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| ENFIELD, CT, January 26, 2010 – GD Alumni Group, LLC, the Enfield, CT based management company of the New England Jr. Falcons youth hockey club, announced the acquisition of the Gary Dineen Hockey School from DGM Management, LLC.
The GD Alumni Group, comprised of former players of the legendary coach Gary Dineen............... visit our Press Releases page to read more about this exciting new stage of GDHS! | | |
| | | | | by GD Alumni Group posted 02/03/2010 New England Junior Falcons provide girls with opportunities to play hockey
By Bill Wells
January 30, 2010, 4:34PM
With more girls playing youth hockey than ever before, there’s become a need for all-girls teams.
In Greater Springfield, the New England Junior Falcons are meeting that need.
Under the current regime, the Junior Falcons are in their second season of offering high-level girls hockey, and the group is prepared to move right along with the growing sport.
“The numbers were growing rapidly,” said Carol Lessard, women’s director for the Junior Falcons. “We found once the girls got into full contact hockey, it was time to find a program where they could develop their skills. There were so many girls and they wanted their own team like the other sports.
“The New England Junior Falcons decided to put their own (girls) program together so that all youth hockey players would have a place to play.”
The Junior Falcons offer teams at Under-10, U14s (two) and U19. Lessard said the program is in position to offer two teams at the U10, U12, U14, U16 and U19 levels next season. Point being, if a girl wants to play hockey, that girl will have a home with the Junior Falcons.
Lessard has received excellent feedback from parents and players, saying, “They don’t have to travel to multiple rinks to practice. They have assigned practice nights, which are consistent every night. They like being in a league because they have good competition. A lot of the girls who play in the league go on to play in prep school or college.”
The Junior Falcons play in the New England Girls Hockey League, which includes 102 teams at five age levels. The program is based out of Enfield Twin Rinks, and draws players from up and down the Interstate 91 corridor, from Franklin County to Greater Hartford.
Gwil Jones of East Longmeadow put his daughter, Gabby, in the U10 program this season.
“I think when you got all the girls off their teams and put them on one team, they seemed to grow in terms of realizing their potential,” said Jones, who serves as the U10 coach. “When you put a girl on an all-boys team, they don’t grow like they should.”
With a coaching staff that includes former Pittsburgh Penguin drat pick Tom O’Connor, Lessard said the girls who play for the Junior Falcons don’t have any problems growing.
“We do have an outstanding coaching staff working with our girls program,” Lessard said. “Our coaches come with years of experience. That’s something that stands out.”
Jones’ U10 team and O’Connor’s U14 group won the Connecticut Polar Bear Tournament, which drew teams from throughout the United States and Canada. O’Connor’s team won in overtime. The tournament was held during Christmas vacation.
“It was an exciting finish,” O’Connor said. “The girls beat a team out of London, Ontario, in a 2-1 overtime victory. Every girl contributed in a positive manner, and it was a very positive and fun week of hockey.”
Interest in girls hockey certainly won’t wane anytime soon, especially in Greater Springfield. Not only is the USA women’s hockey team expected to compete for a gold medal at this year’s Winter Olympics, but the team also includes a local: Westfield’s Kacey Belamy.
Lessard said, “With the Women’s Olympic (team) expected to do well this year, it will certainly inspire even more girls to try out for hockey next season.”
Go to juniorfalcons.com for more details on the program.   | | | | by GD Alumni Group posted 01/22/2010 The GD Alumni Group is proud to announce that the following players have been named Player of the Week by the New England Hockey League for the week ending January 24th: Henry Tobin (95 American), Charlie Kelleher (97 American), John Leonard (98 American), Keith Petruzzelli (99 American) and Dylan Weichselbaumer (00 National). Congratulations! | | | | by GD Alumni Group posted 01/20/2010
| NEHL Playoff Information |
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| February 26th* thru 28th |
| 98 Peewee Minor National (top four qualify), Location: TBD |
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| March 5th* thru 7th |
| 95 Bantam Major American (top four qualify), Location: TBD |
| 96 Bantam Minor American (top six qualify), Location: TBD |
| 00 Squirt Minor National (top four qualify), Location: TBD |
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| March 12th* thru 14th |
| 98 Peewee Minor American (top six qualify), Location: TBD |
| 97 Peewee Major National (top four qualify), Location: TBD |
| 00 Squirt Minor American (top four qualify), Location: TBD |
| 01 Mite Major American (top four qualify), Location: TBD |
| 02 Mite Minor (top four qualify), Location: TBD |
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| March 19th* thru 21st |
| 96 Bantam Minor National (top four qualify), Location: TBD |
| 97 Peewee Major American (top four qualify), Location: TBD |
| 99 Squirt Major American (top six qualify), Location: TBD |
Note: All teams should be prepared to play Friday evening.
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| Four team playoff: three game round robin format, top two advance to championship game |
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| Six team playoff: two divisions, two game round robin format, top two from each division advance to semifinals, winners advance to championship game |
| | | | by GD Alumni Group posted 01/18/2010
Western Mass. youth hockey teams play well in Canada
By Bill Wells
January 09, 2010, 6:14PM
As the largest youth hockey tournament in the world, the New England Junior Falcons Hockey Club learned how big of a fish it is as an organization, and the size of its pond.
Both are big.
Three teams from the Junior Falcons more than held their own at the Bell Capital Cup in Ottawa during Christmas vacation week. Three more Junior Falcon teams also headed north of the border, giving the program six teams competing at the highest level of youth hockey.
“It allows our guys to see where they are on an international scale talentwise,” said coach Lincoln Flagg, whose 97 Pee Wee Majors team competed in the Bell Cup. “A lot of times you can be a big fish in a little pond and not know how good you are. But when you start playing against this type of competition, you find out real quick where you stand.”
Flagg’s team went 1-1-2, and Longmeadow’s Charlie Kelleher was named Most Valuable Player of the all-star game. Southwick goalie Nick Bridges also played in the all-star game, and Kelleher, Wilbraham’s D.J. Petruzelli and Agawam’s Joe Mercedante won the 3-on-1 power play skills competition.
“That’s what we went up there to find out,” Flagg said. “We have some tremendous local kids who are going to have a future in this sport.”
Coach Nick Cocchi’s 99 Squirt Majors team enjoyed even more success at the Bell Cup, going 2-1-1, with its only loss coming to the tournament’s top seed.
“The hockey up there is a little bit different than down here,” Cocchi said. “The rinks up there were immaculate. There were four rinks in one building. Everywhere you looked there were the Ottawa Senator emblems everywhere. All over the TVs every night is was hockey, hockey, hockey. For a hockey nut, it was hockey heaven.”
The foursome of Enfield’s Jean Bouthiette, East Longmeadow’s John Fiallo, Vermont’s John Pelso and Wilbraham’s Josh DeCarolis reached the finals of the skating relay portion of skills competition.
“We showed ourselves very well,” Cocchi said. “I started getting taps on the shoulder from other coaches and organizations that said, ‘Hey, where are you from? We’d really like to hook up.’
“It was a remarkable pat on the back for the boys. We didn’t know how we were going to play. We knew the caliber of hockey was going to be at its highest. I knew our team was very talented, but I didn’t know how we marked up, and we marked up right at the top. We took five out of eight points.”
Sean Provost filled in as coach for the 96 Bantam Majors team. He said the experience was “unbelievable.”
His team lost a heartbreaker in its finale at the Toronto Marlboros International Holiday Classic to finish 1-3, but it finished on a high note by going to the Hockey Hall of Fame and having its picture taken with the Stanley Cup. Westfield’s Ethan Nassar, 14, went with his 95 Bantam Majors team to Toronto for the Marlboro Classic. His team went 1-3, losing games against the Nos. 4 and 10 ranked teams in Canada.
“I had some butterflies because the competition is just great,” said Nassar, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound defenseman. “I went in shaky the first two shifts, but after that it’s just like a regular game.”
Nassar’s favorite part of the trip was going to Wayne Gretzky’s Restaurant. “We were with the team and celebrating, and seeing all of Wayne Gretzky’s jerseys and sticks he used in the past.”
| | | | by GD Alumni Group posted 01/07/2010
The NE Jr. Falcons Bantam Majors will be playing the Tabor Academy JV team on “Travis Roy Foundation (TRF) Day” at Tabor on February 6th. The 95's are raising funds for TRF and will be presenting a check to Travis before their game at Tabor Academy. Recently, Travis joined the team to raise funds for TRF at the Avon Old Farms Christmas Classic on December 18th and 19th. Travis was there signing his book, “Eleven Seconds”.
To date, the 95's have raised over $600 for the TRF.
The Travis Roy Foundation was established in 1997 to help victims of spinal cord injuries, and to fund research into a cure.
Visit http//travisroyfoundation.org for more information.
| | | | by GD Alumni Group posted 01/06/2010 The GD Alumni Group would like to congratulate the 96 Selects on being named the most disciplined team at this year's edition of the Sherbrooke International Bantam Tournament. This is a great honor and Coach Daly and his team should be very proud. Keep up the great work! | | | | by GD Alumni Group posted 01/02/2010 The U10's brought home first place at the Polar Bears Christmas Tournament this past week. The U10's defeated the RI Express, 1 to 0, in the championship game. The GD Alumni Group is extremely proud of the team's accomplishment. Congratulations to coach Gwil Jones and the entire U10 team! | | | | by GD Alumni Group posted 01/02/2010 Congratulations to the U14's on their 1st place finish at the Polar Bears Christmas Tournament this past week. The 14's, led by coach Tom O'Connor (GD Alumni), defeated the London (Ontario) Devilettes, 2 to 1, in the double OT to capture the championship. Great job U14's! | | | | | |
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