Mite 3

Hope everyone is doing well and hanging in there as we start summer vacation this week. Some good news - thanks to Coach Tremblay, I have our team's VHL Finalist medals. If you want to pick up your player's award, please let me know. Otherwise, I am hopeful we can have some kind of get together later this summer. Hope to see everyone soon and I look forward to more #AHA50for50 challenges!

-TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 3/9/20

The playoffs are here! The kids have worked so hard and improved so much this season. I am truly impressed and honored to be a part of this group. If we continue playing the way I know we can, the sky is the limit for these boys and girls.

That said, we will have our hands full this weekend. We play Acton-Boxboro on Saturday in the semifinals, and if we win, then the finals would be Sunday. We have played A/B tight all year. We just need to make sure we give 100% each and every shift and play smart, defensive minded hockey. The coaches will have our team ready to play.

This week's schedule

Practice Tuesday 5:40p

Practice Friday 5:20p

Playoff Semifinals Saturday 4:50p v Acton/Boxboro at Chelmsford Forum* (Joy will be goalie)

Playoff Finals (if necessary) Sunday 10:55a at Chelmsford Forum* (Conor will be goalie)

Chelmsford Forum is, of course, not in Chelmsford.

The address is 2 Brick Kiln Rd, North Billerica, MA 01862

(Rink is located just off Route 3 near 495 intersection)

Housekeeping Notes:

1. Please make sure to register for placements. On-ice evaluations start next week.

2. Please hold date for Saturday, April 4th, for our team end of season party - and let me know if you can/cannot make it.

Let's go Warriors!

TB

Mite 3 - Weekend Schedule Reminder

Tonight : Regular 3-Team Practice 5:20pm

Tomorrow: Single-Team Full Ice Practice / Scrimmage 4:50pm

Sunday : Edges w/ Erika 3:20pm

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 3/4/20

On to the playoffs! We secured the #2 seed and so will have a bye this weekend.

Our next game will be Saturday, 3/14 at 4:50pm vs the winner of North Central MA and Acton Boxboro at Chelmsford Forum. If we win, the finals would be back at Chelmsford the next morning.

I'll have a longer inspirational message next week but for now here's the schedule through the weekend:

Thursday 6pm Micro Ice Supplemental (final session - please give feedback)

Friday 5:20pm Practice

*Tentative Saturday 4:50pm - I invited Mite 2 to do a split squad full ice scrimmage. I will confirm later this week but please hold the time*

Sunday 3:20pm Edges w/ Erika (final session - please give feedback)

Finally, please save the date - team "breakup" party Saturday night April 4th. Please let me know if that date does not work for your family. We will host and provide pizza and adult beverages, and would ask team families to coordinate on appetizers, desserts and kids drinks. More details to follow, hopefully we will have a lot to celebrate that night!

Have a great rest of the week,

TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 2/23/20

Hello - I hope everyone had an enjoyable vacation week. The Bennetts got to see some great hockey, and beautiful scenery, out in Western Canada. And, even better, I heard we had another solid effort in this weekend's game. PJ won the lunchpail, and Conor was stellar in goal. As I mentioned last week, I continue to be impressed with the improvement of this group and have great confidence in them for the rest of this season and beyond!

Believe it or not, next Sunday is our final regular season game. The playoffs begin the weekend of March 7/8. Depending on our seeding, we could be playing that weekend or could have a bye until the following weekend. In any event, March 15th is the championship game for our division so one way or another the season will be over by the end of that day. Here is a link to the playoff schedule - we are in the Mite Central AA Red division:

http://valleyhockeyleague.com/pages/play...

This week's schedule:

Wednesday - Practice 6:30pm

Thursday - Micro Ice Supplemental 6pm

Friday - XP Dryland Training 5:30pm followed by Practice 6:30pm

Next Sunday- Game 11:00am @Phillips vs. North Andover (Elizabeth will be goalie)

Have a great week!

TB

Schedule update for Friday

Hi all - looks like practice time adjusted slightly for Friday. It will be at 5:20pm. Thanks!

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 2/17/20

Hello everyone,

I think Saturday was our most complete effort of the season. We controlled the play, passing was excellent, defense was stellar and we had lots of great opportunities. I am so proud of how much this group has improved and we are hitting our stride in time for the upcoming playoffs.

Silas took home the lunchpail with excellent passing and shooting, and Joy was solid in net as usual.

February break is here - if you are away, safe travels and see you next weekend. The Bennetts are heading off on a road trip to see the Bruins play in Edmonton and Calgary later this week. Unfortunately we won't be back in time for Saturday's game so will plan to see everyone on Sunday.

This week's schedule:

Wednesday- XP Training at 5:10pm followed by Pro Ambitions Practice at 6:10pm

Thursday - Micro Ice Supplemental 6pm

Friday - Practice 6:00pm

Saturday - Game 2:20pm @Phillips vs. Tewksbury (Conor will be goalie)

Sunday 2/23 - Full ice single team practice 12:10pm

Have a great week and enjoy vacation,

TB

Schedule Changes this Week!

Looks like there will be some schedule changes for this week's practices:

1. We will now have practice tomorrow night (Tuesday 2/11) at 5:20pm. There will be no practice on Wednesday.

2. The Erika Hammar power skating session that was scheduled for Sunday has been postponed due to the holiday. As soon as that is rescheduled I will let you know. However, I have grabbed an open sheet of full ice for us at 11am instead, so please feel free to attend if you are around.

Revised schedule for the week:

Tuesday - Practice 5:20pm

Thursday - Micro Ice Supplemental 6pm

Friday - Practice 6:10pm

Saturday - Game 9:10am @Hallenborg Rink, 10 Good St. Billerica* v. North Central Mass (Joy will be goalie) - (rink is just off Rt. 3A , near Billerica High School and Fire/Police Dept.)

Sunday - Full ice single team practice 11am

Thanks

TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 2/3/20

Hello everyone,

Excellent effort this weekend! Saturday was an "instant classic". We stayed tight with what I think is the best team in our division and almost pulled it out at the end. Great hustle, passing and positional play all around. One thing we will work on this week is shooting. We had some great chances but just couldn't put the puck in the net. Low hard shots are the best but you have to hit the net! Elizabeth was a brick wall in goal for us and took home the lunchpail.

I hope those who were able to make it on Sunday enjoyed the full ice scrimmage. We'll continue those through the end of the season to get everyone in shape for placements and those who are moving up to squirts/U10s ready for the "full sheet" next season.

One housekeeping note - I need Bond, Chavan and Corning to please register on the VHL site so you can be placed on our roster for the playoffs:

https://admin.vahockey.com/valley-league...

This week's schedule:

Tuesday - Pro Ambitions Skills - 6:10pm

Thursday - Micro Ice Supplemental 6pm

Saturday - Game 11:50am @Phillips v. Newburyport (Conor will be goalie)

Sunday - Full ice single team Practice 12:10pm

Have a great week,

TB

VHL Registration

Hi all -

The following players are registered to the VHL roster:

Bennett

Enos

McGuinness

Stevens

Tremblay

If your player's name does not appear, you must register here:

https://admin.vahockey.com/valley-league...

Any questions please ask Dave.

Thanks!

TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 1/27/20

Hello all,

Great work this weekend vs North Andover. I was very pleased with our passing and shooting. We had a few instances where players were not moving their feet, and also trying to stickhandle through too many opponents, but on the whole we were very disciplined and balanced. Let's keep rolling and improving! Conor hustled his way to the Lunchpail, and Joy was stellar in goal.

Special thanks to Fran for planning a great night for us on Saturday. The kids had a blast at dinner and at the game - and those who were able to stick around until the end saw a fantastic finish. We're working on a few more fun family events for the rest of the season.

Also - a reminder to please try to attend the parents' meeting tonight. As the kids get older and more involved in hockey I think it's helpful for families to understand how everything "works", and have the opportunity to ask questions and get more involved, especially if this is your first time through. I happen to think the AHA product (and more importantly the AHA community) is the best around but of course every family needs to decide what works best for them. The meeting is at 7pm at the Andover Town House.

This week's schedule:

Wednesday - Practice 5pm

Thursday - Micro Ice Supplemental 6pm

Friday - Practice 5:20pm

Saturday - Game 12:50pm @Phillips v. Acton Boxboro (Elizabeth will be goalie)

Sunday - Practice 1pm

Have a nice week,

TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 1/19/20

Hi everyone,

I got a great report from the coaches on yesterday's game. Balanced scoring, everyone playing well on defense, good hustle and smart play all around. I knew we could beat that team - we've been close twice so I am pleased our combination of speed and skill (plus a much quieter bench) prevailed.

Reyansh shook off jet lag to earn the Lunchpail, and Conor was solid in net. Let's keep our win streak going!

This week's schedule:

Today (Sunday) - Micro Ice Supplemental 4pm

Tomorrow (Monday) - Pro Ambitions 5:20pm

Wednesday - Practice 5pm

Thursday - Micro Ice Supplemental 6pm

Saturday - Game 2:20pm @Phillips v. North Andover (Elizabeth will be goalie)

Next Sunday (1/26) - Practice 1pm

*I've grabbed practice slots on Sundays so that we can do more full ice work to get the kids who are moving up to squirts/U10s next year more full ice experience. These are purely optional and I don't want to burn anyone out but if you are around and up for it, please try to attend.

**Saturday is also our Merrimack game! The plan is to meet at Fuddrucker's at 4:30pm for a pre-game dinner (please RSVP to Fran with how many will be attending). The kids need to be at the rink by 6:15 to get dressed. They will be on the ice pre-game for warmup/anthem. Then they will join us back in the stands for a Hockey East battle between the Warriors and Vermont. Any questions please ask Fran this week at the rink!

Have a good week,

-TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 1/12/20

Hello everyone - sorry I missed this morning's game! My PeeWee 1 team (Elizabeth's brothers) was short-staffed on the bench for their game this morning so I had to be there for that game. Thanks to Coach Tremblay and Coach Olier -we are lucky to have so many people on this team that can step up and help run the show. Unfortunately I will not be able to be at our game next week either as the PeeWee1's have a state tournament playdown game at the same time, but I already know we have it covered. If we keep winning maybe you will want me to stay off the bench for the rest of the season ;)

Ollie earned the Lunchpail for his tenacious hustle, and Gaby had some great saves in net. Let's keep it up!

This week's schedule:

XP Dryland Training - Wednesday 4:20pm

Practice - Wednesday 5:20pm

Practice - Thursday 6:30pm

Game - Saturday 11:50am @Phillips vs Tewksbury (Conor will be goalie)

Micro Ice Supplemental - Sunday 4pm

Have a great week!

TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 1/6/20

Happy new year! And what a big win to start off the new year this past weekend. I thought that was one of our most complete efforts all season. Let's keep improving and challenging ourselves to do better, and I will do my best to keep everyone motivated through the cold and dark "dog days" of the hockey season.

Joy earned the Lunchpail for outstanding effort in goal, and thanks to the Enos family for the snacks.

I've been rotating the goalie position among the three kids (Joy, Conor and Elizabeth) that expressed interest at the beginning of the season. But if anyone else wants to take a turn just let me know!

This week's schedule:

Pro Ambitions Practice - Today 5:00pm

Micro Ice Mites Session - Thursday 6:00pm

Practice - Saturday 7:10am

Game - Sunday 9am @ The Groton School vs. No. Central MA (Gabriel will be goalie)

Have a great week!

TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 12/30/19

A common catchphrase used by coaches like Bruce Cassidy (or even Bill Belichick) is that their players need to play a "60 minute game". Well, in mite hockey it's a "48 minute game", but the same concept applies. And while we played great for about 44 of those minutes on Saturday, there were a couple of shifts in the second half of the game where we simply stopped skating. As a result, we were on the short end. We need to always remember to skate hard every minute of every shift, and use our speed and skill especially when opponents may be bigger and stronger. (Although I do want to check the birth certificate on that kid who scored 5 of their 6 goals!)

Nevertheless, there were lots of bright spots. Birthday boy Thomas earned the LunchPail (and scored on a great shot) and Conor made some excellent saves. Let's continue improving, build on the positives and regain momentum heading into the new year!

This week's schedule:

Practice - Today 6:10pm

Practice - Friday 5:20pm

Game - Saturday 2:20pm @ Phillips vs. Newburyport (Joy will be goalie)

Power Skating w/ Erika Hammar - Sunday 2:10pm

If I don't see you tonight, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a happy and healthy new year! I am very thankful to have the opportunity to coach this group and look forward to a fun and exciting 2020.

-TB

Tonight's Mite Practice will be a "Family Skate"!

Good morning everyone - we just were informed tonight's practice will be a family skate open to all AHA registered parents and siblings as well. Helmets are required for all participants and full equipment recommended for all kids. Any questions please contact Coach Mike or Coach Henry. Have fun everyone and merry Christmas!

TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 12/22/19

I heard I missed quite the offensive explosion yesterday! I was receiving in game text updates and all the coaches were thrilled with our performance - so I am sending my congratulations to everyone from here in sunny California.

Cormac earned the LunchPail and Conor was steady in goal as always. Well done players and coaches - hopefully there will still be a spot for me on the bench next weekend!

This week's schedule:

Practice - Monday 6:10p

Practice - Friday 5:20pm

Game - Saturday 2:20pm @ Phillips vs. Acton/Boxboro (Conor will be goalie)

I hope you all have a merry Christmas and happy holiday season! See you on Saturday.

-TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 12/16/19

What a game this past weekend! That was a true up and down battle. We lost by a few goals when we played that team last month, so it is encouraging to see our improvement. We still need to make sure we are making smart decisions with the puck and our feet are moving, but I was very pleased with the effort and the performance.

Gabriel earned the LunchPail for his hat trick and nifty moves (thanks to the Bausemers for the snacks), and Elizabeth was stellar in goal.

A big thank you so much to Fran and her elves for our post-game holiday party. It takes a lot of thought and planning to make even informal events like this happen and so it is greatly appreciated by all the players and families. We have a great group and are lucky to have so many people who want to be involved. It is a good sign for the future of AHA!

This week's schedule:

Pro Ambitions Practice - Tuesday 5:40pm

Micro Ice supplementary - Thursday 6pm

XP Dryland Training - Friday 4:20pm

Practice - Friday 5:20pm

Game - Saturday 2:20pm @ Phillips vs. North Andover (Conor will be goalie)

The Bennetts will be in sunny California visiting family from December 20-27, so if I don't see you at practice tomorrow night I hope you have a merry Christmas and happy holiday season!

-TB

Mite 3 Weekly Update - 12/8/19

It felt nice to get that win yesterday! We outskated our opponents for *almost* the entire game. But, we had a few shifts "off" towards the latter part of the game which enabled them to tie it up. In the end we regained focus and pulled out a victory. I think that was a good learning experience for the kids. Even when you are the better team you can't let up. You need to play every shift like you're down a goal with one minute left. Your feet always need to be moving and your head always on a swivel! If we keep up that intensity for the rest of the season we will do just fine.

PJ earned the LunchPail for his game winner (thanks to the Oliers for the snacks!). He was driving hard to the net, stick on the ice, and jammed home the rebound. And Joy was solid in net, making a few key stops when needed.

This week's schedule:

Practice - Wednesday 6:30pm

Micro Ice supplementary - Thursday 6pm

Game - Saturday 2:20pm @ Phillips vs. Tewksbury (Elizabeth will be goalie)

Notes:

1. As Fran mentioned we would like to have a little holiday celebration after Saturday's game. Unfortunately the meeting room at Phillips is not available as there is a high school game coming on later that day. So, the plan will be to decorate the locker room with "hockey stockings" while the kids are playing , and then have some snacks in the "fishbowl" warm area after the game. Fran will be following up with further details during the week.

2. Please let Fran know asap if you are in for the Bruins event on March 24 (and if so how many tickets). We've only had four families confirm, so it may be challenging to proceed given that we need to guarantee a minimum number of tickets sold for our group. If we don't end up doing that we will plan a few other fun events for after the new year.

3. If you have not done so already please let me know if you are available for our games on December 21st and 28th. I still haven't heard from everyone and as of now it looks like we will be missing at least a few players each game. If we don't have good numbers, we will plan to cancel and reschedule.

Have a great week!

-TB

Micro Ice supplemental skills sessions start TONIGHT!

Just a reminder for those who signed up that the supplemental sessions over at Micro Ice start tonight. Check your family calendar for the group to which you were assigned.

Also please note the sessions are NOT at Phillips, they are at the Micro Ice training facility in North Andover. If you have not been there before it is a bit tricky to find. From Rt. 114 heading east, take a right at Willow Street (after the Stop and Shop plaza) and then bear left onto Flagship Drive. The address is 65 Flagship Drive, Building B, in North Andover.