Jeff Wilson is the new President of Midcoast Youth Hockey. He was elected at our May Meeting. On July 10th he’ll head of to his second MeAHA meeting. He and I attended the Annual Meeting together in May, but I was still acting as President.

I hope everyone understands just how much work goes into running this youth hockey program. The President and the Scheduler particularly bear some heavy responsibilities and put in long hours. One of the more tedious  but important tasks, and one that is nearly invisible to the regular members, is going to the monthly MeAHA meetings. It’s where decisions about how hockey is played throughout the state occur. Jeff will spend a lot of time trying to protect what we have from rules changes that often seem to benefit just the few largest youth hockey associations in the state.

So if you see him around town before we hit the ice again in the fall, please be sure to thank him. Below is a little blurb written up about Jeff back in 2015 as a way of introducing the Coaches to the membership.

“Coaching Mini-Mites this year has been fantastic, the kids are gaining so much confidence in their skating abilities, its been so much fun to see the improvements each week.”

Jeff Wilson is in his first year as Treasurer for Midcoast Youth Hockey and coaches in the mini-mite program. He followed his son Drew who last year “asked on many occasions if I could coach, so when the time came around this year to sign up for coaching I jumped at the chance.”

But really it’s more accurate to say Jeff followed Drew back to MCYH. Jeff learned to play with MCYH as a youngster and played for Brunswick High School for three years under the coaches Jim Tortorella and Hal Myrick. All of Jeff’s four brothers were hard into hockey as youngsters.

Long before you could order a custom fit backyard rink over the internet the best backyard rink in Brunswick could be found at the corner of Melden and Algonquin in the Wilson’s side yard. It featured regulation boards and goals cast off one year when Bowdoin upgraded the old Dayton Arena. There’s a house there now but if you go by on a cold winter night, listen carefully, you just might hear the snick, snick, snick of steel on ice and the thunk of a frozen puck meeting the boards.

The Board has had some other changes too. Seb LeClerc is the new Vice President responsible for the developmental programs. Seb moves into this position after a couple years as Secretary. Bill Huot is our other new VP, in charge of house and travel; Bill had been the Director of Coaching. In addition, Erin Rossignol will be our registrar, a position recently filled by Becky Countway

We are still seeking a new Treasurer.

Bill’s kids are squirts, while Jeff and Seb’s kids are even younger. This is a good thing. It’s important for leadership to represent the largest number of our skaters possible and to be in touch—on a regular basis—with what happens on the ice at Watson on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

My boy is now a bantam, the oldest age group we currently field. We have just one team of bantams. Two years ago we didn’t even have bantams. So the bantam group is really just a small sliver of what Midcoast offers. This is part of the reason it is important for new Board Members, and new Officers of the board to have younger kids——they’ll be looking forward rather than looking backward. It’s bound to be good for the program.

I am remaining on the Board as secretary and Matt Laforge will stay on as our scheduler for next season. This is mainly to assist with continuity, but we do have other board positions open. I hope some of you will step up and help out.

Thank you,

Benet Pols

Secretary, MCYH

Please follow the link below to register your travel player for the 2018-19 season. Thank you.

https://midcoastyh.sportngin.com/register/form/848642629

Below is what we know about State Tournament Scheduling and preliminary Play-In Tournaments for squirts, peewees, and bantams. As additional information is provided to us by the state organization and hosts we will update this page.

Tier 4 

U-10 (Squirt)

State Tournament March 9-11, host Maranacook (Kents Hill). The top four teams from the Southern and Northern Divisions will be entered in the State Tournament.

So Division Play-In, Feb 23-25 (Host TBD, number of teams qualifying for this TBD based on number of league entrants.
 

Tier 3

U-14 (Bantam)

State Tournament, March 2-4, host Casco (Falmouth/NYA). Top eight teams will qualify.

U-12 (Peewee)

State Tournament, February 23-25, host MCSA (Camden/Rockport). Top eight teams will qualify.

U-10 (Squirt)

State Tournament, February 16-18, host L/A Nordiques (Lewiston). Top eight teams qualify.


Additional information.

Tier 4 registration fees include the costs of two tournaments: the state tournament, and  the conference tournaments. Because of the two-tier play-off system implemented last season by MeAHA, and because of the inclusion of the tournament costs in the registration fee, additional tournaments for T4 teams are unlikely to be scheduled.

Tier 3 registration fees include the costs of the state tournament only. Because of this we are shopping for early to mid-season invitational tournaments for the three tier 3 teams. It is very unlikely the we will again enter the Tier 3 teams in the New Year's tournament in Manchester, NH. We are looking at other options.

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 last 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: presidentmcyh@gmail.com

 

Welcome to Learn to Play Hockey (LTPH)!

You should have already received this information by email---group emails are sent to email address you used to register your skater. If you haven't, you should check your spam folder and add Midcoast to your "approved" senders.

The Board of MCYH is very happy that you’ve decided to join us! It must be obvious that we love the game and the program. Even though many of our kids are well past LTP there is still something thrilling about seeing the kid’s first steps on the ice as “real hockey players.”

Below is some information to prepare you for the first day of hockey this weekend.

First things first. When to come?

Generally Sundays, but check the calendar every week as dates and times can change.

1. Sunday morning and before….

• Please arrive at Watson Arena at least 30 minutes before ice time on the first day to check in, and receive your jersey and helmet name sticker.
• Space in the locker rooms is very limited.  It is a good idea to fully dress your skater for hockey at home (except for skates, gloves and helmets), if possible.
• Visit the potty before suiting up!  A bathroom break means a coach having to find you in the stands and is time consuming given all the equipment – please plan accordingly.
• Please practice putting on ALL of the equipment at home before the first skate.  It is a good idea to have your child put on skates and walk around on the carpet to get a feel for them.  Skates should be tied tightly for good ankle support.  If you need help at the rink, coaches or seasoned parents will be there to help you with the equipment. 
• Please label each piece of hockey gear with a name or initials.
• To manage locker room congestion, please try to avoid bringing your entire family into the locker room.  Once your player is ready to skate, pack all of your extras into a bag so they won’t get lost and escort your player to the bench. Once your skater is safely situated on the bench please go to the stands to watch.

While your player is on the ice…

Parents MUST remain at the rink and should remain attentive to their child on the ice in the event that we need to track you down with a tired skater, bathroom break, etc.  USA Hockey does not permit parents to watch from the player’s bench.

Coaches will do their best to make timid skaters feel comfortable, but parents who wish to coach/assist will be permitted on the ice if they do the following:

1. Register with USA Hockey.  ANY parent on the ice must register as a coach and pay the associated fee (http://usahockeyregistration.com/), although they are not required to attend training unless you plan to continue as a coach (which we welcome!). “Safesport” training will be required of all parent volunteers.
2. Wear a helmet and hockey gloves.

Please email our Director of Coaching Bill Huot, (wrhuot@icsengineering.com) ahead of time if you wish to assist on the ice.  If you plan to accompany your child on the ice, please be prepared to help other skaters as well.

Other Notes…

Remember to check the MCYH website calendar weekly for practice times and other updates.  Additional hockey information is included below as an FYI.  You can reach our director of developmental programs, Matt Shoemaker at shoemakereast@gmail.com with any questions.

If you have yet to purchase your gear, please check our home page for local resources and deals!

Now, with business out of the way, let’s have some fun!

Sincerely, Benet Pols

Learn to Play Hockey (LTPH) Key Facts

Objective

The goal of “LTPH” is for the players to learn hockey in a fun and safe atmosphere.  The LTPH program is designed to help a youngster progress through four stages of skating proficiency in order to prepare them for Mite-level hockey and beyond.

• Stage 1:  Skating while pushing a chair, getting back to one's feet from the ice.
• Stage 2:  Independent skating in a forward direction, initial refinement of skating stride.
• Stage 3:  Basic hockey-oriented skating – intro to backward skating, turning, and hockey stop; continued refinement of forward skating stride.
• Stage 4:  Basic stick-and-puck skills (i.e. puck handling, sweep passes).

Skaters may begin LTPH at any of the four stages and proceed at their own pace.  Coaches will monitor older kids with skating experience but trying hockey for the first time, and may recommend that they move up to Mini Mites/Mites at some point during the season (paying a pro-rated program fee).  Younger skaters may take several seasons to progress through the four stages.

Scheduling

LTPH usually is scheduled for Sunday mornings at Watson Arena.  However, due to fluctuating college team schedules and special events, practice times may vary throughout the season.  LTPH practice times are listed on the CALENDAR tab of our website (http://www.midcoasthockey.org/page/show/453532-calendar).  Sometimes changes occur on short notice – so please double check the schedule on Saturday afternoon/evening.

Hockey Equipment

Because some kids will be using sticks and pucks - and because ice is hard! - we require all players to wear full hockey protective gear.  When purchasing and fitting hockey equipment, remember two important factors: 1) make certain the player is adequately protected and 2) be sure the fitting allows freedom of movement so the player can properly perform the necessary skills. By carefully considering these two factors, your child will be more comfortable and will better enjoy their participation.

Required Equipment (see also the “Player Equipment Requirements” tab of our web site):

1. Helmet with face mask and straps. When buying used, check the "expiration date" sticker on the back of the helmet and ensure it is still valid.
2. Neck guard
3. Mouth guard
4. Shoulder pads
5. Elbow pads
6. Gloves
7. Protective pants
8. Groin protection (boys and girls)
9. Hockey-specific shin pads with integrated knee pads (socks to cover highly recommended)
10. Skates
11. Hockey sticks are optional for LTPH – introduce when the player is ready for it

Gear Recommendations:

• Skates must fit very snugly in order to provide support. Foot socks should not be a thick, heavy material, as such would inhibit the foot’s ability to directly control the skate.
• Skate blades must be kept sharp - even for beginning skaters. A professional sharpening typically is required after 5-10 hours of rink skating, more frequently if skating outside.
• Hockey socks should be held up by hockey undershorts with velcro or a garter belt and/or be secured with a strip of tape or two around each shin pad to keep the shin pads from moving all around. Don’t turn your skater loose without hockey socks over their pads as the plastic shin guards are very slippery and will be a distinct disadvantage to a new skater!
• Hockey pants should be tightly secured around the waste with a belt (and old skate lace will do) or a pair of hockey suspenders.
• Proper hockey stick length is determined by holding a stick straight up and down in front of the player. The rule of thumb is that the stick should come up to the player's chin (while wearing skates), or to the player's nose (when wearing shoes).  Until a young player establishes a dominant hand, a flat blade is best. Once they find the side that feels natural, a minimally curved blade should be introduced.

Volunteer Coaches Wanted

Our program would not be possible without our volunteer coaches!  Parents with hockey backgrounds are encouraged to help out on the ice. Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering your time and skill on the ice.  Please make sure to contact us before paying the registration fee. Then, the only things you'll need are the ability to skate and a good attitude (plus skates, a helmet, and gloves).

Welcome back to Midcoast Hockey!

Please follow the link below to complete the registration process. Before we hit the ice in October we will collecting medical releases and "code of conduct" forms. Please note that you will only see options that are open to your skater based on his or her USAH age registration. If you are registering more than one skater, the options available for the second skater will not appear until you have entered the second child's data.

We will be entering squirt and peewee teams in two competitive leagues: tier 4 and tier 3. Teams on both these leagues will all complete a full schedule of games against regional associations as well as compete in tournaments. As you register please recall that our "Tier 3" team for squirts and peewees, and our bantam team were selected last March. Those players have already paid a deposit and the Tier 3 and bantam rosters are set.

In addition we are offering a developmental program for new or inexperienced players at the squirt and peewee level. This replaces the "Tier 5" program we ran last season. It will focus on fundamentals---a more thorough description can be found here, but it will closely mimic our mite program. Its cost matches our mite program as well.

As in the past the "two-pay" option is available. In addition, applications for financial aid will be considered in early October.

Thank you,

MCYH Board