ESPN looks to honor Ashar Hockey Team.

Ashar Hockey recieved a call today from our friends over at ESPN.

The Entertainment Sports Programing Network would like to offer it's New York City ESPN Zone facilities to the Ashar Hockey team as their guests for a private team party.

Though some kosher food issues need to be worked out, what ESPN graciously offers is the following;

ESPN Zone will close off it's entire 2nd and 3rd floors for the exclusive use of the Ashar Hockey Team. This includes the luxury ESPN Sky Box Room for our "end of season" team party and team awards ceremony.

The entire 3rd floor 10,000 square foot "Sports Arena" gaming floor will be open only for members of the Ashar Hockey Team, with 2 hours unlimited free gaming compliments of our ESPN hosts.

ESPN had offered to fully cater the entire event for us. Once made aware of our Kosher food needs, and limited by contractual restrictions with their in-house caterers, ESPN offered to pay for the entire team to dine at nearby Glatt Kosher Abigale's prior to arriving to a reserved ESPN Zone.

A date for such a event has not been finalized, though we preferably are looking at a night with a good NHL hockey game being played so that we can watch it from the Sky Box Room on ESPN Zone's massive TV walls.

More info will be provided as we get closer to a date.

Ashar clinches a playoff position.

Because of the new way the league was structured for this season, and because of our teams winning record, Ashar clinched a playoff position just midway thru the season.

This takes great deal of pressure off our relatively "rookie team" as we go on to face some of the more seasoned teams in the second half of the season.

It will allow us some time though to really prepare for what is sure to be a challenging playoff fight.

Ashar Hockey closes the deal.

Sunday January 28th 2007 Ashar Hockey lived up to it's corporate sponsorship commitment closing the deal with a $10,000 charitable donation made to the Alan T. Brown Foundation to Cure Paralysis.

Attending the the Brown Foundation's "Family Fun Day" in Manhattan members of the Ashar team had just that , a "fun day". Let me rephrase that......We had a "great day".

What an event! Great gaming, great contests, prizes and all you can eat catered food.

Near the close of the festivities members of the Ashar Hockey team in the spotlight to announce the big winner of our Polaroid 37 inch Flat Panel HDTV Raffle.

Box number 142 the winner. Wayne and Andrea Odinsky of Woodmere, New Jersey. Congratulations!

The final item of business for Ashar Hockey, presenting the Alan T. Brown Foundation with our donation in the amount of $10,000.

Closing a 12 month period, the Ashar Hockey team making donations in excess of $22,000 to various charities.

All while winning a few games along the way.

Ashar Hockey in the News Again ???

Doesn't it seems like every other week Ashar Hockey gets in the newspaper? Actually though it was less than 'every other week'. Twelve days to be exact.

Picking up from the reporter interviews taken when NY Ranger Dave White and Billy Hannigan visited Ashar, the Journal News thought our charitable efforts were worth the printing of another article.

Many of our team are on vacation out of the New York Area, so the below link to the Journal News Website is provided.

Ashar Hockey Travels to New York City once again Sunday January 28th to attend the Alan T Brown Foundation Family Fun Day Charity Event. Inflatables, obstacle courses, Teen-Center, "Bling Factory", crafts, photo booths, performers, caricaturists, full kosher catered buffet, gift bags, and much more. Sure to be a fun time time for our team.

Towards the close of the event Ashar Hockey will have the drawing for the winner of our 37 inch Flat Panel Hi Def TV. Ashar Hockey will then present the Brown Foundation with our charitaable check in the amount of $10,000.00.

To read the Newspaper article in its online form click HERE.

Ashar Hockey Donates Digital Cameras to Sinai Special Needs Program.

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Ashar Clinches Playoff Spot

With our last win the Ashar Hockey team clinches a playoff position in a quest toward the league championships.

Yoni Winfeild and Jason Fischman both flawless, splitting goalie duty in Ashar's first shut-out win of the season.

Once again it was a full team effort. Most notably first liner Donny Fuchs with the big hat trick, with help from his line mate Jason Klein. Joey Chesir, Michael Katznelson and Jesse Schwalb secured the defense for Ashar all night. While Ari Minsky and Isaac Selter showed why speed is key in this game.

Every time you looked up Jeremy Rosenblatt and Shaulie Naumberg were peppering the opposing goalie with rapid fire wrist and slap shots. Meanwhile, Joey Katz simply leaned in as if to say "excuse me boys" and efficiently picked an upper corner of the goal for a score. Joey's get second goal of the season.

The big story coming out of the Island though was Maxx Rimberg.

In just his very first season Maxx, with his goal in the third period, overtaking his famous hockey brother and just like that becoming the Rimberg Family all-time scoring leader.

After the game it was pizza dinner for the team at our favorite Great Neck hang out Elite Pizza Shop, before our bus ride back home.

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Rookies Show What They Got.

Whats better than a Saturday night game at your home gym? The answer is simple one.... A win on a Saturday night in your home gym.

Word came this week that the Ashar School plans on erecting a new school building. Better tell the architects to add some more seats to that plan, as the Ashar Hockey fans base keeps growing and growing. Definitely standing room only, if you were even lucky enough to find a spot to stand. The entire Gym packed to capacity.

The big story though not the win or the sold out gym. The big story tonight; Ashar's Rookies.

Each one playing their position with confidence and skill.

In net Jason Fischman showed he is ready to follow the great Ashar goalies who played before him. Jeremy Rosenblatt scoring his first goal of the season. Issac Selter exploding out of the zone for a break-a-way. Ari Minsky fore checking seasoned YCQ 8th graders. Brian Frankel coming away victor time after time in the defensive zone battling opposing players 3 times his weight. While Ross Chanofsky and Jason Birmbaum cleared the zone past YCQ's veteran players. Big defensive games came out as well from second year players Joe Chesir and Michael Katznelson. Donny Fuchs recording his 3rd goal of the season with a nice pass from his linemate Jason Klein in the second period.

Being his birthday after all, Daniel Silvermintz deserved some attention too. Just to make sure he got it, Daniel buried 3 goal deep into the net for a big "hat trick" birthday celebration night.

Thanks to all our fans who once again packed the house and helped to cheer us on to victory.

Ashar Hockey Gets Some Special Visitors

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Yesterday 5th thru 8th grade classes got a special treat.

Two members of the New York Rangers Sled Hockey team came to address the students and to personally thank the members of the Ashar Hockey team for a donation of $1,000 in support of tournament expenses. Additionally the Ranger's commending the Ashar Hockey Programs efforts to once again raise ten thousand dollars this year for donation to the Alan T Brown Foundation to Cure Paralysis.

As you may recall Ashar Hockey traveled to the Prudential North East Sled Hockey Tournament. There hockey players with spinal cord injuries form accidents or birth defects competed in the sport of Sled Hockey. Strapped into special sleds, player use their arms and specially modified hockey sticks to propel themselves on the ice.

At that event Ashar Hockey called to center ice before the fans to present the donation to the team. Billy Hannigan and David White are two members of that inspirational team.

Billy and Dave spoke to the kids about sport safety equipment and gave them some awareness as to the prevention of spinal cord injuries. Billy (paralyzed in a motorcycle accident in 1995) proud to run a slide show to display how with specially modified chairs he can continue to participate in the active sport life he loves, including ice hockey, basketball, tennis, skiing and more.

Local press covered the special event for the Journal News including the student question and answer session.

The event ended with a special moment when Billy and David asked all the Ashar students to rise and check the back of their seats. Before the students entered the auditorium one random chair was selected to have an Ashar Hockey sticker placed on it. The person lucky enough to sit in that seat was Ms. Rivka Schlusselburg of the 6th grade.

Rivka was called to the stage where our guests awarded her with a new digital camera courtesy of Polaroid Corporation, one of the Ashar Hockey teams Sponsors.

Ashar Hockey would like to thank Billy Hannigan, David White and the United Spinal Association for taking the time to absolutely make our day.

Special thanks as well to Ashar Principal Rabbi M. Beller for seeing the benefit his students could receive from such a special event and allowing Ashar Hockey to take the his school’s students away from their regular classroom schedule to attend the event.

How Can You Play Hockey Without Ice?

You want ice? ......Ashar Hockey has ice.

Ice cream that is.

Ashar Hockey welcomes its latest team sponsor;

Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream of South Burlington Vermont.

Thanks guys for recognizing our charitable efforts, and offering us your support.

Ashar Hosts Yavneh Hockey for Inter-League Scrimmage Game

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Ashar Hockey was very excited to host the Yavneh Elementary School Hockey team the first ever meeting of these two teams.

Playing in two separate Yeshiva Hockey Leagues this game was arranged strictly for scrimmage purposes. It would have no effect on either teams standings in their leagues. This was a perfect chance for both teams to experiment with lines, give younger players a chance to really play in a competitive game and give backup goalies some game experience in net.

For Ashar especially this was a great opportunity. With only 6 of our current players actually having more than one game of hockey experience, this was a welcome chance for a crash course in competetive hockey.

Yoni Winfeild, our starting goalie...... one game experience in his career.
Our backup goalie Jason Fischman...... playing in only his first game ever.
Both our second line defenseman.... a whopping 2 months hockey experience lifetime and playng in only their second game.
3rd and 4th line members, having not a single game experience ever.

The first period Ashar agreed to only put out its first and second lines. Both teams instructed though to "play all out." It was a well played first period by both teams and evenly matched. So much so that it was decided to "let them go" one more period.

For the third period Ashar and Yavneh worked the lines backwards letting the 4th string line start, followed by the 3rd line. First and second lines would sit this one out. Both teams backup goalies finished the scrimmage game, delivering shutout periods.

For our 5th and 6 graders, it was one full period of hockey against a "rival school". Something very few 5th and 6th graders ever get to experience.

After the scrimmage, as at every Ashar Hockey game, we award an opposing player (win or lose) as chosen by their Coach, "Player of the Game" honors and merchandise. An ESPN key chain, ESPN notebook, ESPN Monday Night Football hat, and ESPN Player of the Game T-Shirt was awarded to Yavneh's Eitan Zecher for his efforts during the game. All merchandise, courtesy of our friends and Ashar Hockey sponsors, ESPN.

Post game Ashar Hockey hosted Yavneh for a quick pizza dinner before their trip back to New Jersey. A thank you once again to Coca Cola Bottling Company of New York our team sponsor for the post game Powerade refreshments for both teams and to the Silvermitz family for sponsoring all the pizza.

The Yavneh team not only good hockey players, but a great bunch of kids as well. It was a pleasure to host them, and we would look forward to hosting them once again in the near future.

For any who attended this experiment there was no doubt it turned out to be an overwhelming success. "It's not whether you win or lose", someone once said "but how you play the game" . These two teams......they know how to play the game.

Special thanks to Yavneh's Coach Yaniv and the Yavneh School Administration.