PRESS RELEASE

March 1, 2012

California High Schools Set To Compete For Inaugural Amateur Hockey Association High School State Championship

High School Hockey Continues To Grow In California

Four elite California high school teams will be competing in Anaheim, CA this weekend for a state championship with eyes on a national title.

The first tournament of its kind in the history of California will pit four teams against one another, two from Northern California and two from Southern California, to determine and send a state champion to compete for the USA Hockey High School National Championship in Kearns, Utah from March 21-25, 2012.

The Valley Christian Warriors and the Bellarmine Prep Bells, two San Jose high school hockey teams that began competing as squads in Sharks Sports & Entertainment’s Sharks Ice HP High School Hockey League, will travel to Anaheim from March 2-4 to compete for the inaugural California Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) High School State Championship.

Joining Valley Christian and Bellarmine Prep in the inaugural CAHA High School State Championship will be Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) and JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.). Preliminary games will be held at Anaheim Ice and the final will be contested at on Sunday, March 4.

“About three years ago we approached USA Hockey about having a California High School Championship, but at the time we didn’t have enough schools with pure teams – squads made up from players from a single high school – to do a tournament or a playoff,” said CAHA President Steve Laing. “Thanks to the work and financial support of many people in the California hockey community, including the and San Jose Sharks organizations and many others, we now have over 10 pure teams in the state and have been able to realize our goal of having a state championship. The last two years, CAHA has sent a team from California to compete at the USA Hockey High School National Championship, but this year we are very excited to give a trophy to a state champion and we know that whoever wins will represent California well on the national stage.”

Both Valley Christian and Bellarmine got their start in the Sharks Ice HP High School Hockey League, which is now in its 12th season. The league started with just four teams in the year 2000 and has since grown to include 19 teams currently playing in the Junior Varsity Division and could reach a total of 34 teams once the Varsity division begins play in mid-March.

Valley Christian and Bellarmine have since graduated to the Northern California High School Hockey League (NCHSHL). Now in its second season, the NCHSHL was originally a four-team league that also featured squads from Archbishop Mitty (San Jose) and Cardinal Newman (Santa Rosa). These four teams split off from the Sharks Ice HP High School Hockey League Varsity division with the purpose and goal of encouraging other greater Bay Area high schools to sponsor their own pure squads. This season, the league expanded to include three public schools: the San Ramon Grizzlies (California High School), Dublin Gaels (Dublin High School), and Danville Wolves (San Ramon Valley High School). History was made this past fall as the Danville Wolves and the San Ramon played against each other in the first ice hockey game in the history of California to be contested between two public high schools.

“We are very proud of where high school hockey is currently positioned,” said Sharks Ice General Manger Jon Gustafson. “Much of our successes can be attributed to our hockey department as well as the countless volunteer, coaches, parents, and school liaisons who have made this league their passion. The future is very bright and we are pleased to be a part of it.”

The Ducks launched the Anaheim Ducks High School Hockey League on July 1, 2008 with JSerra Catholic High School (San Juan Capistrano) as its charter member with Santa Margarita Catholic High (Santa Margarita) closely following in 2009. The league swelled to seven clubs for the 2010-11 season, with the addition of five teams and three new schools: Servite High School (Anaheim), (La Verne) and Lutheran High School of Orange County (Orange). The ADHSHL entered the 2011-12 season with a membership of eight schools and 11 teams, including newcomers Bishop Amat/Upland Christian Academy (Upland), Huntington Beach Edison (Huntington Beach) and Long Beach Prep (Long Beach).

“We are excited about the growth of high school hockey in Southern California, “said The Rinks Vice President Art Trottier. “The expansion from one team in 2008, up to our 11 current teams, is a great example of the roots we are continuing to build here in Southern California. We are thrilled and honored to be hosting the 1st CAHA High School State Championship.”