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.