Holy Name Hockey Association

Mission Statement of Holy Name Hockey

“Holy Name Hockey is an organization created solely by volunteers to provide a safe and challenging athletic environment, focused competition, develop and foster proper sportsmanship, and provide proper social and athletic direction to the youths it serves.”

The purposes of this association are:

To develop and encourage sportsmanship between all players for the betterment of their physical and social well-being and to help combat juvenile delinquency.

To encourage and improve the standard of ice hockey and sportsmanship in Western Massachusetts, State of Massachusetts and New England.

To be a member of and associate with other USA Hockey Associations.

To conduct ice hockey tournaments and other associated events and to select representative teams for other travel and local tournaments.

To do any and all acts desirable in the furtherance of the foregoing purposes.

General Information of the Association

What League do we play in?

Holy Name Hockey plays in the Greater Springfield Youth Hockey League. To learn more about the league, visit www.gslhockey.com

When does the season start, and how long is it?

The hockey season will start in late August and run through the end of March for GSL players. Our Learn-to-Skate program begins in the end of September and runs through the end on March. The exact date for the start of the Learn to Skate Program is not set at this time

How are players assigned to teams?

Holy Name holds tryouts in late August / early September that assigns players to teams that are equal to their playing level.

What are the age levels?

Players are assigned to divisions based upon what year they were born. For 2007 - 2008 Hockey Season the age breakdowns are as follows:

Midget 1990 - 1993

Bantam 1994 - 1995

Pee Wee 1996 - 1997

Squirt 1998 - 1999

Mite 2000 or after

Mini-Mite 2002 & After

Where and when are practices scheduled?

Practices can be held on any day of the week and are either 50, 60 or 80 minutes in length and could be either full or split-ice. Most of our ice time is at the Olympia in West Springfield, however, we do have some ice time at Cyr Arena at Forest Park in Springfield. Practices could start at either 4:30 p.m., 5:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.

When do games begin, and how long do they go?

Games for the Midget players usually begin on, or about, Labor Day weekend. Evaluation games for all other levels begin in late September and run through October. These games are used to determine the appropriate division for each team. The regular season usually begins in early November and runs through the end of February. Playoffs are usually in March with the Championship games held an the end of March?

How much does it cost and what does it cover?

Registration cost for Holy Name are shown on our Registration Page. Cost for the Learn-to-skate program is $99 for the entire year. Monthly ice costs for the 2008 - 2009 season are $199 for Mite through Bantam for our seven month payment program beginning at the first skate in August. We also have included a 10-month payment option beginning in June (two months PRIOR to the first skate). Monthly ice fees are $139 (the total annual ice fee does not change but this allows for lower monthly payments). Cost for our fall season Midget program will be $650 and will be split into two payments, with dates to be determined. The cost for our mini-mite (cross-ice) program has not been set, but will be approximately $150 per month that will include two practices and a minimum of 1 game per week. The first payment due prior to the child taking the ice in August and spread out over 7 payments through March. Registration and Ice Costs cover all fees associated with practices, games, referee fees, timekeeper fees, jerseys, socks, insurance and USA and Mass Hockey Registration. Fees do not cover any independent games and / or tournaments attended by the individual teams.

Is there a way I can reduce my monthly ice costs?

The simple answer is YES. Holy Name Hockey will be instituting various fundraising events this season that will allow players to reduce their monthly ice costs. Information on these events will be distributed early in the season.

Does Holy Name hold its own tournament?

The Holy Name IceBreaker Tournament is usually held every year on the weekend before Thanksgiving at the Olympia and Cyr Arena. We usually host over 50 teams from around New England, New York and New Jersey. Holy Name teams are responsible for 100% of the cost of the Tournament. This cost can be reduced to 50% if parents and players volunteer their time to assist at the event. More information on the 2008 IceBreaker will be available shortly and can be found on the IceBreaker page.

If you have any questions, please contact John Leahy via email or by phone at 413-246-0566.

Also, if there are any additional questions and answers that you think would be helpful to be listed here please send an e-mail HERE and they will be added to the website.