2009 Home Page Updates

6/8/09 - Playoffs, Awards Banquet, and Hockey Camp!

There is so much going on with the end of the season upon us. We'll start with an update regarding the Varsity and JV playoffs, provide the schedule for Elementary and Jr. High playoffs, then talk about the Awards Banquet, and wrap up with the new Bulldog Hockey Camp that is coming...

Varsity and JV Playoff Update -

Both teams ended up with first round byes due to their hard work in the regular season. The Varsity guys had to deal with a tough life lesson as they saw their Captain and leading scorer get suspended for the playoffs during an incident in the last regular season game.

Without rehashing the entire event, the League decided to suspend Carl for an incident that was a penalty, but they deemed it a Major Penalty - which automatically carries with it a minimum 2 game suspension. It just so happended that we only had two games left to play - the Semi Final and the Championship. Without Carl to control the game, feed the puck, and play defense, our team gave a valiant effort, but lost in the Semi-final game to Lincoln, a team that we had beaten twice in the regular season, 14-7, and 9-5.

The JV guys fared a little better as they were able to knock off St. Lawrence in their Semi-final match and then ran into a "buzz saw" as they faced Mountain View in the Championship, where the JV Bulldogs lost 7-2.

Elementary and Jr. High Playoffs, June 13th -

First off, my apologies as I somehow erased the announcement that the Elementary and Jr. High Playoffs had been cancelled for the 6th. They have been rescheduled for Saturday the 13th at the following times:

- Elementary 9am
- Jr. High 10:30am (if they win, they will play in the Championship game at Noon).

Bulldog Hockey Awards Banquet - June 12th

Please plan on being in attendance for our 3rd Annual Hockey Awards Banquet - to be held on Friday evening, June 12th at 6:30pm. This is always a great time for the players, their parents, and of course the loyal Bulldog fans! The cost is $10 per person and includes dinner and a lot of fun!

Please see Coach Harter to sign up and reserve your spot or email me at:
coach@bulldoghockey.net

First Bulldog Hockey Camp - June 22-26

When: Monday, June 22nd through Friday, June 26th. 9am to 12Noon.
Where: Roosevelt Rink
Cost: $125 per player, $100 per sibling, $90 for Goalies
Each player will receive their own camp jersey
Registration ends - June 17th

Varsity Captain Carl Harter will be conducting this hockey camp during the week of June 22 through June 26. This camp will be for ages 6 -17. The players will receive individualized instruction on skating, stick handling, positional play, conditioning, and team play. This is a great opportunity for all hockey players to improve their game by learning from one of the best players in Bulldog history. Carl has led the team in Goals and Assists for each of the past 6 seasons. In addition, he lead the Division 2 High School League at RollinIce in both Goals and Assists as well. Carl is a gifted hockey player who also works well with younger players. He has a patient style and easy going approach that kids love.

Coach Harter will also be on site to provide all players with a fair assesment of what they can do to improve their game.

If you are interested, please email Carl at carlharter19@gmail.com and let him know that you would like to receive a registration form. Registration ends after Wednesday, June 17th. If you have any questions, please let us know. We'll see you around the rink....

5/16/09 - Wins and Losses for Bulldog Program...

There were some big wins and some setbacks as well on a busy Saturday for the Bulldogs. The day started off with the Elementary teams (Lightning and Thunder) facing off against each other and the Thunder pulling even in the season series with a 7-5 win. The Jr. High Bulldogs did not fare so well in their double-header as they gave up 22 goals while only scoring 5. The JV team battled hard for a 5-2 victory against Bellarmine and the Varsity Bulldogs split their double-header by beating St. Lawrence 3-2, and giving up too many goals against Bellarmine in a rare 4-3 loss.

All of the teams will regroup, get some practice in and be ready to go back to work next Saturday...see you at the rink! Coach Harter

5/10/09 - Elementary and Jr. High Teams Play Hard

There were no Varsity or JV games scheduled for this Saturday, however the Elementary and Jr. High teams provided the fans with plenty of entertainment! The Elementary teams (Thunder and Lightning) compete against each other every Saturday at 9am and they are getting better with each passing week. The Jr. High team is improving as well as they get used to playing with each other and taking instruction from their coaches - Carl Harter III and Rich Winingar - both of them Varsity Seniors.

Check out the game reports for all these teams on their respective pages. Thank you to all of the parents for participating and getting your players to practice and games on time. See you at the rink, Coach Harter

5/2/09 - Bulldogs Show Strength

Both North Valley teams showed the grit and determination it takes to be successful in a hockey game. Check out the Game Reports, Standings, and Stats for both the Varsity and JV teams.

5/01/09 - Rain Cancels Jr. High and Elementary Games for 5/2

Due to the rain, the Elementary and Jr. High games have been canceled, these games will be made up at the end of the season.

4/19/09 - Winning Day for Bulldogs!

It was a big day for the Bulldog program as all of the teams were winners. It all started with the Elementary program as both teams started their season and there were a total of 6 goals scored between them. Since there are only two teams in that division, at least one of them will always come away as the winner each week.

The Jr. High team (14 players strong) put on an impressive display in their season debut with a win as well. The JV team played two games, and came away winners in both! The Varsity team put forth a strong showing an provided the fans with a thrilling "come from behind" victory.

You can check out all of the action for these teams on their pages - check them out and let me know what you think. Thanks to all of the parents and fans for being there - the guys appreciate it and so do the coaches! See you around the rink, Coach Harter

4/18/09 - Elementary and Jr. High Season Opens

The Elementary aged players were split into two teams - the Thunder and the Lightning. Check out their page for updates on their game.

The Jr. High Bulldogs faced off against the Batch'lers - check out their game updates.

4/7/09 - Varsity and JV Play Spring Season Openers....

The Varsity and JV teams both had their first games of the new season this past Saturday. The Varsity Bulldogs hammered the Arch Bishop Mitty team into submission. The JV team struggled to get their feet under them, however they did have some bright moments in the game. Read all about these games on each team's respective section. Thanks, Coach Harter

3/20/09 - Winter Season Ends with Semi-Final

North Valley started the night off with a win over St. Lawrence in the Quarterfinal match. The Bulldogs came out strong and put in a great effort and won the game 5-3.

The Bulldogs faced off against the division leading Pioneer team in the semi-final game. North Valley was playing in its second game just 45 minutes after the last game and Pioneer was fresh. Pioneer scored five unanswered goals until the Bulldogs put two behind the netminder. Final score - Pioneer 5, North Valley 2.

Pioneer went on to the Chanpionship game vs Fremont; Fremont won the game 6-3.

3/18/09 - Jr. High and Elementary Teams Accepting Sign-ups

Please see the appropriate page (Jr. High or Elementary) for information about signing up to play on a team. This league is City of San Jose run and all of the kids are normally selected and placed onto teams. However, we will be creating our own North Valley teams and they will be coached by some of of upper classmen.

Registrations must be complete prior to March 27th. If you have any questions, please contact me at: coach@bulldoghockey.net

3/16/09 - Playoffs Set for Friday, 3/20.

The Bulldogs will be facing off against St. Lawrence - in the quarterfinals on Friday night at 6:45. When the 'Dawgs win this game, the Semi-finals are scheduled for 8:15, and then the Championship is scheduled for 9:45 that same night. Please come on out and support your guys from North Valley as we make a deep run into the playoffs. See you at the rink, Coach Harter

3/14/09 - JV Season Draws Near

Please take a look at the new JV Bulldog page to get the latest news regarding the upcoming season for our JV team.

3/13/09 - Big Games Ahead

The Bulldogs will be facing off against two strong teams within the division: Pioneer and St. Lawrence. Our games are at 3pm and 5pm respectively. I will post updates to these games....Thanks, Coach Harter

2/28/09 - Bulldogs have Historic Night

February the 28th was an eventful day for the Bulldogs of North Valley as the Varsity Basketball team made into the 2nd round of the CCS playoffs for the first time in the school's history! This was an exciting time for the basketball team as they earned it with an impressive 1st round win over rival St. Lawrence Academy.

However, this joy was bittersweet for the guys as they also had a "double-header" scheduled within their hockey league. Five of our key hockey players were going to miss the two hockey games, as the basketball playoff game was scheduled right between the the two hockey games. The guys knew where their duties where and they competed in the historic basketball game.

Our remaining five players - AC Brad Zachary (#17), Luke Flood (#21), Josian Gutierrez (#7), Devan Rhoe (#25), and AC Kevin Boruff (#12) put on an effort that they will remember the rest of their lives. Kevin played in the nets and did a fanstasic job stopping 2/3rds of all shots. I am so proud of thw way that the boys handled themselves as they had to play all three periods without a line change! The only rest that some of them received was when they were called for a penalty and had to serve it out in the penalty box for 2 minutes. More to come.....Coach Harter

2/22/09 - Bulldogs Back to Their Winning Ways!

The guys from North Valley had been "chomping at the bit" for well over a week to play the Santa Clara team, as there were some guys on that team that were familiar to the Bulldogs. I instructed the guys to "play thier game" and not get caught up in the emotion of the game. They responded well and kept to the program.

I want to make mention of a couple of key performances by two Alternate Captains - Rich Winingar (#87) and Brad Zachary (#17) - each of these guys had a great game. They did not factor into the scoring, or even any of the assists, but they provided a fantastic example of team defense. Rich consistently "back checked" and made it very difficult for the Santa Clara forwards to skate with the puck. Brad was able to block some key shots by lying down in front of some shots - he took one in the arm that he'll feel all week long.

Overall, the guys responded welll when we made some mistakes and were able to clean up their play and their efforts paid off with a great victory. We are looking forward to next week as we have a double header scheduled. Until then, see you around the rink, Coach Harter

2/9/09 - North Valley makes valiant effort

I am extremely proud of the effort that the guys put forth in the loss on Saturday evening. We got off to a slow start and we were down by 4 goals early in the game. We called our only time out of the game and regrouped. The guys stepped up the tempo and turned up the pressure - they were able to force turnovers and capitalize on mistakes. We scored four unanswered goals to tie the game up at 5 each. Even though we gave up a late goal (30 seconds remaining), we were able to learn some valuable lessons from the loss and we'll get the corrections made going into our next game. By the way, the Bulldogs will not have any game on the 14th - not because of Valentine's Day, but because the rink is hosting an AAU tournament. Captain Carl Harter, AC Jon Morris, and goalie Zack Langston all participate on a travel team - Redline - and they will be playing that weekend. Thanks for checking in on your Bulldogs - Coach Harter

2/03/09 - Division Assignment

The North Valley Bulldogs have been placed into the D2 section of the High School league. This is the highest division ranking that the Bulldogs have ever been placed into - a testament to the hard work of the guys and their ever increasing skill level as a team. Coach Morris and I are extremely proud of this achievement as the guys are deserving.

There are five major divisions within the High School league - 1 being the highest skill level and is generally reserved for teams that have multiple travel or ice hockey players on their roster. The lowest division is 5, and is reserved for teams that are just starting out or have very inexperienced players. This year, there were so many teams in the middle of the pack that the league split the 3rd division into two parts - an A and a B section, with five teams each.

North Valley will face off against some familiar foes as the following schools have been placed into the 2nd division: Santa Clara, Pioneer, Fremont, St. Lawrence, and Lincoln.

We are certainly looking forward to playing in this highly competitive division. Please take a look at our Statistics page to see how our players stack up against the rest of the players within the division. We'll keep you posted as to our next scheduled game, until then, see you around the rink! Coach Harter

1/30/09 - Thoughts from the rink....

North Valley's student body had a couple of days off from school, so I volunteered to take a bunch of the "future Bulldogs" down to a pick-up game of hockey. The guys met at my house as we loaded up Big Red. The group is primarily comprised of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who have been playing for a couple of years. They are getting better and they are all looking forward to the day that they can play where the "Big Dawg's" play.

I am sitting here watching these younger guys participate in an 18 and under pick-up game, they are truly being challenged, but they are having a great time skating on a fantastic surface (rather than the street). They are also enjoying the time on the rink with real goalies and nets, not just plastic garbage containers - but they all have a love for the game.

Yesterday, Coach Morris took a bunch of the Varsity guys up to the mounains for a little fun in the snow as they wanted to try their hand at snowboarding. I told them to have a great time but that I didn't want to hear about any broken bones that would cripple our season. Well, sure enough, it happened.... the guys returned to Santa Clara with no broken bones - God answered my prayers!

I'll check back in tomorrow night and let you know the outcome of our game against Pionner, until then, we'll see you around the rink, Coach Harter

1/28/09 - The Bulldogs have been scheduled for their next game - against Pioneer High, a Div. 1 team! The game is at 5pm on Rink 2, this Saturday the 31st...see you there, Coach Harter

1/27/09 - Bulldogs remain undefeated with an impressive win over Division 2 Leland! The guys put forth a great effort as they went all out on each of their shifts. We are running a system that enables us to integrate all six of our forwards on a couple of different lines. The guys understand their roles - scorerers, assist men, defense, and of course "grinders".

The league has still not posted their division assignments, however North Valley is certain to move up the division standings - we will announce that information once it is released by the league. It looks as though we will be assigned to either Div. 2 or 3. Most of the schools that participate in the Div. 2 level have a student body of around 1500-3000 (9-12 grades). North Valley has a student body (9-12) of about 110. We are so proud of our guys as they compete agasinst much larger schools and continue to achieve success. We don't take this lightly and we understand that we will not always win every game, however the guys are determined to always represent our God, our school, and their parents by striving to do their best, each and every shift.

Thanks again to all of our fans for supporting the team and the coaching staff - we appreciate your enthusiasm and love of the sport. See you around the rink, Coach Harter

1/12/09 - I am very proud of the effort that the guys put forth on Saturday night. We were so honored as a team to have such a large turn out of fans as well. We even had a special guest - Pastor Trieber and his wife - attended the game and loved it. Thank you to all of the fans for showing your support and cheering for the Bulldogs.

Important Note: There will be no game this coming Saturday (Jan. 17th) as the rink complex will be hosting the NARCH Winternationals - three Bulldogs will be playing in this special event as they also play on a travel team - Team Redline. These players are: Captain Carl Harter (#19), Alternate Captain Jon Morris (#88), and goalie Zack Langston (#20). We will keep you posted as to the outcome of their tournament.

The Bulldog's weekly games should continue on Saturday, Jan 24th. See you at the rink, Coach Harter

1/4/09 - Next week's game has been assigned - we will be playing Willow Glen High School for the first time. After finishing strong in our last game, the league will be providing a better challenge as they are trying to figure out where we should be placed into the division brackets. This is always a challenge for the league officials as they compare the various teams and their capabilities.

I am very proud of the guys as they put forth a great effort in winning the season opener. Thanks also to all of the fans and parents that came to the game, the guys truly appreciate it. See you at the rink, Coach Harter

12/29/08 - I am sitting here at RollinIce watching many of the Bulldogs participate in a "pick up" session. They are having a great time as they get the dust off of their equipment and get their sticks re-taped. Our season is only one week away as we start on January 3rd. To say that the guys are excited is an understatement! Honestly, it is like a second Christmas for us as we have been eagerly awaiting the start of this season since the end of June.

We held a Varsity team meeting/party with parents and relatives attending as well. Coach Morris and Chuck Flood did the honors of cooking up the burgers. The "Hockey Moms" brought lots of pot luck items and we had plenty to eat.

I took the opportunity to introduce a few themes that we will be focused on during the next six months:
- Dedication

The team worked hard to earn some money in order to purchase some team jackets, and these were finally completed and disbursed to each of the Varsity players. They are sharp looking jackets and the guys were them with pride. In addition, the funds became available for us to purchase some new jerseys. We did obtian the blank jerseys, however they needed to be "personalized" with the player's name and number, and they are nearing completion. We are still in need of about $1500 to finish off the jerseys and get everything paid for. We'll get pictures of the new team items posted as soon as we can.

Lastly, we did order some "squeeze pucks" with the Bulldog Hockey logo on them - we are selling them for $2 each. We are also in the final stages of completing our 2009 Bulldog Hockey t-shirt design and we'll start taking orders next week.

Again, thank you for staying "tuned" to our website, we'll be back with further updates.

- See you at the rink, Coach Harter