U.S. Women’s Hockey Team To Call Wesley Chapel Home

After a week of practicing and living in Wesley Chapel, the U.S. Women’s National hockey team has decided to move in.

USA Hockey announced on May 5 that the team will call the new Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) its home beginning in September, and leading right up to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

The 2017-18 U.S. Women’s National Team will move its headquarters to Wesley Chapel as it prepares to win gold at the upcoming Winter Games Feb. 9-25.

“This is a big deal for us,’’ says Gordie Zimmermann, FHCI’s general manager. “This is giving us international exposure, and it’s a great thing for our community.”

Zimmermann says Tampa Bay Lightning chairman and governor Jeff Vinik was one of many to congratulate him on winning the bidding rights to be the home for the woman’s team.

“He called to say this was a great thing for us, them being here,’’ Zimmermann says.

Jay Feaster, the former general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning and currently its executive director for community hockey development, says the upcoming U.S. team camp will be great for the area and even better for the growth of women’s hockey in Florida.

There is currently only one elite team for girls in the Tampa Bay area, which is based out of Lakeland.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for us in terms of trying to grow the women’s game at the youth level,’’ Feaster says. “The challenge is making young people aware of the game, and letting girls know that they can, in fact, play.”

Feaster said the Lightning will have a presence during U.S. training. The organization already has invested $6 million to grow the game through its “Build The Thunder” program, which visits hundreds of schools in the area and teaches students street hockey in order to introduce them to the game.

Now, Feaster says, that program will be able to incorporate successful, Olympic- and World Championship-winning women into the program to generate more interest among girls.

Feaster notes that the Lightning has been working on creating girls hockey leagues for aspiring players, and is hopeful of fielding an elite team to compete around the state later this summer.

“Our goal is to get it where you don’t have local, talented kids that feel like to get to a Division I scholarship or make it to the next level, they have to leave the state,’’ Feaster says. “To have this spotlight on us, it’s just a great opportunity for our female players.”

Feaster and Zimmermann both credit the efforts of Brett Strot in getting Team USA to make Wesley Chapel its home.

Strot is a longtime assistant coach with a number of the women’s national teams, and also is the head coach of the USPHL Tampa Bay Junior (Elite and Empire) hockey clubs that play out of FHCI.

Zimmermann says that a few other cities bid to host the women’s national team, but the combination of the weather, Saddlebrook Resort (where the players will stay) and FHCI’s multiple rinks and training facilities was too good for USA Hockey to pass up.

“It was just a really good fit,’’ Zimmermann says.

The announcement that the team would be based in Wesley Chapel came on the same day USA Hockey announced the 23 players named to the U.S. Women’s National  team in a ceremony at Amalie Arena, the downtown Tampa home of the Lightning, that was broadcast live on the NHL Network.

The selections came at the conclusion of a weeklong U.S. Women’s National Team Selection Camp that took place May 1-5 at FHCI, featuring 42 invited players and including a scrimmage that was open to the public.

Of the 23 players selected, 21 were on the team that recently defeated Canada to win the gold medal at the International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championships.

Also, 12 members of the new national team also were on the 2014 U.S. Women’s Olympic team that won the silver medal, after losing to Canada 3-2 in overtime (the first time the gold medal was decided in OT in women’s Olympic hockey). Eleven states are represented on the new roster, led by Minnesota (6), Massachusetts (4) and Wisconsin (3).

There are no Florida players on the team this year, but Zimmermann and Feaster both say they hope that someday, that will change.

“This is truly a team of elite athletes and great role models,” Feaster says. “Best of all, they win, too. There are two programs that are the preeminent women’s teams in the world, and that’s the U.S. and Canada (which has won the last four gold medals). Chances are, you’ll see them playing each other next year for the gold medal, too.”

Look for more stories about the U.S. Women’s Hockey Team in future issues of this publication and on WCNT-tv.

Drought Conditions Continue Following Flatwoods Brush Fire

Fueled by dry conditions and a recent lack of rain, three brush fires spread and burned more than 200 acres in Flatwoods Park between Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd., creating smoky conditions and temporarily shutting down parts of I-75 over the weekend of May 6-7.

The fires began near Fletcher Ave. and BBD Saturday afternoon, with heavy smoke forcing the closure of I-75 northbound between those two exits as Hillsborough County Fire Rescue (HCFR) fought to contain it.

The fires spread quickly from 20 acres to 200 acres, aided by high winds.

Flatwoods Park was evacuated and closed, although Hillsborough County Fire Rescue said no homes were threatened.

Around 8 p.m., after roughly six hours, Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) State Troopers reopened I-75, although advisories remained in effect for travelers due to the thick smoke from the fire.

In New Tampa, the smell of smoke was strong enough to keep many people indoors for parts of the weekend, while smoke resembling morning fog could still be seen near I-75, as travelers commuted on BBD.

The 5,000-acre Flatwoods Park, a popular local destination for biking and hiking, has ceased burning after HCFR spent hours pouring more than 30,000 gallons of water over the fire, part of a weekend effort that included the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), Tampa Police Department (TPD) and Florida Forestry Service (FFS) firefighters working in unison to slow the spread of the flames and keep the fire from endangering local residents.

Smoky conditions from the fire spread across much of the Tampa Bay area. The Lakeland Ledger reported that the smoky conditions spread to as far away as Lakeland and much of Polk County Saturday afternoon and evening.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

No matter how many firelines are dug, and no matter how much water is dumped over the spate of recent wildfires, the biggest helping hand would be rain. But, ongoing dry conditions and high winds are making things difficult for area firefighters.

New Tampa was fortunate that the Flatwoods Park fire was contained as quickly as it was. In other areas, like nearby Pasco County, a raging 2,200-acre wildfire continues to cause problems at Starkey Wilderness Park (between S.R. 52 and S.R. 54 near New Port Richey) and other smaller fires in the area have forced local schools to be shut down and caused multiple evacuations over the past few weeks. 

Sheriff’s Office Releases Pictures Of Mosque Fire Suspect

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is still searching for the person they say set fire to the New Tampa mosque Masjid Daarus Salaam, and released pictures from surveillance video Tuesday morning.

The video, recorded at approximately 2 a.m. on Feb. 24, captured a male subject entering the property of The Islamic Society of New Tampa on Morris Bridge Rd. just north of Cross Creek Blvd., on foot.

The subject. according to the HCSO, was carrying a large container and rope.  The subject moved to an exterior entry door located on the northeast side of the Mosque, where he fashioned the rope as a trailer to
the large container.

He was then seen attempting to ignite the rope, which was sprayed with an ignitable liquid accelerant and apparently set to act as a fuse. After the rope failed to sustain fire, the subject poured a trail of what appeared to be an ignitable liquid accelerant on the sidewalk and successfully ignited the sidewalk.

The fire, however, failed to effectively ignite the large container.  The subject then moved out of view of the camera. He was able to successfully ignite the large ignitable liquid accelerant container, which in turn caused damage to the Mosque.

The subject then fled toward Morris Bridge Rd. undetected.  Laboratory results confirmed gasoline was present at the fire scene.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the HCSO at 813-247-8200, or anyone with any information regarding the identity and whereabouts of the suspect and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using the HCSO P3 Tips Mobile application, which is a free download for iPhones, iPads and Droids.

You must call Crime Stoppers first to be eligible for a reward.

 

Arbor Greene Girl To Chase Hockey Dream In Elite Program In Pittsburgh

Lilly has taken some hard hits while playing with the Jr. Bulls boys travel teams that are based at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon.

Lilly Hartnell has been playing hockey for four years, and has evolved into one of the top players around while earning a reputation for her skills as a defender and proving she’s as hard-nosed as they come.

And yet, 14-year-old Lilly has never played a hockey game against girls.

That will change this summer, when Lilly reports to Pennsylvania to join the girls AAA team in the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite hockey program, one of the top youth hockey programs in the country.

“It’s going to be different,’’ she says.

Lilly, however, is ready.

Though she hasn’t been playing as long as many of her future teammates who start at much younger ages in the Midwest and Northeast, Lilly has been playing on the boys Jr. Bulls travel team out at the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon since she began.

One thing is for sure – she’s plenty tough enough. “When she was playing Pee Wee division (11-12 year olds), there was no hitting allowed,” said her mother, Valerie. “This one here, she’s so aggressive, she led the league in penalty minutes.”

She might just be the hardest-hitting freckle-faced, braces-wearing girl around. An Arbor Greene resident and eighth-grader at Terrace Community Middle School, Lilly’s story may be unique locally, but it’s not entirely uncommon. Because there is only one elite travel hockey team in the state — the Lady Vipers in Lakeland — there are few opportunities for girls players to hone their craft against other girls.

So, they do what Lilly does — play for boys travel teams, which is rare, or move north in search of better opportunities and competition.

Lilly has Division I-A college hockey aspirations, and knew she would eventually have to find a girls’ program to play for. Last summer, while competing at a Team USA developmental camp in Kent, OH, she made friends with a number of players who are in the Pittsburgh Penguins youth program. They encouraged her to apply for a tryout, and others suggested the St. Louis Blues and Dallas North Stars programs as well.

In April, Lilly got her tryout, along with 70 others. After the first two days, she anxiously checked her cell phone, hoping not to receive the dreaded “You did not make it” email.  After refreshing her screen, and those on her parents phone and laptop, “a few million times,” the email never came. Lilly had survived another cut from a field of 40, before playing herself into one of 16 spots on the team.

“It was nerve wracking,’’ she says. When she got the good news, her family celebrated in their hotel room with screams, hugs and tears.

That’s pretty heady stuff for a player with only four years of hockey experience, but succeeding on ice is in her blood.

Her father Sean and his twin brother Stacey, born in Kamloops, British Columbia, both played collegiately for Ohio State. Her grandmother was a figure skater who taught kids to skate for decades in Canada, and her grandfather owns a rink. And, her cousin, Scott Hartnell, is in his 16th NHL season as a left wing for the Columbus Blue Jackets after stints in Nashville and Philadelphia.

But, don’t ask Lilly her favorite hockey team — she says she has to like her cousin’s Blue Jackets, her hometown Tampa Bay Lightning, the Blackhawks (since she was born in Chicago) and the Penguins because she will be playing in their elite youth program.

“I’m a mash-up,’’ she says, laughing. 

While her three older sisters never expressed any interest in hockey — twins Lauren and Layne play college soccer at Division II West Liberty University in Wheeling, WV — Lilly asked to play when she was nine and instantly loved it.

“The second day I got off the skates, I told my dad I was going to be the best I could at this,’’ Lilly says.

Just a few months ago, Lilly thought for a moment she might be done with hockey. During a February travel game, Valerie says her daughter took an intentional cheap shot from a 6-foot-2, 200-pound opponent, sending Lilly into the boards and out of the rink on a stretcher.

“He literally tried to hurt me,’’ says Lilly, who is accepted and protected by her male teammates, she said, but occasionally, an opponent doesn’t take too kindly to being stopped by her on defense.

“I about had a heart attack,’’ Valerie says. “It was scary.”

Sean was coaching the team, and he rushed out to tend to Lilly, while an assistant coach immediately said to call for an ambulance. Her parents had decided last year that this spring would be Lilly’s last season, as the boys she played against had reached puberty and were growing bigger and stronger.

There is no open ice hitting allowed in the women’s game, although things can still get a little chippy when players get tangled up near the boards.

Like a true hockey player, though, Lilly returned to the ice a week later. She finished out the season with the Jr. Bulls, which ended in Nashville the first weekend in May, at a tournament.

Now, she impatiently is finishing out the school year while she waits for her golden opportunity in Pittsburgh. Lilly and her mother will soon start looking for an apartment, where they will stay for the upcoming Pens AAA season while keeping their home in Arbor Greene.

The schedule isn’t out yet, but last year’s AAA team opened the season with a Toronto-Boston-Vermont road trip, and also played games in Prague and Italy. Lilly doesn’t know what’s in store for 2017-18, but she can’t wait to find out.

She is confident this coming year will get her one step closer to her goal of playing collegiately at Ohio State, and then in the Olympics.

“I feel like this is definitely going to help me grow as a person and as a hockey player,’’ she says. “While I’m going to miss my teammates (at the Jr. Bulls), this is going to be great.”

Deputies Seeking Possible Shooters

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a white Hyundai Elantra with red rims in relation to Sunday’s shooting at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club.

The PCSO releases pictures of the vehicle Monday morning.

On person was shot and suffered non-life threatening injuries at QHG&CC, located at 6225 Old Pasco Road. Pasco sheriff’s deputies say there was a party at the club with about 500 guests, most of of them from outside Pasco County, when someone possibly fired gun shots.

A second person received a cut to their hand that appears to be unrelated to the shooting.

If you can identify the suspects or the automobile, call 1-800-706-2488, or leave a tip on the PCSO website at pascosheriff.com.