The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (AGHF) is set to host its first showcase of the 2024-25 season, the highly anticipated September Showdown, from September 27-29. Teams from 10U to 19U across all divisions will compete at rinks throughout New Jersey.
Teams will take to the ice, showcasing their talent and determination as they compete across the state. Fans and participants can stay up-to-date with live scores and schedules through the AGHF Game Center, and those unable to attend can catch exclusive game streams on Black Bear TV.
Adding to the excitement, Carmo Photography will be at the Ice Vault in Wayne, NJ, capturing action shots from the 14U Diamond, Platinum, and Elite divisions.
With a packed weekend ahead, the September Showdown is set to kick off what promises to be an exhilarating season for the AGHF.
Here are your Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation Players of the Week and Peak Performer ending September 22nd, 2024. Each week, we spotlight standout players from across all divisions, selected from coach nominations.
New this season: Vote for the Peak Performer of the Week on our Instagram stories every Tuesday to Wednesday at noon!
10U Diamond Division: Nominating Coach: CJ Trunk
- Team: Jr. Flyers
- Player’s Name: Eleanor Haas
- Jersey Number: 49
- Position: Forward
- Quote: Excellent skater and really stepped up her performance in the third period of a tight game
10U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: Ryan Pickard
- Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Player’s Name: Siena Greco
- Jersey Number: 56
- Position: Defense
- Quote: For a young player who loves to play offense, her team needed her on defense this weekend and she did not disappoint. Putting up two goals, one assist, and a diving save along the goal line, she played her heart out and gave it everything she had for her team.
12U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: Ed Semlitsch
- Team: Potomac Lady Patriots
- Player’s Name: Sydney Cahill
- Jersey Number: 26
- Position: Goalie
- Quote: Sydney is a multi-sport athlete balancing her time between competitive softball and hockey and is always working to improve her game.
14U Elite Division: Nominating Coach: John Ettore
- Team: Jr. Flyers
- Player’s Name: Roxy Hoishik
- Jersey Number: 80
- Position: Goalie
- Quote: In two games this weekend, Roxy made 54 saves on 55 shots, including stopping my quality scoring chances. In the first game of the weekend, Roxy earned a shut out against Stateline, making 18 saves, and in her second game of the weekend, Roxy made 36 saves on 37 shots, many from point blank range, against a very strong Steel City Selects team. In three AGHF games this season, Roxy has 55 saves on 56 shots. Along with competing at a very high level, Roxy is a team leader, hard worker, and great teammate.
14U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: Cody Ruff
- Team: Stateline Lehigh Valley Phatoms
- Player’s Name: Elsie Rockovits
- Jersey Number: 5
- Position: Forward
- Quote: Elsie was a beast over the weekend. Confident with the puck, relentless on the forecheck, and drove the net like a pro.
16U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: James Pierson
- Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Player’s Name: Amanda Kopchak
- Jersey Number: 13
- Position: Defense
- Quote: Mandy stepped up in a big way in our game against the Skyland Lady Kings on Saturday by netting a hat trick and picking up an assist. On top of overall performance Mandy showcased her leadership skills be engaging her teammates in a positive and inspiring way. Great job Mandy!
19U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: Joseph Latronica
- Team: Skyland Lady Kings
- Player’s Name: Julia Katz
- Jersey Number: 3
- Position: Forward
- Quote: Julia had an assist and hat trick on Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Islanders. She also had the team’s two goals on Sunday combining for 5 goals and 1 assist for the weekend. When Julia was stopped by the goalies of the opposing teams, she was the first one to give them a pat on the back as she believes in sportsmanship first!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
All players nominated by a coach receive an Honorable Mention
Madison Bater | NY Dynamo | 10U Diamond | 24 | Center |
Sofia Halstead | Potomac Lady Patriots | 12U Platinum | 77 | Forward |
Maddie Quinn | Snider Hockey | 19U Platinum | 4 | Forward |
The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (AGHF) is excited to announce the release of the first KRACH rankings for the 2024-25 season. As teams hit the ice and competition heats up, the KRACH system offers a clear view of how teams are performing, based on both their win/loss record and the strength of their opponents.
KRACH, short for Ken’s Ratings for American College Hockey, is a statistical model that adjusts team rankings by factoring in not just wins and losses, but also the difficulty of a team’s schedule. This makes it one of the most balanced ways to measure team performance across divisions. A team’s KRACH ranking is essentially a multiplier of their win/loss ratio and their strength of schedule.
The AGHF KRACH rankings will be updated weekly, with new rankings available every Monday night at 5 pm. Teams and fans can view the full list of rankings on the AGHF Game Center. To learn more about how KRACH works, click [here].
Get Involved as a Score Reporter
Want to help ensure the most accurate and up-to-date scores are reflected in the rankings? You can become a score reporter or approver by visiting HockeyPowerRankings.com.
Stay tuned for the next update and keep following the AHF for more news, schedules, and highlights!
Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation Players of the Week is back for the 2024-25 season, starting with the week ending September 15, 2024! Each week, we spotlight standout players from across all divisions, selected from coach nominations.
New this season: Vote for the Peak Performer of the Week on our Instagram stories every Tuesday to Wednesday at noon!
10U Diamond Division: Nominating Coach: Dan Cramer
- Team: Jr. Flyers
- Player’s Name: Paige Cramer
- Jersey Number: 67
- Position: Defense
- Quote: Paige had a great weekend putting up 5 goals and shutting down the opposition on D to help her team secure their first win. Great job Paige!
10U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: Ryan Pickard
- Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Player’s Name: Aubrey Wood
- Jersey Number: 49
- Position: Goalie
- Quote: Despite the score, she kept her head in the game and continued to make big saves.
12U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: Hannah Abrams
- Team: Snider Hockey
- Player’s Name: Elishka Ledvon
- Jersey Number: 93
- Position: Center
- Quote: Not only did she score a hat trick, she also came to the bench after our 7-1 win to tell me how impressed she was with their team given that this is their inaugural season. Her sportsmanship so far this year is even more impressive than her success on paper.
14U Diamond Division: Nominating Coach: Nina Danforth
- Team: Stateline Hawks
- Player’s Name: June Kleiner
- Jersey Number: 7
- Position: Forward
- Quote: June’s dedication and hard work on the ice are evident in every game. She consistently drives hard to the net and creates scoring opportunities, both for herself and her teammates. Her relentless determination and impact on the game are remarkable. Keep up the great work, June!
14U Elite Division: Nominating Coach: John Ettore
- Team: Jr. Flyers
- Player’s Name: Madison Merrin
- Jersey Number: 93
- Position: Forward
- Quote: Madison had a great weekend and played an integral part in our success as a team this weekend. Along with being a great teammate and encouraging her teammates and celebrating her teammates’ successes, she brought a strong work ethic, positive attitude, and positive energy to the rink this weekend. She chipped in with 3 points, was a +4, was relentless on the forecheck, and played solid defensively.
16U Diamond Division: Nominating Coach: Sean O’Connor
- Team: MYHA
- Player’s Name: Gabriela Reyes
- Jersey Number: 98
- Position: Center
- Quote: Gabriela had back-to-back hat tricks to lead the Montgomery Ice Devils to back-to-back wins over the Junior Flyers this weekend.
16U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: Robert Katz
- Team: Skyland Lady Kings
- Player’s Name: Amanda Katz
- Jersey Number: 31
- Position: Goalie
- Quote: Amanda started playing hockey last year as a backup goalie for the Skyland Lady Kings. One year later, she is now the starting goalie for the 16U team. This weekend she basically stood on her head facing 90 shots in one game and stopped 81 of them, giving her a save percentage of .9. After the second period and 60 shots, she faced another 30 and held the team to only one additional goal.
19U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: Erik Ruff
- Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Player’s Name: Miranda Schoenberger
- Jersey Number: 22
- Position: Goalie
- Quote: Miranda made timely saves stopping 34 of 34 shots to hold off the Islanders team to help secure a shutout for her team.
16U Diamond Division: Nominating Coach: John Cacciatore
- Team: Team Long Island
- Player’s Name: Jessie Ogburn
- Jersey Number: 98
- Position: Wing
- Quote: Jessie had a solid weekend, making key contributions on both ends of the ice.
16U Platinum Division: Nominating Coach: James Pierson
- Team: Lehigh Valley Phantoms
- Player’s Name: Belle Wisner
- Jersey Number: 11
- Position: Forward
- Quote: In a spirited game with the Reston Raiders, Lehigh Valley Phantoms Girls U16 Forward, Belle Wisner, assisted her teammates 3 times before scoring the OT Game Winning Goal off of a beautiful pass from teammate Reilly McCann. Belle’s goal came shortly after assisting her teammate Carlee Emerick on the game tying goal with 1:22 left in the game. This was a memorable game for not only Belle, but the entirety of the LVPY Girls U16 Team who all deserve recognition for their resilience, persistence, and faith within themselves.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
All players nominated by a coach receive an Honorable Mention
Jessie Ogburn | Team Long Island | 16U Diamond | 98 | Wing |
Belle Wisner | Lehigh Valley Phantoms | 16U Platinum | 11 | Forward |
The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (AGHF) is excited to announce that the 2024-25 season will officially begin this weekend! Starting Saturday, September 7th, teams across the league will take to the ice for what promises to be an action-packed season of competitive girls’ hockey.
The very first game of the weekend will feature an exciting matchup in the 19U division as St. James (19U Elite) faces off against the Philadelphia Belles (19U Diamond). This highly anticipated game will take place at Hollydell Ice Arena and is set to start at 9:50 am on September 7th. Both teams are eager to showcase their skills and set the tone for a thrilling season ahead.
As the season unfolds, fans can stay up-to-date with all the latest action by visiting the AGHF Game Center, where scores, stats, and highlights will be updated regularly. Additionally, information about the various AGHF showcases happening throughout the season can be found on our website.
We look forward to another fantastic season of growth, development, and competition in the Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation. Let the games begin!
In a significant development for the girls’ hockey scene, the North Jersey Avalanche is set to make their debut in the Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (AGHF) for the upcoming 2024-25 season. This marks a historic milestone as the Avalanche, renowned for their nationally ranked hockey programs, venture into the realm of girls’ hockey for the first time.
Hailing from the bustling hockey hub of Hackensack, New Jersey, the Avalanche call the Ice House their home turf.
With close to 40 travel hockey teams across various levels, including both Tier I and Tier II, the Avalanche have firmly established themselves as a powerhouse in the hockey community. Their commitment to player development and their track record of success speak volumes about their dedication to the sport.
The decision to introduce a girls’ program within the North Jersey Avalanche organization reflects a growing recognition of the importance of inclusivity and diversity within the hockey landscape. By embracing girls’ hockey, the Avalanche not only expand their reach but also contribute to the overall growth and advancement of the sport.
The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation eagerly welcomes the North Jersey Avalanche into its ranks and looks forward to witnessing their impact on the league in the seasons to come. With their rich history and unwavering commitment to excellence, the Avalanche are sure to leave an indelible mark on the world of girls’ hockey.
About Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation
The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (“AGHF”) is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Elite Tier-II Youth Hockey League that facilitates games throughout the Mid-Atlantic for its club members and families. The AGHF provides high-quality league games and showcases for over 70 teams in the Mid-Atlantic uniquely catering to its member-owned clubs. The AGHF currently fields girls hockey programs at Platinum and Diamond divisions for the following age groups: the 10U, 12U, 14U (Diamond/Platinum), 16U (Diamond/Platinum), and 19U age levels. The AGHF is truly a unique opportunity as each of the Founders and Member clubs operate at all levels of girls’ hockey, making it a unique experience for all players.
The AGHF distinguishes itself with a full-time professional staff, live scoring, and extensive social media coverage, making it the ultimate choice for those seeking the best. With showcases, All-Stars, and Championships, the AGHF offers a complete experience for our members.
The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (AGHF) is thrilled to announce the inclusion of the Yale Jr. Bulldogs for the 2024-25 season. As one of the esteemed members of our federation, the Yale Jr. Bulldogs bring with them a rich tradition of excellence and a commitment to fostering the growth and development of young hockey players.
Northford Ice Pavilion is home to Yale Youth Hockey. The NIP is located in the town of Northford, CT. Their central location near New Haven and a short distance from NYC allows for easy access to their programs.
Founded on the principle of creating a hockey environment where young athletes can maximize their potential, the Yale Jr. Bulldogs are dedicated to providing players with the tools they need to succeed both on and off the ice. With a focus on skating, creativity, and the ability to think the game, the coaching staff at Yale Jr. Bulldogs understands that each player is unique and strives to tailor their approach to best suit the individual needs of every athlete.
About Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation
The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (“AGHF”) is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Elite Tier-II Youth Hockey League that facilitates games throughout the Mid-Atlantic for its club members and families. The AGHF provides high-quality league games and showcases for over 70 teams in the Mid-Atlantic uniquely catering to its member-owned clubs. The AGHF currently fields girls hockey programs at Platinum and Diamond divisions for the following age groups: the 10U, 12U, 14U (Diamond/Platinum), 16U (Diamond/Platinum), and 19U age levels. The AGHF is truly a unique opportunity as each of the Founders and Member clubs operate at all levels of girls’ hockey, making it a unique experience for all players.
The AGHF distinguishes itself with a full-time professional staff, live scoring, and extensive social media coverage, making it the ultimate choice for those seeking the best. With showcases, All-Stars, and Championships, the AGHF offers a complete experience for our members.
The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (AGHF) proudly unveils the latest addition to its roster for the 2024-25 season: Team Long Island. Formerly known as the Lady Islanders, this esteemed organization enters the fray with a renewed vigor and commitment to fostering the growth and development of girls’ hockey on Long Island.
Founded in 1992, Team Long Island stands as a beacon of excellence in the realm of girls’ hockey, operating as a 501c3 non-profit entity. Over the years, the organization has remained steadfast in its mission to provide a platform for girls of all ages to engage with the sport at various levels of competition.
About Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation
The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (“AGHF”) is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Elite Tier-II Youth Hockey League that facilitates games throughout the Mid-Atlantic for its club members and families. The AGHF provides high-quality league games and showcases for over 70 teams in the Mid-Atlantic uniquely catering to its member-owned clubs. The AGHF currently fields girls hockey programs at Platinum and Diamond divisions for the following age groups: the 10U, 12U, 14U (Diamond/Platinum), 16U (Diamond/Platinum), and 19U age levels. The AGHF is truly a unique opportunity as each of the Founders and Member clubs operate at all levels of girls’ hockey, making it a unique experience for all players.
The AGHF distinguishes itself with a full-time professional staff, live scoring, and extensive social media coverage, making it the ultimate choice for those seeking the best. With showcases, All-Stars, and Championships, the AGHF offers a complete experience for our members.
The Loudoun Knights added their first Girls Team during the 2023-2024 season and had overwhelming success and support. The 12U Girls Team competed in the top division of the CBHL (12U Gold) and went on to win the Playoff Championship to cap off a season that surpassed expectations. The momentum gained from this inaugural season has propelled the Knights to add a 14U team alongside their 12U Team.
The Loudoun Knights are thrilled to join the AGHF for the 2024-2025 season allowing their girls to play against different teams outside of our region, increase the level of competition, and give their players the opportunity to showcase their abilities on a broader scale. The Knights are committed to developing and expanding a premier girls program this upcoming season and beyond.
About Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation
The Atlantic Girls Hockey Federation (“AGHF”) is a USA Hockey Sanctioned Elite Tier-II Youth Hockey League that facilitates games throughout the Mid-Atlantic for its club members and families. The AGHF provides high-quality league games and showcases for over 70 teams in the Mid-Atlantic uniquely catering to its member-owned clubs. The AGHF currently fields girls hockey programs at Platinum and Diamond divisions for the following age groups: the 10U, 12U, 14U (Diamond/Platinum), 16U (Diamond/Platinum), and 19U age levels. The AGHF is truly a unique opportunity as each of the Founders and Member clubs operate at all levels of girls’ hockey, making it a unique experience for all players.
The AGHF distinguishes itself with a full-time professional staff, live scoring, and extensive social media coverage, making it the ultimate choice for those seeking the best. With showcases, All-Stars, and Championships, the AGHF offers a complete experience for our members.
Only woman to play NHL game honored at Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament
© Manon Rheaume
Editor’s note: The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament has been the premier youth hockey event in Canada since 1960, a steppingstone for many future NHL players, including Wayne Gretzky and Connor Bedard. NHL.com senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke went to Quebec earlier this month to check out the tournament and all that goes with it.
In the third of a four-part series, Roarke highlights Manon Rheaume’s visit to the tournament and the growth of girls hockey. (Part 1 | Part 2)
QUEBEC CITY — Nobody is more qualified than Manon Rheaume to explain the importance of having a girls division at the prestigious Quebec International Pee-Wee Tournament.
Rheaume, the only woman to play an NHL game and one of Canada’s most decorated women’s hockey players, was the first girl to play in this tournament, the goalie for her Quebec-based boys team in 1981.
She was the first woman to coach an all-girls team in the boys division here, and she was the first to coach in a Quebec final between two all-girls team in the boys division.
She returned to the tournament as a VIP during its first weekend this time around and dropped the puck for the featured girls game on Feb. 11. There, she saw the impact of her groundbreaking appearance from 40 years earlier.
“To go back this year, to drop the puck for that girls division, it’s absolutely amazing,” Rheaume said.
Instead of being a lone goalie lost in a sea of boys, Rheaume had 30-plus girls facing her from opposing blue lines, each an elite hockey player in her own right, looking back and smiling as Rheaume basked in a resounding ovation from an appreciative crowd at Videotron Centre, the primary rink for the tournament and the state-of-the art home of the Quebec Remparts of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League.
The Quebec tournament introduced a girls division last season, but for many of them on hand, such opportunities have become commonplace.
For current players, the struggles of previous generations are but a distant memory. They often do all the same things the boys do and that applies to the biggest pee-wee tournament in the world. The 12 teams in the Feminin Division are treated the same way as their peers from the boys BB, AA, Elite-AA and AAA divisions in the 120-team tournament.
It’s different for those who lived through the limited opportunities afforded girls and those who had to open — if not bust down — closed doors, like the 52-year-old Rheaume and Brooke Ammerman Reimer, the 33-year-old coach of the tournament champion team, the Atlantic Girls Select.
“It’s tremendous how many girls are playing and how many options there are now,” Ammerman Reimer said. “We’re seeing a huge boom. I know if I was a 9-, 10-, 11-year-old girl like them, I would love this opportunity.”
Ammerman Reimer had more limited opportunities growing up in New Jersey, where the Atlantic Select team is based. She and her younger sister, Brittany, played on boys teams as kids in the Garden State before each landed at the University of Wisconsin and with the United States national team program.
At Wisconsin, Ammerman Reimer had 215 points and won two national championships. She was member of the USA U-18 team and the U-22 team. She was invited to try out for the Olympic team in 2010 and 2014. She also scored the first goal in the history of the New York Riveters in the defunct National Women’s Hockey League.
“We had a lot of, I don’t want to call them dark days, but days where you’re training by ourselves and people don’t really know that girls can play ice hockey and you know, it’s kind of an in-between phase,” she said. “For these young girls, you kind of hope they grow up and they never have to think about that.”
Ammerman Reimer said she thought about all those trials and tribulations throughout the championship game earlier this month.
The lower bowl of Videotron Centre was packed, the crowd was knowledgeable and involved, providing a pulsating backdrop as the Atlantic Selects chased their championship dream against the Laval-Montreal Amazons.
The game was tied 0-0 after the first period, but Lauren Letts scored four straight goals around the game-opening and closing goals by Madeline Staffieri in a 6-0 win. Letts, who had 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in five games, was the first girl to lead the Quebec tournament in scoring.
“I wanted them to be proud, to really celebrate the victory because I mean, at least I know as an adult, how hard it is to win something like that,” Ammerman Reimer said.
Such opportunities are so important for this generation of girls, says Rheaume, who was the talk of the hockey world when she went to training camp with the Tampa Bay Lightning and played a preseason game in 1992.
Rheaume was the first woman to appear in a professional regular-season game when she played with the Atlanta Knights of the International Hockey League in 1992.
But opportunities were severely limited then, and Rheaume and some of her cohorts on each side of the border were blazing new trails and pushing the envelope when it came to the women’s game, first raising the ceiling and then busting right through it.
Now, there is a unified professional league for women, the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which is in its inaugural season with six teams across North America. The league has been playing to capacity crowds and rave reviews. The national teams in Canada and the United States are fully funded and allow elite players to train full-time. Other countries are catching up when the game is played internationally like at the World Championship and Olympics, tournaments in which Rheaume once represented Canada when participation was a part-time endeavor.
What’s happening now on the women’s side, starting with youth hockey, a seismic shift, she says.
Rheaume remembers taking a select girls team to the Quebec tournament as a coach. The roster was loaded. Kendall Coyne Schofield played on that team, as did Megan Bozek and Blake Bolden and Jordan Slavin, sister of Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin. Each went on to play for her country’s national team.
Bolden is a scout for the Los Angeles Kings. Coyne Schofield works for in the Chicago Blackhawks’ front office.
“Those girls didn’t have that dream to play professional hockey, you know?” Rheaume said of the elite players she coached. “I have two boys that their entire life, that’s what they wanted to do in hockey — play professionally. But now finally those young girls can have that dream.
“To play in this tournament for these new girls is great because it’s an experience of a lifetime. Blake Bolden and I talk about it all the time. She said, ‘Listen, I don’t remember one game we played. I remember all the other stuff we did. The billet family, going sledding, playing pond hockey when we didn’t have games, exchanging pins, all that stuff.’ Those are the moments that she remembered the most from the tournament, and me too.”
It’s progress that is not only important to the women who came first, but to the girl dads who have made their careers in hockey.
Eric Brewer played 1,009 regular-season games as a defenseman in the NHL from 1988-2015. But there he was as an assistant coach for the North Shore Winter Club, a British Columbia-based team for which his daughter Hadley played.
He was thrilled to have the opportunity to share this experience with Hadley and her friends.
“It’s incredibly important to have an even playing field,” he said, standing outside the dressing room after his team dropped a 3-2 shootout loss to a team from Switzerland. “It enhances their sporting life and their ability to translate into adults, just the same as the boys They’re super keen and super competitive. And it’s up to us, in this day and age, to provide those opportunities.”
Vincent Lecavalier, who played here as a 12-year-old in 1994, was back at the tournament as a coach this season, coaching the Elite-AA Florida Alliance on which his son Gabriel played. Lecavalier played 1,212 regular-season games in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004.
He knows this tournament was pivotal in his development as a hockey player and he knows it will be important in the development of his son, especially after the Alliance made it to the championship game before losing.
Now, young girls will have the same opportunity to begin chasing their hockey dreams here on the biggest pee-wee stage in the world and kickstart their development, he said.
“Girls hockey has grown, and you can see in the northeast [U.S.] and even in Canada, the level of play is pretty incredible,” Lecavalier said. “They had to do [add a girls bracket]. I’m happy for them and for the growth of it. It’s just going to get bigger and bigger, bigger and bigger.”
By Shawn P. Roarke @sroarke_nhl NHL.com Senior Director of Editorial