Zolnierczyk's blog, Alberni Golf Update - Men's Night, Family Day, Rotary's Golf FORE Kids!

Former Bulldog Harry Zolnierczyk has been blogging during the Stanley Cup Final - check it out on NHL.com by clicking HERE

I'm always quite hesitant to tell a Coach how to .... Coach.... especially when the Coach in question has won one of those Stanley Cup things... but hey Mr. Laviolette, down 2-0 in the series, maybe you should consider putting Harry back in the line up for Game 3?

Just a thought.

A sizable update on all the things happening at the Alberni Golf Club - tonight is Men's Night, which is a 6:00pm shot gun start.

A great time, a great meal and always fantastic prizes! Call the Proshop to sign up at 250-723-5422.

Sunday is Family Golf Day - there's a lesson scheduled for 3:00pm, and a 4:00pm Shot gun start for 9 fun holes. It's free for those 16 and under and $20 for adults with complimentary refreshments and a BBQ to follow. Read below for more details on this fantastic idea!



Media Release – FAMILY GOLF


The Alberni Golf Club is holding a special Family Golf Day on Sunday June 4th.
For this event youth 16 and under will golf free, if they are accompanied by an adult golfer. For the adult the cost will be $20 for 9 holes.

Youth participants will receive a golf clinic, a tee gift, use of the practice facilities and balls. For those youth who don’t have golf clubs there will be some clubs available for use. Register by calling 250 723-5422 or arrive at 2:45 pm, register, then take part in the golf clinic from 3:00 to 4:00. At 4 pm there will be a shot gun start for a fun 9 Hole golf event. This will be followed by a hot dog BBQ at 6:15 compliments of Save-On-Foods and the awarding of a few fun prizes.

This year the Alberni Golf Club has created a special program to encourage youth play. Young golfers 11 and under will be able to golf FREE, while those 12 to 16 will only pay $5.00, as long as they are accompanied by a parent or grandparent.

More young children are taking up the game of golf than ever before. The National Golf Association reported an 18.5 % increase in participation while the Sport and Fitness Industry Association reported a 9% decrease in overall youth participation in the other major youth sports. Although these are US statistics I would suggest that Canadian statistics are not much different.

I think one can contribute these increases to family golf and to the moves golf clubs and golf associations have made to make golf more affordable. The Northern California Golf Association adopted a policy that on all their courses Kids up to 18 can play for $5. This program has now been adopted by 12 other Golf Associations throughout the US.

The Alberni Golf Cub has also incorporated a variety of tee boxes that will allow younger golfers to play from an appropriate distances for their strength and skill levels. Golf should be fun, so one wants to play from a distance where you can reach the green in the number of strokes applicable to the hole. Thus on a par three one should be able to hit the ball far enough to reach the green with one shot, a par 4 would take 2 shots and a par 5 3 shots. With the 2 putts one should take on each hole one would then be playing par golf. That is fun!

With these changes in the cost for youth, we are also hoping more families will come and enjoy the game of golf. Our club has open time in late afternoon and early evenings as well as on many Saturday and Sunday evenings.

One final update - speaking of the kids, why not sign up for Rotary's Golf FORE Kids! Sounds fun!

Hammer

Matt Hughes on THE PEAK 8:10 tomorrow. Evin, Ward move on

It's been a long time coming, but I'm happy to be able to get an Interview for you with new Head Coach Matt Hughes tomorrow on 93.3 The Peak FM at approximately 8:10am.

Please accept my apologies that it took so long. Just unfortunate timing, as the day his hiring was announced I headed out of the country on holidays. As I returned on Monday, Matt was out of the country and travelling back. He wasn't on holidays however, but a scouting mission instead.

If you missed the news on The Peak this morning, the Bulldogs are now looking for a new Assistant Coach and Athletic Trainer/Therapist with both Alex Evin and JT Ward submitting their letters of resignation. Evin has accepted a position as Associate Coach with the Prince George Spruce Kings, filling a vacancy left by the resignation of Head Coach Chad Van Dieman at the end of the season. JT Ward is also pursuing further opportunities.

As always, it's tough to see friends move on, especially quality people and solid professionals like Alex and JT. Both of them gave their all to the team and the community, and I wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours.

I'll especially miss my repeated triumphs over Alex in our season long Gin Rummy battles on the Ferry!

Hammer

Bulldogs name Matt Hughes as Head Coach and GM

It wouldn't be a holiday for me if there wasn't some big Bulldog news happening...just seems to always be the way it works out. Here I am on night one of my hiatus, and I'm digging out the laptop and doin' some Blogging, but I'm happy to do it to get the word out.

Accept my apologies - I'll do my best when I'm back in the country to get an interview with Matt on 93.3 The Peak, and here on the blog.

Welcome to the team and the community Matt! Sounds like he's hitting the ground running, so say the least!

Hammer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 2, 2017

BULLDOGS SIGN MATT HUGHES TO 2-YEAR DEAL AS HEAD COACH AND GM

Port Alberni – The Port Alberni Junior Hockey Society and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs hockey club are pleased to announce that they have hired Mr. Matt Hughes as Head Coach and General Manager of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. It is a 2-year agreement with an option for a 1-year renewal.

Matt comes to the Bulldogs from the highly respected Pursuit of Excellence hockey academy in Kelowna BC where he was the Head Coach of the U18 Midget Prep team. Pursuit’s emphasis on hockey development, academic excellence and community service deemed Matt an excellent fit for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs core beliefs. Matt has helped more than 30 of his past players obtain NCAA Division 1 Scholarships.

“Our search for a new head coach saw an overwhelming amount of interest in the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.” says Port Alberni Junior Hockey Society President Ron Paulson. “It speaks volumes to the reputation of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs franchise, and the reputation of the BCHL.” Over 100 resumes were received for the Bulldogs Head Coach/GM position.

Prior to the Pursuit of Excellence academy, Matt spent 11 years coaching competitive junior hockey in the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), North American Hockey league (NAHL), and BCHL. Matt coached the AJHL Grande Prairie Storm as Assistant Coach, Head Coach and General Manager from 2012 to 2014. Matt also served as Assistant Coach and Assistant GM of the NAHL Dawson Creek Rage from 2010 to 2012. Prior to the Rage, Matt served as Head Coach and Assistant GM of the BCHL Salmon Arm Silverbacks.

In 2008 & 2009 Matt was the Assistant Coach and Video Coach for the Hockey Canada World U17 program, winning Silver in 2009 and helping develop young player such as Ryan Nugent Hopkins, Mark Pysyk, and Brendan Gallagher. Matt’s career started in 2003 with coaching stints with the KIJHL Summerland Kings, Columbia Valley Rockies and the BCHL Quesnel Millionaires.

"I would like to thank the Bulldogs organization for this opportunity. The Alberni Valley is an amazing community with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic fan base.” said Matt. “I'm looking forward to the work we have ahead of us."

Matt starts work immediately, recruiting for the 2017/18 season. He will be overseeing the Bulldogs Osoyoos spring identification camp along with Assistant Coach Alex Evin and the rest of the Alberni Valley Bulldogs scouting staff. Matt’s also burning up the phone lines contacting his network of players and scouts, identifying new players and key prospects. For more information, please contact: Ron Paulson