TL;DR: 

• We are now indefinitely requiring masks for the hockey league in all areas of the ice, GOALTENDERS INCLUDED.
• Take this survey to help inform the board on the league’s thoughts on COVID-19 for our fall season.

Hey all!
We will keep this coming e-mail brief but there are two important items to cover in this e-mail.

Mask mandate: to further facilitate safety and in tandem with our vaccination requirement for all players within the league, we will be requiring masks in all spaces of the rink. This includes in the lobby, the locker room, and the ice. We understand that some goaltenders have trouble playing with a mask on the ice due to helmet fastening issues, however, given the indoor mask mandate from Dane County Public health (effective 2021-08-19), goalies will also be required to wear a mask at all times in the rink.

Survey: Last year, we used a league-wide survey to inform a number of decisions the board made last season and will be conducting a survey this season, as well. You can take the survey here. We understand that some members may wish to share their thoughts anonymously. If this is the case, please respond to an e-mail that is not linked to your MGHA account to the e-mail on the CC line (board@madisongayhockey.org). We will be evaluating this survey next week Sunday, so please take it by end of day Saturday.
Thank you all for your thoughts and respecting the updated mask mandate!The MGHA Board

As I’m sure you’ve heard around, cases are rising, and the delta variant leaves some COVID question-marks.

• As of right now, we are continuing our season as planned.  The 6 week preseason is optional, and we will be focusing on activities in smaller groups.  However we are aware of changing conditions, and the possibility that it may not be safe to return to play in a few weeks
• AS A REMINDER: VACCINES ARE REQUIRED, with exceptions for medical conditions
• We are recommending masks in rink common areas and locker rooms.  Masks on ice are optional right now, but may be mandated as conditions change
• Should a season cancellation/postponement be necessary, or if the changing COVID situation changes your personal comfort and ability to play hockey, we will work out a system to give prorated refunds of ice fees
• If you have public health and/or other COVID-relevant expertise or experience, and are willing to discuss the COVID situation with the board, please reach out, we’d love to hear from you
• We have an existing set of comprehensive COVID guidelines, and we are working on updating those guidelines to better reflect the current ever-changing landscape of the pandemic

Keep in mind that this is subject to change as conditions, regulations, and rink policies are updated.

It’s the summer time and many of us are getting the opportunity to breathe fresh air and experience the waters, see members of our hockey family for the first time in a long time, and to get excited about hockey for the upcoming season!!
If you’d like the TL;DR: 

• We’re planning on proceeding with a normal as season as possible. More info will come out in the coming months, but for the safety of the league and those around you, please get the vaccine if it is safe for you to do so! We’ll be providing more COVID-19 precautions and review structure for the upcoming season in the coming months.
• The deposit to play this year is $100 and dues will be $325 total. If you are experiencing financial hardship, please fill out a financial aid form here.
• If you’d like to play in the Fall season, deposit here! 
• Have a friend or loved one who wants to play? Have them fill out a new player application here.

Deposits and DuesThe deposit for the upcoming season is $100. To pay that and secure your spot, go to this link. If you were new with us last season (2020-2021) and paid a deposit, you are considered a returning player and able to register as a returning player even if you never got a chance to get on the ice with us

Dues for the upcoming season will be $325. The increase in cost reflects the increase in ice costs and allows for providing more financial aid for folks who need it, especially in light of the past year. We also are hoping these additional funds will also allow us additional latitude to support BIPOC organizations to meet our commitments we made last year.
Speaking of financial aid: If you are experiencing financial hardship, please fill out a financial aid form here. We’ll work with you so cost is not a barrier to you playing hockey!

Logistics and other info:We are firming up our season dates for September now and are working on ice reservations with the goal of keeping our Sunday evening hockey times. We’re this close to firming up dates and times, but will keep you all engaged over the course of this month as we finalize the dates. We will be finalizing COVID-19 precautions over the course of the summer, but you are welcome to provide feedback to the board on your expectations for the league and how we can best keep people safe. We encourage everyone to get vaccinated if it is safe for you to do so.

We will open registration for new players on July 5th, and are actively beginning recruiting in the coming weeks. If you have friends who want to play, get them excited and fill out a new player application here.

Summer ice: We’ve gotten ahold of Cap Ice for summer ice availability and are finalizing securing ice and schedule for this. High level goals are to have 2 hours of ice a week, 1 hour of skills and 1 hour of scrimmaging. Look for an announcement about summer ice in the next couple weeks.

Finally, we are excited to announce our new board of directors for this upcoming season.
The new Board of Directors:

President – Avery Cordingley

Vice President – Ian Leach

Secretary – Karoliina Bursian

Treasurer – Gene Zadzilka

Miracle Whip  – Bront Rojec

We’re excited to see everyone again soon! Get excited about hockey and take care of yourselves in the meantime.

Hello everyone! It’s that time of year again! Time to call for new members and nomination for the 2021-2022 board. Membership is the next level of involvement in the MGHA community. Members apply, get voted in, and then can vote on board members and referendums. More details below.

TL;DR: Want to be a member? Go here and apply by April 27th. You’ll need a sponsor, there is a list of current members on the page. We will confirm your application so if you don’t hear from us after 24 hours, please email board@madisongayhockey.org. Last year we noticed a few applications went missing.

Want to be a board member or know someone who should be? Send an email to board@madisongayhockey.org with “Board nomination” as the subject. Remember the nominee needs to be a member by May 16th.

Voting for new members by current members will take place online from April 29th – May 9th

Voting for board members will occur at the annual member meeting via Zoom on May 16th (tentative)
Questions? Email the board anytime and/or attend the Board/Membership 101 session on April 25th at 6:30pm – details to follow.

Longer version: For those unaware, about a month after the season ends, we have a membership season wrap-up meeting. This is where we welcome new members, elect board members, and vote on any referendums that will likely affect the coming season.   

What we are looking for: Membership Nominations for Membership! Membership application is open to anyone who has completed a season with us (no, the 2020-2021 season does not count). If you would like to become a member, you will need to have an existing member sponsor you. If you don’t know who is a member or you haven’t heard of this already, please go here: https://www.madisongayhockey.org/resources/membership/ That is the explanation of membership, the list of current members, and the form to apply, how convenient!
We will be taking membership nominations up to the end of day April 25th, so you have some time, but do it sooner rather than later! This is so members have time to vote on new members to confirm if they can be board nominees or not. Membership voting will be from April 29th to May 9th.

Board Member Nomination Second, we are looking for Board Member nominations! If you’d like to nominate someone other than yourself, please do so by April 25th. This will allow nominees some time to consider and accept or decline.  Please note, you MAY nominate yourself. If you are currently not a member or the person you are nominating is not, that is okay, just note that you/they must be voted in as a member first to be considered for the Board (ie, fill out the membership application form above).   Please submit your nominations via email to the Board with the subject “Board Nomination.” We will inform nominees and if they wish to accept, they can submit a written statement to be placed on the website. Nominations are allowed up to and including the member meeting.

Voting Membership voting will be done as usual through the website by current members from April 29th-May 9th.
Board member voting will be done in person remotely at the End of Season Meeting. This is tentatively May 16th remotely. A confirmation of this will follow as well as reminders of voting and the meeting. With the current pandemic, attending the remote meeting will need to suffice as “in-person” for purposes of voting for the board.
Accepted new members and the board nominees (if they accepted the nomination) will be placed on the website on the 9th of May. Listed board nominees will only be posted if they were accepted as a member. Please review their statement on the website and be prepared before the meeting. The goal here is to remove the nomination/discussion piece that elongates the end-of-season meeting and has been a source of discomfort in the past. This removes some of the social engineering and allows for more careful consideration of all nominees. We will still permit in meeting nominations to the board. We will still permit a short speech by each nominee if they wish to have the floor (the Whip will keep this on a time limit equal to all). This structure may of course be discussed at the meeting during open floor discussion.

Looking at the growth in cases over the last few months together with Dane County Order 10 and the spike in cases that prompted it, we will be postponing our 2020-2021 season indefinitely and suspending on-ice activities until the attached Return to Play Guidelines and conditions can be met in Dane County. Thank you for your support and patience with this process as we try to find what is best for the league, the health and safety of our hockey family is our top priority. 

While this may feel like crap news, it is with hopeful hearts that we publish this document in that it presents a path to getting back on the ice together safely in the future. The most recent hint of baseline conditions (19 or fewer daily cases) was this past June, so it is not impossible! We will play again!

Please see our Covid Updates page for more information.

First, we’d like to thank you for filling out the survey, coming to our town hall, and sending us feedback as we work through what has been one of the hardest decisions to make as an organization. In coming to a decision as to whether to have a season start in September, we evaluated survey feedback, town hall feedback, Dane County metrics and USA Hockey guidelines, and, as always, our mission of being an inclusive, intersectional, and community-driven organization.

We are postponing any form of games until, at minimum, January. We are exploring the possibility for some level of on-ice, socially distant activities starting in November, and will be providing you with an update by October 1st if these activities will occur.

We know that this decision likely comes with a mixture of feelings – sadness for the season being postponed, anger that the coronavirus has taken our hockey time away from us, and relief that we can make sure we keep our community safe in the midst of this pandemic. We feel many of these things with you, and are here to support you along with the rest of our hockey community. 

This league has always been more than just playing hockey; our goal from the start has been to create an intersectional community in support of our shared, common identities to bring us all together. Although hockey may not be happening, we are staying true to our mission. In the coming weeks, we will be creating a format for you to create virtual events to share with the whole league, titled “Living Room Lives.” Anyone can host these events, and we’re hoping to kick off a grand unveiling by the middle of August. Interested in being a part of the social squad? We need your help! Reply to this email, and we’ll be in touch.

We know there has been much interest for socially-distant dryland events. For the safety of those in our league, we are only sanctioning virtual events as an organization for the foreseeable future. Of course, this does not prevent you from meeting up as individuals to do socially-distant activities. For all social events, including our “Living Room Live” events, we will ask that you have a virtual format that is accessible to those in the league.

Although this decision has been tough, we have been truly inspired by the passion in our league and the thought and interest the community has had for our favorite sport. Please be well, check in on your hockey family, and stay healthy.

In solidarity,
The MGHA Board

Here are this year’s winners and the nice things their teams had to say about them! Lots and lots of you were nominated for wonderful and encouraging efforts. Props to everyone.

Avalanche Avengers Keith Westpfahl Keith brought laughter, confidence, and compliments to everyone on the team. He was always looking for ways to get the new players the opportunity to score their first goal. He kept connections with teammates off ice as well and was always available to jump in and help other teams fill sub spots. He is the perfect example of a model teammate.

Black Mirror Sean Hubbard He was always encouraging and coaching from the bench and on the ice. He was generous with the puck as well.
His play was inclusive and cooperative and he was encouraging and supportive of players of all skill levels. Sean is a great teammate!

Blue Moons Paul Weber His game-time cheering gives the entire team (and the opposing team!) a punch of energy and sense of fun, but it’s his genuine appreciation of his teammates and never-ending willingness to provide both complements and help off-the-bench that makes Paul above-and-beyond the embodiment of the MGHA way.

Cordon Blue Laur Rivera Laur always came to every game with a positive mindset and ready to do her best. She goes the extra mile to check in on teammates and make sure everyone feels comfortable and accepted. Laur exemplifies all MGHA values and exceptional sportspersonship!

Dumpster Fire Jen Lawrence Jen only ever has encouraging and supporting words for her teammates and opponents. She plays hard, but still in a way that it makes it a safe environment for everyone. Super helpful and a great team player!

It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Cheesy Lori Prechel Lori was a consistently positive, hard-working presence on and off the ice. Even after suffering an injury that kept her off the ice for what turned out to be the rest of the season, she continued to come to each and every game, put on her helmet and cheer on everyone from the bench. She represents the best of what the MGHA is about, and it was a joy to be her teammate.

Wild Things Rob Kalejta Rob was an invaluable asset to the team this year. He was a constant source of helpful guidance on the bench and on the ice, he had a great attitude for every game, and he consistently played thoughtful, inclusive hockey. Rob leverages his knowledge and experience in the league to mentor the less experienced players, and to provide guidance during intermissions between periods.

Yellow Submarine Doug Haltinner He was a great presence on the team — always positive in the locker room (and fun), always enthusiastic, and always working to improve his and the entire team’s game.

Monsters Matty Brausen Matty was new to the league this year, but immediately took to the concept of playing the MGHA way. As an experienced player, he quickly learned how to adjust his play style, and always worked collaboratively with his linemates to help create plays. On the bench and in the locker room, he was always upbeat and inclusive. He even dyed his hair blue to match our team’s jerseys!

Sacre Bleu! Daniel Burkhardt Daniel is an unselfish player, willing to play anywhere the team needs him. He always makes an effort to include everyone on the team; in the locker room, on the bench, and on the ice.

The Devils Wear Prada Chuck McKain In this new world of divisions, he was always positive, never really was overly physical or upset when the other team was,  and he helped many others on the team learn to play at a higher level.

The Juice Sarah Bottjen She constantly brought good vibes to the team and was the impetus behind the squirt squirt patch!

The Shrek Republic Ryan Ziltner Ryan was so positive socially and played the MGHA way, contributing to an overall excellent experience for everyone on our team. He organized our team holiday party, brought everyone holiday gifts of rainbow hockey tape, and volunteered to perform at the MGHA Classic Drag Show fundraiser.

Ugly Pucklings Gabby Grandin Gabby was a great captain – she spent time each game teaching us something about how we could be playing as a team, she had great spirit and infected the rest of us with it, all while also keeping us rowdy ducks in check. She not only co-led the team, she did it with panache.