2007 NZ U20 Team Information

NZ U20 7th Photo set from Zita in Ankara  uptd 14/1/07

NZ U20 6th Photo set from Rich in Munich uptd 14/1/07

6th Newsletter from the Team  uptd 14/1

14 1 07 Coaches Report 3

When we last left you, we were getting ready for a Bulgaria.  The team was looking a bit worn out after our game against Belgium, so we gave them the morning skate off.  It seemed to work as every player took full advantage of a sleep in to get their bodies ready for the tough game ahead. 

The boys were very focused during the pre-game skate.  They knew what was at stake.  Win & you are guaranteed a medal, lose & you’ve got nothing but a wasted opportunity!  The team came out for the first period with a great deal of energy which was refreshing to see as they’ve been flat in the first period of the other games.  By the end of the first, NZ was up 3-1.  The coaches were happy with the reduced number of penalties the team took, only 2 in the period.  The discipline & focus was allowing NZ to play at regular strength or on the power play.

The teams took the ice for the 2^nd period and NZ killed off a penalty.  The teams played the first half of the period at even strength & the benefits were strictly in the kiwis favour.  The score quickly became 6-2 with great puck control & smart play on the part of NZ.  Then the penalty lapse began.  The team got a little complacent & started turning the puck over in the neutral zone.  This led to silly penalties that could have been avoided.  Dmitry & George spoke to the team in between periods about this.  Otherwise, the boys were playing well. 

The message came through loud and clear as NZ only took 1 penalty in the last 20 minutes and thoroughly dominated their Bulgarian counterparts.  The final score was 8-2 to New Zealand!  All the boys played well with scoring coming off of well structured

play.  Andy Hart scored one.  Josh Hay buried a hat trick.  Jamie Moore-Carter stepped it up with 4 goals & one assist to earn Player of the Game for New Zealand. (Thanks Coach Bonazzo for the words of wisdom!)

This result clinched a medal for the NZ team but the colour is yet to be determined.  A win over China will result in a tie for 2^nd between NZ & China.  New Zealand would win this tie based on head to head record!  The boys are incredibly focused and resting up for their big game later today.  They are happy to have secured a medal but desire its colour to be silver!  Put all of your positive energy behind the team to bring home Silver today!

Until you see us next, Ciao!

John, Zita, Dmitry & George

5th Newsletter from the Team (edited) uptd 12/1

11 1 07 Coaches Report 2 (edited)

When we last left you, we were getting ready for a rest day. We took the team to the Anka Mall, the largest mall in all of Ankara. Can you say expensive, I thought you could! To give you an indication of prices, there are metal detectors at every entrance so people don't try to steal & sprint. Anyway, the boys managed to keep themselves entertained for a couple of hours. The purchases of the day had to be Gaffikin & Jamie's White Shoes. Dmitry & George saw these shoes & immediately thought they belonged on the feet of a Russian Gangster. But instead they ended up on the feet of two of our players. Style differences aside, it was an interesting experience. 

The boys practiced relatively well during their hour on the ice. The coaches focused on individual skills & team tactics for Belgium. The Belgian squad is very skilled but not very disciplined within their systems. Dmitry & George felt that if the kiwis stuck to their systems and counterattacked well, they could catch the Belgians knapping & pull off the victory. 

The team went to bed early to get their rest & continued to re-hydrate as the hotel is deathly hot & dry. On game day, the boys had a solid half an hour practice & continued the hydration process. 

The team had a great pre-game warm up and looked ready to play. They came out for the game & got about 2 or 3 shifts in before they were slapped with the first of many phantom penalties called in the game. Dmitry & George have well over 50 years hockey experience between them, and they were disappointed in the standard of the refereeing. But enough about that, the point is that it is very difficult to play short handed & that our boys did. At the end of the first it was 3-0 to Belgium. There was no lack of discipline on the part of the team; they kept getting called for making body contact. As all of you know, this is an integral part of the game but the refs saw otherwise - and it wasn't called evenly. 

Dmitry & George had a long chat with the team stressing the changes that needed to be made in our approach to stay with the Belgians. 

Upon returning to the ice in the second, the penalty count began to go in our favour. This lasted for approximately 8 minutes until things turned again. The penalties started to be called on us again. Close to the end of the period, Josh got a semi break creating a 2 on 1, & took it wide down the left side of the ice. He committed the defenseman & slid it across to Ryan Lee to deposit in the gaping goal. This goal gave New Zealand a much needed lift. The momentum swung our way, & Belgium was on the back foot. We continued to put the pressure on & pinned the Belgians in their own end of the rink for a sustained period of time. Then Belgium started the diving competition, which was thinly masked as a hockey game. The first was the worst as Josh skated by their net, a Belgian player got in his way & upon contact went down like he was shot. He rolled around like it was a soccer game & finally lay still. None of the referees or linesman saw it. Yet when all was said & done, Josh was given a 5 minute major penalty & game misconduct for, wait for it, spearing. The team played out the rest of the period, but not before receiving another minor penalty for who knows what. We went into the break down 3-1 and in the process winning the second period (1-0). 

Dmitry & George went into the room struggling to understand the refereeing but told the boys to stick to the systems and play the game to the best of their ability. They took the message on board & came out in the third and killed off the 5 on 3! Just as the team got used to playing even strength we were slapped with a few more penalties including a 2 & 10 for hitting from behind ?! The referee would not explain his call to the coaches when asked politely and charged them with a delay of game penalty. The team was instructed to keep their cool, which they did. Yet we were still slapped with a plethora of penalties! When all was said & done, Belgium netted 2 more goals for a final score of 5-1. Our Player of the Game was Zak Nothling who made a tremendous amount of high quality saves including a penalty shot! The coaches were extremely proud of the way the boys handled themselves & the whole situation. The whole management team approached the Referee in Chief to officially complain about the standard, or lack there of, of refereeing. He was extremely receptive but of course could not harangue his staff. 

Overall it was a learning experience that won't soon be forgotten! However, the boys are resting & preparing for Bulgaria tomorrow. They are in good spirits & chomping at the bit to play Bulgaria! Until our next update, Ciao! John, Zita, Dmitry & George

NZ U20 5th Photo set from Ankara uptd 12/1/07

4th Newsletter from the Team uptd 11/1

9 1 07 - Coaches  Report 4

Sorry for the delay in getting this out but it has been a very hectic time for the New Zealand team.  Our flight from Munich to Ankara was very smooth without any hiccups bar John thinking he lost his wallet.  After some keen detective work by Gaffikin, we found the missing money holder in his computer bag!  Since this episode, John is affectionately known as ‘Johnny Wallet’.  All kidding aside, he has been doing a great job for the squad as manager.  Our translator & Assistant Manager extraordinaire Zita has made friends with all the Turks associated with the tournament.  As a result, we get what we need, when we need it!  This is no mean feet in Turkey folks!

On to the game which we know & love so well!  Listen up New Zealand, gone are the days of playing teams in Division III who can’t stand up on their skates, let alone handle a puck!  All teams at this tournament use every available player that has citizenship for their country.  Both teams that we have faced so far have their share of Russian, Canadian, American, & German, Armenians or Turks playing for their squads, respectively.  Therefore the skill & thinking levels at this tournament shown by teams are better than ever!

In our first game we faced Armenia.  The kiwi team came out flat & was down 3-1 by the end of the first period.  A case of overconfidence & lack of discipline was the cause of this poor start.  Even after a serious tongue lashing by the coaching team, New Zealand played well below par & found themselves down 5-2 after 40 minutes.  A few adjustments were made by Dmitry & George at the break.  This was followed by a near flawless 3^rd period which saw New Zealand work its way back to a 5-5 draw at the end of regulation time.  The spirit & determination of the team was truly on display during this last period.  With the momentum fully behind NZ, the team scored a quick goal in overtime to dispatch Armenia 6-5!  Dale Harrop was awarded Player of the Match with 2 goals & 1 assist.  The coaches were extremely pleased with the effort shown in the last period & overtime.  It was a great test of character for the team!  All other teams were surprised by the improvement in the Armenian team of 2007.

Today the team had a good sleep in to rest up for their second tournament game against Turkey.  Being the host team, we knew not to take them lightly as they played with China and stayed within 6 goals.  The lead up & morning skate was very good.  The pre game warm-up was solid with the team looking ready to play.  Unfortunately, this was not the case.  After the first period, NZ trailed 2-0.  This can be directly linked to a lack of discipline & heart by some of the players.  The coaching staff had to rev the boys up during the break.  As soon as the teams took the ice for the 2^nd period, the lights went out!  Good old Turkish wiring struck again.  They ‘blew the fuse’ and both teams waited a good 15 minutes for the lights to come back on.  This ‘strategy’ backfired on the Turkish team as the extended intermission took away their momentum.  New Zealand got settled & started to play their game.  By the periods end, the score was 3-2 to the Kiwis.  The team started to believe in themselves & their abilities and by the games end the scoreboard read 6-2 to New Zealand.  Captain Josh Hay stepped up and led by example with 4 goals.  His line mates Martin Lee, & Ryan Lee chipped in with a goal a piece to round out the scoring.  Josh was the obvious choice as Player of the Match for New Zealand.  The coaches were glad to see the superb effort over the last 40 minutes of the game!

Tomorrow is a day off with a little shopping excursion planned for the morning followed by an hour long training session in the afternoon.  Plenty of rest and relaxation is the order of the day to allow the boys bodies to heal for the next big test against Belgium on Thursday.  This should be a great match up as Belgium had a close game with Armenia needing a 4 goal third period to win 7-4.  Dmitry & George will be motivating the boys to come out and play 3 strong periods of hockey in this match up!  That’s all for now from Ankara.  We will be posting another set of photos soon.  Ciao for now!

John, Zita, Dmitry, & George

3rd Newsletter from the U20 Team - incl Game Report from Tournament uptd 5/1/07 - in

Our second to last  day in Germany started with our final practise in preparation  for the world champs . Bavaria with its pretty villages and crisp air had been a great place to train and our two preparation games had given us an insight into the speed and skill levels that we needed to lift our game to.

In the last afternoon most of us went back to Munich and started with the Olympic Village, the place where in  1972 the Rowing eights won gold  and was the scene of the infamous Israel athlete massacre.

Located next to BMWs headquarters and vehicle  assembly plant , the village now is a well used park and tourist  attraction  with beautiful grounds.Some of us climbed the large communications tower to take in the stunning views, while others went and also looked at the BMW museum which displayed cars from before 1900 to one of the BMW powered Williams  F1  racing cars. After another quick look at Munich central we headed back to base .

Yesterday we left Germany and had a good trip to Ankara.Our accommodation in the Metropolitan hotel is fantastic and the Turkish people are such great hosts.

Todays warm up seemed sluggish and reflected a full  days travel and a new bed to get used to.

We were the first game in the tournament and having been given the OK to start with a Haka  we began strongly against the very much underated Armenian team.This is a completely different team to last years one that had huge losses and is stacked full of  ex Russian and Canadian Armenian players and is certainly the surprise team of the tournament..We scored first and held that lead to close to the end of the first period when our guys went flat and by the early third period we were trailing 5-2.With 10 minutes to go our guys found that extra energy needed and pulled it back to a 5- 5 draw  with a powerplay advantage as the final whistle blew.Overtime saw our guys score again to win 6-5  a very important game and give them the belief that they can do well here.

Dale Harrop was our man of the match but all players had good games.Penalties were again a problem, but what was obvious was the fitness levels of our guys showed at the end with our 16 players out performing the about 26 Armenians .

Everyone was so excited , even the Police chief gave us a flashing light escort back to the hotel !!!

The guys are now resting up with tomorrows big game against Turkey which is being televised  for Ankara TV.

We are all really enjoying it here .

NZ U20 4th Photo set from Munich uptd 6/1/07

Score Sheet from 2nd Practice Game   uptd 6/1/07

NZ U20 3rd Photo set from Munich uptd 5/1/07

2nd Newsletter from the U20 Team uptd 5/1/07

4.01.07 - Happy New Year to everybody!

We started the New Year with the bang of continuous, amazing fireworks. The Germans seem to have a love affair with fireworks. It seems as though each family tries to out do each other with the amount they let off.

Monday the first of January it snowed. We had the afternoon off, so most of the team caught the train to Munich to take in some of the sights, sounds (church bells) and history of this beautiful Bavarian city. The highlight of the visit for the coaches was having lunch in the Hofbräuhaus, where a young Hitler practiced his oratory skills and achieved his first political break through. The players were fascinated by the Hard Rock Café, located across the street, which housed amongst other things a guitar fashioned out of an original piece of the Berlin Wall.

The hospitality and friendly nature of our Bavarian hosts seems to increase by the day.

This has been and interesting week in Grafing. The team had its vote on captaincy earlier in the week. We are proud to announce Joshua Hay as Captain and Jamie Moore-Carter and Ryan Lee as Assistant Captains.

Last night was the first of our two friendly warm up games. We played against EHC Klostersee U20 Team. (see photos) This was the first time our boys had played together and although they were defeated 8-3, they were not outclassed. We held them to a 0-0 scoreline until the 17^th minute of the first period. The game speed was quicker than we are used to but was an eye opener for what lays ahead in the world tournament.  Another thing that New Zealand needs to get used to is the new rule changes in World Hockey.

European referees call the slightest infractions which resulted in twenty minutes of penalties. The EHC Klostersee team translated this into 8 goals. They play a smart, fast, error free brand of hockey. It should be noted that it is the middle of the hockey season for Klostersee and this showed in the way they played together. NZ goals were scored by Joshua Hay. Justin Findlay played a solid game in goal. Except for the penalties, the coaches were proud of the effort the team put in. Today they began to reinforce strategies to eliminate these costly penalties.

Today was Stefan Speck’s 19^th Birthday and his Mum surprised him and the team with a cake at lunchtime.

The focus of today’s practices remains increasing fitness levels, team skills, team tactics and scoring techniques. 

Tomorrow’s game is against MSV Miesbach U20 team.

Counting on you to send us your positive energy for an up tempo game!

Yours in Ice Hockey, Dimitry, George, John, Zita

NZ U20 photos from 1st Practice Game here uptd 5/1/07

Local Munich Newspaper Article about NZ U20 Team 

NZ U20 Team had their 1st practice game all together - (Martin Lee arrived safely yesterday). The game was against a local team - and the local team one 8-3.  The NZ team conceded 3 early goals each from a powerplay - and the NZ also conceded goals in the 3rd period.   Josh Hay scored all 3 goals for NZ.

2nd Photo set from cultural  trip to Munich

http://hockey.idoine.co.nz/NZ/2006/NZ_2006_U20/U20_3_Jan_07/index.html

1st Newsletter from the U20 Team

31.12.06 - U 20 NZ Icehockey Worldchampionship Turkey

The Journey to Grafing, Germany

The long journey to our training camp here at Grafing was broken by a 9 hour stopover at San Francisco. Luckily the authorities gave us all the permission to enter the U.S.A. We caught the train for downtown San Francisco. Everyone enjoyed checking out the shops and people of this very busy city. Some of us where fortunate enough to receive a hint to visit the top floor of the Bank of America building - appprox 700 feet up and the view over the bays and city was just stunning. The trip to Munich was delayed because of computer problems. But when we finally arrived, we were welcomed by Dimitry, Zita, Stefan, and the bus was ready to take us to Andy Kaiser's home town: Grafing. This is a very cozy, traditional Bavarian town. The guys were able to drop of the ice hockey gear at the Ice rink and got a first glimpse, on what will be their training base for the next week. Then we arrived at the Hotel Kastenwirt ( www.kastenwirt.de ). Andy's Dad had drinks waiting for us and we got treated to a very sumptuous meal, real Bavarian style: Kartoffelknödel, gebratene Ente und Rotkraut (traditional Potato dish, huge pieces of baked duck and red cabbage!) Some of the guys liked it, some thought it was rather strange food and some were just too tired to even lift the duck. Next morning, a beautiful, generous breakfast buffet was awaiting us. Then straight to the Ice rink, about a 10 Minutes walk. Dimitry and George are keeping the guys focusing on fitness and developing lines of attack and defense with a particular emphasis on scoring goals!!!

Bavaria is very famous for its breweries and beer gardens, what a pity nobody in our team drinks!!! After tomorrow's practice, we will head off with the S Train to Munich to spend the afternoon sightseeing. There is a place called Hofbräuhaus, which Dimity says, we have to visit….! At the moment we are in the middle of the countdown to the New Year! Fire works are every where…HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL! & best wishes from the "Kiwi Bavarians"

Photos

http://hockey.idoine.co.nz/NZ/2006/NZ_2006_U20/U20_2_Jan_07/index.html

P.S. our New Years resolutions are obvious: "Gold in Ankara" Keep fingers crossed!

2007 U20 Team list   (uptd 27/12/06)

Julian Bland  

Braedyn Durbin  

Justin Findlay  

James Gaffikin  

Dale Harrop  

Andrew Hart  

Joshua Hay  

Ryan Bass 

James Herbert  

Richard Idoine  

Martin Lee  

Ryan Lee 

Gareth McLeish  

Richard McCutcheon  

Jamie Moore-Carter  

Zak Nothling  

Anton Purver  

Stefan Speck 

Coach Dmitri Gunchenco
Assistant George Pilgram
Manager John Parry
Assistant Zita Speck