that meeting.” What an incredible improvement that will be for the coming season,” Chris Sides commented.
Reminder
Third year midget players continue to have the opportunity to select which team they wish to tryout for in 2011-2012. “We are trying to keep as many girls in the game as possible. You have girls in third year with CEGEP schedules, maybe they are attending CEGEP in the city, maybe in the west island, maybe they have jobs…and they still want to play hockey. Lac St Louis provides them the flexibility to manage their school, and/or their jobs and play hockey by allowing for them to have this flexibility in selecting the team they try out for at the “AA” level,” stated Lac St Louis Hockey Feminin Vice President Ed Dodds.
However, just because the third year player tries out for a team, it does not mean they automatically make the team, they still need to earn their spot.
Midget Espoir for Girls?
In the June meetings that were held by Hockey Quebec, there was a review of changes to the Excellence program that addressed the prospect of Midget Espoir level teams that might be made up of regrouped Midget AA players this season.
In boys hockey, Midget Espoir is designed to serve 15 year old players. Here in girls hockey, Midget Espoir would cover all Midget aged girls.
This orientation program for 2011-2012 is an undertaking to study the impact of such a league versus the current structure that hosts Midget AA as the highest level.
“ Since the inception of the Esso Cup, Quebec has been sending club teams to that tournament to compete against “AAA” level teams from other provinces. And , while the team from Richelieu battled well in 2010 and the Kodiaks finished fourth in the nation in 2011 , one had to wonder how a Lac St Louis team, made up of the best midget aged girls, would have done against the Notre Dame Hounds, for example, “ Chris Sides explained.
“And, besides the calibre, the style of play was completely different. At the Esso Cup, the game is full contact no body checking in comparison to the no contact environment that we play in Quebec. A midget espoir level program would allow a league to be played with that sort of competitiveness and when the season was done, we would be able to see how Quebec would fare on the national stage, Sides continued.
Pioneers of Women's Hockey
Friday, January 20 at 3:00pm at Thompson Arena Hanover, NH The Athletic Department and the Dartmouth Women's Hockey Program will be honoring the first 10 years of women's Hockey at Dartmouth during the weekend of Jan 20-22. This "Pioneers of Women's Hockey" event will bring together players from all eras to celebrate the women who took the first step in making our program what it is today. More details to come, we hope you can all make it!
Eight Members of Cornell’s women’s team Invited to U22 Canada team
Eight members of the 2011-12 Cornell women's ice hockey team have been invited to the Canada Under-22 National Team Selection Camp from August 7-16 at the Canadian International Hockey Academy in Rockland, Ontario. The group is among 40 players invited to participate in the camp. No other program had more players invited, with the University of Wisconsin second with four players.
Goalkeeper Amanda Mazzotta, defensemen Hayleigh Cudmore, Laura Fortino and Lauriane Rougeau, forwards Jessica Campbell, Brianne Jenner, Chelsea Karpenko, Jillian Saulnier and Catherine White all earned invitations to the camp, with all but Karpenko attending.
Among the team's invited athletes were four goalies, 12 defensemen and 24 forwards. Invitations were based on fitness testing conducted this spring and evaluations by Hockey Canada scouts during the 2010-11 season, including past performances within Canada's National Women's Program, with their club teams and at provincial and national championships for leagues such as Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Following the camp, Hockey Canada scouts, along with the team's coaching staff led by Laura Schuler (Minnesota-Duluth), will continue to evaluate players with their club teams during the 2011-12 season, in preparation for selecting the Canadian team that will compete at the 2012 MLP Cup next January in Füssen, Germany. Canada has won that international tournament eight times in nine years, losing just two games.
Canada's National Women's Under-22/Development Team camp will see the 40 players split into two teams, Blue and Yellow, that will participate in several practices and intrasquad games over the course of the week. It will be held in conjunction with Canada's National Women's Under-18 Team selection camp, which will split another 40 players into two teams, Red and White, for practices and intrasquad games.
In addition to those eight players, rising senior Rebecca Johnston is a member of the Canada National Women's team that won a gold medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Fortino, Karpenko, Rougeau, Saulnier and White are among 16 players who won a gold medal with the Under-22 team at the 2011 MLP Cup in Kruezlingen, Switzerland.
Lac St Louis “AA” Tryout schedule
• August 17 17h00-18h30 Peewee Elites/Selects at Pointe Claire 2
• August 17 18h30-20h00 Bantam Elites and Selects at Pointe Claire 2
• August 20 11h30-13h30 Midget Elites, Selects and Kodiaks DDO Rink 3
• August 20 13h30-15h00 Bantam Elites and Selects DDO Rink 3
• August 20 15h00-16h30 Peewee Elites and Selects DDO Rink 3
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