Uncategorized - Tier 1 Hockey

This weekend, Tier 1 Hockey Federation is partnering with Western Exposure Series for the THF West Showcases in Las Vegas, Nevada and Phoenix, Arizona.

The teams who will be competing in this weekend’s Phoenix showcase are the Northwest Stars, Ontario Jr. Reign, Wasatch Renegades, Colorado Springs Tigers, Red Raiders and the Vegas Jr. Golden Knights.

In Las Vegas, the Colorado Springs Tigers, Golden State Elite, Northwest Stars, Ontario Jr. Reign, Wasatch Renegades and the Tahoe Hockey Academy will be competing for a title.

There will be four games played in each of these showcases between the morning of Friday, December 2 to Sunday, December 4. The only group to play five games will be U14 in Phoenix.

To find the schedule for Las Vegas, click here. To find the schedule for Phoenix, click here.

The Tier 1 Hockey Federation will be releasing KRACH rankings every week. KRACH rankings are a team’s win and loss ratio multiplied by the strength of schedule. Due to the THF playing an unbalanced schedule and some teams playing a full versus partial season, KRACH will fairly measure each teams rankings.

Teams will have the ability to move up and down rankings until January. The final rankings will include subdivisions with the teams eligible for a playoff spot.

The THF will release KRACH on the app weekly on Wednesdays and on the website on Friday. Thus KRACH was released, November 30 on our THF mobile app and today, December 2 on our website.

Be sure to stay tuned for your teams’ KRACH rankings as top teams will make playoffs and the subdivisions will be finalized in January.

About Tier 1 Hockey Federation – THF is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Elite Tier-1 Youth Hockey League. The THF provides elite-level competition through an unbalanced schedule among Tier 1 and elite clubs on the East Coast. The THF is managed by full-time professional staff and initially has over 100 elite or AAA teams from 9U-18U committed for its inaugural 2022-23 season. The THF brings together clubs from multiple leagues and states and is the only organization whose members operate franchises in the top junior hockey leagues in the US for NCAA Division I commitments: USHL, NAHL, NCDC and the top two junior hockey leagues for NCAA Division III commitments, the USPHL Premier Division and the Eastern Hockey League.

The THF announces the Players of the Week for the week ending November 27, 2022. The Players of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2022-23 season that honors players in all divisions. Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered.

Age Level / Division: 10U
Team: PAL Jr Islanders
Player: Dillon Dubeau (D) – Games: 5, Goals: 2, Assists: 5

“Dillon had a strong tournament in Springfield with two goals and 5 assists, although the team fell short in the Championship he was relentless on the blue line and his own zone,” said Coach Bobby Weston.

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Age Level / Division: 11U
Team: Wolfpack Hockey Club
Player: Michael Bizgu (D) – Games: 2, Goals: 0, Assists: 2

“He’s a rock on both sides of the puck, haven’t seen him get beat once this year,” said Coach Donny Kane.

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Age Level / Division: 12U
Team: Wolfpack Hockey Club
Player: Colin Barrasso (D) – Games: 1, Goals: 0, Assists: 1

“Been one of our more consistent defenseman the last month,” said Coach Donald Kane.

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Age Level / Division: 14U
Team: Revolution Elite
Player: Joe Calabria (D) – Games:2, Goals: 0, Assists: 0

“Joe was solid on the defensive end this weekend and led the team with clean exits out of his zone,” said Coach Geoffrey Beauparlant.

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Age Level / Division: 16U
Team: Westchester Express
Player: Mason Lupo (F) – Games: 2, Goals: 2, Assists: 2

“Was an offensive force in two game sweep of CP Dynamo,” said Coach Bob Thornton.

Sunday is THF Game of the Week Game Day, a Live-Stream game broadcast series on the Federations Hockey Channel. Each week throughout the season, family, friends, coaches and scouts will log on to watch exciting U18 THF match-ups on the Federation Hockey Channel via the THF Mobile App or Website. This week’s game features Utica Jr. Comets U18 visiting NJ 87’s U18, Sunday at 10:30 am ET from Jersey Shore Arena in Wall Township, NJ.

The THF has partnered with Play-by-Play Productions of Princeton, NJ to produce the HD telecasts. Play-by-Play is an industry leader in Live-Streaming elite youth and amateur sporting events, serving dozens of clients from throughout the U.S. and overseas.

Tier 1 Hockey Federation is excited for its next guest in the Federation Education Series. This series will feature presentations for our players, families, and coaches on the landscape of hockey along with the Player Advancement Model. The third presentation will feature Apex Learning Virtual School.

Apex Learning Virtual School works on improving your GPA, taking courses to get ahead of your academic success, challenging yourself with classes that interest you, and giving you the flexibility of balancing your academics with your athletics. Apex is a great way to set yourself apart from other students as you look to continue your athletic and academic careers in college!

The THF is working with Apex to invite all players and their families to an exclusive webinar presentation. The presentation will cover opportunities for online school and how you can take advantage of getting ahead in academics while pursuing your athletic career!

Apex “Academic Success for Athletes”

Date: Wednesday, December 14th

Time: 7:00 pm EST

RSVP: Register here!

This webinar will take approximately 30 minutes with time for a Q&A. This is for all players in the Federations wishing to learn more about virtual school and prepping their academic careers.

The THF announces the Players of the Week for the week ending November 20, 2022. The Players of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2022-23 season that honors players in all divisions. Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered.

Age Level / Division: 9U
Team: Jersey Hitmen
Player: Rocco Luppino (F) – Games: 2, Goals: 4, Assists: 4

“Rocco showed up in a huge way for the Hitmen this weekend, registering 4 goals & 4 assists during two THF games against the Woodbridge Wolfpack 10U Minor and Rockets 10U Major. He’s been the engine of the team and has played his best games against the top teams. Roc has also been critical defensively, on the PK, & in the faceoff circle!” said Coach Daniel Sabato.

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Age Level / Division: 10U
Team: PAL Jr Islanders
Player: Steven Toro (F) – Games: 1, Goals: 1, Assists: 0

“Regardless of only playing one game this weekend, Steven scored a very nice goal and provided support defensively in a head to head rivalry game with the LI Royals,” said Coach Bobby Weston.

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Age Level / Division: 11U
Team: PAL Jr Islanders
Player: Liam Vanderbeek (G) – Games: 2, Goals Against: 3, Saves: 37

“Liam turned aside 28 shots in regulation and then made 7 more saves in the shootout helping the PAL Jr Islanders win the game in an 8 round shootout!” said Coach David Ehrlich.

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Age Level / Division: 12U
Team: CP Dynamo
Player: Anthony Barna (D) – Games: 2, Goals: 0, Assists: 4

“Anthony had 4 assists this weekend and leads our team in league scoring as a defenseman,” said Coach Tim Barcomb.

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Age Level / Division: 13U
Team: Esmark Stars
Player: Maksim Popienko (F) – Games: 4, Goals: 6, Assists: 2

“Ranked 2nd in points for the St. Louis NAPHL Showcase,” said Coach Dalton Moore.

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Age Level / Division: 14U
Team: Revolution Elite
Player: Sam Norton (F) – Games: 5, Goals: 6, Assists: 6

“Sam led our team in the Eastern Exposure Series this weekend with 6 goals and 5 assists. His combination of size, strength, and speed separates him amongst his peers,” said Coach Geoffrey Beauparlant.

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Age Level / Division: 15U
Team: Esmark Stars
Player: Dylan Yealy (F) – Games: 2, Goals: 3, Assists: 1

“Dylan’s outstanding play defensively as well as offensively led Esmark to victories over the New Jersey Hitmen 6-1 and 5-3,” said Coach Chris Stern.

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Age Level / Division: 16U
Team: Vegas Jr. Golden Knights
Player: Hunter Toms (D) – Games: 4, Goals: 3, Assists: 2

“Had a Hat Trick and 1 assist for a 4 pt game. 2 Power play goals and the GWG. Had an assist in a previous game for a 5 pt weekend,” said Coach Matt Johnson.

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Age Level / Division: 18U
Team: Team Maryland
Player: Dan Cardozo (F) – Games: 2, Goals: 4, Assists: 1

“Cardozo scored a highlight reel goal on the kill and then added a second goal in the period in the THF Game of the Week,” said Coach Eric Conway.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

10U MINOR
Brayden Bitely (F) – CP Dynamo

10U MAJOR
Roman Ilyaich (F) – NY Aviators
Daphne Hu (F) – Rockets

12U MAJOR
Louis Arze (F) – Wolfpack Hockey Club

14U MAJOR
Nixon Eldredge (F) – Wasatch Renegades

15U
Hunter Parrillo (F) – NJ Jets
Hunter Mabee (F) – Rockets

16U
James Tarobaccia (G) – Jersey Hitmen
Jack Freiser (F) – Atlantic Coast Academy
Graham Leonard (D) – NJ Jets
Wyatt Hanna (F) – Wasatch Renegades

18U
Joey Roselli (F) – Philadelphia Flyers Elite
Joey Walsh (G) – PAL Jr Islanders
Gleb Ushakov (F) – Mercer Chiefs
Luke Golisano (F) – Westchester Express

Sunday is THF Game of the Week Game Day, a Live-Stream game broadcast series on the Federations Hockey Channel. Each week throughout the season, family, friends, coaches and scouts will log on to watch exciting U18 THF match-ups on the Federation Hockey Channel via the THF Mobile App or Website. This week’s game features Rockets Hockey Club U18 visiting Mercer Chiefs Premier U18, Sunday at 4:00 pm ET from Ice Land Skating Center in Hamilton Township, NJ.

The THF announces the Players of the Week for the week ending November 13, 2022. The Players of the Week is a weekly feature during the 2022-23 season that honors players in all divisions. Only players that are nominated by their respective teams are considered.

Age Level / Division: 9U
Team: Wolfpack Hockey Club
Player: Vincent Labarbera (D) – Games: 2, Goals: 2, Assists: 2

“Vincent is a rock in the defensive side of the puck. Defending in our own zone with the tenacity to never give up. He turns defense into offense with the best of them. Vincent had a few beautiful assists this weekend that are so much more important as a defender,” said Coach Mark Lotito.

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Age Level / Division: 10U
Team: PAL Jr Islanders
Player: Aiden Marchese (F) – Games: 3, Goals: 5, Assists: 3

“Aiden had a great weekend with 5 goals and 3 assists. Aiden was the beneficiary of some nice passes and as always was very unselfish and reciprocated those passes to his teammates,” said Coach Bobby Weston.

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Age Level / Division: 11U
Team: Wolfpack Hockey Club
Player: Jonah Scott (D) – Games: 3, Goals: 0, Assists: 3

“Jonah has been a rock on the backend this season, and proved it again with a big non league win over the gulls,” said Coach Donny Kane.

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Age Level / Division: 12U
Team: NY Aviators
Player: Shawn Gertler (F) – Games: 4, Goals: 3, Assists: 5

“This kid works his tail off and is starting to develop some really good habits to bring his game to the next level. In four games he put up 3 goals and 5 assists, averaging 2 points per game,” said Coach Vincent Cacciatore.

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Age Level / Division: 14U
Team: PAL Jr Islanders
Player: Danny Lee (F) – Games: 2, Goals: 3, Assists: 2

“Danny was a workhorse in PAL’s 2 game sweep of Mercer Chiefs Premier . He had 3 goals and 2 assists,” said Coach Mark Dubeau.

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Age Level / Division: 15U
Team: Atlantic Coast Academy
Player: Istvan Szunyogh (G) – Games: 2, Goals Against: 1, Saves: 66

“Played great in two games this weekend with one shutout,” said Coach Josh Rabbani.

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Age Level / Division: 16U
Team: Jersey Hitmen
Player: Kirill Evstigneev (F) – Games: 3, Goals: 3, Assists: 1

“In 3 THF games, Kirill Evstigneev scored 3 goals and had 1 assist as the Hitmen went 2-1 in league play. The Crafty winger has added to his point total, in 36 games played he has 15 goals, 18 assists for 33 points and is plus 8 on the year,” said Coach Anthony Yelovich.

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Age Level / Division: 18U
Team: Team Maryland
Player: Iain Mirilovich (F) – Games: 2, Goals: 3, Assists: 3

“Iain scored 3 goals and added 3 assists in helping Team Maryland sweep a weekend set of home games against Flyers Elite. Team Maryland won Saturday by a score of 8-4 when Mirilovich netted a hat trick and added an assist. He added 2 helpers in the 6-0 win Sunday while creating additional offensive opportunities for Team Maryland.,” said Coach Tony MacAulay.

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HONORABLE MENTIONS

10U MINOR
Kevin Qian (F) – Jersey Hitmen

10U MAJOR
Mark Morav (D) – Revolution Elite
Alexandros Kapelonis (D) – NY Aviators

12U MINOR
Liam Vanderbeek (G) – PAL Jr Islanders

12U MAJOR
Patrick Chahine (D) – Hartford Jr Wolfpack
Kacper Lesiak (F) – Wolfpack Hockey
CJ Young (G) – Philadelphia Flyers Elite
Robert Dekleine (F) – NJ Rockets
Connor Kazmierczak (D) – Jersey Hitmen

14U MAJOR
Brendon Eigner (D) – New Jersey Jets
Nathaniel Pitman (G) – PAL Jr Islanders
Greyson Quinn (F) – Revolution Elite
AJ Choy (G) – NY Aviators
James Rhillinger (D) – Team Maryland

15U
Dante Mangarelli (D) – NJ Jets

16U
Brandon Adams (D) – Mercer Chiefs
Tommy Togno (F) – NJ Jets
Jack Freiser (F) – Atlantic Coast Academy

18U
Alex Insana (G) – NJ 87’s
Owen Gulka (D) – NJ 87’s

Sunday is THF Game of the Week Game Day, a Live-Stream game broadcast series on the Federations Hockey Channel. Each week throughout the season, family, friends, coaches and scouts will log on to watch exciting U18 THF match-ups on the Federation Hockey Channel via the THF Mobile App or Website. This week’s game features Philadelphia Flyers Elite U18 visiting Westchester Express U18, Sunday at 12:30 pm ET from Brewster Ice Arena in Brewster, NY.

Repost from Black Bear Sports Group

Annville, PA – An affiliate of Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. (“Black Bear”) has entered into a definitive
agreement to acquire Klick Lewis Arena in Annville, PA (the “Arena”). The Agreement is subject to
normal course closing conditions. The Arena features three ice sheets, a bar/restaurant, pro shop and a
dedicated gym for its players. The transaction also includes a partnership with the Palmyra Black
Knights (“PBK”), the elite Tier I and Tier II youth hockey program. The Arena is also home to many
figure skaters and recreational skaters in the area along with numerous tournaments due to its proximity
to Hershey, PA. The Sellers were Harold and Chad Weaver, Founders of H.R. Weaver Building
Systems and the creators/developers of the Arena. Antoine Bergeron, hockey director and the architect
of the growth of the Palmyra Black Knights, will continue to lead the club and will assume a senior role
with Black Bear. Black Bear, the largest owner-operator of ice rinks in the U.S., was founded by CEO
Murry Gunty in 2015.

“It has been a great honor to build and own Klick Lewis as it is an important part of our community,” said
Chad Weaver, Owner of H.R. Weaver Building Systems and owner of Klick Lewis Arena. “When we
first conceived of the idea for the rink, we never could have imagined it would become such a popular
and successful venue. While it is a bittersweet sale, we believe that our rink and all the local families
will be in good hands with Black Bear.”

“Klick Lewis fits in perfectly with our other Hershey regional rinks and the Palmyra Black Knights fit in
perfectly with our leagues, so this was a location that we have long coveted,” said Murry N. Gunty,
Founder and CEO of Black Bear. “More importantly, the hidden gem in the transaction is Antoine
Bergeron – he is among the best in the industry and we look forward to bringing the full strength of our
organization to help him and his team grow PBK into a regional powerhouse.”
“I am excited to stay on board and continue to develop players in the PBK program and support Black
Bear’s overall hockey business,” said Antoine Bergeron. “I believe that with Black Bears ascension
program including its USHL and NAHL teams along with its elite level leagues that PBK will continue to
field elite level teams and grow its already strong presence in Central PA.”
“Our mission is to continue growing hockey and ice sports in the Mid-Atlantic and are thrilled to add
another Tier I franchise that we can support through our numerous junior team franchises such as the
Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL,” said Ryan Scott, Vice President of Black Bear. “Under Antoine’s
leadership, we also look forward to growing our league and tournament businesses in Hershey, Central
PA and the rest of the Mid-Atlantic and expect to host numerous boys and girls events in Klick Lewis.”

About Black Bear Sports Group, Inc.
Black Bear Sports Group, Inc. is a privately held company formed by Murry Gunty and Blackstreet
Capital Holdings, LLC in 2015 that seeks investments in sports and entertainment facilities, teams, and
youth sports events. Black Bear arenas are clean, professionally managed, and offer world-class
recreational programs. Black Bear focuses on ice arenas in metropolitan areas with compelling
demographics, markets with a National Hockey League club presence and arenas with existing youth
hockey clubs. Black Bear not only features the ability to acquire healthy and stable arenas, but also the
expertise required to turn around mismanaged or under-performing facilities. The largest
owner/operator of ice rinks in the U.S., Black Bear’s footprint totals 32 facilities across the United States
with 57 sheets of indoor ice, four indoor turf fields, 25 youth hockey clubs, four youth hockey leagues
(Atlantic Hockey Federation, Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation Tier 1 Hockey Federation, and National
Girls Hockey League) and four Junior “A” hockey franchises with membership in the United States
Hockey League, North American Hockey League, USPHL NC