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New Season Information (2010/2011) |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 17 May 2010 17:22 |
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Upcoming Season FIRST-SKATE TIMES AND DATES: Mon. 5/24 NHL 8:00 pm – 9:00pm
Mon. 6/21 NHL 7:45 pm – 8:45 pm
Mon. 7/19 NHL 7:45 pm – 8:45 pm Gentlemen,
Although it seems like last season never ended, it’s time to get ready for the 10/11 season. So here’s the kickoff info email for all those interested in participating; if I missed anything, please feel free to shoot me back an email.
1. New students. Follow this link and do what it says:
http://www.cccapply.org/applications/CCCApply/apply/College_of_the_Canyons.html
2. Registration. All Club students are provided priority registration (July 21).
3. Eligibility. Very simple. You need to register as a full-time student (12 units) each semester. To be eligible to play your second and all subsequent semesters, you must pass (‘D’ and above) a MINIMUM of 9 units AND have a MINIMUM cumulative GPA of 2.0 during the prior semester.
4. Club Dues. $1,500 per season, not including travel costs. $1,000 due Sept. 16, 2010; $500 due Nov. 2, 2010. This season, to avoid the catastrophe of last year’s general team philosophy of “everyone but me should pay,” it won’t matter how good/bad you are. If you don’t pay, you won’t play. Again, simple. No exceptions. None. You have fair warning about how much is due and when, and you have plenty of time to get the funds together. Be responsible – the ice costs money, the refs cost money, pucks cost money, tape costs money, jerseys cost money, etc. - but the coaching is free(!) and we are simply no longer going to cover self-appointed scholarship student/athletes. Sorry, but that’s the way it is.
5. Jerseys/Socks. The Team provides the jerseys. We hand them out on game night and collect them after the game. Saves you quite a bit of money. You’ll have to buy your socks, though. $25/pair.
6. Schedule – Games/Practice. Our tentative schedule is posted on the website. www.canyonshockey.com. Again, you have plenty of time to plan around the scheduled games. You can’t get into the season and then say, “sorry, coach, I can’t travel this weekend ‘cause I’m going snowboarding; had it planned for awhile.” Family first, school second, Team third and the rest is the rest. Again, be responsible. Practices during the year are Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at or around 10:30pm. So that if you have a night class, you can still make the practice.
7. Summer Skates. We have 3 skates planned. All at 8:45pm, Ice Station Valencia. All cost $20. Again, nothing is free, no matter who you are! Dates are May 24, June 21 and July 19. RETURNING PLAYERS (PLAYERS ROSTERED WITH THE TEAM DURING THE 2009/10 SEASON) WILL BE ALLOWED TO SKATE ONLY IF THERE IS SUFFICIENT AVAILABILITY. We are expecting, if everyone that’s interested actually shows up, to have quite a few new players this season. Since we already know how you veterans skate, we’d appreciate it if you’d show up and help us evaluate the new players. Again, if there’s space available, you can skate. We won’t know until our slot opens up, so please put your gear in your car, grab $20 and come on out those nights.
8. “Try-Outs.” Up until this season, we’ve never cut a single player from the program. Every season, the players end up ‘cutting’ themselves due to many different reasons. Our recommendation has always been to be patient; we always have players out due to injury, penalty, grades and family business and there will always be a time where we can use a skater. Depending on the actual numbers we get this season, we may have to tell players how much/little ice time we think they’ll be getting. We’ll be honest and up-front from the beginning, so that you’ll know where you stand all the time so that you can judge for yourselves if you want to stay with the team or not.
9. Communications. All via email.
10. Housing for out-of-town students. We do not have billeting or on-campus housing for the team, but there are several options for housing; apartments, rooms for rent, shared with roommates, etc. and there are several methods of locating same. On the web, look for the type of housing you’re looking for and include “Santa Clarita” in your search. Be careful about using Craigslist, though. Just FYI.
11. League info. We are members of the PCHA (California and Arizona) and the ACHA (National) Division 3. In the past 9 years, we have won the PCHA title 3 times and have been to Nationals 5 times. We are competitive locally and Nationally. Each league has a website as well; check them out.
I hope that I’ve hit all the highlights. Again, let me know if you have anything additional you’d like to know. Look forward to seeing you next week. Thanks.
Jim Schrage
GM, COC Ice Hockey
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Attention Prospective Players! |
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Written by Administrator
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Tuesday, 23 March 2010 06:17 |
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College of the Canyons
Ice Hockey
College of the Canyons (COC) Ice Hockey is dedicated to the student-athlete that cares about their future and that would like to continue playing a high level of competitive hockey. Choosing COC to meet those goals has been a smart move for nearly 150 such individuals to date.
Educationally, COC is one of the top 2-year colleges in the country, both with transfer rates to 4-year programs and student success once there. Both rates are higher than going directly to a 4-year college straight out of high school; the reason for that is the small class size and quality of instruction: all professors hold, at a minimum, Masters degrees and a good deal of them hold Doctorates as well. You will not find classes of 200 taught by anyone other than a fully certified instructor. In addition as a member of the Club, you are afforded the same privileges as an intercollegiate athlete: one-on-one counseling and early registration.
As for the hockey side of things, COC is a member of the PCHA (Pacific Collegiate Hockey Association), a statewide league and the ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association), which is a National organization. COC has consistently ranked as one of the top teams in the State, finishing 1st three times, and has also been ranked #5 (twice), #10, #12 and 14th Nationally: in 9 years, the Team has proven over and over that it is highly competitive not only within the State but Nationally as well.
If you’re looking for exposure, you’ll have the chance to be seen by top programs throughout the country; we have transferred several students to NCAA D3 programs, Junior A (including Tier 3) and with the ACHA now having a Select Team, there are now international opportunities as well. We have transferred former students to programs throughout the country and have a very high success rate in doing so.
Our core goal is to make good hockey players even better and, most importantly, to send them along towards their degrees – where they can continue to play competitive hockey at other 4-year colleges. QUICK FACTS: 1. The season runs from late August through Mid-March.
2. First skate is late May; then one per month (maybe) through the summer.
3. Dues are $1,500 and include ice, games and officials; travel is not included. Jerseys are owned by the Club and are distributed/collected on game days. USA Hockey insurance is included in the dues. League fees are included in the dues. Coaches are unpaid volunteers.
4. Practices are twice a week at the Ice Station Valencia (our home rink), Tuesdays and Thursdays, after 10pm.
5. Fall registration is early July. More on that as the time gets closer.
6. Eligibility entails being registered in 12 units plus a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
7. ALL communication is via email.
8. Our team website is www.canyonshockey.com
9. This email is sent from our team email account.
10. If any of your friends are thinking about coming to COC next fall, please forward their contact info and we’ll get them on the distribution list.
For more information regarding our program and assistance with registration call:
Jim Schrage
(661) 362-3222
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 23 March 2010 07:44 )
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Cougars finish 5th in the nation! |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 18 March 2010 08:38 |
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Taken from The Signal: "How does a hockey team make up for a disappointing showing (last season) at the national championship tournament? Try winning twice and skating evenly with the eventual champions for most of the game.
That’s what the College of the Canyons men’s ice hockey team did at this weekend’s ACHA Men’s Division III National Championship tournament in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Cougars beat Florida 8-3 this past Wednesday evening and then beat Robert Morris 7-4 on Thursday. On Friday, COC fell to eventual national champion Saginaw Valley State 4-1 in a game that would have sent the school to the national semifinals.
A total of 16 teams took part in the tournament in four different brackets, each with four teams. The winner of each round-robin would move on to the semifinals.
After winning just one game at the 2009 national tournament and finishing 14th in the final ACHA Division III national rankings, the Cougars were ranked fifth at the end of this season.
“We’re ecstatic,” said COC head coach John Taferner, “and the thing is, all the guys are committed to coming back next season, too.”
Taferner said all but two players are returning next season for COC (23-4), which is made up entirely of Santa Clarita-based players.
He also said it took some time for the team to adjust to Germain Arena, the rink on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University where the tournament was held.
“I thought we didn’t come out very strong in the first period,” he said of the team’s opening win against Florida. “We were getting used to the conditions, getting used to the ice. I think what we did is we came out with our game.”
That strategy involved using team speed against Florida’s aggressive forecheck, and the adjustment paid off as the Cougars scored eight times.
“I thought we did better and we were clicking more,” said COC forward Alex Brodetsky, who had seven total points on the weekend (one point is awarded for both goals and assists.) “We just had a chemistry throughout the season.”
Forward Andrew Jakiel had eight points to lead the Cougars at the national tournament, while forward Todd Hopkins also had seven.
Taferner also praised defenseman Kevin Kline.
“He cut off the neutral zone and passing lanes and he controlled the boards down low,” Taferner said.
COC was able to control Robert Morris for most of the game despite struggling in the first period.
The Cougars used their superior conditioning to wear down the Colonials and beat them to the puck for most of the second and third periods.
Taferner stresses conditioning given the requirements of college hockey.
“At the higher level, it’s all got to do with game awareness and speed,” he said.
The Cougars were plenty aware of the challenge that awaited them in their third game against defending national champion Saginaw Valley State.
“We knew what we were getting into,” said COC forward P.J. Gilmore. “We were pretty hyped.”
Saginaw Valley State returned most of its players from the 2009 national championship team, but COC stayed with the Cardinals for two periods before they broke the game open.
Taferner said that the Cougars even had a five-minute power play but they couldn’t capitalize, hitting the post several times and failing to score on two breakaways.
He also said that the older Saginaw Valley State players were physical and tried to get under the young Cougars’ skin.
“Those kids don’t get rattled as easily as our kids do,” he said. “If I was the coach of Saginaw Valley, I’d do the same thing he did.”
Despite the loss, the players and coaches gained confidence from the Saginaw Valley State game, and Taferner also believed his team could have beaten Hope and Florida Gulf Coast, two of the other semifinalists.
Several COC players were selected to play in the Division III all-star game on Saturday, and Taferner said that goaltender Michael McGrath was very impressive.
Gilmore said this year’s squad handled the environment of the national tournament much better than last year.
“Last year, we came in inexperienced and young,” he said. “We upset Albany and then we were tired and didn’t know what to do.”
Brodetsky said he hopes that COC’s success will encourage interest in the program and help the Cougars get deeper.
Last season, the team felt like it was disrespected by schools from the country’s more traditional hockey hotbeds.
That wasn’t the case this season.
“We sure gained a lot of respect when it came to the teams that had never seen us before,” Taferner said." |
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 18 March 2010 08:42 )
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Cougars top Robert Morris |
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Written by Administrator
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Thursday, 11 March 2010 13:27 |
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The College of the Canyons Cougars have just topped Robert Morris University 7 to 4. Robert Morris had a much better showing than their blow out to Saginaw Valley (15 to 1) but the Cougars were just too strong of a team. C.O.C. takes on Saginaw Valley State University tomorrow at 1:45pm (EST). |
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