About Project Hope

Cultural Exchange

By working closely with local and provincial officials in the cities of Harbin and Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, China, the New York Islanders have embarked upon an un-precedented multi-faceted educations iniviative that will undoubtedly change the lives of young athletes forever: The Charles B. Wang Ice Hockey Project Hope

The ultimate goal of Project Hope is simple: To provide young Chinese athletes with access to educational opportunities.

Project Hope will endeavor to create opportunities for cultural exchange through international youth hockey events and by promoting Project Hope scholarship placements in the United States

Learning the Language

Project Hope begins by enrolling Chinese scholar-athletes in New York Islanders-affiliated youth hockey programs in and around Heilongjiang Province. Once enrolled, the students must study English as part of their regular curriculum with a goal of achieving fluency in both written and conversational english.

To demonstrate a developing English language competency, students will undergo age appropriate assesments/examinations on a regular basis. Once the students have achieved fluency, they will be eligible to apply for a Project Hope scholarship to continue their education at a high school in the United States.

2009 Lighthouse International Tournament Blog

The Hockey World Comes Together

The Second Annual Lighthouse International Hockey Tournament, sponsored by Modell’s Sporting Goods, KyLinTV and Marriott, features teams from China, Japan, Finland, Long Island and New York City. Keep track of up-to-date scores and commentary from the Lighthouse International Tournament participants by checking back frequently to this blog.

Check out photo galleries from the 2009 Lighthouse Tournament...

DAY 4

VISIT TO NEW YORK CITY

Posted By: Kailji Takaoka, Japanese goalie
Posted On: Sunday, February 22 at 5:22 pm

This was my first time in New York City. I live in Tokyo, so I'm used to a big city, but New York has even more buildings. We skated at Wollman Rink today and then took a driving tour of the City. We passed by Times Square and Madison Square Garden. There are so many sights in the city. I hope to one day to become an engineer.

We are starting to get along with the kids from other teams. The kids from Finland speak some English, so we communicate with them. This has been a fun experience.

SKATING OUTSIDE

Posted By: Roni Olin, Team Finland player
Posted On: Sunday, February 22 at 5:02 pm

Being able to skate outside today was like some rinks we have back home. It was rainy, but we still had fun. We had all the teams from China and Finland with us. When we got back, we went to a place and played video games. Also, we got to go to a store called Modell's and buy some sports equipment and clothes. I'm looking forward to the Friendship games tomorrow when we play with the other teams.

DAY 3

HOCKEY BREAKS ALL BARRIERS

Posted By: Joe Trimarchi, Nassau coach
Posted On: Saturday, February 21 at 5:32 pm

The tournament this week showed how international hockey is. There is no language barrier. Kids want to have fun out there whether they’re playing China, Japan, the United States or Finland. When it comes down to it, they’re just kids at heart playing a game. It’s really great the experience the New York Islanders gave to us. It’s great for the community and hockey in general. It’s something the kids should cherish for a lifetime because I know I will.

Youth is universal. Kids just know how to communicate through sports. Even with the language barrier they know how to get through to one another. I wish I were their age to experience that. When it comes down to hockey, it’s just kids having fun. It was a great weekend and great time in China and I thank the New York Islanders for giving us that opportunity.

QIQIHAR WINS TOURNAMENT

Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: Saturday, February 21 at 4:31 pm

Qiqihar won the 2nd Annual Lighthouse International Tournament with a exciting 1-0 victory over Nassau. Liu Qing scored the lone goal and Xui Wen Hao pitched the shutout. Qiqihar finished the tournament 4-0, while Nassau was an impressive 3-1.

Following the game, Islanders GM Garth Snow and Team President Chris Dey presented medals to Qiqihar and Nassau.

After the medal ceremony, coaches from each of the teams had the opportunity to meet Islanders Head Coach Scott Gordon before his Islanders host the New Jersey Devils.

MY FIRST SHOOTOUT

Posted By: John O’Brien, Jr., New York City player
Posted On: Saturday, February 21 at 4:18 pm

This was my first shootout in a real game. I was scared and nervous before I shot. However, I did think about my move before I shot. I learned from the previous shooters that their goalie tried to pokecheck, so you had to deke towards the boards and get far out.

On the bench we were all really nervous, but Dom kept us in it. It was pretty unbelievable. After they tied it up, we said we needed to pick it up. We knew we needed to win the game.

The tournament was awesome, especially ending it with a shootout win. We’ve been talking to a lot of the kids in between games. We were talking to China yesterday, so it’s been fun.

I WAS SO NERVOUS

Posted By: Dominick Grisanzio, New York City goalie
Posted On: Saturday, February 21 at 4:11 pm

It was very exciting to win in the shootout. I was so nervous because this was my first shootout in a game. I had only been in them in practice. My coach just told me to watch my angles. So after the first one went in, I tried to cut down my angles a little more and it worked. I told the shooters to go for the corners and do a lot of fakes and deke the goalie out. All of my teammates played a really good game and I’m very happy.

This was an unbelievable tournament. I really like meeting new people on different teams. Playing at the Nassau Coliseum was amazing.

A LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Posted By: Lu Long Jin, Harbin player
Posted On: Saturday, February 21 at 4:02 pm

The Japanese passed and received passes very well. The China and Japan rivalry is big from all sports. Every time they play it is intense. The toughest team we played was Nassau because they have three good lines. I learned a lot from this tournament because I watched the other goalies and how they positioned themselves. 3:45 pm

WE WOULD LOVE TO COME BACK

Posted By: Takehiko Kusajima, Japan Coach
Posted On: Saturday, February 21 at 3:45 pm

This tournament was more than just about wins and losses. The kids had a great experience communicating with the other teams. The cultural experience was very valuable. We would love to come back next year.

This was the first international experience for many of these kids. Not many kids have a chance to participate in an international match. That will influence the kids back home who never experience such a tournament. These kids will be the pioneers.

NYC TAKES THIRD, HARBIN PLACES FIFTH

Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: Saturday, February 21 at 3:21 pm

Two exciting games have taken place so far in the Medal Round at the Nassau Coliseum. In the fifth place-game Harbin came from 2-0 down to defeat Japan 8-4. Harbin finished the tournament 3-1.

Immediately following the fifth-place game was arguably the most exciting game of the tournament. Down 2-0, Ilves scored two third-period goals to tie the third-place game against New York City. The kids from New York were awarded a power play at the end of the third and came close to scoring, hitting a crossbar in the final minute.

An exciting overtime period yielded no goals as the game went into a shootout. After three rounds with six players scoring, the Finns finally missed. John O'Brien Jr scored in the fourth round to take the game 3-2. Goaltender Dominick Grisanzio won the game for New York City.

The first-place game between Qiqihar and Nassau is underway.

WE MET YI JIANLIAN

Posted By: JDeng Ze Min, Qiqihar player
Posted On: Friday, February 20 at 11:31 pm

This was the first basketball game I've seen. It is pretty cool, especially to see Yi play. It must have been very tough for him to make it. I like basketball, but I like hockey better. You have to be tough to play hockey. It was also cool to meet Yi after the game. I got his autograph and took a picture with him.

QIQIHAR AND NASSAU IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: Friday, February 20 at 5:30 pm

Saturday’s Medal Round at the Nassau Coliseum is set. Nassau will take on Qiqihar in the Championship game at 3 pm.

The morning session at Islanders Iceworks on Friday yielded a 6-0 win for Nassau over Team Finland and a 4-0 win by Ilves over Japan.

Later in the day, two of the most exciting games of the tournament took place at Cantiague Park in Hicksville. First, in a matchup that decided who would face Nassau in the Championship game, Qiqihar defeated New York City 3-1, including an empty-net goal. Down 2-0, New York scored late in the third period and threatened with their goalie pulled. Qiqihar held on to earn the right to compete for the championship.

In the final preliminary-round game, Harbin squeaked out a 4-3 victory over Suffolk. Harbin scored late in the third period to break a 3-3 tie.

The third-place game will be decided between Ilves and New York City at 2 pm, while Harbin and Japan will kick off Saturday’s schedule with the fifth-place game at 1 pm.

All eight teams will participate in a medal ceremony at 4 pm and be in attendance for the three scheduled games.

Below is the complete schedule for Saturday.

Nassau Coliseum
1 pm – Harbin vs. Japan
2 pm – Ilves vs. New York City
3 pm – Qiqihar vs. Nassau
4 pm – Award Ceremony

THE TEAM HAS IMPROVED

Posted By: Hou Wen Xi, Qiqihar Coach
Posted On: Friday, February 20 at 4:25 pm

This time everything has improved--our skill and our practicing. Now we feel we can compete with the American teams. Our team feels pretty good. We are getting better and better. When we go back, we will be encouraged to work even harder.

FRIENDS OFF THE ICE

Posted By: Teng Jin Long, Harbin player
Posted On: Friday, February 20 at 4:05 pm
It’s been really fun because of the hockey and staying in the hotel. It’s fun to play other countries because we don’t get to do that in our country. The kids in the US are better than the kids we face in China. I like that competition.

We are opponents on the ice with the other teams, but off the ice we are friends. We want to learn English better so we can talk to the other kids better. We’re looking forward to the basketball game tonight. I’ve only watched it on TV at home.

DAY 2

ACCURACY SHOOTING

Posted By: Roni Olin, Team Finland player (accuracy shooting winner)
Posted On: Friday, February 20 at 11:45 am

The skills competition was fun. Even though I won the accuracy contest I don't work on my shot that much. I like shooting low, but I hit them all today. It's been fun playing all the teams. The Islanders/Rangers game was fun. The best part was seeing the goals. Today we are going to an NBA game. It will be my first basketball game and I'm very excited.

SKILLS COMPETITION RESULTS

Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: Friday, February 20 at 11:31 am

On Friday morning, the Finnish and Japanese teams took part in a friendly skills competition. The Chinese teams will do the same on Monday. The three teams each had a winner in three categoriesfastest skater, accuracy shooting and a breakaway contest.

Below are the results from the skills competition.

Fastest Skater
Team Finland Markus Petaja
Ilves Tomi Hellsten
Japan Yuki Miura

Accuracy Shooting
Team Finland Roni Olin
Ilves Jenna Suokko
Japan Nanako Arai

Breakaway Competition
Team Finland Matias Vallius
Ilves Jenna Suokko
Japan Kengo Miwa

SCORES FROM DAY 2

Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: Friday, February 20 at 11:25 am

The morning session at Islanders Iceworks yielded a win for Nassau over Team Finland and a win by Ilves over Japan. Nassau's win puts them at a perfect 3-0, while Ilves improved to 2-1.

Later today at Cantiague Park, New York City takes on Qiqihar. Both teams are 2-0. The final game pits Suffolk versus Harbin. Suffolk is 0-2, while Harbin is 1-1.

Nassau will play the winner of New York City and Qiqihar in the final, Saturday at the Nassau Coliseum.


INTO THE FINALS

Posted By: Michael Walker, Nassau player
Posted On: Friday, February 20 at 10:30 am

It's been good so far. We're 3-0, so we're going to play the New York City team or Qiqihar in the final. Their game is at 1 pm and the winner of that game determines who we play. We beat Finland, Japan and Harbin, so it's been good. We're scoring a lot of goals and finding each other on the ice.

I'm pretty excited to play at the Coliseum. That's going to be a good experience. It's been fun playing teams from other countries. You see how good other countries are.

Yesterday we had two hours in between games and hung out at the Marriott. After our second game we went to the Marriott again and ate food with the Chinese teams and Finland. We were talking to the Harbin team. They're nice. It's fun to try and find out what they're saying. You just have to guess sometimes.

For this tournament you want to be competitive, but not so competitive that you get into fights. You don't want to do that because we know we're all trying to have fun. Sometimes if you get too competitive you have to stop yourself before you do anything stupid.


DAY 1

THE FLAG CEREMONY

Posted By: Matt Hanley, Team Nassau player
Posted On: Thursday, February 19 at 8:11 pm

I just took out the flag during the National Anthem before the game. It was especially hard because not everyone in the tournament speaks English, so you had to tell the translator, who then had to tell the kid. It took a while, but we got it in the end.

It was really good being in front of so many people. It’s cool having everybody looking at you and it’s cool being on the same ice as Bill Guerin, Eric Staal and all those good players. It was tough waving the flag because I’m not that tall, so I had to hold it over my head.

It was a great first day. We went 2-0, so we did pretty good. It was really fun meeting new kids. It’s hard to communicate with the kids who don’t speak English, but we tried to learn some words. I learned how to say “thank you” in Japan.

SCORES FROM DAY 1

Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 5:33 pm

The first day of the tournament saw Qiqihar from China, Nassau and New York City come away with a 2-0 record. Each team will play three games in the preliminary round, with the medal round taking place on Saturday at the Nassau Coliseum.

Below are all of the results from Thursday.

Iceworks
9:00 am: Harbin (2) vs. Nassau (8)
10:00 am: Qiqihar (11) vs. Finland (1)
11:00 am: Suffolk (3) vs. Ilves (5)
12:00 pm: Nassau (8) vs. Japan (0)
1:00 pm: NYC (3) vs. Suffolk (1)
Coliseum
1:00 pm Finland (1) vs. Harbin (10)
2:00 pm Qiqihar (9) vs. Ilves (2)
3:00 pm: Japan (1) vs. NYC (7)

A WHOLE NEW EXPERIENCE
Posted By: John O’Brien, Jr., Team New York City player
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 4:32 pm

We’re really excited to play against teams from other countries. We had the chance to play against a team from Japan, which was really fun. This is a whole new experience. It was also really cool to have NY1 interview is. We were talking to the Tokyo kids a little before the game and they seem cool.

FRIENSHIP AND SPORTSMANSHIP

Posted By: John O’Brien, Team New York City coach
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 4:22 pm

It’s unbelievable being a part of this tournament. The kids are having a ball already. They’ve been excited all week. We had NY1 news come to our practice this morning to interview the kids. It’s been a big event. They’re really excited.

We’re all here to have fun. I just want to make sure we see sportsmanship. If we come out and work hard, and we lose or win, it doesn’t matter as long as we had a good time. The score is really irrelevant.

Our kids have already been trying to talk to kids from the other countries. It’s great to see them wanting to make friends with the other teams.

THE GOAL IS TO HAVE FUN

Posted By: Billy Seeger, Suffolk Team coach
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 3:13 pm

Most of these kids on our team have never played together, so you just get them into the locker room and have them relax. The most important thing for them is to have fun. Not many of these kids will have the opportunity to participate in tournament of this magnitude, so they really want to embrace it and have as much fun as they can.

I don’t think some of these kids even know there is hockey in China. It’s exciting for these kids to play teams from all over the world and also other local teams.

For me, any time I can coach, it’s fun. I love to see the kids learn and develop their skills. We just played the Finnish team and I thought they moved the puck extremely well. I wonder how the coaches prepare their practices because they’re really adept at moving the puck.

IT’S ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE

Posted By: Taka Shirai, Team Japan coach
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 3:03 pm

Our children have been very excited. For most of them, this is the first time in America. They’re definitely excited to play against other countries and to watch the Islanders play tonight. Hopefully, it’s going to a great week. We don’t care about winning or losing, it’s all about the experience. It’s been great so far.

HOCKEY BRINGS EVERYONE TOGETHER

Posted By: Drew Torrey, Suffolk Team player
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 2:13 pm

So far I've enjoyed playing the international teams. The Finnish team moved the puck well and had a good transition game. This isn't just another tournament for us, it's special because we're playing against teams from other countries. It's kind of different playing against the kids from other countries because they're speaking to each other in different languages. It's a little distracting.

It's going to be special to play on the Coliseum ice because I'll see my grandfather's banner up in the rafters. But you just have to stay focused and stick to your game.

I want to see if I can get a jersey from one of the other teams. The Finnish team had some cool ones. I haven't spoken to kids from the other teams yet, but I'm sure it will be okay. It's hockey, so it brings everyone together.



THE NHL GAME WAS COOL

Posted By: Teemu Salminen, Ilves player
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 1:02 pm


It's a little different playing here; everything from the rink to the ice. It's hard to explain. But we're looking forward to playing everyone this week. I was really excited about coming to America.

I went to my first NHL game last night and it was really cool. I got to see Sean Bergenheim play. His fight was the best part of the game. But my favorite team is the Washington Capitals because of Alexander Ovechkin.

A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY

Posted By: Tero Salonen, Ilves coach
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 1:13 pm


The kids were very excited for this trip. The styles of play are a little different between the Finnish and American kids, but the skill is very similar. I told the boys before the game to just enjoy it and have fun.

When I was the kids' age, I didn't have the chance to come to America and see NHL games. I told them that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to play here and see the NHL games.

SOME EARLY SCORES

Posted By: Jason Lockhart, Website/Publications Coordinator
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 12:30 pm

The Lighthouse International Tournament is underway. In the first matchup of the day at Islanders Iceworks in Syosset, Team Nassau defeated Harbin from China by the score of 8-2. In the second game, Qiqihar from China, defeated Team Finland 11-1. Liu Qing recorded five goals in the game. In the final game in the morning, Ilves from Finland won a hard-fought 5-3 battle over Team Suffolk. Teemu Salminen scored two goals for Ilves.

Nassau defeated Japan 8-0, while New York City knocked off Suffolk 3-1 in the closest game of the tournament yet.

Each team will play three games in the preliminary round, with the medal round taking place on Saturday at the Nassau Coliseum.

Below is the rest of the schedule for today.

Thursday, February 19 Iceworks
12:00 pm: Nassau vs. Japan
1:00 pm: NYC vs. Suffolk
3:00 pm: Japan vs. NYC

Thursday, February 19 Coliseum
1:00 pm Ilves 2 vs. Harbin
2:00 pm Qiqihar vs. Ilves 1

RE-PAYING A FAVOR

Posted By: Mark LaMarr, Team Nassau Head Coach
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 10:22 am


Hopefully in the next couple of days we'll be able to re-pay the favor the Chinese did for us in China. It's great to see some of the people we met over there. It's nice to see the coaches and dignitaries from China. We welcome them with open arms and hope they enjoy their stay. If there's anything we can do to help make their trip better, we will.

Our goal is to put out a competitive product and compete with the talent out here. We want the kids to experience the game of hockey and all the different cultures.

Our team has been pretty excited about playing. We've had a couple of practices the last couple of nights. A lot of the kids couldn't wait to see how the teams from the other countries played.



A GREAT TIME IN CHINA

Posted By: Kevin Kimmons, Team Nassau player
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 10:15 am

I had a great time going to China with my team a few months ago. First getting off the plane, everything was different. It was weird being around so many people who didn't speak your language. The Finnish kids were speaking Finnish and the Chinese kids were speaking Chinese. It was a huge mix of different cultures. But overall it was really good.

We got a chance to meet a couple of the Chinese kids. We got to know the Finnish kids a lot better because we were at the same hotel. We would hang out with them a lot in the lobby. They take English there like we take Spanish here. It wasn't too hard communicating with them.

The first game today was pretty good. Our team is pretty good here. This was the same Harbin team that we played in China, so I knew them pretty well.



RECONNECTING WITH KIDS FROM CHINA

Posted By: Kevin Greaney, Team Nassau player
Posted On: Thursday, February 19, 10:02 am

It's easier to play at Iceworks than outdoors in China. The ice here is less choppyit's perfect. The Islanders practice here, so it's like a pro rink. The Chinese teams like to skate more and do less shooting. Over here we do more shooting and stickhandling. But they mostly focus on skating.

I'm looking forward to interacting with the kids from China, particularly the Finnish kids. I hope they remember me. This will be my first time playing against a team from Japan.

*****
TEAMS ARRIVE

MAKING A CONNECTION

Posted By: Dan Bedard, Director of Amateur Hockey Development
Posted On: Wednesday, February 18, 10:12 pm

We hope this experience makes our cultures closer. For the Chinese team to be able to go and see a New Jersey Nets game on Friday, they’ll have a better connection to the sport and maybe follow it a little more. This experience may bring them back for business. Hopefully, they’ll also make some friends. Our kids who went to China are looking forward to watching the teams from Harbin and Qiqihar compete and re-connecting with them. They’ve been exchanging e-mails and they would love to come and support them and our local teams.


MY FIRST TIME IN NEW YORK

Posted By: Jenna Sukku, Finnish Team Participant
Posted On: Wednesday, February 18, 9:30 pm

We flew out of Helsinki yesterday. The flight took eight hours. Our town of Ilves is two hours from Helsinki. I’m really excited to be here, since this is my first time in New York. I’m excited about the hockey games, and also the shopping. This will be my first time playing against teams from other countries.


BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS

Posted By: Min Song, Harbin (China) Coach
Posted On: Wednesday, February 18, 9:05 pm


This is my third time here. We want to share our way of playing hockey with the other teams and also learn from them as well. We are very excited about all of the upcoming games. This is our first time playing against Japan. Some of the kids have already been here and many of them are focused on building friendships with players from the other teams. We want to share our ideas with our counterparts from other countries.


A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR KIDS

Posted By: Takehiko Kusajima, Japan Coach
Posted On: Wednesday, February 18, 7:13 pm


It’s a great honor to be invited to this tournament. We understand we’re the first team from Japan to participate in this tournament. Our teams consist of players from four teams in Tokyo. We’re looking forward to the games. The coaches for Japan all played hockey together at Waseda University in Japan. This is a great opportunity for our kids to watch National Hockey League games and be exposed to the crowds. They also have the chance to engage kids from other countries. The boys are jetlagged and getting some rest today so they will be fully prepared for tomorrow.