Dear Current or Future MYH House League Parents and Players,
Introduction
My name is Kevin Keating and I am a volunteer for the Milton Youth Hockey Program. Together with the MYH Board of Directors we have created a skilled, innovative and “fun” House League. With the help of David Mann, another MYH volunteer and Paul Demers a MYH Board member, the House League web page will be a key component in our communication to you. The House League page will be updated frequently and you should visit the site often for new information.
For most of you, this will be your first venture into the world of hockey. The Milton Youth House League program will not only improve the skill level of your player(s), but more importantly it will teach your player(s) how to enjoy the game.
As a parent and guardian, we need your help to ensure your player(s) enjoy the sport. Massachusetts Hockey has prescribed a certain level of contact to which MYH fully supports, for example:
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I will not force my child to participate in hockey. I will try to make it FUN!
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I will remember that my child plays hockey for his or her enjoyment, not mine.
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I will make my child feel like a winner every time by offering praise for competing fairly and hard.
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I will never ridicule or yell at my child for making a mistake or losing a game.
We want you to enjoy the game of hockey as much as your player(s). Encourage your player(s). This program is about learning, having a blast and just enjoying the game. Together we can achieve this for your young player(s). I look forward to meeting all of you and working together.
Overview
The goal of our House League is to teach children how to be better skaters, to learn how to play the game of hockey and to have fun doing so. This year we will continue to utilize a professional skills development group to help our children to master the fundamental skills essential to be better hockey players, while learning the basics of the game.
The MYH House League program starts in mid November runs for approximately 15 weeks. Most practices and games will be conducted at the Max Ulin Rink, located on Unquity Road in Milton. Occasionally, an “away” game will be arranged with a surrounding town.
Practices and Games
On Saturdays and Sundays from November through the end of December, we will have professional instructors on the ice with our players focusing exclusively on drills to make them better skaters. On Saturdays and Sundays from January 1st through the end of the season, we will continue to have professional skills on Saturdays and positional training and Cross Ice games on Sundays with volunteer coaches. It is our belief that this mix of skills and positional game play will be the ingredients for teaching the game of hockey, for a fun and great House League season.
Registration
We introduced on line registration last year and will continue to conduct registrations in this fashion. Part of this new process includes first registering your player with USA Hockey - prior to registering with MYH. All players interested in playing in the MYH House League must register online with USA Hockey before registering with MYH. You can click the following link which brings you directly to the USA site http://www.usahockeyregistration.com/then follow the prompts from there (click on “Ice Players & Coaches”). There is an annual USA hockey registration fee of $35.00 for all skaters over the age of 6. Although your skater may be under the age of 6, registration is still required.
Once you register with USA Hockey, you will be able to print out the confirmation. A confirmation email, with the same information, will also be sent to the email address you listed as part of the registration. You will need to enter the registration number provided as part of the MYH registration – so please keep this for your records.
Players (parents) who do not complete this process will not be placed on a team and will not be allowed to participate until they are registered (in both). If you would like to register a player for the MYH House League, please see the online registration section that will be turned on for the House League in Mid October.
Getting Involved
This program cannot succeed without volunteers. Last year we had 30 dads and moms and guardians help with the program. They were unbelievable; so supportive and dependable. If any of you is interested in coaching in the House League or helping out in any manner, please contact Phil Zona directly at 617.696.8921 or via email at
. You can also contact Kevin Keating at
. Each potential House League coach will need to fill out a coaching application, CORI form, and attend the required coaching clinics offered by Mass Hockey. The required skill level “patching” for the House League is Level I. You will be refunded the cost of the program if you submit proof of payment to Phil Zona.
One upcoming Level I session will be held in Quincy at the Broad Meadows School (50 Calvin Road) on Saturday September 11th. To register for the session and to see when other sessions are available, go to the USA Hockey website (www.usahockey.com) or go directly to: http://www.usahockey.com/viewallclinics.aspx
Questions
Should you have any questions regarding the Milton Youth Hockey House League, please feel free to contact Phil Zona at
or Kevin Keating via email at
.
We had a fantastic season last you and are looking to repeat this again and have another great season! On behalf of the MYH House League Program Committee, thank you for considering MYH and we look forward to your participation.
Sincerely,
MYH House League Program Committee
