The Arizona Bobcats 18U AA, Littleton Hawks 16U AA, and Littleton Hawks 14U AA made history on April 3rd, 2023, when they won the USA Hockey Nationals in their respective age groups. All three teams were showcase teams in the Atlantic Hockey Federation for the 2022-23 season and the organizations will continue to be showcase teams for the 2023-24 season.

The 14U AA Littleton Hawks had an intense game against the Cheektowaga Warriors, winning 4-3 at the Edge Ice Arena. Littleton’s Colton Lien led the way with two goals back to back in the second period. In the third period, Littleton showed their resilience and tied the game up with a goal from Connor Makowski. The game remained tied at 3-3 until the end of regulation, sending the game into overtime. The Littleton Hawks wasted no time in overtime and secured the victory just 48 seconds in with another goal from Colton Lien, completing his hat trick and sealing the win for the Hawks.

In the 16U AA division, the Littleton Hawks defeated the Woodbridge Wolfpack 4-2 at the Northtown Center Arena. The game started off slow with only one goal scored in the first period, and it was the Wolfpack who took the lead. However, the Littleton Hawks came back strong in the second period, with Max Neumayr scoring a goal at 10:25. The third period saw an impressive display from the Hawks as they scored three goals in quick succession. At 15:35, Tyler Vaughn scored the first goal of the period, assisted again by Hannock and Joramo. Just 15 seconds later, the Hawks struck again as Jack Hannock scored a goal of his own. The third and final goal for the Hawks came at 14:41 by Bodie Tillman. The team went undefeated in the tournament, winning all six games, including thrilling victories over the Chicago Bulldogs 3-2 and Boston Jr. Eagles 3-2 in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively.

Finally, the Arizona Bobcats 18U AA team defeated the Nashville Jr. Predators 5-2 in a dominant performance. Cameron Cote led the way for Arizona, scoring two goals in the first four minutes of the game. The Bobcats maintained their lead throughout the game, with 3-1 heading into the final frame. Alexander Munkelwitz found the back of the net for the Bobcats at the 14:58 mark in the third period. The Bobcats put the game away with a late goal from Jason Hammett with just 40 seconds remaining in the game.

Congratulations to the Arizona Bobcats 18U AA, Littleton Hawks 16U AA, and Littleton Hawks 14U AA on their historic victories at the USA Hockey Nationals!

The Sabres Hockey Association, a youth hockey organization founded in 1971 and based out of the All Seasons Ice Rinks in Naperville, IL, has announced its entry into the Atlantic Hockey Federation for the 2023-24 season. The Sabres will be a showcase only team, and will feature a talented coaching staff that includes Chris Chelios, Matt Vanheast, Vito Bruno, Mike Lively, and Jacob Arroyo. Matt VanHeest is a level 4 certified coach and is entering his 7th season with the Sabres. Vito Bruno played for the Sabres before playing junior hockey and college hockey at Robert Morris. Mike Lively started his youth hockey career with the Chargers and then went on to play at Ohio University, where he was a 3x Academic All-American and was named to the TSCHL All-Conference Team. Jacob Arroyo has played hockey since he was 3 and played college hockey at Iowa.

The Sabres Hockey Association has established itself as one of the top teams in the nation for U-16 and U-18 this year, ranking in the top 20. They have produced multiple alumni who have gone on to play at the D1, D2, and D3 college levels, including Luke Hartge, Mike Viola, and Eric Svejda.

Joining the Atlantic Hockey Federation represents a significant step forward for the Sabres, who will now have the opportunity to compete against other top teams from around the nation. The Sabres are excited to showcase their talent on the national stage, and are looking forward to the opportunities that come with playing in the Atlantic Hockey Federation. With a talented coaching staff and a roster full of skilled players, the Sabres are poised to make a strong showing in the upcoming season.

Be on the lookout as All Season Teams will be announced weekly by divisions. Posting schedule is below

Congratulation to all the teams who won Districts and State Championships, and congratulations to all our AHF teams headed to the 2023 USA Hockey Nationals the last weekend of March!

About: The AHF is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Elite Tier-II Youth Hockey League

Scheduling: Competitive and geographical schedules to best suit member teams including games against local New York AHF Members

AHF Difference:

Please contact tzasowski@blackbearsportsgroup.com by April 1

Ilan Shterenberg, a goalie for Montgomery Youth Hockey Association is currently serving as a Young Ambassador for the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation. Back in November, he began a fundraiser to raise money for a fellow friend, Lamar Collado who was born with a severe form of epilepsy. He was looking to raise money for a customized adaptive bike that will help improve mobility and he has successfully gifted him the bike.

He presented the bike to Lamar on February 15th. He customized the bike to be Washington Capitals colors with Lamar’s name. Lamar’s mother, Marissa Collado, said, “Are you kidding me? We weren’t even qualified because we were non-sports people. When we got to the interview part, I just poured my heart out. I’m not even sure if you guys are going to choose us, but if you do, we’re forever grateful.”

Photo courtesy of Washington Capitals (NHL)

Shterenberg first learned about Collado through Freedom Concepts which is an adaptive equipment company that his uncle used to work for. He was recommended by the local hospital as a patient in need. His fundraising led to 85 donations from 83 different donors online ($6,575) and 5 donations by check from 4 different donors ($1,360) for a total of $7,935.

Ilan Shterenberg applied to the Henrik Lundqvist Foundation and presented his project to Lundqvist, his wife and the foundation’s board this past November. 

“The “Dream Bike” program helps families in need cover the cost of the bikes since adaptive equipment is very expensive, and isn’t covered by health insurance most of the time. My initial ISP has raised nearly $8,000 from 90 donations made by 87 individual donors and organizations, with amounts ranging from $5 to $1,000. The money collected goes towards covering the cost of the bike for Lamar and the remaining funds will go towards funding the next bike for another deserving recipient.” says Ilan Shterenberg. 

To donate or learn more about Shterenberg’s foundation, click here. 

Photo courtesy of Washington Capitals (NHL)

Congratulations to all the AHF teams advancing to the Atlantic Amateur Hockey Association (AAHA) Tier 2 District and Affiliate Championships! The following teams who played in last weekends qualifiers are heading to Championships this weekend at Ice House and Ice Works:

14U AA: Valley Forge Colonials
14U B: Hollydell Hurricanes
16U AA: Team Philadelphia Black
18U AA: Igloo Jaguars Black
18U AA: Philadelphia Blazers

Congratulations to our 2023 AHF Playoffs Weekend 3 All Tournament Teams! These teams showcase top performers from the past weekend.

12U AA Championship

Bryan Wallace #27 Ashburn Xtreme 2010
Louis Giglio #59 Ashburn Xtreme 2010
Jonathon Puskar #34 Team Philadelphia
Luke Andress #84 Team Philadelphia
Declan Henes #48 Philadelphia Blazers
G – Garrett Rupp #90 Ashburn Xtreme 2010

12U AA Gold

Jason Bloor #11 Hollydell Hurricanes
Bryce Mccullough #22 Hollydell Hurricanes
Petros Patsalos #9 Long Island Rebels
Matthew Defeo #11 Long Island Rebels
Jake Ely #2 Haverford Hawks
G – Zachary Wiernasz #30 Hollydell Hurricanes

12U AA Silver

Colton Vanicky #96 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Shane Grubbs #6 Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Atticus Hale #73 The St. James Gold
Yazan Abutaa #55 The St. James Gold
Peter Feeley #15 NJ Bandits
G –Drew Kutchmarick #14 Lehigh Valley Phantoms

The Atlantic Hockey Federation is excited to announce the addition of Bridge Hockey Club to our Full Ice Mites division next season. The Bridge Hockey Club is based out of Woodbridge, New Jersey and consists of three teams. Bridge Hockey Club is supplementary to Wolfpack Hockey that offers Full Ice Mites Program with Mite Major and Mite Minor. 

Be sure to follow Bridge Hockey Club on Twitter and Facebook.

The Atlantic Hockey Federation (AHF) is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Elite Tier-II Youth Hockey League that facilitates games throughout the U.S. for its club members and families. The AHF provides high-quality league games and showcases for over 600 teams in the Mid-Atlantic uniquely catering to its member-owned clubs. The AHF currently fields youth hockey programs at AA, A, and B divisions for the following age groups: the 8U AAA Full Ice, 8U Half Ice, 9U, 10U, 11U, 12U, 14U, 15U/16U, and 18U age levels. The AHF is truly a unique opportunity as each of the Founders and Member clubs operate at all levels of the youth and junior hockey spectrum from Mite to Midget at the youth level and from Tier III juniors all the way up to Tier I juniors in the USHL. If you are looking for value and exposure to play college hockey, the AHF is also for you.

Congratulations to all our AHF Playoffs Weekend 3 Champions!!

12U AA Championship: Ashburn Xtreme
12U AA Gold: Hollydell Hurricanes
12U AA Silver: Lehigh Valley Phantoms