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| | Welcome to the official website of Hanover Youth Hockey Association, Inc., a non-profit organization located in Hanover, Massachusetts dedicated to the development of our youth in hockey excellence. Please send all mail to:
Hanover Youth Hockey Association, Inc.
PO Box 591
Hanover, Massachusetts 02339
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posted 02/08/2010 A gray North Face jacket went missing from locker room 5 at the early skills session last night. It has the name Sam on the inside. A similar jacket was left behind and turned in at the snack bar.
If you have Sam's, please contact Matt at
 
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posted 02/07/2010 Members,
Due to the Super Bowl and anticipated light turnout for skills tonight, we are combining the 3 hours of skills to 2 hours.
Hour 1 - 5:00 will be Instructional, Mites, Squirt C and B2, and Girls U12
Hour 2 - 6:10 will be both Squirt B teams, Squirt A, PeeWee and Bantams
Going forward, we ask that all players please try to stick to their assigned hours. There is some concern that players "practicing up" are taking away from the practice experience of the others on the ice, impacting attendance at the late hour.
Thank you,
Joe Radzik
President, HYHA
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posted 02/05/2010 Members,
By now, most of us know the story of Norwood High hockey player Matt Brown. As proof that the hockey circles in Massachusetts are tight, this event hits particularly close to home as Matt's family is close friends with the Ghostlaw family, whom many of you know are very active in our own Hanover Hockey community.
Glenn and Deirdre have initiated a fundraising campaign within Hanover Hockey to help raise money to aid the Brown family in their long road to recovery. As a sign of support, they are asking for a small donation of $1.00 per player (or more if your heart desires). In exchange, each player will receive a number 3 sticker to wear on their helmet in support of Matt. I encourage all players and coaches to participate. Wouldn't it be a great sign of support to have every kid in the program wearing a 3?
Deirdre and Glenn will be available at practices over the next few days with numbers. Lets give this our full support! Please see the letter below from Deirdre on their effort with this program.
Thank you,
Joe Radzik
President, HYHA
Dear Members,
As many of you already know, Matt Brown, a Norwood High School hockey player, was injured during their game against Weymouth on January 23. Matt fractured his fourth and fifth vertebrae in his neck. He remains at Children's Hospital in Boston. We have been following the Care Pages of Children's Hospital (Welovenumber3) for updates and in reading through the hundreds of messages, much of the hockey community is doing their part to honor Matt. Matt wears number 3 on his hockey jersey. George Brewster has very graciously provided us with number 3's to wear on our helmets. Our hope is that every HYHA player will wear a number 3 on their helmet to show their support. Our boys are already sporting them.
Matt Brown's parents, Mike and Sue, are good friends of ours. Glenn (Coach Ghostlaw) is an alumni of the Norwood Mustang hockey team and has many close ties to Norwood. This family has a long road ahead of them. A fund has been set up to help with the mounting expenses. We are asking for a dollar donation for each sticker, or whatever you are willing to give. All of the donations received will go towards Brownie Points, the fund set up for Matt. We, as a family, will match dollar for dollar, what we collect from HYHA. We will post a message on the Care Pages for Matt showing the HYHA support. Below is a link to an article about Matt that was in the Globe on Thursday, February 4.
Thanks to all,
Deirdre & Glenn Ghostlaw
www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2010/02/04/community_pulls_together_
for_injured_norwood_hockey_player/
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posted 02/01/2010 Please see the letter below from our friends at Norwood Youth Hockey.
As many of you may already know, Matt Brown, a 15-year-old sophomore forward on the Norwood High School varsity hockey team was critically injured in his High School hockey game on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010. Matt suffered fractures to his 4th and 5th vertebrae. At this time, Matt remains in serious condition at Children’s Hospital where he recently underwent spinal surgery to stabilize his neck. Matt has been a loyal member of Norwood Youth Hockey since he began in the Learn-To-Skate Program, always skating in the South Shore and Yankee Conferences and still participating at the Midget level. His mom (Sue) and dad (Mike) have been active members of the Norwood Youth Hockey Organization as Parent Reps and Sue has also served on Norwood’s Board of Directors. As a result of enormous media coverage, the hockey community, like none other, has come together to offer much needed support to the Brown family. Although Matt’s prognosis is unclear at this time, many have asked how they may be able to help. In response to this outpouring of support, a fund has been established at the Norwood Bank for the Brown family, in an effort to assist them with their mounting expenses.
If you are interested in making a donation, your checks can be mailed to:
Brownie Points
P.O. Box 398
Norwood, MA 02062
Cards, notes or any words of encouragement can be sent separately to The Brown Family, c/o Carol Flaherty, 27 Countryside Lane, Norwood, MA 02062 or you may post a message on the Facebook page dedicated to Matt: PRAY FOR MATT BROWN #3.
Most importantly, please keep Matt and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this most difficult time.
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posted 01/29/2010 Dear Players and Parents,
I am pleased to announce the kick-off of this year’s Power Play Raffle! All players are required to sell at least one complete book of tickets as part of the mandatory fundraising commitment.
This is a great opportunity to lower your tuition for next year. Every complete book sold over and above the required book will credit you $50 towards next year’s tuition! There is no limit to the number of extra books you can sell. And remember, the player who sells the winning ticket receives a free tuition for 2010/11 as well as a number of great prizes for top sellers in each division!
Books will be distributed to the teams over the next week. If you need additional books, please contact your coach or contact John Pacino, our Treasurer, at the following contact information: (h) 781-924-1676 (c) 781-308-6329.
This turned out to be a great fundraiser for the program last year, raising over $15,000! The drawing will be held at the year end banquet. The date is being finalized and will be posted shortly.
Thank you,
Joe Radzik
President, HYHA
| | | | | by christine mcarthur posted 01/27/2010 John Buccigross' simple rules for hockey parents as seen in his ESPN article. To read the article in it's entirety, click on the link below.
1. Under no circumstances will hockey practice ever be cancelled. Ever. Even on days when school is cancelled, practice is still on. A game may be cancelled due to inclement weather because of travel concerns for the visiting team, but it would have to rain razor blades and bocce balls to cancel hockey practice at your local rink. It's good karma to respect the game.
2. Hockey is an emotional game and your child has the attention span of a chipmunk on NyQuil. The hockey coach will yell a bit during practice; he might even yell at your precious little Sparky. As long as there is teaching involved and not humiliation, it will be good for your child to be taught the right way, with emphasis.
3. Hockey is a very, very, very, very difficult game to play. You are probably terrible at it. It takes high skill and lots of courage, so lay off your kid. Don't berate them. Be patient and encourage them to play. Some kids need more time to learn how to ride the bike, but, in the end, everyone rides a bike about the same way.
Your kids are probably anywhere from age 4-8 when they first take up hockey. They will not get a call from Boston University coach Jack Parker or receive Christmas cards from the Colorado Avalanche's director of scouting. Don't berate them. Demand punctuality and unselfishness for practice and games. That's it. Passion is in someone, or it isn't. One can't implant passion in their child. My primary motive in letting my kids play hockey is exercise, physical fitness and the development of lower-body and core strength that will one day land them on a VH1 reality show that will pay off their student loans or my second mortgage.
4. Actually, I do demand two things from my 10-year-old Squirt, Jackson. Prior to every practice or game, as he turns down AC/DC's "Big Jack," gets out of the car and makes his way to the trunk to haul his hockey bag inside a cold, Connecticut rink, I say, "Jack, be the hardest, most creative and grittiest worker ... and be the one having the most fun." That might be four things, but you know what I mean.
5. Your kids should be dressing themselves and tying their own skates by their second year of Squirt. Jack is 67 pounds with 0 percent body fat and arms of linguini, and he can put on, take off and tie his own skates. If he can, anyone can. I don't go in the locker room anymore. Thank goodness; it stinks in there.
6. Do not fret over penalties not called during games and don't waste long-term heart power screaming at the referees. My observational research reveals the power-play percentage for every Mite hockey game ever played is .0000089 percent; for Squirts, .071 percent. I prefer referees to call zero penalties.
7. Yell like crazy during the game. Say whatever you want. Scream every kind of inane instruction you want to your kids. They can't hear you. In the car ride home, ask them if they had fun and gently promote creativity and competiveness, but only after you take them to Denny's for a Junior Grand Slam breakfast or 7-Eleven for a Slurpee. Having a warm breakfast after an early morning weekend game will become one of your most syrupy sweet memories.
8. Whenever possible, trade in your kids' ice skates and buy used skates, especially during those growing years and even if you can afford to buy new skates every six months. Your kids don't need $180 skates and a $100 stick no matter what your tax bracket is. They will not make them better players.
9. Missing practice (like we stated above) or games is akin to an Irish Catholic missing Mass in 1942. We take attendance at hockey games very seriously. Last week, the Islanders' Brendan Witt was hit by an SUV in Philadelphia. Witt got up off the pavement and walked to Starbucks for a coffee, and then later played against the Flyers that night. Let me repeat that: BRENDAN WITT WAS HIT BY AN SUV ... AND PLAYED THAT NIGHT! Re-read that sentence 56 times a night to your child when they have a case of the sniffles and want to stay home to watch an "iCarly" marathon. By, the way Philadelphia police cited Witt for two minutes in jail for obstruction. Witt will appeal.
10. Teach your kids not to celebrate too much after a goal if your team is winning or losing by a lot. And by all means, tell them celebrate with the team. After they score, tell them not to skate away from their teammates like soccer players. Find the person who passed you the puck and tell him or her, "Great pass." We have immediate group hugs in hockey following a short, instinctive reaction from the goal scorer. I am proud of my boy for a lot of things, but I am most proud at how excited he gets when a teammate scores a goal. He is Alex Ovechkin in this regard.
11. There is no such thing as running up the score in hockey. This is understood at every level. It's very difficult to score goals and unexplainably exhilarating when one does. Now, if we get to 14-1, we may want to take our foot off the gas a tad.
12. Unless their femur is broken in 16 places, Mites or Squirts should not lie on the ice after a fall on the ice or against the boards. Attempt to get up as quickly as one can and slowly skate to the bench.
13. Do not offer cash for goals. This has no upside. Passion and love and drive cannot be taught or bought. I do believe a certain measure of toughness and grit can be slowly encouraged and eventually taught. Encourage your kid to block shots and to battle hard in the corners. It will serve them well in life.
http://espn.go.com/nhl/notebook/_/page/buccigross_091215/my-13-simple-rules-hockey-parents-everywhere
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posted 01/22/2010
Help Support our Town High School Hockey Team:
Date/ Time: February 20th 2010 at 7PM
Location: Pembroke K of C
4 Comedians (will start at 7:30)
Live Auction by Paul Stewart (former NHL Player and Referee)
DJ and light snacks
Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased by contacting Jean Concannon (781) 727-1919
or Chris Kristian (781) 582-6245 or
The High School Hockey Teams Webpage:
http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=HANOVERHIGHHOCKEY&sport=hockey&t=c&p=home&s=hockey
. Last year this event was sold out tickets will go on sale January 26th. It was a great night out last year and we have 4 new Comedians in the line up.
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posted 01/06/2010 Final update on number of teams to make playoffs, 2009-2010 season.
1/6/2010
Mite A Top 12 teams
Mite B All teams. Will be divided into 2 levels. Top 12 teams in Group A and Bottom 8
in Grp B
Mite B 2 All teams, l level
Squirt A Top 12 teams
Squirt B North Top 8 teams
Squirt B South Top 8 teams
Squirt B 2 All teams. Will be divided into 2 levels. 16 teams in division. Top 8 in Group A
Bottom 8 teams in Group B
Peewee A Top 12 teams
Peewee B North Top 8 teams
Peewee B South Top 8 teams
Peewee B 2 Top 12 teams
Bantam A Top 12 teams
Bantam B North top 8 teams
Bantam B South Top 8 teams
Bantam B 2 Top 8 teams
Midget B Full Top 8 teams
Girls U 12 A All teams
Girls U12 B 1 All teams
Girls U12 B 2 All teams
Girls U 14 A All teams
Girls U 14 B All teams
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posted 11/06/2009 Hi Members,
With the launching of the High School’s helmet program which they have graciously invited us to participate in, I figured this would be a great opportunity to discuss equipment. I’m sure I don’t have to tell everyone the importance of equipment for the sport of hockey but in order for equipment to be effective, it must fit properly. The conferences this year have experienced a number of serious injuries ranging from concussions, to broken bones and one very frightening neck laceration. Many of these injuries may have been prevented or reduced in severity with either properly fitting equipment or the use of optional equipment. In our program, it is the player and parent’s responsibility for maintaining safe, properly fitting equipment. The coaches will do their best to alert the parent or player if they spot a problem, but they can’t catch everything. Here is a basic head to toe guideline for equipment. For more specific information, please see a respected pro shop. Pure Hockey’s representatives are all trained by the manufacturers for proper fit and features. I am sure there are others in the area but make sure you are dealing with a qualified representative. The big multi-sport stores are often times NOT the best option.
Helmets – For obvious reasons, this is the single most important piece of equipment however its effectiveness is greatly reduced if it does not fit properly. All helmets must be HECC certified (sticker on the back) with a full face mask. Please note the HECC certification has an expiration date. Past expiration, protective padding becomes compacted, glue begins to fail and the helmet becomes unsafe. Expired helmets are not permitted. A properly fitting helmet should be snug, allowing for no side to side or up and down movement. All screws, snaps, straps and J hooks should be tight and in place. The face mask must be large enough to allow the chin to fit in the chin cup. Mouth pieces are not required below the peewee level BUT ARE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. A properly fitting mouth piece will do a great deal to prevent a concussion and they don’t work unless the player puts it in his mouth. If there are any questions regarding helmets, consult a good, trained pro shop.
Neck Guards – Required for ALL Yankee Conference players and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for all other players. If anyone witnessed the accident at Bavis a few weeks ago, you know why. A good, properly fitting nick guard made from a ballistic nylon material is highly recommended for all players.
Shoulder pads, elbow pads, gloves – Should provide ample, gap-less coverage from the shoulders down to the hands. The equipment should be snug enough to prevent shifting while still allowing for movement. Gloves and elbow pads should be large enough to protect the wrist and fore arm. Many players like to play with a shorter cuff glove. This can expose a wrist or fore arm to a stick slash or cut by a skate blade. If using shorter cuff gloves, it is important that the elbow bad sufficiently covers the fore arm.
Cup (boys) Pelvic Guard (girls) – This one is obvious. Cups and Pelvic guard use should start from day one. No exceptions for the mini-mites. Goalies should make sure they are using the properly sized goalie versions.
Pants, Knee Pads – When standing the pant should slightly overlap the knee pad. When on the knees, there should be no gap between the top of the pant and the knee pad. The bottom of the knee pad should be long enough to leave no gap at the top of the skate. A puck between the shin pad and the skate is EXTREMELY painful. Many players are going with longer shin pads and tucking the skate tongue under the pad.
Skates – While not technically a protective piece of equipment, an improperly fit skate will negatively impact skating. A good sturdy boot fit correctly is important for proper skating technique. Skates can vary in size drastically by brand and should never be purchased without trying them on. For best results, skates should be properly fit by a trained pro shop. Skates should also be sharpened every 3-5 hours on the ice or at any sign of knick or burr on the blade.
Stick – Also not a protective piece of equipment but probably the most commonly miss-sized piece of equipment. Did you ever wonder why when a kid rears back for that wicked wrista, the puck just comes tumbling off the stick? Chances are the stick is too long. While standing on skates, the top of the stick should fall somewhere between the chin and nose. I know the argument is that with composite sticks being so expensive and kids growing so fast, you want to keep them a little longer so the kid can use it for a while. Honestly, most youth hockey players do not need the most expensive, technically advanced stick endorsed by his favorite player. A stick that is 10 grams lighter than another will not improve a shot, but a stick that is 3 inches shorter and the proper length will have a huge impact. (By the way, 3 inches of stick probably weighs 10 grams anyway!) If you must use the most expensive stick, cut it to the right length from the start and utilize wood extensions to prolong the life as you grow. Or just go with the cheaper wooden stick (if you can still find them!)
Hockey is an expensive sport and we all try to stretch our equipment dollar as far as we can. Bear in mind though that for most youth hockey players, often times the lower, cheaper model gloves, shoulder pads, stick etc, that fits properly will be much more effective both in protection and performance then the top of the line piece of equipment that is either bought too big or used that extra year and is too small.
Be Safe and Have Fun!
Joe Radzik
President, HYHA
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