March 17, 2008

Peewee A Wins NORCAL!

Anthony "Zappy" Zapanta skated to his second straight win at the California Speed Skating Championships on February 23, 2008.

Check out the team pages for more details.

Congratulations to all SCVHA teams!

December 30, 2007

December 27, 2007

December 27, 2007

December 20, 2007

December 1, 2007

November, 2007

Golf Tourney Scores!

October 11, 2007

Santa Clara PeeWee "AA" Wins Abbotsford Ice Breaker Tournament in British Columbia

The Santa Blackhawks Pee Wee AA team traveled north of the border to Abbotsford, British Columbia the weekend of October 6-8, 2007 and won the Abbotsford PeeWee AA Ice Breaker tournament in convincing fashion. Competing against the top Canadian AA teams from the Vancouver and Frazier Valley regions, the mighty Blackhawks ran the table and won six straight games in less than three days to take home the champions cup.

From start to finish, the Blackhawks completely dominated in every aspect of the game. The tournament served as a showcase for the AA team's fast and physical forwards, stellar defensive unit, and superb goaltending tandem. Working an offensive system featuring quick and controlled puck movement, the Blackhawks forechecked aggressively and cycled the puck down low with a relentless pressure in the offensive zone that quickly exhausted their opponents. Over the course of the tournament, the Blackhawks scored 34 goals while only giving up 3.

In Monday's championship game against a tough Vancouver Thunderbirds team (who entered the game with a 5-0 record) the Blackhawks jumped out to a fast start scoring three goals early in the first period to take the wind out of Vancouver's sails. The Blackhawks never looked back and cruised to a 6-0 victory.

Head Coach Martin Denis later commented: "We have a very special group of talented players on this team and they battled hard for each other all weekend long and never gave up an inch of ice. Most importantly, our boys won with dignity, class, and grace. We should all very, very proud of this team. Well done boys!"

go to http://www.scblackhawks.org/index.html
 

September 6, 2007

Santa Clara wins the Las Vegas Invitational Pee Wee AA Labor Day Tournament 2007

The Santa Clara PW AA faced some tough teams in Las Vegas during the Labor Day weekend. The team stayed focused and hungry to win. We dominated in our first two games against the Southern California Titans PW AA (win 13-1) and the Las Vegas Outlaws PW AA (win 13-1).

Our third game was against the top Arizona team: the Peoria Roadrunners PW AA. The Roadrunners took a two-goal lead in the first period and we were not able to tie or win the game that ended with our loss 4-3. Next we faced another great Arizona team, the Phoenix Firebirds, in a must win game. We came out strong, dominated the game and finished it with a 4-2 win. This win ensured us a place in a championship game, which took place on Monday morning.

The first period was scoreless, even though we controlled the game. In the second stanza we took a 2-0 lead with goals by Kyle from Zappy and Trevor and Oliver from Gabriel and Steven. The Roadrunners were not ready to give up the game and before the end of the second stanza they made it a 2-1 hockey game. The excitement was high and when Kyle (from Ji and Todd) scored our third goal we started to relax a little. Our victory was guaranteed when Ji dropped the puck to Todd from the face off and Todd shot one to an empty net just 16 seconds to the end of the game. The final score was 4 - 1.

In this tournament, the championship game was the best we played all weekend as we played as a team and hustled to the final buzzer. What a great way to start the season!


Congratulations to the team.

September 2, 2007

Peewee A Wins Ganza Tournament in Valencia

Santa Clara's Peewee A team beat the California Golden Bears, 5-1, to take home their first championship banner of the season.  The Hawks allowed just 2 goals over 4 games and finished without a loss in the tournament.  Congratulations Coach Kellam and the boys!

July 30, 2007

June 30, 2007

April 1, 2007

Peewee A team crowned NORCAL Champs

Congratulations to the Peewee A team for their big win at the NORCAL A Playoffs in Oakland on April 1st.
The Blackhawks beat the Capital Thunder, 3-1 to take the NORCAL crown and advance to the CAHA State Championships to be held in San Jose on April 13 - 15, 2007.

The SCVHA also applauds the effort by the Squirt A, Midget 16A, and the Midget 18A1 team during this past weekend's competition.
GO BLACKHAWKS!

March 16, 2007

Zapanta Named Norcal Star of the Week

Peewee A player Anthony Zapanta was recognized as one of Norcal's Three Stars of the Week on March 14, 2007 for his achievements on the speedskating track during the California State Speedskating Championships and the US Nationals Short Track Speedskating Championship in February.

Zapanta is currently ranked #7 in the nation in his division.

March 16, 2007

Former SCVHA Players Compete for Nationals

Nine former members of the SCVHA traveled to Fort Collins, CO with the San Jose State University Spartans hockey club to compete for the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Tournament (see more at the Spartans' website).  They are:  Sean Scarbrough, Skylar Yu, Ian Fazzi, Dustin Holt, Aaron Hernandez, Billy Kiernan, Devon Luna, Simon Guertin, and Shawn Hickey.

Another SCVHA alum, Mikael Stevens, played for the San Diego State Aztecs at the PCHA Division Championships along with Mitch Venosta.

February 24, 2007

Eric Peterson named NORCAL Star of the Week

Squirt B player Eric Peterson was recognized on February 22 for his outstanding accomplishments on and off the ice (see story).

February 24, 2007

Venosta To Play for ACHA National Championship

Former Blackhawk Player Mitch Venosta who played for the Santa Clara Blackhawks for 7 seasons and won 4 State titles is now playing for the San Diego State Aztecs and has just won the PCHA Division Championship in Arizona and is headed to Fort Wayne Indiana to battle for the ACHA National Championship on Feb 28 thru March 3rd.  Good Luck Mitch!

February 7, 2007

Mite Team Named Norcal Stars of the Week

Coach Ian Macdonald and the SCVHA Mite team featured on Sharks broadcast (go to sjsharks.com)

January 14, 2007

Watson makes debut in "The Q"

Former Midget 16A player Marcus Watson made his debut with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and tallied one assist and a plus 2 rating as the Wildcats beat the Halifax Mooseheads, 4-2. 

Watson played for the Blackhawks during the 2005-06 season under Coach John Beaulieu.  He had been playing for the Jr. Sharks Midget 18AAA under the direction of Coach Derek Eisler prior to signing with the Wildcats.  (posted Jan-14-07)

December 18, 2006

Holiday Party at Sharks Ice Spells FUN!

Lots of food, prizes, and a festive atmosphere at Stanley's in Sharks Ice at Fremont led to a good time for all of the 170 plus families and friends of the Santa Clara Blackhawks who attended the holiday party on Sunday afternoon.

The arriving crowd was greeted with an assortment of food, drinks, and holiday cookies.  Nearby, many checked out the new sweatshirts, t-shirts, blankets, and other Blackhawks merchandise that is now available for purchase.  While many of the Mites and Squirts tried their hand at the billiards table, parents engaged in conversation with friends and others at the table and walking around the room.  Some of the older players sat with teammates making sure they kept the staff at Stanley's busy replenishing the pizza and wings.

An open skating session brought out many of the partygoers including parents and siblings of Blackhawk players.  Of course, the hockey players were eager to show their lesser experienced family members how easy it was to spray ice over innocent bystanders and anyone else who dared to cross their path.

The afternoon progressed quickly and soon the ice was cleared to make way for the Airplane Toss fundraiser.  At stake were prizes such as a DVD/VHS combo player, Sharks tickets (NHL Sharks, not Jr. Sharks), gift certificates from Sharks Ice, and autographed hockey sticks.  As participants folded their airplanes, Club President Norbert Tydingco instructed them on the object of the game and soon prompted them to start firing away -- closest to the target wins the prize.  For the next ten minutes, paper airplanes littered the ice.  For most people, it was a crash course in the science of flight and the art of paper airplanes.  Several people ended up with multiple prizes as a result of an accurate flight path (or just plain luck) and a fleet of pastel colored airships at their disposal.

A raffle for door prizes that included a gingerbread house, and a holiday centerpiece ended the afternoon festivities.  By all accounts, it was a very successful party and we hope that this begins another tradition for the SCVHA.

Special thanks goes to the following people:

• Patti Grandov, SCVHA Registrar and lead party and fundraising organizer.

• Richard Rocha and the Sharks Ice staff -- once again they went out of their way to help set-up and ensure the steady flow of food and drinks.

• Lori Longaker and Kathy Hildenbrand, SCVHA's Member-at-large and Assistant Treasurer respectively, for an outstanding job with merchandise sales.  More information on purchasing items will be posted shortly.  You can also contact any board member for information.

• Ron Glasow and the Golden State Hockey School for their generous donation.

• Joanne Carli, Hockey Auntie, for her help with the airplane toss.

• To the teams and individuals for their prize donations.

• To all the parents, players, friends, and family who chose to spend an afternoon with the Hawks on a busy holiday weekend!

Happy Holidays!

December 18, 2006

Blackhawks spread joy with Gifts From The Heart

Over 100 San Jose children will experience the joys of the Christmas season thanks to the members of the Santa Clara Valley Hockey Association.  The Blackhawks teamed up with Kidango for the second straight year to bring in toy donations for needy children.  According to Kidango's Gifts From The Heart Coordinator, Camille Llanes, the generous donations of all the Blackhawk families enabled them to fill all of the wishes from children in their San Jose centers (see letter from Camille). All nine SCVHA teams participated in the toy drive.

Christy Lofink, Squirt B parent and SCVHA VP, took the lead for this year's toy drive and turned in an outstanding performance.  A big THANK-YOU also goes out to the supportive staff at Sharks Ice at Fremont for allowing the club to use the rink as a drop-off point for the donations.

Happy Holidays To ALL!

Norbert Tydingco, SCVHA President

April 3, 2006

PW AA Team Wins National Championship Title

They say “defense wins championships,” and the Santa Clara Blackhawks Peewee AA team provided more evidence of that as they held their opponents to only 4 goals in 6 games on their way to winning the USA Hockey Tier II 12U crown in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The Blackhawks shut out the Indianapolis Racers, 4-0, in the championship game to become the first-ever team from Northern California to win USA Hockey’s top award.

Mattia Bortolotto opened the scoring at 10:09 of the first period taking a pass in the slot from Wesley Starr and one-timing a shot past the Indianapolis goaltender.  Less than three minutes later, Starr banged home a shot in front of the net to put the Hawks up by two in the first period.  The goal was scored while the Blackhawks were shorthanded with Ryan Atkinson in the penalty box serving a two-minute minor.  Roy Grandov’s aggressive forecheck led to a Racer turnover and the shorthanded tally.

Both teams played strong defensively in the second period, keeping the score at 2-0 for Santa Clara at the end of two periods.

After the second intermission, the Blackhawks got back to work on the power-play with Indianapolis Racer, Hunter Cox serving a two minute penalty for cross-checking.  Santa Clara’s power play had been strong all tournament, scoring at a 36% efficiency rating, and at 4:34 of the third period, Theo Tydingco took a pass in the high slot from Ryan Zehnder and snapped a shot past the glove of Racer goalie Griffin Strain to give the Hawks a commanding 3-0 lead.

Zehnder added another goal at 9:41 of the third on an assist from Tydingco and from then on, the Blackhawks defense snuffed out all of Indianapolis’ attacks to preserve the shutout.

Chris Chang was brilliant in goal as he turned away all 14 shots to earn the win.  Chang finished the tournament with 5 wins and a goals against average (GAA) of  0.71.

Santa Clara went undefeated throughout the tournament, finishing with a 6-0 record while outscoring their opponents 31 goals to 4.

The Blackhawks end their dream season with an overall record of 43-2-2.  Aside from the National Championship, Santa Clara claimed the California Amateur Hockey Association (state), USA Hockey Pacific District, and Silver Stick Regionals titles.

Midget A Wins Again at CAHA

After losing their first game of the tournament, Coach Hal Nunn's Midget 18U A team rebounded to capture their 3rd straight CAHA title with a thrilling 2-1 win over Norcal rival Tri-Valley, in Escondido.

Get the full account on their team website.

"Miracle" Captain Eruzione Inspires Team

Read messages sent from Mike Eruzione and Kurt Russell to our National Champion Peewee AA team.

NORCAL CHAMPIONS!

Squirt A, Midget B, and Midget 18A win Norcal titles.  Squirt A and Midget 18A teams advance to CAHA Championships to be held on April 7 to 9 at the Iceoplex in Escondido.

Six of seven SCVHA teams advanced to postseason play this season.  Congratulations to all for a successful season!

January 9, 2006

Midget 18A Goalie Earns Kocian Award Honors

Devon Luna became the first member of the Santa Clara Valley Hockey Association to receive the Jordan Kocian Award on December 31, 2005.

The award has been given annually since 1997 in honor of former Norcal player Jordan Kocian.  Kocian passed away in 1996 from Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome.  The award is given to a player, in their final year of youth hockey eligibility, in recognition of a player's dedication, desire, determination, leadership, and inspiration both on and off the ice.

Congratulations to Devon for his accomplishments.  Keep up the good, hard work!
 

January 2, 2006

Club Shares Christmas Spirit During 1st Gift Drive

Despite a late start, the Santa Clara Blackhawks came through for Kidango's Gifts From The Heart program last month, donating hundreds of gifts to underprivileged kids from around the Bay Area.

Hard working Team Managers helped to coordinate the effort with help from Sharks Ice management to make the club's first try a successful one.

Kevin Brown from Hal Nunn's Midget A team, and Theo Tydingco, from the Peewee AA team, assisted in the delivery of the gifts to Kidango's Fremont office on December 19th.

Camille Llanes of Kidango expressed her thanks to the club for the generosity of its members and hopes that the Blackhawks will be there to help in 2006.

 November 27, 2005

Blackhawks Advance to Silver Stick Finals

Two SCVHA teams advanced to the Silver Stick International Finals by winning their division in regional competition held during the Thanksgiving weekend.

The Squirt A1 team beat the San Jose Jr. Sharks, 4-2 at the San Jose Silver Stick Regionals.

The Peewee AA team doubled up the Phoenix Firebirds, 6-3 in the Portland Regionals.  The peewees also failed to win their first game of the season during round-robin play, as they played the Beach City Lightning to a 1-1 tie.

In the Midget 16U A division, the Blackhawks lost in their matchup against the Jr. Sharks, 4-2.

Blackhawks Peewee AA

   September 2, 2005

Congratulations go out to two former Blackhawks: Cramer Hickey and Willie Matthews.

• Cramer played for the Blackhawks from 1985 - 1995 and was recently signed by the Fresno Falcons of the ECHL.  Click here to read the press release on the Falcons' website.

• Willie will be playing the upcoming season with the Capitol Thunder Jr. B team!  Willie helped the Blackhawk Midget 18U-A team to two consecutive state championships with his solid play between the pipes. 

April 11, 2005

Midget A1 and Peewee A Win CAHA Title

Congratulations go out to our Midget A1 and Peewee A teams for winning their respective divisions in the CAHA Championship Tournament held at Logitech Ice at San Jose this past weekend.

The Midget A1 squad killed off a penalty with less than one minute remaining in the game to preserve a one goal lead and defeat the Valencia Express, 3-2. (click here for the full story.)

The Peewee A team played a tight game against the Berkeley Bulldogs and held a slim 2-1 lead going into the third period.  Three quick goals later, and the team was up 5-1.  Berkeley managed to score two more goals late in the game to make it close, but the Blackhawk defense snuffed out further attempts by the Bulldogs to claim the victory. (also see Peewee A team website on eTeamz.com)

Last Update: 06/08/2008

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