Category: Announcements

USA Hockey Registration

Hi all!

Friendly reminder from your registrar that last year’s USA Hockey numbers have recently expired.  With preseason starting soon, now is the time to go sign up for this year’s!  You must have a current USA Hockey registration submitted to us before you skate with us.

Also, a reminder that you can enter your registration number directly into your account on the website (see below, red/first box).  This makes my job as registrar much easier, so I definitely encourage that, but registrations and questions can still come to me via registrar@madisongayhockey.org.
And if you have yet to put in a preference for league level this season (see below, yellow/second box), please do that while you’re there!

Thanks,
Bront

MGHA Gear Swap – 8/29 at 6pm

The annual gear swap is scheduled for Tuesday, August 29th from 6-7:30pm at Capitol Ice Arena.

Are you a new player who needs gear? Bring your mentor, try on some gear, and take some new equipment home with you. If your mentor is busy, that’s OK! There will be plenty of folks around who can give advice.

Are you an existing player who has gear to donate? Bring it around 6pm and drop it off, or coordinate with someone you know who will be going to take it on your behalf.

Check out the Facebook invite.

Update your league preference

Friendly reminder to update your league preference for this season:

https://www.madisongayhockey.org/account/

We’re looking to expand from 16 teams to 18 teams, and we need to know where everyone wants to play in order to determine where to put those 2 new teams. We’re thinking L1, but we need feedback from the league to make a call.

L1 is for beginners and low intermediate players. Expect to learn and practice basic ice skating, hockey rules and strategy at a slower pace. This level includes coaching and extra skills clinics throughout the season. Higher level players can play in this level and will have restrictions such as strict goal caps.

L2 is for intermediate players who are able to skate safely during faster play. Expect to use and develop skills with your team. This level may include coaching, at your captain’s discretion and coaches’ availability. Higher level players can play in this level and will be goal-capped.

L3 is for intermediate and advanced players looking for SAFE fast-paced competition. Expect to develop strategies with your team, learn how to safely challenge yourself and others, and absolutely NO show-boating or unnecessary contact. This level may include coaching, at your captain’s discretion and coaches’ availability.

2023-2024 League Deposit Open

Deposits for the 2023-2024 season are open!

The deposit secures your spot in the league for the upcoming season. The full cost of the season will be $365 ($100 deposit, remaining $265 due before you set foot on the ice). The cost of ice is going up some, but not as much as we expected. We had unexpected costs with refs last season and we’re trying to budget for that.

As always: cost should not be a barrier to playing hockey with us! If it is, reach out – we have a financial aid program to help make the cost of playing hockey easier. If you want to play with us but need some time to figure out the finances, that’s fine! Let us know and we’ll hold your spot in the league.

Excited to play hockey with you all!

-Kriona, on behalf of the MGHA Board

New! New Members and 2023-2024 Board of Directors

We are happy to announce we’ve voted in 18 new members and elected 7 members to the Board of Directors.

New MGHA Members

Alex Krajek
Anna Johnson
Bailey Link
Breanne Cyr
Brecken Albrecht
Colleen Kenney
Doug Lowe
Elliot Lex
Erica Fry
FL Morris
Jacob Hale
Logan Anderson
Mary Schroeder
Matthew Greene
Mo Cormier
Peyton Higgins
Silver Basten
Stefania Cartoni Casamitjana

Newly Elected 2023-2024 Board of Directors

Avery Cordingley
Brett Rojec
Gene Zadzilka
Greta Landis
Gabby Grandin
Kriona Hagen
Matthew Greene

Thank you to everyone who made this year possible – it was filled with new faces, new levels, new experiences, and a whole lot of love put into the community on every level.

See you on the ice!

Christina Libs, she/her, [outgoing] 2022-23 Board Secretary

2023 Summer Ice – Info, Links

Summer ice information below!

What: MGHA Summer Ice June – August 2023 (10 weeks total ice) 

Where: Capitol Ice Arena (2616 N Pleasant View Rd, Middleton, WI 53562)

When: 

Skills: Tuesday June 6th – Tuesday August 29 (NO ICE June 13, June 20, or July 4) – 6:10 – 7:25 (75 minutes) 

Scrimmages: Sunday June 4th – Sunday August 27th (NO ICE June 11, June 18, or July 2 (if desire is there, potential for one sheet on July 2nd is possible)) 

  • 6:40 – 7:40 OR 7:50 – 8:50 (Start times will switch for upper/lower throughout summer session.)

Options: Sign up for just skills, just scrimmages, or both! 

  • Full summer (all 10 weeks) 
  • Half summer (5 weeks, first or second) 
  • Drop in (subbing, details below) 

Cost:

  • Full summer scrimmage: $140
  • Half summer scrimmage:$70 (second half starts 7/30)
  • Full summer skills: $120
  • Half summer skills: $60 (second half starts 8/1)
  • Drop in scrimmage: $15
  • Drop in skills: $15

Financial Aid: Please contact the treasurer if you need financial aid to play this summer.  

Scrimmage Sign Up

What are scrimmages? Players will wear either a white or dark jersey (Please bring both if you have them!) and play casual, fun hockey. We will not have refs or scoreboards, but will be led by a league leader who may work with players to rebalance the teams if needed. 

There will be two scrimmages offered each Sunday – an L1/L2 group and an L2/L3 group. Players may generally self select which they want to play in.

How do I sign up?

  1. Select the links below for the scrimmage level you want to sign up for. If you are doing the full summer, you must pay for both items; otherwise you won’t be added to the list for both halves. If you are signing up for just one half, select just that item. Please sign up for one scrimmage group to start; if space allows, you may sign up (or drop into) the other.
    1. L1/L2 first half (early)
    2. L1/L2 second half (late)
    3. L2/L3 first half (early)
    4. L2/L3 second half (late) 
  2. Please fill out  this quick form. This will help organizers know what to expect for the skill level of scrimmage groups, as well as organize goalies. (This is the same form for scrimmage/skills).
  3. Please mark your attendance on the website so folks can know if drop in space is available.

Skills Sign Up

What are Skills? 

  • Coached ice time to teach and build on hockey skating, skills (shooting, passing, stickhandling), and concepts (zone play, breakouts, etc). 
  • For players of every skill level who want to work on their game. 
  • We will break into groups by skill level so everyone can work on things at a comfortable pace that challenges them to improve. 
  • This ice time is great for building confidence in your hockey abilities and knowledge and to learn skills and concepts to carry into next season. 
  • Goalies are welcome and encouraged! When we know you’ll be there, we will plan for drills and coaching for you, too. There will be 4 evenings throughout the summer where there will be dedicated goalie coaching.

How do I sign up?

  1. Select the links below to sign up for either half or for the full summer. If you are doing the full summer, you must pay for both items; otherwise you won’t be added to the list for both halves
    1. Skills first half
    2. Skills second half
  2. Please fill out this form. This will give coaches a better idea of where you’re starting and what you want to work on. Generally, each week we will start with skating, move into stations for skills work, and wrap up with fun games meant to incorporate the skills and concepts worked on. (This is the same form for scrimmage/skills).
  3. Please mark your attendance on the website so folks can know if drop in space is available.

Drop in: 

There will be the option to drop in to any of this ice all summer (space dependent). See below for information:

Steps to drop in:

  1. Check attendance: is there space available on the date you want to sign up for? (can also reach out to organizers and check).
  2. If there is space available, pay the fee ($15) via PayPal directly to: payments@madisongayhockey.org
    1. If you do not have PayPal, please reach out to an organizer to inquire on payment methods.
  3. Indicate on the website that you want to sub for that activity.
  4. If this is your first time dropping in for this activity this summer, fill out this drop in sign up form.
  5. Come skate! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can new-to-the-league players / new to hockey players participate in summer skills? Yes! Pending space in the sessions, new players are welcome to join. Anyone new to the league who wants to improve on the ice is welcome at skills – this applies to brand new hockey players as well as those with a few years under their belt who want some coaching and time to improve their game.

What does a new player need to get on the ice? New players need (1) to have filled out the player application on the MGHA’s website, (2) filled out the summer sign up forms, (3) paid the fees, (4) and have their USA Hockey number (last season’s number or next season’s number are valid through the summer). USAH is required for all MGHA ice, in and out of season.

What equipment is required for Skills ice? Skills requires full gear. If someone is brand new to hockey, we might have gear to borrow/lend for the time being. 

Is the length of time correct for skills? Yes! Skills ice is 75 minutes in length. This allows for more time to work on skills and concepts, more reps for every player, and more flexibility on the ice for players to relax and learn. 

Why is the cost lower for Skills even though the ice time is longer? Skills allows for more players to get on the ice during a single session, whereas scrimmage cap benches capped at around 13 (lest things start to get too crowded for a fun flow of play). 

Why are there weeks with no ice? In mid June, the rink has no ice available due to the Madison Capitols Futures camps and Rink A being repainted. The July break is for the 4th of July weekend. (Should there be sufficient interest, there is the possibility of getting one scrimmage sheet that weekend). 

What are the dates for the half sessions? First half summer goes through Sunday July 23rd / Tuesday July 25. Second half begins the following week – Sunday July 30 / Tuesday August 1. 

What if I’m a little late to skills? That’s ok! If it is possible to let an organizer or coach know, that will help us plan accordingly. We know it’s a little early in the evening for some folks. 

How do I know which scrimmage to sign up for? The L1/L2 scrimmage is for players who played L1 last season and low/intermediate L2 players, as well as any upper level player who feels comfortable playing in control and to the level of the skaters around them. The L2/L3 scrimmage is for players who played L3 last season and high-intermediate L2 players. If you want a challenge and feel you can skate safely and in control at a faster pace of play, the upper scrimmage would be a good fit. HOps reserves the right to discuss with players if there is a safety concern. 

Can new-to-the-league players participate in summer scrimmages? Potentially – this depends on space as well as the experience level of the player. Experienced players applying to join the league for the winter season should reach out to hops@madisongayhockey.org for more information on summer ice.

If you’re brand new to hockey, you might be able to join the second half of summer scrimmages, pending space in the scrimmage and a grasp of the basics of in-control skating and the game rules – check with a coach after a few weeks of skills if this is you! We want to get you out there and having a blast playing hockey! 

I’m a goalie – what does summer ice look like for me? For scrimmages, interested goalies should fill out the sign up form. We will coordinate coverage of each week with the available goalies. Goalies do not pay for summer scrimmages. 

Will there be any dedicated goalie coaching? Yes! There will be at least three weeks of skills ice with dedicated goalie coaching planned (exact dates will pend on interested goalies’ availability). Please fill out the sign up form, and include things you’d like to work on if you have specific things! For skills, we ask that goalies wanting to attend these coached sessions pay $40 for the summer (a third of the regular skills cost, covers the 3 weeks of goalie instruction). 
Can goalies attend skills other weeks?  Goalies are welcome every week at skills! We just cannot guarantee dedicated goalie coaching, but we can incorporate goalies into drills when we know you’ll be there.

2023 MGHA Membership Voting

The following people have applied for membership in the MGHA. Please click on their name to see each person’s application. Once you’ve read the applications you can click on the boxes to the side of their names to vote; voting “Yes” means you are voting for this person to become a member, while voting “No” means that you are voting against their becoming a member.

Voting will be open from now until end of day Tuesday, May 23rd. You may change your votes at any time until voting closes.

You must log in to vote.

Spring 2023 MGHA News and Reminders

Happy Spring, MGHA!

Please read through our latest news and reminders to keep up with all aspects of our organization. We are active all year round and we love your support and involvement throughout the warm months <3.

  1. The MGHA Classic Tournament starts today!
    • Details and instructions are on the website here and in your email.
    • There are a few volunteer shifts left, sign up here to fill the last spots.
    • Have fun, be safe, and enjoy showing off our MGHA Ways in skating with alumni and old/new friends in the queer hockey community.
  2. Summer hockey update
    • We plan to offer a limited series of clinics and scrimmages this summer.
    • While ice cost details are firming up, you can contact Avery to share your general interest or coaching support.
  3. Recruiting reminder – our player application is always open, we usually fill up by August, and…
    1. Active recruiting for next season begins in June – more details will come over email. You can support by attending Pride and social events to recruit for next season.
    2. Contact recruiting@madisongayhockey.org to volunteer for recruiting operations assistance to communicate with and onboard new players.
  4. Apply by Saturday, May 20th to be an MGHA Member.
    1. Any MGHA Player or Volunteer active for one year can apply to become a Member.
    2. Each year, Members elect the Board of Directors and vote on referendums for league-wide changes like rink location and multiple play levels.
  5. MGHA 2023 Membership Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 24th at 6:30PM.
    • Elections and referendum voting will happen virtually.
    • MEMBER REMINDER: Nominate an MGHA Member to the Board of Directors, we value your ability to encourage creating a diverse board of leaders for our nonprofit organization!
    • We are working to locate a venue to have this be a hybrid event – as our members were split on an in person versus virtual meeting :). If you have venue suggestions or low-cost access to communal spaces, please contact board@madisongayhockey.org.
  6. Finally, a special thank you to Jacob Ela, our stats magician.
    • Each week, Jacob manages all website statistics, which often involves tracking down missing scoresheets. If you’re a captain or ever emailed stats@madisongayhockey.org, you’ve worked with Jacob!

Thanks for reading, now go play some hockey!

~~The 2022-2023 MGHA Board~~

2022-2023 Essays: What Madison Gay Hockey Means to Me

Now that the season is over and we’re all a little sad to not be seeing our teams and friends on the regular, it’s time to reflect on what hockey has meant to us as individuals. We all are changed in some way by being a part of this league and community. Writing and sharing our experiences helps others learn and grow and new players see a potential path for themselves into hockey and the LGBTQIA* community. Our Lives Magazine runs an essay contest on this subject each season and the winner gets published in the magazine as well as their dues waived for next season.

All are encouraged to write an essay. All 2022-2023 league participants are eligible for this contest (except previous winners). Essay length is not set, take as many or few words as you need to speak from the heart.

More explanation of this as well as previous essays can be found here https://www.madisongayhockey.org/about/what-gay-hockey-means-to-me/

If you only read one essay, I recommend Geoffrey’s essay from 2008 https://www.madisongayhockey.org/geoffrey-gyrisco-2008-essay/

Last year’s winner, Dexter Lane, in Our Lives Magazine https://ourliveswisconsin.com/article/what-gay-hockey-means-to-me-5/

Fun factoid: these essays are what someone at the NHL found and fell in love with and got them here to make a video about us. Oh, didn’t know the NHL made a video about us? https://www.nhl.com/news/madison-gay-hockey-association-stresses-inclusivity-fun/c-307952508

Please send your essay submission to Amanda Thornton. Essays will be read and voted on by members of the current board and captains who do not enter this year’s contest.

Deadline is April 16th!

2022-2023 MGHA All the Way Award Winners

Here are your 2022-2023 MGHA All the Way Award Winners and the nice things their teams had to say about them.

Cookie Monsters: Gwen Kay
Gwen is always showing up every week with a smile on her face and a fire in her heart. She gives everything she’s got to help defend our team and plays in the MGHA way.

Sith Happens: Liz Stadtmueller
Liz is always pumped up and positive in the locker room. She is very communicative on the ice and gives her all during games.

Liz is such a positive force on the ice. She’s cheering for everyone and providing feedback in the huddles. She is always talking to Suzanne about where the puck is, she’s kind of a goalie whisperer.

Queer Lime Pie: Angela Trentadue

Angela is super fun, spirited, and kind. I always enjoy chatting with her in the locker room, the bench, and skating on the ice. Angela is an Absolute can do hockey player, fun on the ice and in the locker room. Supportive and caring, an all-around excellent player!

The IncREDibles:  Jules Shatten
Jules had a fantastic first season with the MGHA—their spirit, enthusiasm, and hunger for hockey came through in every moment on the ice, and they brought their giant smile and great questions to the locker room every week. Jules is truly IncREDible!

Assembly Required: FL Morris
FL completely embodies the spirit of the MGHA, and is one of the best examples of a “rising L1” player that I can think of. They are engaged in team emails, always responding and keeping the positive spirits alive before big games and practices!

On the ice, they are lightning quick, but take time to play inclusively, skate in control, and pass often to their teammates. In the locker room, if they’re passing out apples from their apple orchard, or cheering on fellow teammates for a job well done—they embody the MGHA way in every aspect of their interaction with the league.

This was FL’s first year playing hockey with MGHA. She really got into it, asking lots of questions, subbing up to L2 games and skating hard every week. She was also a great asset off the ice, offering encouragement and tips from things she had learned. I hope to be able to play with her again in the future.

FL is a team player through and through, and while it’s hard to choose someone from a whole team of hard working and enthusiastic people, I think she stands out for this award. She’s worked hard to be our defense this season, and she’s always on top of communication and lifting the team up.

FL has been an awesome team remember who has always been super encouraging and kind all season. This is her first year playing hockey and she always has a good attitude and has fun and is nice to everyone! FL always had a positive and encouraging attitude in the locker room and shared helpful advice and suggestions during our practices and games.

Orange Crush: Casey Kautzmann
Casey jumped into her first year with great enthusiasm. She obviously loves the game of hockey and often does outside skating during the week, and you can tell by how much she’s improved in terms of passing, skating, and shooting the puck. She helps contribute to the super great vibes on Orange Crush by playing music in the locker room too!

Casey worked hard on the ice and was always positive in the locker room. She arranged social and hockey gatherings outside of MGHA time, and was always eager to learn new things.

She did her best to make every game, cheered loud on the bench, always brought the warmup tunes, and put in work outside of the league.

Always gives a full effort and brings energy to the bench

H2-Ohhhhh’s! Christina Libs

Libs is always so encouraging and has such a positive attitude at every game! She always does her best to make sure everyone feels included both on and off the ice. The way her (and Gabby) handled some sensitive situations with our team this year was with a lot of respect and maturity, much better than I would have handled them. It’s an honor being her teammate and having her as my captain!

Libs always has a positive attitude on and off the ice and is always encouraging us to play our best and have fun. Christina’s been a terrific captain, mentor, and pal — she’s upbeat, organized, involved, and has done a great job as a leader on the team. To my eyes, she does a great job of embodying what MGHA’s all about!

Freshmakers: Justin Sukup
Justin gives 100% and always has a positive attitude. He shows up every week and always supports the entire team. At the beginning of the season, Justin requested that everyone submit there favorite songs. He then created a team playlist that he plays before games, on the bench, and after games in the locker room. Justin is also incredible on the ice. He is a great team player and has contributed to many goals either as assists or on his own. He always plays the MGHA way and looks for the positive in times of frustration. In addition, Justin makes time to socialize after our games, encouraging camaraderie and supporting the league. Justin deserves the MGHA award!

The Heartthrobs! Maddy McKeown
Maddy is always fun, fast, and fabulous! Maddy is a wonderful captain, teammate, and all-around human. They communicate openly with our team, and other captains. They celebrate the accomplishments of their leaguemates, and advocate for equity on and off ice. They’re a wicked defender, and truly embody the MGHA way by adjusting their level of play, and encouraging safety and inclusion.

Jurassic Puck: Anna Johnson
Anna always has a positive attitude on and off the ice. On the ice, Anna uses her knowledge from coaching the D7 Oregon Dread Pirates team to propelle herself on the ice with knowledge and skills that she used to help her teammates. Anna is a talented baker and enjoys providing treats to her team. She is always prepared, organized, and willing to support her team and friends with whatever they ask of her. She truly embodies what it means to be the MGHA Way.

Anna is fantastic and lovely and always at the rink even when she can’t play. She’s made real strides (ha) in her confidence and play and is an excellent team player!

Goth Darn It! Joe Stella
Gene is our team’s biggest cheerleader. He’s always willing to help, offering advice, and volunteering his time. His passion for the sport, the team, and this league is awesome!

Blue Screen of Death: Laur Rivera
Laur is not only a fantastic goalie, she leads us through so many fun games. Laur showed us a ton of skating skills and made skating fun. Her best team chant so far has been be gay, have fun, stay safe. Sounds very MGHA to me. Too bad she isn’t coming back next year 🙁

Laur has been an amazing captain, answering all questions with patience and humor, encouraging new and old players, and being there for everyone – in hockey and in life. She is positive and passionate in her leading from the goal. I want to be like Laur when I grow up!

Best Goalie and mentor I’ve met so far!

Man, goalies are weird and I think this one is defective. She keeps telling the other team to shoot on her. Laur gets really excited when someone scores on her and is always the first one to fish the puck out of the net and give it to a skater when it’s their first goal. When she skates out it’s so cool. I remember watching her score and wow she’s like a hockey Swiss army knife.

Just Ice: AJ McGuire
AJ brings a positive attitude to the locker room every week and I love sharing the bench with them. They can be counted on to make smart plays on the ice and helped me learn to play defense!

Additionally, despite injury, AJ came to our games, acting as Gate Guardian, offering energy and support to any that need it. The gung ho nature and generally just affable nature that AJ brings with them has a welcoming effect in the locker room and for the MGHA as a whole. AJ takes it all the way!

Squirtle Squad: Sophie Manak
Sophie’s always fun in the locker room and on the bench and she plays a good MGHA game.

Sophie not only brings her best self to the team and on the ice, she also finds encouraging ways to support our team at every game! She strives to make sure everyone is having a great time and that we’re all on the same game page!

Sunny Defense: Collen Kenney

Colleen has been a great teammate to play with in her first year in the MGHA. She stepped up from the beginning to play center, and has always been receptive to feedback and constantly looking to improve. On the ice she plays inclusively with our team working to make good plays, and on the bench she’s very spirited and supportive of her teammates.

Rubber Puckies: Bri Buhr

Bri always has a positive attitude on and off the ice. In the locker room they always provide a good pregame pep talk and make sure everyone is doing good! On the ice Bri is the best line mate who is always there to set up the perfect plays and the bench would be silent without her AMAZING cheers

Bri exemplifies MGHA hockey each week, both on the ice and off. She is always encouraging teammates and brings a smile to everyone she interacts with. She gives it her all on the ice, strives to improve each week and picks up fellow teammates when they are struggling. Her positive energy and playful sense of humor makes it truly a pleasure to have Bri has a teammate!

Bri is a positive force of nature. Her encouraging cheers and funky dance moves always makes games extra fun