Division Championship Trophies Arrive with Fire and Ice

Today marked the official close of the 2005-2006 Ashar hockey season,
with the surprise lunch time arrival of Ashar Hockey's 2006 Division Championship Trophy.

Thanks to the Tallman NY Fire House for helping the school celebrate its first championship title in ten years. The lights, sirens and horns blasting letting all know something special was happening at Ashar this day. [see a video clip here.]

Along with the 4 foot tall school's Division Championship trophy engraved with all players names, each member of the team received individualized trophies marking their achievements this season.

Ice cream for the entire school, generously donated by Faye Cohen and Rikki Rimberg, capped the celebration and the end of a memorable year for Ashar Hockey.

Though this school season is over, hockey lives on for this year's Ashar Hockey Program.

Two hours after the below pictures were taken the team was scrimmaging on the ice at Sportorama Ice Rinks.

The next few weeks....... Fridays will be Ashar Ice Hockey practice days.

Ashar Hockey Rocks The House

Close to 300 fans packed the Ashar gym last night. There were fans cramped on the bleachers, fans squeezed up on the balconies and fans wedged tightly behind the gym's boards like sardines.

We had already reached Division Championship and this was Ashar's shot to to reach the league championships. Our opponent, Hanc Elemetary School Of Long Island.
A loss meaning the elimination of one team from the championship.

The game was well balanced. At the end of the first period Ashar went to the locker rooms down 2-0.

This was a confident Ashar Team though. The feeling in the locker room... "We could win this game".

At the start of the 2nd period the noise level in the gym started to rise. Joe Katz broke the ice with Ashar's first goal. The gym exploded in cheers. Eitan Selter increased the noise level further when he ripped one past HANC's goalie to tie it all up.

The game evenly matched. Both school teams playing their hardest in end to end hockey. The 2nd period ending in a 2-2 tie.

It sounded like Madison Square Garden when the Ashar team came into the gym for the start of the 3rd. Fans cheering. A few minutes into the period the gym's walls actually shook when Donny Fuchs scored to put Ashar into the lead. The fans went wild.

It might have very well been the single greatest sporting high in Ashar's entire 50 year history.

It looked like all momentum was ours.

Give the HANC team all the credit they are due. Ashar had its great comback, and in a display of the competitive balance of these two teams, HANC wanted to show they could do the same.

All the fans were treated to an exciting game that could easily have gone either way. With three unanswered goals in the third though, a quality HANC team came away victorious when the buzzer sounded ending the game. The final 5-3 HANC over Ashar.

The Ashar team wishes the boys of HANC the best of luck in the championships.

As for the Ashar Hockey Program, we still have a few more months of Floor and Ice Hockey fun left.

Next practice..... Friday 2:30pm - 4:00pm....... See you there.

Rimberg Wins League "Goalie of the Year" and is named Ashars 2006 MVP

On a hockey court, your net is considered your home. No one is meant to intrude upon your home.

The saying goes "charity begins at home"..........well, defense begins at home too, and home is where Zack Rimberg lives.

Ashar Hockey's theme this season was "defense is everything". A teams defense must be built on a solid foundation or the whole concept crumbles. Ashars rock solid foundation this season was Zack Rimberg.

A goalie giving up a bad goal can deflate even the best of teams. But adversely, an amazing save made your goalie during a game can inspire a team rise. This season with so many spectacular saves, Zack Rimberg did not just keep his team in the game, he fueled his team to excel. Everyone in the league noticed it and they named Zack "Goalie of the Year".

Well we noticed it too.

Some teams struggle over who will win their teams MVP. For this entire Ashar Hockey team, it was a no brainier..........

Ashar Hockey 2005- 2006 Most Valuable Player - Zack Rimberg

Ashar Hockey get formal invitation from the NY Rangers.

Our formal invitation from the New York Rangers to visit the teams private MSG Rangers Training Center in Tarrytown NY has been received. Special arrangements have been made for members of the Ashar Hockey Team to be dismissed from school early on Thursday March 23, 2006. We will be boarding the team bus at the school at 4:15pm and heading over towards the private training center.

Once allowed thru the security gates Victor Calise, Sports Marketing Director of the United Spinal Association and member of the New York Rangers Sled Hockey Team will take our team on a guided tour of the exclusive MSG Rangers Training Center. The team will be allowed to watch the Sled Hockey team practice, and later be allowed on the Ranger Training Center ice for a private team scrimmage.

Mr. Calise has made these very special arrangements in recognition of Ashar Hockey's charitable work this year for the Alan T Brown Foundation.

Please be sure to bring your Ashar team uniform and all your hockey equipment to school this day. We will be traveling to Westchester during dinner time so please pack something to eat and drink while on the bus both to and from.

The Official NY Ranger schedule has the Rangers off that day. Bring your digital camera you never know ...... your favorite NHL player might be hanging around the facility.

Our bus will be returning back to the Ashar sometime between 10:00 and 11:00pm

Sunday School For Ashar Hockey

Ok, so it was not Ashars usual Sunday School; but it was Sunday and it was during school hours and we are the Ashar Hockey team, so technically we were in school.

First Period - Ice Hockey
Second Period - Ice Hockey
Third Period - Ice Hockey

11:30am - Powerade Break
12:00pm - Pizza Lunch

12:45pm - Dismissal

Thanks to Terminal Hockey for the Ice Rental and Pizza sponsorship and once again to Coca Cola for the Powerade supplied.

Easton Hockey Leading Goal Scorer Award

If hockey coaches could scientifically make a hockey player, the following would be part of the DNA;

Speed - Hustle - The Constant Drive and Desire to Improve -
Quick Reflexes - Great Work Ethic - Team Leadership Skills - And A Never Quit Attitude.

Add a really great kid to that mix and you will have
Ashar Hockey's Number 8 Eitan Selter.

Dave and I could not have asked for an all round better player this season than Eitan.

Besides his great game, Eitan is an inspiration to everyone on the team. Setting high standards every time he sets foot on the court. Helping to elevate not just every player on the team but us as coaches as well.

In our eyes this Easton Award does not validate Eitan;
it is Eitan Selter who validates this Easton Award.

click on the image to enlarge

(thanks to Eason Hockey a 2006 Ashar Hockey Program sponsor)

Ashar Inks Deal With IBA IHA Camp for 2006-2007 Season

IBH IHA Summer Camps of Sidney, New York today finalized its sponsorship agreement with Ashar Hockey for the 2006-2007 hockey season.

Ashar Hockey is proud to be associated with a summer camp such as IBA IHA that has produced and refined many of todays best yeshiva athletes.

The IHA Hockey Program is recognized as one of the best hockey intense programs around.

The camp, for boys and girls ages 9-16(4th grade through 10th grade), though well known for Basketball and Hockey is also well rounded with a great variety of other summer sports, programs and activities.

In addition to the daily learning (an optional Bet Midrash program), there are weekly trips throughout the summer mountain biking, white water rafting, paintballing, banana boating.

The camp is exceptionally managed and run by the camps owners Bobby & Ruby Kaplan.

The Ashar Hockey thanks IBA IHA Camps for its generous financial support to our program.

Visit IBA IHA Camp by clicking the logo below for more info.

Ashar Fans Voted This Season's MVP

Last night Ashar Hockey finished its regular schedule season with its 9th victory in a row over YCQ.

Big goals by Matthew Chaimowitz and Yoni Levy helped propel Ashar to the school record of 9 wins and only 2 loses for the season. With this record Ashar enters the playoffs in the second round as Division Champions.

We still await some of the other teams to complete their season, but March 19th is looking like the date Ashar will play its first Playoff game. We will have to wait to see who we face that day.

The entire team though would like to thank all the fans who came to all our games in support of the team.

In a team vote after last nights victory the results came in unanimous.

This years Ashar Hockey MVP;
THE ASHAR HOCKEY FANS.

Thank you.

Ashar Hockey delays invites... we have a some games to win.

As a Ashar Hockey coaches Dave and I are just too busy to take all these phone calls.

NBC Television called us today to find out when the Ashar Hockey Team can come to Manhattan as guests of Corporation for a private tour of their NBC Studio Facility at 30 Rockefeler Center.

Victor Calise called today as well. Victor is the not only the Sports Marketing Director of the United Spinal Association, but a member of the New York Ranger sponsored Ranger Sled Hockey Team. His orginazation heard of our charity effort and has invited the Ashar Hockey Team to visit and skate on the ice at the New York Rangers Private MSG Training Facility in Tarrytown NY.

All this and the other invitations will have to wait till the end of March. Ashar Hockey has some games to win.