Greater Flint Hockey Association

GFHA Youth Hockey Current / Archives, as of 02/19/13:

Aaron said, "I want to skate but I don't know how."  A lot of people tend to forget about all of the kids who are currently being physically challenged because of an injury or one of many other medical conditions.  We don't.  Because of our honorary captain, we're in the planning stages of adding gold medal winning sled hockey to our association for all of the kids who want to play and enjoy the greatest game on earth but think they might not be able to because of their current medical condition.  Let nothing stop a kid from particicpating.  USA Hockey doesn't and neither do we.  Just ask all of the players from our World Champion USA Hockey National Sled Team.  We only see a kid who wants to play, have fun, be a part of being on a team, and possibly one day help Team USA win another World title.  And we're here to help make that happen.  If you want to participate, contact Mick Carroll at (810) 655-8016, (810) 210-7811, or mickcam@aol.com.

Age 8 And Under Hockey & Learn To Skate Programs

With the return of mite hockey (8 and under) this fall, we're still going to offer ADM for 8 and Under (5 to 8 year-olds) along with Learn-To-Skate.  ADM is an excellent program for those who want to play and develope skills at their own pace in a non-competitive environment.  We would encourage those who want to play mites to also use our ADM program as a low cost option to advance player skills at a quicker pace.  Our ADM and Learn-To-Skate are Saturdays and Sundays.  For more info, please contact Kevin Brackett kvbrackett0159@aol.com or Mick Carroll mickcam@aol.com.

The GFHA Ice Raiders went 4-0-0 in the annual Thanksgiving Tournament at Kensington Valley Ice House to win the 2011 Motown Cup.  The Ice Raiders opened up the tourney by beating the Thornhill Rebels from Toronto, 5-0.  The Ice Raiders then defeated the Livingston Lightning, 6-1, and the Kensington Valley Admirals, 10-2, to set up a rematch with the Lightning for the championship.  In the final game, the Ice Raiders were tested early but opened up a 3-0 lead after the first period and never looked back, defeating the Lightning, 7-2, to win the championship.  The offensive was lead by Michael Chapman, Garrett Lesser, and Jon Nelson who netted 6 goals each.  Michael Chynoweth added 8 assists, Lesser had 5, Cameron Lieffers and Alec Copeland had 4 each.  Also scoring were Donovan Ayotte (2G, 1A), Aidan Flick (1G, 3A), Drew Hobson (3G, 1A), Jacob Strickland (2G, 1A), Wyatt Smith and Shane Reinig each with 3 assists. The victory marked a total defensive team effort, allowing only 5 goals over the weekend.  Nelson, Reinig, Chynoweth, and Lieffers anchored the blue line while Andrew Braum and Kyle Carpenter each netted two victories in goal.  The Ice Raiders are now 12-0-1 on the season.

They left everything they had on the ice, as they fought tooth and nail with every ounce of energy their bodies could deliver.  A whole game plus two overtimes worth.  Unfortunately, it took just a chance throw back shot towards a crowded net to end their great season and a run at the state title.  I'm talking about the mighty GFHA Midget BB Ice Raiders.  Yes, mighty.  The grittiest group of warriors ever assembled but yet the nicest group of young men you'll ever meet.

About the game, a heartbreaker is probably an understatement.  Both teams came out of the gate flying.  This was about to be a game.  The Ice Raiders, 21-5-0, tallied the first goal but the Southgate Capitals, 41-9-0, scored the next two goals to take a 2-1 lead into the 2nd period.  The Capitals were knocking on the door to score more, as the Ice Raiders found themselves skating shorthanded through long stretches towards the end of the 1st period and in the 2nd period.  But the Ice Raiders stood tall, killing off penalty after penalty, to deny the Capitals.  The Ice Raiders then scored the next two goals to take a 3-2 lead in the 3rd period before the Capitals managed to score one more to tie it at 3.  The last 7 minutes of regulation was a nail biter, as both teams challenged but were afraid to make that critical mistake that could cost them.  Overtime was about to happen.  In the first overtime, the Ice Raiders had two golden opportunities to end it... a 2 on 1 odd man rush and a 3 on 0 that was broken up at the very last second by a trailing Capitals player.  In the 2nd overtime, a play down low by the Capitals that produced a loose puck in front of a crowded net, and the Ice Raiders season was about to end.  A Southgate player took control of the loose puck, skated out a few feet, quickly turned towards the net and shot the puck into a heavily screened Ice Raiders goalie.  It wasn't a blaster, just an on-ice shot that found its way through several skates and into the net.  It was over just that quick.  An extremely hard fought, 4-3 loss.  A bitter pill to swallow but these mighty warriors have successfully competed at the highest levels all their lives.  And they will continue to do so.

There never is, but if there's any consulation, the Ice Raiders lost to the about to be 2011 state champs.  Southgate went on to beat Marquette, the 2010 and now 2011 state runnerups, in the championship game, 5-3.  The Ice Raiders were ever so close to being there.

Few players ever make the grade to be in this locker room.  The players who do have an excellent chance of making it to the NHL.  Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, Jack Johnson, RJ Umberger, Ryan Suter, and Jimmy Howard used to be here on a daily basis.  Saturday night it was our ADM Ice Raiders turn.  The small but mighty group got a first hand look inside USA Hockey's NTDP in Ann Arbor and what makes our National Teams the best in the world.  They were treated to a complete tour and a USHL game featuring USA Hockey's Under 17 National Team vs. Chicago Steel.  USA Hockey won, 4-0.

The Flint Phantoms PeeWee AA Hockey Club played in the Back To School Classic hockey tournament in the Downriver area of Detroit against 13 teams from Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana on September 24-26.  The team won their first four games to make it to the Championship game.  They came up short in the finals but played great hockey all weekend to make it to the finals.  Congratulations to all of the players, coaches, and parents for a job well done.

The players and coaches: (front l-r) Spencer Bully, Parker Nevicato; (2nd row l-r) Jake Polakowski, Brock Reynolds, Collin Lynch, Zachary Kippe, Ryan Genord; (3rd row l-r) Kross Kenny, Brendan Smith, Dylan Houle, Jagar Smith, Adam Green, Brendan Flores, Brendan Walker, Cam Mundy; (back row l-r) Paul Lynch, Dan Mundy, Matt Walker, Kevin Reynolds; (not pictured) coach Brad Kippe, coach Kirk Allen, coach Joe Houle.

The '95 Flint Phantoms concluded a very successful run in the LCAHL playoffs by upending the Suburban Stars, 2-0, to win the Bantam AA Norris Division Championship.  The Phantoms finished 6-1-0 in the playoffs, outscoring their opponents 25-10.