#4, December, 2022

Welcome to the mid-season edition of the Oakland Bears Community Newsletter. At the half-way mark, the season has been filled with close games and surprising results. In this edition, we profile 12BB Coach Grace, talk a bit about tournaments, and share a large selection of Bear Sightings.There are so many great videos to share thanks to the amateur videographers in the stands. If you're looking for a way to contribute to your team, all you need is a phone and a steady hand (or tripod) to get started. You can edit the video for a more polished look or upload it raw to Youtube.On a personal note, this is the first time I haven't coached my son's team. Recording his games and making the 12BB videos help keep me busy in the transition from "Coach" to "Dad" this season. The kids and coaches appreciate being able to go back and review highlight plays and blown calls, and the parents who can't make the game love watching a higher-quality video than LiveBarn. If you want to share tips or tricks, find me at a 12BB game or reach out here.My favorite video this month is the Mite Intermission highlight reel from the Cal Big Freeze game. Mites are always fun to watch and the crowd was incredible. I've never seen so many people in the stands. Be sure to check it out.Coming up soon is the Jordan H. Kocian Memorial tournament in Oakland on 12/31. Every year the Kocian family sponsors an end of year tournament in Oakland in honor of their son and former Oakland hockey player. It's a fun event during the holiday break.On to the updates!-Jason

The 25th Annual Jordan H. Kocian Memorial3-on-3 JamboreeSaturday, December 31st, 2022

• Open to 6U through 14U age players, House League through A skill level

• Teams consist of four skaters and one goalie

• Each game consists of three, eight-minute run time periods, played 3-on-3, cross ice.

• Three game guarantee per team

• Team fee is $250

• Registration deadline is Thursday, December 22nd, at 12:00pm

• Team contacts will be notified of schedule via email by the evening of Wednesday, December 28th

• Full registration includes fees paid, current USA Hockey membership numbers for all players and completed online registration.

• For more questions about the event, please contact [email protected]

Program Updates

Winter Day Camp - Week 1

Winter Day Camp - Week 2

Coach Profile

Grace Ramsey

Head Coach, 12UBB

Grace Ramsey is one of Oakland's longest-serving hockey coaches. She began teaching skating and hockey fundamentals in the 1-2-3 program seven years ago. In the last couple years Grace volunteered as a 10U travel team assistant coach. This season marks her first at the helm as a Head Coach.Born and raised in Oakland, Grace began playing hockey for the Bears at age 15. As she progressed through Midget, she focused on playing defense. She still remembers playing on the 18U mixed gender team that included seven women. It was a fun and competitive year. After ageing out of the Bears she joined another Oakland-based team called The Seals. The Seals was a womens team that played local qualifiers and made trips to both regional and national championship tournaments.As Head Coach of the 12BB team this season, Grace is pleased with how the season is progressing."The 12UBB players are strong. They have grit. They fight for every win.”She's proud of how the team handled their first loss last weekend. They self-identified areas where they played well and where they need to improve. Grace’s favorite moments with the team are when they hear what the coaches suggest, and then execute those suggestions.Providing opportunities for girls and young women to play hockey in Oakland is an important mission for Grace. She helped create the Oakland Girls Program with other female coaches. Unfortunately, the program was shuttered due to Covid-related enrollment issues. Grace has a goal to bring more girls and women to the program and to coaching. It's encouraging to see so many girls at nearly every level at the rink. Grace hopes the numbers continue to climb.Grace appreciates everyone who has helped get the program to this point, from former coaches, to the staff at OIC. She credits Coach Chi for helping her to build the confidence to become a head coach this year. She’s especially grateful to the staff at the pro shop, who continuously help her find gear for any kid who wants to play hockey, no matter their resources. She finds this kind of outreach paramount to building a strong program.When not coaching, Grace enjoys riding motorcycles and playing the drums. She credits hockey for her current love of international travel. She continues to play hockey tournaments with friends and former teammates, most recently competing in Las Vegas, Arizona, and Connecticut.Finally, Grace’s favorite ice cream flavor is Banana Oreo. Apparently, Cookie Bar in Oakland makes this heavenly delight.We are glad to have you, Grace!

Know the Rules

USA Hockey Rule 304 (f) Protective Equipment

All players, including goalkeepers, in the 12U and older age classifications must wear a colored (non-clear) mouthpiece. Warnings will be given for an initial violation. Misconduct penalties will be assessed for subsequent violations during the game.

Silver Stick Tournament

The

International Silver Stick

Tournament consists of regional tournaments in Canada and the US. Regional champions advance to represent their region at the International Finals typically held in Ontario, Canada or the Detroit metro-area.

Oakland sends teams every Thanksgiving to the the Pacific Regional in San Jose. This year's Bears teams represented at the 10A, 12B, 12BB, 14A and 14B level.

We congratulate our 10A and 12BB teams for playing in the Pacific Regional final. While neither team advanced, they put up a heck of a fight. 12BB lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds of the third period after successfully killing an exhausting 5-on-3 penalty. Final score 0-1.

Bear Sightings

Photos

• Olaf posing with 10B at Tahoe

• Bears 10A playing on the big ice at TechCU Arena

• Bears 12B vs California Heat at Silver Stick

• An exciting tie game at Silver Stick for the 14B team

• Mites at the Stockton Jamboree - Is that the Flying V?

Videos

• Mites Exhibition at the Big Freeze

• 10/16/22 - 10B vs Fresno Jr Monsters - Highlights

• 11/6/22 - 10A vs Jr Sharks 10-1

• 11/20/22 12BB vs Flyers

• Silver Stick Day 3 Highlights - 14A and 12BB

• 12BB Silver Stick Final vs Santa Clara Blackhawks

• 11/24/22 - 14B vs Black Stars

• 11/25-22 - 14B vs Blue Devils

• 11/25/22 - 14B vs Fresno Jr Monsters

• 11/26/22 14B vs Blackhawks

GOING TO THE NET

"Competing is about commitment to hard work, selfless play for your teammates, and really honoring the way the game is played." - Coach Gerrit van Bergen talks about Learning How to Win (and Lose) with Class and High Compete, in a recent Minnesota Hockey Article.