Dear Cyclones Families,

I would like to thank all of you who have taken the time to send me an email, place a call or address me in person with warm congratulations on my new position as this organization’s president. So many warm, wonderful and positive comments along with the recommendations - they were all most sincerely appreciated. It is hard to put into words how very proud, honored and excited I am to serve this membership.

Now that the spring season has come to a close, school is letting out and we are all settling into our summer routines, please know that the very enthusiastic Cyclones Amateur Hockey Association board and staff are all working hard to bring some new and exciting things your way. Our first and biggest goal is to open up the lines of communication. This e-newsletter is one way to keep everyone in this large family informed. The Breakout Committee needs your help and wants your input. Please respond to their call for participation – you can and will make a difference. The Cyclones web site: www.cycloneshockey.net is another very important tool or vehicle to get and receive the most current information. Please check it regularly for updates or to access the email addresses of the board members and staff for any additional questions or needs that you may have.

For those players who would like to continue to hone their hockey skills this summer, there are a number of GREAT clinics or Rink Rat hockey being offered @ Fox Valley Ice Area. Please look for the “Important Dates to Remember” postcard arriving to you sometime Mid-June. As in the past, our Fall Registration Packet will be mailed to you by the end of July.

On behalf of all the Cyclones Board Members and Staff, we wish you and your family a very safe and relaxing summer.

Doug Becht
President, Cyclones Amateur Hockey Association

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Congratulations to all our SWSHL Teams on a great spring. We are especially proud to recognize the following teams for representing the Cyclones in the SWSHL playoffs:

• Mite Red
• Mite Blue
• Squirt Red
• Squirt White
• Peewee Red
• Bantam Red
• Midget Major #1
• Midget major #2

Way to go!

MITE RED PLAYS TOUGH
Coach Dan says, of his Red Mite Team: “I feel very confident about today’s game. We beat them last time… we were the better team, not that we were “statistically”… but we played better. They are the second rank team and were the third rank team, we’re the underdog.”

Saturday’s 1st round playoff was a great match with the Flames. During the first period at 3:24, with a quick wrist shot Cyclones goal.

A showdown ensued second period with the Flames making a flurry of penalties. Another goal for the Cyclones brings the score to 2-0. Quickly the Flames recovered and scored. One very close call followed where our Cyclones goalie, dropped the puck late after a miraculous catch. Luckily, the Flames pushed it in just after the whistle, and the period ended 2-1 Cyclones.

Early in the third period, the Cyclones knuckled down and we showed our stamina by scoring yet another goal, raising the score to 3-1 Cyclones. Suddenly, in a tirade, the Flames scored at 4:13 and again at 2:44. At the buzzer, the game was now tied and the Cyclones were headed into Sudden Death overtime.

The Cyclones gave their most powerful fight to the end with a great attempt but no goal. Within a few seconds the Flames got the puck and just barely slipped past the grasp of our defense. The Flames scored at 1:09 bringing the score to 4-3, with the Cyclones showing an impressive 22 shots on goal!!

Coach Dan’s response, “Heart Breaker! I really had hopes in that we would have made that last rush!” The Flames went on to take 2nd Place to the Huskies in the Finals.

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The 2004 – 2005 fall hockey season turned out to be a year of improvement for many of our Cyclones teams reflecting the strength of our coaching staff and the dedication of the players and families that participate in travel hockey.

.: Mite A
Coach Gus Liatos Mite Silver team played a season characterized by close games and finishing the regular season near the middle of the pack in their division. They too made it to the Final Eight in the Blackhawk Cup by winning another close one, taking their elimination game by a score of 4 to 3 over the Falcons with 15 seconds left in the second overtime. These kids played with ice in their veins all season. They scored first in the elimination game but ended up down 3 to 1 with 2 minutes left in regulation. Congratulations to the comeback kids. They played hard in the tourney losing two of their three games by one point each.

.: Squirt AA
The Squirt CSDHL team earned their spot in the Final Eight with a victory over the NIHL Elite Champ – Vikings. The team played very well in the round robin earning two points by tying Crystal Lake (Overtime Loss) and Wilmette. Congratulations on a great season.

.: Squirt B
Coach Stuewe’s Squirt Bronze team had a great season with everyone working hard to finish 30-10-3. The Cyclones Squirt Bronze team was the only team at the squirt bronze level to make it to the Final Eight at State. While finishing 4-1 in the Blackhawk Cup, they did not make the final four due to the goal differential. After losing the first game to the Sabres (NIHL Silver Champs), they rebounded to beat the Sabres #2 and the Huskies in the round robin which created a 3-way tie in their bracket.

.: Bantam A
After a rough start to their season, the Bantam Gold team coached by Dave Glenn finished very strong. They made it to the Final Eight in the Blackhawk Cup Tournament, beating the Flames 3-2 in an elimination game to make it into the round robin. This marked their first victory over the Flames for the year. In the first game of the round robin, they faced the number one seeded Blues team and while holding their own being tied midway through the second period, they lost the game 8-2. The team rebounded in game two with a 2-1 victory over Crystal Lake. This was a very significant win and surprised a lot of participants as the Crystal Lake team was the NIHL Gold Champions. Game three was a loss to the Sabres but this team can be proud of their hard work and strong finish to the season with the final eight berth.

.: Midget AA Minor
Congratulations to the Central States Cyclones AA Midget Minor team and coach Pfeiffer for their hard work all season resulting in a trip to the Final Eight at State.

.: Midget AA Minor
Congratulations to the Central States Cyclones AA Midget Minor team and coach Brad Layzell for their hard work all season resulting in a trip to the Final Eight at State.

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Driving downtown to Johnny’s Icehouse the night before Thanksgiving in a snowstorm proved to be a challenge. Little did we know it would be the start of many challenges for that weekend! After all, it was tournament play. For many in house teams, it was their very first experience with this level of competition. Playing on a combined team of Squirts and PeeWees, they had to be split into separate Squirt team and PeeWee teams for the tournament. With just a few practices together, kids who were not used to playing together became one team to face teams that had been together for several months or more. Did this stop their spirit? No way! Hockey is more than just winning these kids had heart. They faced an impossible challenge with courage and persistence. Squirt and PeeWee alike took on strong teams, along with some lumps and bruises, for the love of the game. And they came out better than they came in.

Squirt Coach Jay Rule gave an impressive speech in the locker room before the last game that focused on the movie Miracle (which happened to be on HBO earlier that day). He explained that he wasn’t interested in the scoreboard for this tournament. He wanted the kids to experience tournament play because “this kind of experience raises your game; it makes you a better player.” And that it did. Neither the Squirts nor PeeWees won any games. In fact the Squirts only scored one goal for the whole tournament. But were we disappointed? Not in the least- the games were incredible! We saw our kids play in a manner we did not see before the tournament. The objectives for that weekend were to raise each player’s game and get exposure to tournament play. Our house teams achieved those goals! Judging by their experience, we knew that the games would be a lot different when we got back to our regular schedule. Boy, was that an understatement! The house teams also played in the Cyclones Holiday Classic. Again, they played with a lot of heart and raised their level of play!

The excitement wasn’t over. Having playoff and championship games on the last weekend of February ended the season with exhilaration. Spectators and players witnessed outstanding effort by all the teams. The games were competitive and some were a battle to the end! The match-ups were Red vs. Green in one game and Yellow vs. Blue in another. The winning teams faced each other in the championship and the runner ups faced each other in a consolation game. In the end it was Green in first, Blue in second, Red in third and Yellow in fourth. Congratulations to all the teams!

The real thrill, however, was seeing the teams gel and improve throughout the season. That’s what makes hockey great not getting down when you’re losing and using each game to make the next one better. Our kids showed great character and enthusiasm for the game in both tournament and house play. Plus they had FUN. We are very proud of all the kids.

Then, seemingly as quickly as it started, it was all over. What we have are the memories and friendships (and a few pictures) to carry us through the seasons ahead. We look forward to Spring and next Fall with anticipation. Whether you play on house or travel, we are all in the Cyclones family.

Good luck and go Cyclones!

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The 2005 Scholarships have been awarded to three of our outstanding CSDHL Midget Major players. Our scholarship committee has recommended these individuals for receipt of the scholarships. The scholarship committee is made up of four community leaders who do not have a direct affiliation with the Cyclone organization. Each of these Cyclone players will receive $2,500 to go toward their college tuition.

The winners are:

Jonathan Vincent Cannizzo -a senior at Downers Grove South High School in Downers Grove. Jonathan has also played on the golf team for Downers Grove South. He is interested in continuing to play junior hockey while attending college. Jonathan has skated with the Cyclones since their inception. In addition to playing hockey, you can often find Jonathan at the rink helping out with other skaters or volunteering for scorebox duties during our tournaments.

Elliot Karkora - a senior at St. Francis High School in Wheaton, IL. Elliot has skated for the Cyclones for the past 6 years. He also plays golf for his high school, as well as being involved in set construction for the school plays, Special Olympics and in the Adventure Club. He had the opportunity to study in Spain last summer. Elliot is praised by his teachers and coach as having strong leadership skills. Elliot future plans include playing junior hockey while continuing his education.

John (Josh) Swider III - a senior at St. Charles East High School in St. Charles. He would like to continue to play hockey at the college that he is attending. Josh has also participated in football, baseball, Math Honor Society, Key Club, STC guides and received the 19th annual Human Relations Award from his high school. The Human Relation Award recognized the positive attitudes and actions towards others by demonstrating care and good citizenship. Josh has demonstrated outstanding work ethic, leadership and high honor roll throughout high school. Josh has skated with the Cyclones for the past 4 years.

I congratulate all three of these fine young men. Good Luck in your future endeavors with college and hockey. You all are good role models and the Cyclones were fortunate for you to be part of their organization.

To learn more, click here.

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Sales Pitch
Cyclones Members:
Breakout! is an electronic newsletter dedicated to serving you.
Please join us at our brainstorm meeting Monday, August 1st in our boardroom.
All ideas and contributors are welcome.

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We look forward to receiving your feedback on the Cyclone's BreakOut e-newsletter.
If you have comments or suggestions please contact Angelo Lekkas at alekkas@yahoo.com.