The West Have Blue Devils U-16 team, who is currently ranked 15th nationally in Tier II, captured the Tier II state championship in thrilling fashion this past weekend. The weekend started off with a semi-final game against the number 4 seed Darien Blue Wave. During this game, The Blue Devils jumped out to a 4-0 lead 7 minutes into the game and never looked back. They got scoring up and down the line-up and defeated Darien 11-0 to move on to the championship game against the Wonderland Wizards.

During the championship game on Sunday morning, the Blue Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead getting goals from Anthony Ramano and Eli Brubacher. It was a back and forth game, but the Blue Devils were able to lock down their defensive zone coverage and win the game 2-1. It was a true team effort by each and every individual!

Both coach Erik Roos and Rick Beckwith have been in these situations before, as they have won 8 straight U-16 state championships. We want to wish the team luck in Troy, Michigan (April 2-6), where they will be competing once again for a national championship. We hope that history will repeat itself in 2020, as Roos and Beckwith will be heading back to the same venue where they captured their 2013 National Championship. 

A job well done by the U-16 players and both coaches! Good luck with your high school teams!

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Joe Simoes Memorial Golf Tournament
 

 On behalf of our tournament committee and the Simoes family, we would like to thank you for your generous donations to the Joe Simoes Memorial Golf Tournament. Through your support, we have been able to raise $44,000 over the last seven years.    

To date, we have donated to the following charities: 

• $3,000 to CureSearch for Children's Cancer directly supporting Will Morgan, an 11 year old boy who was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in his right femur.  This is a rare disease in which cancerous tumors are found in bones and soft tissue and is found in only 250 children a year in the United States.
• $4,500 to Barb’s Lifetime Relay for Life Fund on behalf of Joe Simoes who started the team in honor of his wife Barbara who passed away in May 2008 from Ovarian Cancer.
• $2,500 to The Cancer Society in memory of Barbara Simoes.
• $2,500 to The Heart Association in memory of Joe Simoes.
• $11,000 to several West Haven Youth Hockey Players who were lifelong West Haven residents and whose parents struggled financially to support their athletic activities.  The scholarship’s recipients were selected by a committee comprised of the West Haven Youth Hockey President, and the West Haven High School Hockey Head Coach, Joe Morrell.  Selection was based on financial need and individual character.
• $5000 to help families within the local community who are in financial need due to life altering illness. These recipients were selected by the tournament committee.
• $1,500 to West Haven Youth Hockey’s Learn to Skate Program helping to offset the cost of 45 young boys and girls in support of their introduction to ice hockey.
• $5,000 to the Institute of Professional Practice which helps people with developmental and intellectual disabilities to overcome barriers to their independence and participation in many areas of life. Our donation allowed the Institute to purchase devices such as iPads and tablets which were used to give a voice to individuals who are non-verbal.  Through the use of the device, these individuals were able to express their feelings, needs, and wants, some for the first time!  The ability to communicate provides opportunities to participate in activities and interactions that were previously out of reach.
• $6,000 to the Yale New Haven Health Smilow Cancer Hospital Oncology Social Fund which provides assistance to Smilow patients in financial need as well as to uninsured and under-insured patients needing additional support. The Fund helps these patients with necessities that may not be available to them due to the challenges inherent with their illness.
• $3,000 to a family who lost their husband and father to cancer. This family has been through many financial challenges and through your generosity they were provided small but significant relief as they begin to move forward

 It is a great honor and privilege for us to remember Joe at this event while continuing his tradition of helping others.  

This year’s event is scheduled for Friday, October 11, 2019 at Lyman Orchards Golf Club. Attached are documents, one for golfer registration and one for tournament sponsorship. The tournament sponsorship should be filled out when money is being donated for you to receive tax benefits associated with supporting a non-profit organization.

This year's event will be supporting anther local community member in need. Diana Whitmore Monaco is a long-time resident of North Haven and a nurse at Connecticut Hospice.  For many years she has been offering help and hope to many families suffering life’s challenges.  Now she needs our help.  Since 2016, Diana has been battling Stage 4 T-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  Since that time, she has had many treatments; chemo, stem cell transplants and various medicines.  She has worked during her treatments, but recently has not been able to work.  Her and her family’s daily needs, treatments that insurance doesn’t cover, and other expenses have been adding up.  With your help, we would like to donate some of the tournament’s proceeds to Diana and her family. Other proceeds from this years tournament will continue to support a West Haven Youth Hockey player in need of financial assistance. 

Thank you again for your continued support and please reach out to me with any questions or concerns. 

The Tournament Committee

WHYH 2018-19 Sportsmanship Award Winner

Joey Honcz

Joey Honcz has been in WHYH for only 2 seasons, but it feels like he’s been here in West Haven for his entirety Joey Is a hard worker, who never gives up in practice and works hard to learn new skills. As one of the only returning full year bantams , Joey serves as a great role model to the first year kids, leading by example both on and off the ice. He also volunteers his time with the Mite B team. He comes to their practices and works with the kids running stations also working 1 on 1 with them. All of the Mite kids truly look up him.

Joey has also overcome some huge obstacles in his personal life. During his second year of squirts, he was diagnosed with cancer. He went through 6 rounds of chemotherapy and missed most of 5th grade. During his battle Joey received support from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, NY Rangers as well as NHL Players Jeremy Roenick and Marty St. Louis. Since his remission, Joey has been a camper at Camp Rising Sun, and raises money every year for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. He returned to hockey as a peewee and came here to WHYH for his first year of bantams.  In the two years of Joey being a part of WHYH, he has influenced the members of his team, his coaches and the young players of our league.

We at West Haven Youth Hockey are proud Joey and his family are part of ours!

LiveBarn at the Edward L. Bennett Rink
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