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)

2022 Orientation Week 1 - New-To-MGHA Clinics

You must log in to sign up.

Can you feel the cool, crispy air on your cheeks? That’s the feeling of seasonal change, anticipatory sweat, and a sweet full body exhaustion after your first, second, and third games of hockey this fall.

It’s time for more MGHA news:

1. League Expansion
   • We hit a milestone of recruiting 210 players for this year! Because we have enough people on our waitlist AND were able to add a later ice slot at Cap Ice, we’re happy to share that we will expand to 220-240 players this season. Each team will only have a couple late games, and we imagine captains may recruit subs more easily with a larger pool of skaters. Big numbers mean an even bigger thanks to our recruiting team, led by Amanda Thornton, to process all new applications and shepherd this year’s hockey crew onto the ice.
   • If you are willing to be a goalie this season and haven’t already registered as one, please contact goalies@lists.madisongayhockey.org so we can get y’all wrangled. Note that goalies only pay the $100 deposit, they do not pay full dues.
2. COVID update for the locker room
   • When the Dane county community level is High, we expect players to wear masks in the locker rooms and the lobby area. While we will not enforce this recommendation operationally (i.e. reporting to leadership and messaging to individuals who do not mask), we will make disposable masks available in the lobby and captains can bring a box into their locker room throughout the season. We ask that where possible, you use your own reusable mask. We hope everyone can acknowledge and respect each others’ space, decisions and body autonomy, as we’ve practiced in the locker room space for years. We are not requiring masks on ice this year, and we will continue to use our Covid reporting protocol to communicate known positive cases using covid@madisongayhockey.org when our players are exposed during MGHA sanctioned events.
3. USA Hockey registration in your Account page
   • The Website team has made a new USA Hockey # field in your /account page to remove the manual email effort – so going forward, you do NOT have to email the registrar your number. You will not be allowed on the ice until you have your USA Hockey # added for the season.
4. What’s Next?
   1. Required – Add your play level preference on your Account. We will use this to balance levels and estimate team number and roster size going into evaluations. Play-with and -without requests will be collected later.
   2. We will add September orientation, preseason skills and scrimmages to the website so you can sign up. Sept 11th and 18th are focused on new-to-hockey and new-to-MGHA folks, then we will have ice time for all players as we lead into evaluations and team formation in mid-October.
   3. Reminder – complete the volunteer form if you have skills to share or recommendations for us.
   4. Reminder – Use the locker room listserv locker-room@lists.madisongayhockey.org for any informal updates about mentor/mentee skating at the UW Shell or other local rinks, LGBTQ+ events/news, etc.
   1. Extra credit – watch our videos on the Skills and Drills website page to refresh your brain on what’s coming soon during the preseason!

<3 Thanks and see you soon! <3

The first fall leaf hasn’t yet hit the ground, yet we have 165 people with a deposit in for the new season! We have flexibility to grow this year with the 3 level structure, but your quick action now helps us plan with time and sanity. New players should get their applications in ASAP, returners need to pay deposit and registration soon to secure a spot.

Here’s everything you need to know and do to get signed up to take the ice with the MGHA in our 15th season:

1. Read this entire post, understand our COVID policy and new 3 levels of play
2. Pay your $100 Deposit and $250 remaining Fees
3. Register with USA Hockey and send your ID # to registrar@madisongayhockey.org *NOTE FOR NEW APPLICANTS: please only do this once you’ve heard from recruiting that we have your spot ready.
4. Update your account with your preferred level of play
5. Submit the volunteer / nomination form
6. [optional] Aug 23 – Attend the gear swap to donate, swap, socialize, support new players
7. [required] September – Attend preseason orientation before taking the ice
8. Preview this season’s Schedule, sync it to your calendar

COVID-19

The MGHA follows Dane County guidelines and recommendations for COVID-19. As of August 2nd, 2022, Dane County is at a High Community level, which means masking indoors is recommended but not required. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/covid-by-county.html
“People may choose to mask at any time. People with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask. Masks are recommended in indoor public transportation settings and may be required in other places by local or state authorities.”

We want all MGHA players and fans to feel welcome and safe at hockey each Sunday, knowing that everyone is navigating community health data, making decisions about masks, and keeping up with variant news. If you need anything, contact the board member. This will remain to be a priority throughout the season.

About Play Levels

To make the league more inclusive, MGHA Members have opted to shift from a 2-level organization last year to a 3-level organization this year. To implement these changes, we are requiring preseason (off-ice) orientation for all levels, all players, to discuss expectations and hold space for comments and questions.

Level 1 “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.

Level 2 “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.

Level 3 “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.

We expect ALL levels to skate safely, in control of oneself, and intentionally inclusive of teammates and opponents – this is the MGHA Way – we know it’s more fun! Good competition is created when everyone skate within their own abilities, recognizes and respects others abilities, and creates space for skill development.

ACTION: Select your preferred level(s) for the 2022-2023 on your Account page.

Pay Fees

2022-2023 Fees are $350 total: $100 paid as a deposit, and $250 paid below to complete registration.

Financial Aid: Monthly payment plans and discounted fees are available each year, please reach out if you need any assistance whatsoever.

2022-2023 League Deposit

2022-2023 League Fees

Volunteer to support this year

Recruiting, mentoring, clinics, evaluations, captains, coaches, fundraising, social events, sponsorships, gear, community skate, tournament, apparel – the list goes on. There’s so much we do each year, please submit this form to note your interest or nominate others to the various volunteer roles that keep the MGHA way alive and well!

ACTION: Complete the Volunteer Form ASAP

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That’s all for now, folks! Check back here for more #news as we gear up for the season.

-Libs and the Board

We hope your summers are going well! We’ve got some fun summer ice opportunities coming up! Please read on for information on what’s happening and how to register!

WHAT:

Scrimmages – Separate L1 and L2 scrimmages – sign up for whichever you’re comfortable skating in. These will likely be more relaxed than the regular season pace of play. To start, please register for just one of the levels to allow more folks to play; if there’s space, you may sign up for (or sub in!) the other. 

Skills – Open to all levels – coached ice time to work on skating, passing, shooting, and gameplay concepts. Coaches will gladly take feedback on what folks want to work on. (If you are interested in coaching, reach out to Avery and/or Libs for more information!)

WHEN:

Skills: Tuesdays 7:50 – 8:35 (45 minutes) 

L1 Scrimmage: Tuesdays 8:45-9:45 (1 hour)

L2 Scrimmage: Thursdays: 7:50 – 8:50 (1 hour)

DATES:

10 weeks, June 21 – August 25 

Option to register for 5 week halves:

Skills / L1 scrimmage: June 21-July 19 // July 26 – August 23

L2 scrimmage: June 23 – July 21 // July 28 – August 23

WHERE: 

Capitol Ice Arena

COST:

Half summer scrimmage: $60

Full summer scrimmage: $120

Half summer skills: $35

Full summer skills: $70

Financial aid for summer ice is available – please fill out the financial aid form or reach out to the treasurer (treasurer@madisongayhockey.org) 

LINKS TO PAY/REGISTER (must be logged in to purchase!):

Notes: 

– Paying through the link will add you to the group you’re signing up for; no further action is needed at this time on that.

– If you are wanting to do the whole summer’s worth of scrimmages (10 weeks), you will need to purchase both items separately. Do not buy one session twice!

– At this time, only register for one or the other of the scrimmage groups. You may register for both a scrimmage group and skills!

L1 Early Scrimmage (June 21-July 19)

L1 Late Scrimmage (July 26 – August 23)

L2 Early Scrimmage (June 23 – July 21)

L2 Late Scrimmage (July 28 – August 23)

Skills – Early (June 21-July 19)

Skills – Late (July 26 – August 23)

Please reach out with any questions! We hope to see you on the ice this summer!

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