Blog
Five AHSHA state champs crowned in action-packed weekend at Ice Den Scottsdale
March 19th, 2019The second weekend in February brought the top high school teams in Arizona to the Ice Den Scottsdale for the AHSHA state championships. Teams in five divisions claimed state championships, including Pinnacle, which won the Division 1 state title for the third straight year. Pinnacle will now gear up to head to the USA Hockey…
TPHA student-athletes continuing to produce on the ice, in the classroom
March 18th, 2019With the Christmas break well in the rear-view mirror and the 2018-19 hockey season and academic year more than halfway complete, the prep and varsity teams at Tahoe Prep Hockey Academy have settled in nicely and are doing exactly what they have always intended – playing great hockey while developing players’ skills. Tahoe’s prep squad…
AHU Coach’s Corner: Guest Column – Looking at six keys to improve skating speed, efficiency
March 15th, 2019Every year, some players dominate in the regular season, but not in the playoffs when the pace is faster. The difference is efficient high-end speed, and it’s highly trainable. READ OUR LATEST ISSUE 1. Longer skating strides = wider strides. At high speeds, you cannot lengthen your stride straight backward because your feet would have…
In A Devilish Mood: What are the benefits to letting our kids play hockey?
March 14th, 2019As a father of three boys who all play hockey, I often find myself wondering, “why hockey?” Before I can even answer that question, I need to contemplate, “why not hockey?” I would have to say that the two main reasons against letting your child play this wonderful sport are cost and the violent nature…
Shop Talk: BTM team sales staff sets standard for quality service
March 13th, 2019Team branding is very important. How you look on and off the ice can be a big factor in the unity of the players, coaches on the ice and parents in the stands. Behind The Mask’s team sales division has worked with numerous associations across the state and U.S. with a focus on meeting the…
Taking Liberties With… Michael Bunting
March 12th, 2019MICHAEL BUNTING Position: Forward, Arizona Coyotes/Tucson Roadrunners Hometown: Scarborough, Ont., Canada NHL Draft: Selected by Coyotes in fourth round (117th overall) of 2014 NHL Draft Last Amateur Team: Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) Age: 23 READ OUR LATEST ISSUE Arizona Rubber: What’s your favorite hockey memory growing up? Michael Bunting: It was when we won…
AHU Pee Wee Black team volunteers time to Humane Society
March 12th, 2019In late January, the Arizona Hockey Union Pee Wee Black team went to the dogs. Literally. The team volunteered on Sunday, Jan. 27, at the Arizona Humane Society-Campus for Compassion. READ OUR LATEST ISSUE Prior to that date, the team made 45 homemade dog toys during the MLK Tournament as a team-building activity to bring…
Yuma IHAAZ festival cops rave reviews; Prescott event up next
March 8th, 2019IHAAZ tournament director Nick Boyarsky calls the festival in Yuma a finely-tuned machine because of how well everything is run. The Blaze has a unique system where every player and family in the program must pitch in for various roles at their home-hosted event. READ OUR LATEST ISSUE “From that, you see a pride taken…
Coyotes playing with sense of urgency in home stretch
March 7th, 2019Given the timing and schedule at this point of the hockey season, there’s an acceleration by teams to rush into postseason contention. Heading down the stretch and into the final weeks of the NHL campaign, the sprint to determinate playoff teams is underway in earnest. While players and coaches eschew any dialogue about the prospect…
New Mexico’s Payson finding scoring touch with USPHL’s Aviators
March 6th, 2019It took some time to get the wind under their wings, but the New York Aviators could be taking off at just the right time. The team, located in Brooklyn, N.Y., had a huge turnaround in what has been a sub-.500 season, going 8-2-0-1 since the start of the new year. The Aviators are propelled…