#42

Biscuits and Breezers

          Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers. In this episode I want to represent all the house leagues out there. I have had a personal note to do two house teams. One is the GHL and the other is the WHAM. Let's start off with the GHL. GHL stands for Glacier Hockey League. This house league consists of 18 teams in the fall ranging from beginners to expert and about 70 teams in the winter separated into variations of skill level and different "leagues". Some of these are co-ed teams but you will have the occasional all male or all female teams. It really depends on what league you are looking at. Anyway, these teams are always fun to watch. I have seen parts of their games and you can just feel the family energy when you are in the barn. Whether they suffer a win or a loss, there is always a family atmosphere. This isn't your typical house league either. There is skill here. Each player contributes a strength to the whole team. Yes someone might have a weakness, but there is always someone to back you up. Now their 2012-2013 season just started so hopefully I will be able to catch some more of their games because I highly enjoy watching them. If I could name players I would but 1) there is so many and 2) it is hard to pick specific players this early on in the season. If you ever have time, go watch them and you will understand exactly what I am talking about. This league is STILL expanding so it seems that there is great opportunity to come. I wish you guys the best of luck and represent your teams faithfully!

  
           The next team I am going to talk about is the WHAM. WHAM stands for the Women's Hockey Association of Missoula. I really like this league because it empowers women to play hockey and shows everyone that hockey just isn't for guys. Inside the WHAM there are 6 teams all competing for the top spot. These women range from beginners to advanced, but are treated all the same. It is kind of like an escape for some of them. The level of play in some of the players is quite outstanding. They work together like a well oiled machine and won't stop till they have what they desire the most. This league is driven and stuck to winning the title. The season is also going to start soon which I am excited about. In the future I hope to have players to talk about but yet again, it's too early to determine it. These women are also so devoted and promised to each team. The team mates become your sisters and you become one family. I guess that's what hockey is all about, gaining a second family. Some of them have been playing in this league for many years. If you meet some of these ladies you will hear some pretty amazing stories. I hope you guys get to either see their games and/or meet them because they are some really amazing people and players alike. I know I really hope to attend a game soon. Best of luck and have a great season!

      Now we have come to the "Players of Today" segment. For the junior pick we have Gillette Wild defenseman Steve Patafio. For the prospect/college player we have Eastern Washington University JV hockey team Johnathan Macklin. For the European player we have Djurgården Allsvenskan forward Alexander Wennberg.

      First off we have Steve Patafio is 6ft. 1in, 200lbs, and is from Cumming, Georgia. Now, I couldn't find any 2011-2012 stats, but his 2012-2013 stats are 5 goals in 10 games played, 1 assist, 6 TPs, a +/- of -1, 25 PIMs, 3 power play goals, and 1 game winning goal. He is a very good defenseman who takes every game to a personal level. He doesn't play dump and chase. Instead he takes his own chances and goes for the goal as you can see in his stats. He is a very impressive defenseman with his hand/eye coordination and his ability to pick the right time to score on the goalie. His attention is always on where the puck will be and one step ahead of everyone else. All in all, Steve is a fantastic defenseman with skills that are constantly improving. He is always changing or improving his game to fit in with the current playing style. Good luck with the Wild Steve and in your future hockey career!

    Now we have the college/Prospect player. Johnathan is 6ft. 1in, 160lbs, and is from Spirit Lake, Idaho. In the 2011-2012 season, he had 5 goals in 11 games played, 1 assist, 6 TPs, 17 PIMs, and .55 points per game. Now unfortunately, his '10 season and '11-'12 season were cut short due to an AC joint separation. Johnathan is another very impressive defenseman. He is strong, powerful, and quick to the puck. He has fast skates and has great on-ice vision. He communicates well with everyone and really puts all he has out on the ice. It is very unfortunate that his seasons got cut short because he has great potential. Hopefully he will be back playing soon because 1) he is a great goal scorer and 2) he is a great guy in the locker room always trying to lift everyone up after a loss or some shifts that have gone wrong. Best of luck with your injury! Good luck Johnathan in Washington and with your future hockey career!

     Lastly, we have the European pick. Alexander is 5ft. 11in, 157lbs, and is from Nacka, Sweden. For the 2011-2012 season, he had 1 goal in 42 games played, 18 assists, 19 TPs, 6 PIMs, and a +/- of 7. He is playing for the Djurgarden Allsvenskan team. Alexander has great on-ice communication with his team mates and definitely tries to help as much as he can. He always makes sure that he gets a chance with the puck. He has very soft hands that easily flick the puck around the ice. Alexander seems to make shifts seem easy because when he gets to go out on one, he knows exactly what his plans are and how he is going to execute them. I definitely like the way he plays because it is clean cut and to the point. Nothing extra here or there. Good luck Alexander in the Allsvenskan and with your future hockey career!

     Thanks for reading another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! Every blog will be filled with updated hockey news, player reviews, and much more! Until next time remember, don't get your breezers in a bunch because hockey is always around the corner. Remember, it's always a great day to play hockey and it's a lifestyle not just a sport!