Volume 6 Issue 14 | November 21 , 2018
CHICAGO BLACKHAWK ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SCHOLARSHIP
Chicago Blackhawk Alumni Association Scholarship a Treasured Honor for Recipients, Even Decades On
By Greg Bates, Special to AHAI - When Tom Dillon was awarded a scholarship in 1988 as a senior at New Trier High School, little did he realize how it would impact his life.

Now, 30 years later, the first recipient of the Chicago Blackhawk Alumni Association (CBAA) Scholarship is heavily involved in the organization that has changed his life.

"To be part of the organization, it's special," said Dillon, who is now the scholar board chairman. "Just being around these great individuals, these former players that had this simple vision 30 years ago of just wanting to give back a little bit to the game of hockey. At the time that I received award, I looked at it as an honor, obviously, to be recognized by these individuals - it was a monetary award. It's turned out to be so much more than that."   READ MORE>>
THANK YOU SPONSORS!

AHAI NEWS & INFORMATION
A Step aHead Registration Closes November 30th!
We are in the final few weeks of the A Step aHead Program! The goal of the A Step aHead Program is to educate the youth hockey community on concussion awareness, prevention and treatment as well as to provide  FREE baseline neurocognitive testing to AHAI members ages 11-18. Everyone completing the free ImPACT baseline test will receive an awesome pair of Chicago Blackhawks sunglasses! Don't delay - registration ends on November 30th! REGISTER NOW>>
Attention Tier II Presidents & Team Managers
By Gregg Chudacoff, AHAI Tier II Chairman - Tier II club presidents and team managers, please be aware of the following dates for the Tier II Illinois State Hockey Championships. The exemption process begins on Saturday, December 1 and concludes on Saturday, December 8, 2018. Registration will begin on Sunday, December 9 and ends on Sunday, January 6, 2019. There will be a liaison's conference call meeting on Monday, January 21, 2019 at 7:00pm. Click HERE for these dates and more Tier II State tournament information.

Attention Girls Team Managers
By Anita Lichterman, AHAI Girls Chair - It's time to register for the 2019 Illinois State Girls Hockey Championships! All organizations with Girls Tier II or Tier III teams have been sent an email with a link to the invitation to register and rules (click  HERE to view). This year marks another great step forward for Illinois Girls Hockey as the 2018-19 season will be the first year that all Girls' divisions with more than 4 registered teams will compete in play-in games in order to advance to the Final Four for the Round Robin. Don't delay, please register early to be part of the excitement.
ASK THE OFFICIAL BY DAVE ZEDNIK
QUESTION: A defending player leaves his feet and slides into the puck carrier. The defending player gains possession of the puck and the attacking player falls to the ice after being hit by the defending player's body. Should a penalty be assessed? ANSWER>>

QUESTION: For a tripping penalty to be assessed, must the fouled player fall to the ice? ANSWER>>
GREAT READS FROM OUR HOCKEY PARTNERS
Young Athletes Can Stay in Shape and Still Enjoy a Thanksgiving Meal
By Greg Bates, Special to AHAI - Thanksgiving is a time for spending time with family, doing a little relaxing and, of course, eating.  For hockey players who will compete on the ice over the holiday break, they can still enjoy Thanksgiving and a great meal, but they need to be smart and eat in moderation.   Carrie Jaworski, MD , Director of Primary Care Sports Medicine and Melissa Faubert, DO, Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellow at   NorthShore Orthopaedic Institute offer some advice for navigating the holidays as an athlete. READ MORE>>
Improving Hockey IQ
Hockey season has started.  No doubt, this is a special time of year across the state of Illinois.  For all involved there's excitement about the fun of hockey season, and, for many, an accompanying desire to get better on the ice.  One way to do this is to improve hockey sense -  the mental side of the game that is sometime overlooked but through which a player can make significant gains. This can result in scoring more goals, completing more passes or going from being on the third line to the second. Illinois-born players like Chris Chelios and Eddie Olczyk epitomized great hockey sense in their playing days. Hockey sense is often misunderstood, but has 3 main component parts: spatial awareness, anticipation of play and decision making. READ MORE>>
CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS HEADLINES
The Blackhawks Are Excited to Offer the Little Blackhawks Learn to Play Program for the Third Year!
The Little Blackhawks Learn to Play initiative was developed jointly by the National Hockey League and the NHL Players' Association to offer more families a chance to experience everything that makes youth hockey so rewarding. Learn to Play changes the way youth hockey is offered by providing first-time participants between the ages 5-9 head-to-toe equipment, age-appropriate instruction and certified coaching led by local rink staff and NHL Alumni in a fun and safe atmosphere. Registration opens in December and sessions begin in the spring! MORE INFORMATION>>
Josh L. Strutz "Hockey Is Life" Memorial Hockey Game
The Chicago Blackhawks encourage you to attend the 9th Annual Josh L. Strutz "Hockey is Life" Memorial Hockey Game and Silent Auction on Friday, December 7th at MB Ice Arena. The doors will open at 7:00pm and the first puck drop will be at 7:30pm. The Silent Auction will be held from 7:00pm to 9:30pm. There are a number of surprises in store to make this the best event to date! Visit the Chicago Blackhawks Youth Hockey tab for updates. We hope to see you there!
GIRLS HOCKEY HEADLINES
2019 America's Showcase Illinois Girls Team Information
By Anita Lichterman, AHAI Girls Chair - Attention all high school sophomore, junior and senior girls! It's never too early to think about college and your desire to play hockey at the collegiate level. Click HERE for information, player requirements and registration form for the 2019 America's Showcase Illinois Girls' team. This year's America's Showcase will be held April 11-15, 2019 in St. Louis, Missouri.
HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY HEADLINES
Sam Schwartz Brings Excitement, Energy, Emotion to Deerfield Hockey
By Ross Forman - He doesn't score goals seemingly at will like sophomore forward Jack Gerber, or carry the playmaking skills of junior forward Sam Paley. But Sam Schwartz is every bit a star this season for Deerfield High School.  Schwartz spotlights the on-ice work of all Warriors.  He is the announcer/DJ for Deerfield games, both varsity and JV - and one of the many bright spots for Deerfield (5-7), a rejuvenated program celebrating its 45th season and trying to climb in among the elite in the 13-team Champions League of the IHSHL North-Central Division, now led by Lake Forest (11-3-1), followed by Loyola Maroon (9-3-1). READ MORE>>
Rivalry Night Brings Two Emotion-Filled Games - GBN/GBS and Highland Park/Deerfield Battle 
By Ross Forman - The night-before-Thanksgiving is one of the biggest nights in the Illinois High School Hockey Season - this season and every season. Glenbrook South plays host to Glenbrook North in Glenview on that Wednesday, and Highland Park battles Deerfield in Vernon Hills. Two of the biggest rivalries in the state are showcased with raucous, standing-room-only crowds. READ MORE>>
DISABLED HOCKEY HEADLINES
Kevin Gorter Memorial Endowment to Present Major Donations to CBSH & HIFE Programs!
The Kevin Gorter Memorial Endowment will present the Chicago Blackhawks Special Hockey (CBSH) and Hockey Is For Everyone (HIFE) programs with donations of $50,000 and $36,000 respectively on Saturday, November 24, 2018, at 12:30pm at Glacier Ice Arena. USA Hockey President, Jim Smith and AHAI President, Mike Barrett, will be in attendance to accept the award with CBSH's Melanie Freeman and on behalf of HIFE's Director, Brit Volini. READ MORE>>
Try Hockey is for EveryBODY...Even Those with No Vision!
By Michael Svac, USAH Central District Disabled Hockey Representative - The Chicago Blackhawks Blind Hockey team hosted another Try Hockey event for individuals with limited or no vision on November 17th at Center Ice of DuPage. Stephanie Sims, Team Manager, coordinated the event with the help of Sandra DiMonte, Head Coach for the Blind Hockey Learn to Skate Program. Overall it was another successful Try Hockey event with several newcomers risking it all to put on a pair of skates to learn how to play the game. READ MORE>>
COLLEGE HOCKEY HEADLINES
Nearly 300 Men & Women on NCAA DI & DIII Rosters for 2018-19 Season
It's a testament to our Illinois players, coaches, and associations that so many of our young men and women from Illinois were able to realize their dream of playing NCAA Division I and NCAA Division III College Hockey. Congratulations and good luck this season to the nearly 300 Illinois men and women continuing their hockey careers along with obtaining the ever important college degree. Please click on the buttons below to view lists of Illinois players.
NIU Hockey Moving to ACHA Division I in 2019-2020 Season; Will Join New DI Conference
By Kim Wrona - Northern Illinois University Hockey is proud to announce that the Huskies will be moving up to ACHA Division 1 starting the 2019-2020 season. They also will be joining a brand-new, 7-team ACHA D1 Conference. The conference will be called Midwest College Hockey (MCH) and some of the 7 teams in the new conference are familiar to the Huskies, including the in-state rival Illinois State University Redbirds and current MACHA rival McKendree University Bearcats. Other teams include Lindenwood University - Belleville, Maryville University, Midland University and Waldorf University.  READ MORE>>
AROUND THE BOARDS
The Neuqua Hockey Team Scores a Goal for Anti-Bullying Initiative #DanceOn
Every year Neuqua Valley Orchesis (NVHS' dance company) holds a competition called Neuqua Knows It Can Dance where non-dancers 'perform' dance numbers, generally very funny numbers, in order to raise funds for their annual show.  The NVHS hockey team has competed for the past several years and has even won a few of these fun competitions. This year some of the funds were donated to a local anti-bullying initiative called #DanceOn. READ MORE>>
Chicago Mission Claims CCM World Invite 14U Girls Tier I Title
The Chicago Mission Girls claimed the CCM World Invite 14U Girls Tier I Championship title on Sunday, November 11th. Illinois girls teams also had one (1) second place finish and numerous teams advanced through to the semifinal rounds of their divisions (click HERE for a complete list). Congratulations to all our Illinois girls teams for their excellent showing at the 2018 Girls CCM World Invite in Detroit!