TL;DR: Please read every word of this email as it’s all important! Also, hockey is starting! 😀
Hey everyone!
It’s about time to get the upcoming 2022-2023 MGHA season underway. To do that, there’s a lot we have to cover. I’m going to break it all down for you here. Please read EVERY WORD. Anything you see in red is an action item. Please take a moment to make sure you’ve done what’s asked before the deadline. If possible, do it all now so you don’t forget.
Even more than previous years, this season will be different and there are lots of moving parts, so please pay attention and if you run into questions along the way, email the board.
Let’s get to it!
USA Hockey Registration
Before you can set foot, err… skate on the ice for the upcoming season, you’ll need to be registered with USA Hockey. We do this for liability reasons to protect those in our league. Signing up is easy and can be done online. Follow the link below to head to the MGHA website where we’ve got the steps laid out for you.
ACTION: Follow this link to sign up for USA Hockey… https://www.madisongayhockey.org/usa-hockey-registration-2022/
Level Selection
For planning purposes, if you haven’t gone onto your profile yet and selected your desired level for the season, please follow the link below as soon as possible and make that selection. While there, you can also update your information including t-shirt and jersey size and other biographical information!
ACTION: Follow this link to adjust your account… https://www.madisongayhockey.org/account/
League Fees
You should have already paid the deposit for the league. To pay the bills, we need to collect the rest of those league fees. You can do that at the link below. Please take care of this as soon as possible. Please also know that the MGHA is committed to making hockey accessible to all members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and funds are available to provide financial assistance to players in need. To request financial assistance to help cover the cost of your league fees and/or gear, please complete our financial assistance form. If you have any questions, please contact Gene, our treasurer, via email: treasurer@madisongayhockey.org. We’ll be happy to work with you.
ACTION: Pay your league fees at the link… https://www.madisongayhockey.org/product/2022-2023-league-fees/
Play-With Requests
If you have someone who you’ve discussed ridesharing with or even someone you do not feel safe being on the same team as, this is how you let us know. We’ll do our best to honor these requests during the team creation process. This year there are three options including must play with, would like to play with, and would not feel safe playing with. All of this is detailed in the link below. You do not have to fill this form out if you do not have any requests.
ACTION: Follow this link to submit your play-with requests if you have any… https://www.madisongayhockey.org/play-with-requests/
Preseason
This year’s preseason will be a bit abbreviated, mainly due to increased ice costs. The first two weeks will be primarily focused on new-to-MGHA skaters. Following those weeks, returning skaters will attend a clinic week, an evaluation week, a scrimmage week, team reveal (with scrimmages), and two weeks of team practice.
If, during your clinic enrollment, you run into an instance where you are stuck and unsure what to sign up for or if all slots in a particular time are full, please reach out and we’ll do our best to help.
NEW-TO-MGHA BEGINNERS
Who: Anyone new to skating or hockey
When: 9/11 and 9/18 at 5:00 PM
Description: Both weeks will be run clinic-style. During these weeks, we’ll focus on the basics of skating progressing through passing and skating with the puck. We’ll also work on shooting and positioning. There’ll be some ups and downs, but trust us… you’ll get through it! (If you don’t believe me, ask some of the skaters who started last season!)
ACTION: Sign up for a slot here…https://www.madisongayhockey.org/new-to-mgha-beginners/
NEW-TO-MGHA NOVICE / INTERMEDIATE
Who: Anyone new to the MGHA that knows how to skate and play hockey
When: 9/11 and 9/18 at 6:10 PM
Description: Both weeks will be run clinic-style. This clinic, geared towards novices to intermediates will focus on the fundamentals of the game at a slightly faster pace than the ‘beginners’ group. We’ll work through skating skills, passing, skating with the puck, shooting, and positioning.
ACTION: Sign up for a slot here… https://www.madisongayhockey.org/new-to-mgha-nov-int/*Important: All players this season will be expected to attend an orientation session. More on that soon.
Each ice session will last 1 hour. As we have limited time, please be ready to be on the ice 15 minutes before the scheduled time. If this is your first time putting the equipment on, be sure to allow even more time to get comfortable. MGHA representatives will be around to help with the gear process.
Hockey Operations reserves the right to make changes if there is any question of safety. It’s in your best interest to choose the level that most accurately represents your current skills.
Evaluations
Evaluations this year will be a little different. Our plan is to have stations on the ice and each player will visit each station and get a score. Hockey Operations will then compile the scores and assign each skater a ranking. These will be used during team creation. Have no fear, though, because everybody will be placed on a team. The MGHA does not cut players! Don’t stress too much about this. Just go out and do your best!
Please keep the night of October 2nd free. We’ll offer signups to allow you to pick your time slot at a later date.
Team Reveal
Team Reveal will be held on October 16th. There will be other activities planned for this night so be on the lookout later. All groups will have a scrimmage as well! Put this on your calendar because it’ll be a fun night!
Team Practices
Once you know your teams, it’s important to get to know the fine folks you’ll be playing with for the next few months. That’s why we have two weeks of team practice built in before games start. This’ll help your team gel. Like past seasons, Hockey Operations will work to provide captains with drills and an agenda for their practices so that everyone gets even more benefit from team practices. Please be sure to mark your calendars and be there on October 23rd and October 30th.
Regular Season and Championship Night
This year, we’ll play the first game on November 6th and we’ll run through a 13-game regular season with a championship night immediately following. The final game will be held on March 19th, 2023. We’ll give more details on how the championship works later in the season.
Regular season games will mainly take place at the following times. There will be several weeks where our schedule will shift due to other events at Cap Ice. We’ll have a full schedule available soon.
Rink A: 5:00 PM, 6:10 PM, 7:20 PM, 8:30 PM
Rink B: 4:30 PM, 5:40 PM, 6:50 PM, 9:10 PM
Wrap-Up
That’s about it. I know this is a long email, but thank you for reading through it. We’re doing our best to provide open, honest, and clear communication. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please let us know and we’ll do our best to address them. This is important. To get in touch with us, please email the Board or reach out to me directly.
We look forward to seeing you all on the ice soon!
Tim
(Hockey Operations Commissioner, on behalf of the MGHA Board and HOps crew)