Hello Midcoast Youth Hockey community!
We are pleased to announce that we are able to offer another season of our free Learn to Play Hockey program! Despite the challenges, we feel that we are able to provide this program to the newest skaters in our community in a safe manner. All of our coaches are currently coaching at other levels and are well aware of the the latest COVID protocols that are required by local authorities and our rink partners. These protocols include:
- Masks are to be worn by all players, coaches and other families at all times whether on the ice or off.
- Social distancing is required at all times in the parking lot, the area surrounding the rink and on the ice when possible.We have limited the number of skaters on the ice at any given time in order to minimize crowding.
- Water bottles will not be provided.If water is needed, bottles must be provided by each skater with their name clearly marked.
- Sharing of equipment is prohibited.
- Coaches are encouraged to minimize contact with players, but we understand that beginning skaters often need assistance, so some contact may occur.
- If a skater, coach or family member is sick, please refrain from attending practice!
At this time, but subject to change, all LTPH practices will be Sunday morning between 9 and 12. Dependent on weather, we are expecting that this session will be 6 weeks, starting Sunday 1/24. Upon registration, each skater will be assigned to a group with a specific coach or two and be allocated 45 – 60 mins of skating per week.
Skaters from 4 to 8 years old are recommended for this program, but we are able to accommodate older skaters on a case by case basis. In order to minimize crowding, space will be limited, so please do not hesitate to register. A reminder for those not familiar with the registration process – please register on USA Hockey prior to registering on our website. Note that there is a USA Hockey & MEAHA fee for players born prior to 2014.
Full equipment (https://www.midcoasthockey.org/page/show/514884-equipment-requirements) is required. Jerseys will be provided and must be returned at the conclusion of the season.
Please let us know if you have any questions and we’re looking forward to seeing you at the rink!
As we begin skating this week at The Rink at Thompson's Point, players will be required to sign and turn in a Release of Liability. You can find a downloadable copy of the release below, or by visiting: https://www.therinkatthompsonspoint.com/
The MCYH apparel store is now open!
Orders must be placed before midnight on Tuesday, December 1st. All orders placed before the deadline will be delivered prior to Christmas, so this is a great opportunity for some easy holiday shopping. Link below:
Rink Update: Plans announced for new arena in Topsham
Dear Friends of Midcoast Community Ice,
It has been eight long months since nearly three hundred individual donors and businesses helped reach our Skate-a-thon fundraising goal last March. Thank You for your generosity which played a key role in helping us raise $27,000 in just 15 days! With in-kind donations from more than twenty businesses, we were able to meet our $50,000 challenge match by June. We have now raised more than $230,000 in cash donations which has been put to immediate use as we advance our goal of building a new indoor ice arena for the Midcoast region.
So, what have we been up to during these difficult times? We are excited to announce that after nearly two years of negotiations, we have signed a contract to purchase six acres of land at the Seacoast United campus in Topsham (20 Atwood Road) where we will build the new arena with continued support from the community. The property will be completely redeveloped with new parking and construction of a three-season NHL size ice arena that will also serve as an all-weather venue for box lacrosse, soccer, and other floor sports when the ice is out. The existing “Roller World” building will be renovated for locker rooms and an off-ice training facility while the existing turf room will continue to be available for community use. The concept plan received a favorable review from the Topsham Planning Board in September and we continue work on site details and engineering work.
Always on the look-out for opportunity, we secured the donation of the refrigeration unit from the Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, which after some routine maintenance, will serve us well for years to come. This timely gift represents $100,000 in value towards our construction cost for the arena. All together we have now secured a half million dollars in funding and assets for the project. We will soon share details of the new arena with the community and begin a capital campaign to complement financing with the goal to open in the fall of 2021.
We are also excited to announce that we are gearing up for our third (and final!) annual outdoor rink and the impetus to maintain good ice this year is greater than ever. The rink will again be located at our new home at 20 Atwood Road in Topsham and will feature a full size outdoor rink with boards, lights, and Zamboni. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to implement refrigeration this winter so will once again rely on a liner, cold weather and the experience gained through hard learned lessons of maintaining outdoor ice. We expect to be providing outdoor skating opportunities for youth hockey, High School teams and other skaters by the end of December.
We will keep you updated as our work progresses. Please stay safe, be well and we hope to see you at the rink this winter (outdoors, from a distance…).
Sincerely,
Your Friends at Midcoast Community Ice
https://midcoastcommunityice.org/
2020-2021 Registration Coming Soon!
Stay tuned for upcoming announcements regarding registration for the 2020-2021 season. Programs and tuition for the upcoming season can be found here:
https://www.midcoasthockey.org/page/show/5884277-2020-2021-mcyha-programs
Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest news.
Midcoast Community Ice Update
Dear Supporters of Midcoast Community Ice,
As you are likely aware by now, we were not able to host the Skate-a-thon on Thursday March 12th as planned. First of all, we want to express our sympathy and concern for all of those impacted by the COVID 19 virus in ways big and small.
As for the Skate-a-thon, we want to acknowledge the remarkable generosity and enthusiasm in the community and the display of support for our campaign to build the new multi-purpose ice arena. Thank you, we are humbled by your support! While we were unable to skate on March 12th, the skate-a-thon is not cancelled. We will extend the pledge campaign through the weekend to Sunday March 15 so please continue to make and seek new pledges and help us reach our goal of $25,000 which will equate to $50,000 with our 1:1 match. Furthermore, our match is good all the way up to $50,000 raised on our part so let’s not hesitate and keep going.
We are asking all skaters who have received contributions to do their part and complete their commitment by dedicating Sunday March 15th to fulfill their skate-a-thon commitment in a manner of their own choosing such as shooting 100 pucks in the driveway, stickhandling for 30 minutes, running a mile or making a similar commitment. Once we learn more and better understand the evolving public health situation, we will also organize a community event in lieu of the Skate-a-thon where we can come together to celebrate the success of the campaign and share more about plans for the new rink.
While many contributions have been collected online, we will be communicating shortly about how skaters can turn in envelopes with checks or cash collected. Please do not hesitate to email the address below with any questions.
Sincerely,
The Community Ice Team
Update from Midcoast Community Ice (3/7/20):
Together we will raise a rink for the Bath, Brunswick, Topsham, and Freeport region! Our skate-a-thon to support this cause has had a strong start. The pledge total has quickly climbed to over $10,000, and each dollar donated will be matched at least 100% by our generous sponsors. Please consider giving today to help us build this multipurpose facility that will have positive and lasting impacts on families and children!
-The Midcoast Community Ice Team
visit and donate at here
MIdCoast Community Ice Skate-A-Thon 2020
Coming March 12th from 6-8:00 PM at Watson Arena to all supporters of MidCoast Youth Hockey! A Skate-A-Thon to raise money for MidCoast Community Ice, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization working to build and operate an indoor multi-purpose arena for the Bath, Brunswick, and Topsham region.
All MCYH families will receive printed packets and more info at the rink on Sunday, March 1st. A digital packet of the skater materials is available HERE.
Visit charity.gofundme.com/midcoastice to learn more about this exciting fundraising event, and to sponsor a skater or make a general donation.
Follow these MidCoast Community Ice links for more info and updates:
Website:
https://midcoastcommunityice.org
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/midcoastcommunityice
Instagram:
https://instagram.com/midcoastcommunityice/
Opening Celebration for Midcoast Ice
Coming! Opening celebration for Midcoast Community Ice next Friday, January 24th from 5:30 - 8:30 at Seacoast United in Topsham.
Weekend Jr Polar Bear Game Action
Lots of game action this weekend featuring both U10 teams at the Ice Vault as well as the U12s at Watson.
More great photos here:
Welcome to Midcoast Learn To Play Hockey!
Please see the calendar on the right-hand side of this page for upcoming events. Also for new skaters and parents, please see the "New Players / FAQs" section on the menu bar for more info about the LTPH program, equipment requirements, and more. If you have any other questions, please contact our Director of Development, Sebastien Leclerc.
From the February 11th edition of the Brunswick Times Record
2018-19 TIER 3 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Tier 3
U-14 (Bantam)
State Tournament, March 1-3, host Biddeford. Top eight teams will qualify.
U-12 (Peewee)
State Tournament, February 22-24, host MCSA (Camden/Rockport). Top eight teams will qualify.
Additional Information
Winners of the T3 state tournaments will be invited to regional (New England) tournaments. Dates and locations of these are as yet unknown. They follow the same eight team format as our state tournaments and are played between Friday evening and late Sunday afternoon. One of our tier 3 teams went in the 2016-2017 season and their season was effectively extended until March 26th. We did schedule additional practices and scrimmages in the month between the Maine and New England Tournaments.
We expect Tier 3 players to be available for state tournaments. However, because of the uncertainty related to New England tournaments both in terms of timing and qualification we appreciate the fact that many families make travel plans that require significant familial resources and early planning.
Questions: mcyhpresident@gmail.com
