It was a packed house at Joe Dumars for the TORHS Winter Nationals with great teams in all divisions, including an exciting Pro Division with the TOUR Mudcats, Revision Buffalo Wings, and the LA Pama Cyclones and Itan Chavira all in attendance. The battle for the Bantam division was clearly between Valken Adrenaline and Team Advanced Care right from the get go, two very storng teams with very talented players. At the front was Team Advance Care, who also took runner up in the 18U Midget Division, with Adrenaline close on their heels throughout the tournament. In their playoff game Adrenaline defeated Storm 93s, 4-3 in overtime in front of a packed house, sending Adrenaline to the Bantam AAA Championship game vs the stacked Advance Care team. TAC jumped out quick with 2 goals, just 30 seconds apart but Adrenaline regained control and Alec Farrington and Austin Gateman tallied 2 goals, ending the opening half with a score of 3-2. Adrenaline opened the 2nd half with a quick strike, but their goal was called off and the boys experienced a bit of a blow to momentum based on that disappointing call, leaving an opening for TAC, who found their groove and jumped to a 6-3 lead by the middle of the second period. Adrenaline came back with a goal by Bryan Kosciolek, but TAC closed out the win by answering with 3 more to end the game 9-4. Adrenaline played a good game and came away with the Silver, not bad for only their 2nd tournament together as a newly formed team, and having taken the Gold in Bantam AAA at the Thanksgiving TOUR Cup, last month. We are very excited to see what lies ahead for the Valken Adrenaline team as they go into their tournament season and head to Nationals.

Good luck Adrenaline, and keep those medals coming!

Valken Adrenaline 94 recently played in the TOUR Cup Tournament in Michigan, going undefeated and winning the championship in the 14 Gold division. The players demonstrated outstanding team play, puck possession and control throughout the entire tournament as reflected by their 5-0-0 record and also having the lowest goals against in their division.  In front of a packed arena Valken Adrenaline defeated RBK 94 in a battle that got a little rough in the 2nd period, with the game tied 3-3 and team RBK 94 having 2 players tossed from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct.  But the Valken Adrenaline players stayed composed and patient, and with superior team play defeated RBK 94 in overtime 4-3, with the winning goal coming from Austin Sansom.  Valken Adrenaline racked up the awards with Austin Gateman leading the team with 16 pts, scoring 6 goals and 10 assists, and the point leader in  the 14 Gold division.  Adrenaline also laid claim to the #2 leading scorer of the division, with Bryan Lubin scoring 7 goals and 7 assists.  Adrenaline’s goalie for the TOUR tournament, Josh Raider, won the MVG award.   Defenseman, Max Dubin, was nominated by his team as its “Unsung Hero” of the tournament, for his consistent great attitude and relentless work ethic. Stay tuned to www.valkenhockey.com to see more Valken Adrenaline news.

In their first year with Valken as their title sponsor the Colorado Kodiaks Pee Wee hockey team does Valken proud as they come home from NARCh Nationals in Mississauga Ontario Canada with the Silver Medal in the Platinum Division meaning they are the #2 team in North America which is a great accomplishment.

The Kodiaks played teams from New York, Pennsylvania and two from Ontario in the round robin games and came out with a record of 2-1-1 and entered the playoffs as the # 3 Seed. The Kodiaks were able to shut down the high speed and powerful offenses of the East Coast teams with their disciplined defense as they held the four teams they faced to a total of only 5 goal against.

With only four teams advancing to the playoffs the Kodiaks would face Mission Black Ice which was the only team to beat them in the round robin games. In the semifinal game it would be a different story as the Kodiaks applied additional pressure on defense and emerged with a 3-1 win to advance to the Championship Game.

In the Championship game the Kodiaks would face off against the Mississauga Mission Rattlers who they tied 2-2 in the round robin games much to the surprise of NARCh and everyone else. Once again it would be the stingy defense of the Kodiaks versus the high powered offense of the Rattlers. Even though the Kodiaks kept the Rattlers to just 2 goals they couldn’t capitalize on their own offensive opportunities and the Rattlers would prevail with a 2-0 win.

The Kodiaks Pee Wee team was comprised of Michael Ellis, Carter Horwitz, Alejandro Ochoa, Reece Samuelson, Mitch Snyder, Jake Townsend, Kevin Yoon, and our goalies Jason Colbourne and Kyle Hayton. The Kodiaks coaches were Head Coach Dave Fromm and Assistant Coach Tom Samuelson.

Just a few years ago, the 12U Greenville storm won their first ever 2hot4Ice regional championship at SGAA in Snellvile, Georgia.

Those kids raised that championship trophy and did a victory lap aournd the rink in the same way you see pros hoist the Stanley Cup in the NHL! To these kids, it was the pinnacle of their young careers and was the start of something amazing.

Those memories are ingrained in their minds and it’s those types of moments that youth sports are all about!

They are not kids anymore and as seasons changed, so did the names: Some of the names worn proudly on their jerseys were the Carolina Kodiak’s, Grizzlies and now they are known as Team Carolina! In fact, we might have to add “…of the south” since there is another Team Carolina from the North of Carolina. We will talk about them soon…

For now, it is this core of kids who have been trained by some of the best teachers in the game! It is very obvious that these teams have been well coached and developed by their performance on the rink and at tournaments everywhere. This group has shared the rink with some of the BIGGEST NAMES in the game of Roller Hockey. Anyone heard of Dave Fromm (former Team USA “Gold Medal” Head Coach)? Or how about Itan Chavira!? This kid IS the Ovechkin of Roller Hockey today!

Today, the teams have been left in EXCELLENT HANDS in Gibson and Szabo. These two guys have not only taken over but have helped the players grow in even more levels.

When your watching hockey at Dreamsports on June 24-28, 2009 at the 2009 National Games, look for the Team Carolina 16Gold, 16Silver and 18U to make a loud statement heard and felt by everyone in Raleigh!

Not only will Team Carolina be on everyones radar at Nationals in about 28 days from today, but also watch for Valken Hockey! Check their site out now on www.valkenhockey.com.

At the VALKEN site, you will see what the next big thing in Roller Hockey looks like! Trust us, every player in the game will know who Valken is in a very, very short time. Their equipment, apparel and the entire brand is “KILLER!” You have to check these guys out!

Get the Lawn chairs and Hibachi ready because the ultimate Roller Hockey festival is coming to Raleigh, North Carolina on June 24-29, 2009.

The 2Hot4Ice National Games….

See you there…

The Valken Patriots participated in the “Mission Cup” this past weekend at Total Roller Hockey in Novi, MI. We competed with the big boys in the 18-u division. The favorite to win it all was Detroit Mission Stars Midgets, however, they got off to a bad start in their first game when the teams goalie went to the wrong rink for their game against the Red Devils. Needless to say they were not in a good mood when they faced their next opponent, which happened to be us. Well we surprised them with patience and very good team play, as we did throughout the tournament which is indicated in the scoring stats and we came out on top 6-3.

Our next opponent was the Red Devils, which had a few Team USA superstars on their roster. The Red Devils did not take kindly to being down by 3 goals against a bunch of 16 year olds and they began to get a “little” rough, to a tune of 54 minutes in penalties and 4 players with game misconducts. Needless to say the Valken Patriots persevered again with superior team play for a final score of 5-1.

Finishing off round robin play our next opponent was Detroit Mission Stars 16u. Not to take that team lightly, but we knew if we won by 4 goals or less, or lost or tied, we would face them in the Championship game rather than facing the Red Devils. So the players once again demonstrated outstanding puck possession and control and won the game 3 to 1.

In the Championship game the Valken Patriots were trying to force the play too much and too quickly in the first period and we only had a 1 to 0 lead entering the 2nd (last period). I told the boys to slow it down and not to force it, let the other team over commit and then take advantage of the odd man rush. I am happy to say they listened and we scored 3 quick goals. Unfortunately one of our own players redirected a pass into our own net, so our goalie did not get his shut out. Although we told him he actually did as the other team did not “technically” score on him, his own team-mate did. Final score 6-1.

The MVP of the tournament was Valken Patriot Ryan Alman.
The best goalie of the tournament was Valken Patriot Jamie Daniels with a .813 SV% and 1.50 GAA.

Valken Hockey would like to welcome the newest team to our family, the Valken Patriots! A 16-U team out of Livonia Michican, the Patriots was undefeated at their latest NARCH qualifier, and will be busy playing in tournaments nearly every weekend from now throughout the end of summer. The players have not only impressed everyone in the arena with their playing skills, but also for introducing the Livonia area to the Valken name. They certainly are an impressive sight, with their red, white and blue uniforms. They even bought blue laces for their skates to match their Valken pants and bags! The guys have this to say about their new sponsor: “Thanks so much for making such an awesome product!” And “These pants are sweet and the bags are awesome and this logo is just way too cool!” With that kind of enthusiasm carrying onto the rink, it’s no wonder they’ve been beating pretty much every team they face! Stay tuned to Valkenhockey.com for more news about the Valken Patriots!

Valken Venom ATL 94 recently played in the TORHS Regional Tournament in Georgia. In front of a packed arena, they defeated the Sabres from Newport Richey Florida 6-4, with the winning goal coming from Patrick MacDonald. Valken Venom also racked up the awards, with the MVP award going to Corbin Jensen, who was also the leading scorer for the pee wee division. The goalie, Colin Langham won the MVG award. (Most Valuable Goalie.) Stay tuned to Valken Hockey.com to see more Valken Venom news as they take on the 2hot4ice regional in Atlanta,(in their new jerseys!) April 17-19.

The Valken Kodiak teams were very successful over the TORHS tournament weekend in Lakewood, Colorado. They won every division that they played in! Here’s how the day played out:

U8 Division Champions: Valken Colorado Kodiaks
U10 AAA Division Champions: Valken Colorado Kodiaks
U12 AAA Division Champions: Valken Colorado Kodiaks
U12 AAA Division Runner-up: Valken Colorado Kodiaks Black
U14 AAA Division Champions: Valken Colorado Kodiaks

In the U14 AAA Division finals, the Valken Kodiaks defeated the OD’s Dare Devils 3-1. In front of their home state crowd, Jake Townsend scored a hat-trick and was awarded the MVP.

Here is the link to the scores page for the tournament: www.torhs.com/broomall_stlouis_colorado/scores_3.html

A review from Goalie Store.com:
I just got my hands on a set of Valken V-Max gloves. Here is my review of them:

The glove:
When I first saw this catcher, I thought “oh great, another low-level mission-like catcher”. I’m glad I gave them a chance. The V-Max catcher costs $150 and I think it’s the best $150 catcher on the market! I was looking for a pro catcher when I stumbled upon Valken Hockey. I’ve heard good things about their inline pants, but how’s their goalie equipment? First thing you notice is that the catcher has pro specs. It’s as large as an RBK P2 pro, RBK X-Pulse pro, Vaughn 5500, I-Tech 12.8, ect. I measured it, and its NHL and IIHF legal. For the most part, the glove comes broken in. The glove has nice leather-work, not the fake leather that you see on low-end equipment. The glove has two adjustable straps for proper fitting. It’s not the lightest glove I’ve used, but its size and protection makes it great for goalies that play angles. On the rink, it eats up the puck; that’s because of the catcher’s deep pocket. No pop-outs! For protection, the catcher has a thicker than normal palm. For its features, I would expect paying $250+ for this catcher. Overall, this is the best glove on the market for its price. This catcher is legit!

The Blocker:
The V-Max blocker is just solid. Like the catcher, it’s NHL and IIHF legal. Nice pads in-front of the fingers, solid thumb protection, and a nice palm. Just like the catcher, the blocker has nice leather-work. As for it’s weight, not the lightest but not the heaviest blocker I’ve ever used. There also is a wrist strap on there too. Overall, I have no complaints. This is a solid blocker for $120.

I play against players that play college, juniors, and pro, and I have no fears wearing these gloves. Valken does make leg pads as well. I got to see them (and they look solid), but I haven’t had a chance to wear them in a game. Bottom line, Valken isn’t just low-end, cool looking, inline equipment. Valken goalie equipment is legit. I was blown away the first time out on the ice.