Two Golden State Elite Eagles Youth Ice Hockey Teams won State Championship titles last weekend in Simi Valley

Two Golden State Elite Eagles Youth Ice Hockey Teams won State Championship titles last weekend in Simi Valley - the PeeWee team (ages 11 & 12), and the Midget 18 team (ages 17 & 18). Most of the kids on these teams got their start skating at Bridgepointe, and skated there for years before the rink closed. Although we can no longer say these teams are from San Mateo, many of them are San Mateo residents and from the surrounding communities, and we are so proud of these players!

Once the Bridgepointe rink was closed, these kids had to go to Cuppertino, Dublin, and Vacaville to practice. These players have regularly endured long commutes combined with difficult practice times (5:00 am, 9:30 pm on weeknights, Friday and Saturday nights in Vacaviille) and they have been truly dedicated and committed to their teams and their sport.

For the Pee Wee team, State Championship is the end of the season, however, the Midget 18 team will be competing for the USA Hockey National Championships in Amherst, NY, on March 31 - April 4. We hope you will all join us in congratulating this team and wishing them good luck as they represent California in this prestigious tournament. It is an amazing accomplishment for these boys to win the State Championship and earn the right to compete at Nationals.

I have attached three photos - one of the Pee Wee team after their State Championship win, one of the Midget 18 team after their State Championship win, and one of Midget 18 captains Ben Kottmeier and Ryan McAuliffe holding the championship banner and trophy.

Captains Ben and Ryan are both San Mateo residents, and they started skating together at Bridgepointe over ten years ago. They spent years skating every morning at 5:00 am (along with other team practices) and did that until the Bridgepointe rink closed. They tried to continue their 5:00 am skates in Cuppertino, but it just wasn't possible to do that and get back in time for school. They have given up their Friday and Saturday night social life to go to weekly practices in Vacaville, and often get home after midnight on weeknights when they have practices in Dublin. Closure of the Bridgepointe rink affected them significantly, yet they love their sport and demonstrated the discipline and dedication to stick with it. Winning the State Championship was their dream, and it is so exciting to see them rewarded for their hard work.

One fun note about the Pee Wee Coach, Larry Cahn. When the LA Kings recently won the Stanley Cup, player Alec Martinez made the goal in overtime to win the game. In his post-game TV interview, one of the first people he thanked was his youth coach, Larry Cahn. And this year, one of Larry's former players, Thatcher Demko, is currently up for the Hoby Baker award, which is given to the best player in NCAA Division 1 Hockey. How exciting for our San Mateo kids to work with such an amazing coach!

Congratulations to both (former) San Mateo teams on winning California State Championship titles!

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Julie McAuliffe
Always Quilting
4230 Olympic Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
650.458.8580
www.alwaysquiltingonline.com
alwaysquilting@gmail.com