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Jennifer Wilson named Head Coach of USWNT

USABH Names Jennifer Wilson as Head Coach of the USWNT

 

Arlington, Va. – USA Ball Hockey (USABH) is excited to announce that it has appointed Jennifer Wilson as the Head Coach of the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) that will compete at the ISBHF World Championships to be held in Switzerland in June of 2024.

Wilson is currently serving in her 5th season as Head Coach of Lake Forest College and has over 10 years of experience coaching at the collegiate level.  Wilson has helped make Lake Forest a perennial Top 15 nationally ranked team and also serves as a lead evaluator for USA Hockey National and District Camp evaluations.

 

Wilson noted that she is ready to hit the ground running, “I’m honored, humbled and extremely excited to be named the Head Coach of the USA Ball Hockey Women’s National team. I’m looking forward to diving into the organization and sport and bringing my knowledge of ice to the floor. I want to thank Angelo Terrana, Alessandra Glista, Corey Herschk and the entire organization who have entrusted me and excited to hit the ground running.”

 

Angelo Terrana, GM of the USWNT, noted that Wilson exhibits all the traits he was looking for to lead the national team, “Jennifer has all the qualities you want in a head coach.  She is a fierce competitor, a supreme motivator, a great student of the game, and a tremendous leader.  I am extremely excited to get started and to see her put her skills to work.”

 

USABH will release the schedule and process for prospective players hoping to make the 2024 USWNT.  Interested players can monitor our social media channels for updated information and can also visit the USWNT page where the information will also be released: https://usaballhockey.com/uswnt/

 

Individuals and Partners interested in sponsorship opportunities with the USWNT can contact Angelo Terrana via email at ATerrana@USABallHockey.com

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USA BALL HOCKEY ANNOUNCES BILLY SULLIVAN AS U.S. MEN’S NATIONAL TEAM GENERAL MANAGER

Men’s National Team Turns to One of Most Experienced International Players to Have Ever Worn the Red, White and Blue

(BOSTON, MA) – USA Ball Hockey today announced the hiring of five-time Men’s National Team player, and two-time Junior National Team assistant coach Billy Sullivan as the General Manager of the U.S. Men’s National Team (USMNT) at the 2022 World Championships to be held in Manitoba, Canada.

Men’s National Team Director, Tom Ruiz, made it very clear as to what the program was looking for; someone who’s respected in the sport, has experienced ISBHF competition, and knows what it takes to win a gold medal at the highest level.

Sullivan currently serves as the assistant coach of the U20-Junior Men’s National Team.  This is his second run at gold behind the bench at an ISBHF Junior event. His first was in Sheffield, England in 2016.  “Having a great rapport among the hockey community is vital in recruiting the top talent within our sport,” says Ruiz.  “Bill has that respect from this particular demographic through all three avenues he’s experienced; player, coach and as a Director of Hockey Operations at Greater Pittsburgh Dekhockey Center as well as with the Penn Hills Arsenal franchise.

It is Sullivan’s experience that can go unmatched.  He is one of the few Americans to ever earn a gold medal at an ISBHF World Championship as a forward on the 2006 Junior National Team that brought home gold in Italy. Sullivan has participated in five ISBHF Senior World Championships, a record in which he takes great pride. “Being a part of the Men’s National Team and winning silver in 2015 was special, but it has left a gaping hole that still eats at me,” Sullivan tells us.  “I pride myself on recruitment and player development, and I know I can help to bring those intangibles to this program. This country has the pieces to win a gold medal, and I want to be with the guys when they do.”

Once named General Manager of the team Sullivan got to work. “I watch a ton of film.  It is part of my philosophy to improve as a team and as an individual player by studying,” said Sullivan.  Studying film and analyzing players/teams is a part of Sullivan’s daily living as U.S. scout for the London Knights OHL (Ontario Hockey League). He has also been a consultant on U.S. players for the Kingston Voyageurs/Wellington Dukes (OJHL), and an analyst for D3hockey.com as well as the Hockey Writers.  Sullivan’s passion was evident when he told us that, “Building a champion isn’t always about putting the best players together. We have to find the proper players who put a lot of pride into their work ethic and preparation, along with fitting the mold of a style of hockey that we want to play.”  He tells us his first task will be to communicate with his staff and begin to recruit a list of players who could potentially help our country win another gold medal.

“With Billy’s experience as a scout, we look forward to seeing an evaluated process in player evaluation,” Ruiz states.  “I can’t wait to see what Billy, Head Coach Cory Herschk and the rest of the staff create.”

                                                                                                                    

For additional information on USA Ball Hockey, please contact:

Tom Ruiz
Senior National Team Director
Vice President
USA Ball Hockey
truiz@usaballhockey.com

Jane Albright
Secretary
USA Ball Hockey
jalbright@usaballhockey.com
info@usaballhockey.com

Find us on the web at USABallHockey.com or follow us on Twitter @USABallHockey or on Facebook & Instagram by searching “USA Ball Hockey.”

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2020 Academic Scholarship Winners
USA Ball Hockey, with support and donations from the Filipowski Foundation, would like to congratulate this year’s male and female Academic Scholarship Awards to Victoria Biagetti (Pittsburgh, PA) and Robert Stefanelli (Williamstown, NJ).
Victoria’s high school ceramics teacher, and assistant basketball coach, summarized her best as the type of humanitarian that cares as much about the success of her teammates as she does her own personal achievements.  As captain of her varsity basketball team in high school, and as a member of the National Honor Society, Victoria strives to be a leader on the ball hockey rink, basketball court, soccer and baseball fields, as well as in the community.  She is in her first year of Health Science at La Roche University. “Playing has taught me leadership skills and team bonding that I use in the workforce.  I can’t imagine my life without hockey…” she wrote to us.
Robert graduated from Saint Augustine Prep School, and is currently attending James Madison University, where he majors in Media Art and Design with a minor in Sports Communication.  He is a multisport athlete, playing both football and lacrosse in high school.  Robert has been a volunteer at the Monroe Township Youth Hockey Program, including his work there as an official.  Check out Robert’s awesome essay that illustrates the impact ball hockey has made in his life.
Thanks to all applicants who made our panel of educators dive deep into the rubric, spending hours comparing the submissions to the criteria used to select this year’s winners.  Good luck in your careers both on the rink and in the classroom to both Victoria and Robert, as well as all of the other applicants.
Unbreakable
By Robert Stefanelli

We’ve been best friends since I was only four years old. At first we hung out just for fun, some would say it was to keep me busy to give my parents a break, even if it was just for an hour or so on a Saturday morning. I didn’t mind our play-dates, although I’d usually come home smelling like a barn, with what seemed like buckets of snot running down my nose. My parents never questioned why I came home from hanging out with my friend with all of these problems, which I thought was strange. The bruises, raspberries, and red ears from the frigid air almost always showed, but it just was what it was.

As I got older, I began to see our relationship for what it was. We were becoming like family. The fun I had night in and night out was unmatched. The things we did when we hung out were just different from other friends. The excitement of hanging out every chance we could was exhilarating. Eventually, we even got to travel together. We toured almost all of South Jersey, having more fun than we could have ever imagined. Then, we began to see the world together, we went to Pittsburgh, Massachusetts, and even The Czech Republic. Traveling has always been one of my favorite things to do, and my best friend allowed me to travel and experience new things like nobody else has.

Finally, my best friend has introduced me to more and more friends continuously, for years. Although my best friend will always be my number one, the others that have been introduced to me have become like a second family as well. I wouldn’t trade the people, the families, and the moments for anything. The friends, both guys and girls, that I have made and built relationships with through my best friend have been a huge part of my life. When something didn’t seem to go my way, those people are the ones that continually had my back. Through thick and thin, back against the wall, they have been there. They’ve always been there to support the shoe-tyin’, shot-blockin’, maniac that I am. The sweatshirts. The pictures. The laughs. Even the losses. I have no regrets because all of this happened with my family and my best friend.

Although it may seem to others that my relationship with my best friend is perfect, it is far from that. We’ve had our ups and downs, our fights, our regrets. Sometimes it even felt like we wanted to quit on each other. Just give up and never see each other again. But, it just wasn’t that easy, we had a relationship like no other that was held together differently than anything else. No matter how hard it got and no matter how much it hurt we knew we had to stick it out because deep down we loved each other. To this day that love is unbreakable.

Hockey, if you’re reading this, thank you for being my best friend. You didn’t just impact my life, you are my life.

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Hockey Adventures in the Alps

The ISBHF AGM in Visp, Switzerland

Alessandra Glista, Assistant Director of Hockey Operations, USA Ball Hockey

This past January, I traveled with Chris Banks, President of USA Ball Hockey (USABH) to represent the United States in Visp, Switzerland at the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation’s (ISBHF) Annual General Meeting (AGM). 

If the gorgeous setting for the meeting wasn’t enough, it was also held at the sparkling new Lonza Arena where the ISBHF U20 and U18 Boys World Championships will be played this summer. In addition to the amazing opportunity to visit the beautiful town and facility, the AGM meeting is critically important. The meeting provides an opportunity for all the delegates of the ISBHF nations to meet in person and review events from the ball hockey world from this past year and plan what is to come for 2020 and beyond.

Honestly, it was a bit of a whirlwind trip. I left the U.S. on Thursday evening, met Chris at the Zurich Airport on Friday, and took a beautiful 2 and 1/2 hour train ride to Visp. That evening, we attended a reception at the Lonza Arena where representatives from the ISBHF, the Junior World Championship hosting committee, and local dignitaries of Visp to discuss the upcoming Junior event this summer. While there, we interviewed with the junior hosting committee, and watched a SwissLeague Professional ice hockey game between EHC Visp and HC Biasca Ticino Rockets. We even had a chance to try fondue, which, by the way, IS AMAZING. 

Saturday was the official start of the AGM meeting. It was a full day of hockey talk that lasted from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m and we discussed all the 2020 upcoming events. After that discussion, all the ISBHF committees had a chance to present on the past year’s initiatives and future projects. 

Among the key takeaways is that the ISBHF is very committed to having ball hockey as an event in the Olympics. In order for that to be done, each country needs to follow specific guidelines to be fully recognized as a participating nation. It was fascinating to learn about this process and how committed they are at helping countries gain official status so we can take the required steps to pursue this goal. 

We also learned that Hockey Canada officially recognized the Canadian Ball Hockey Association (CBHA) as the official governing body of Canadian ball hockey in their country. It is another huge step forward for our sport and one that many other countries hope to emulate soon. Another highlight was hearing all the work being done by the International Development Committee to help identify new member nations who want to become a part of the ISBHF. The meeting also focused on discussions regarding future events and also the ISBHF elections for staff. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, we all gathered for dinner and shared stories of some great ball hockey memories and said our goodbyes. The next morning we were up before the sun and took the train back to the airport and sadly left this amazing city for home. It was a very quick trip, but so much was accomplished. Anyone who has had the privilege of attending one of these meetings quickly finds out just how many people there are who love our game and volunteer their time to grow the sport. Our amazing ball hockey family continues to grow all over the world! It’s an exciting time and I feel fortunate to be able to represent the United States and help make decisions to keep our sport moving forward.

Head Athletic Trainer Joins Olympic Snowboarding Team

USA Ball Hockey is happy to share that our Head Athletic Trainer, Ben Quigley, has been offered the opportunity to join the USA Snowboarding: Slopestyle and Big Air Teams, which will give him his first ever experience as an Athletic Trainer in the next Winter Olympic games.  Ben made the decision after discussions with USA Snowboarding and some talks with his family.

“Being a part of the ISBHF World Championships in Slovakia with USABH was one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Working with a national team has always been a dream of mine.  Being able to do it with an organization like USA Ball Hockey was truly an amazing experience and one that I cherish,” said Mr. Quigley.

Ben will still be dedicated to USA Ball Hockey, and will return as our Head Athletic Trainer for all three ISBHF World Championship events in 2020.  Quigley adds, “I can’t wait to continue to grow as a professional and help the team in the upcoming World Championships.”

One of the things Ben tells USABH that he will miss most is working with top ranked Colgate University and their women’s ice hockey team, as well as Colgate’s tennis, swimming and diving teams.  But this was an opportunity Ben couldn’t pass up.

“We’re very happy for Ben.  He’s a fantastic trainer with a deep passion for helping others.  I’m confident his contributions will continue to help athletes in whatever sport Ben decides to be a part of.” said USA Ball Hockey President Chris Banks.

“We look forward to having him continue to help us in 2020, and wish him nothing but the best in his new adventure.” said Banks.

Pittsburgh Chipmunk All Stars Tournament

Pittsburgh area Chipmunk Dek Hockey All Stars.This past labor day weekend, the Pittsburgh chipmunk division, 4-7 year olds, had their last tournament of the summer in Brookline, PA.  Six teams competed so hard and left everything out there. Everyone involved went above and beyond. Every team had fun, every player had a smile on their face.
The first semi-final of the day had Team Pittsburgh Sharks knocking off the Murrysville Dragons. Then the second semi-final had the Cranberry Screaming Eagles beating the Murrysville Sharks.

In the the finals under the lights. Cranberry came out strong going up 2-0 in the first period. Team Pittsburgh answered with 2 goals of their own in the second to tie up the game, and then Cranberry went up 3-2 in the 3rd. Team Pittsburgh tied it up late in the 3rd forcing OT. They then finished the comeback winning it in OT with 35 seconds left.

Pittsburgh area Chipmunk Dek Hockey All Stars.This summer was awesome for this chipmunk division. 4 tournaments, 4 great finals and a bunch of nail biters along the way.
Thanks to Dan Cunningham and Stacy Rush from Brookline for running a great event over the weekend. Thanks to John Sylvestor for reffing all day. And lastly, thanks to the hockey families for joining us in these tournaments and making great memories with your kids.

Watch out for next summer, this chipmunk division is growing. Bigger and better things coming.  These kids are future USA Ball Hockey players in the making. Come get on board next summer!