Volume 7, Issue 1 March 26, 2005 Contents Annual Elections 1. About this Issue At the ABYHA annual meeting held on March 9, elections were held for all positions of the ABYHA Board of Directors. 2. Annual Elections There is a one-year term of service for each of these positions Results of the ABYHA annual elections. and the term begins on June 1. The results were as follows: 3. Kudos to Mike Carroll Dave Peduto, Program Director Thanks to our departing Program Director. Tom Barrett, Director of Finance 4. ABYHA Finances Dave Losier, Director of Leagues By Tom Barrett Tom Hargrave, Director of Hockey Teams ABYHA’s financial picture. Eric Page, Director of Marketing and Communications Phil Pengeroth, Director of Ice Activities 5. ABYHA Fundraising Scott Angell, Director of Business Activities By Scott Angell Dan Joyce, Director of Registration ABYHA’s current and future fundraising efforts. Brian Berkley, Tournament Coordinator 6. The Practice Ice Challenge Dave Peduto, Tom Hargrave, and Eric Page were newly By Hank Hamilton elected to their respective positions on the Board. There was Ice shortages and the complexity of practice schedules. no turnover in the other board positions. Dave is currently the 7. The 2003-04 Membership Survey Director of Hockey Teams, Tom is the current Compiled by Hank Hamilton Associate Director of Hockey Teams, and Eric is a coach for Results of the annual survey from last season. the Mite 3 team. Congratulations to Dave, Tom, and Eric! 8. Angell a Man for All Seasons By Stephen Tobey, Staff Writer, Concord Journal Scott Angell’s storied high school sports career. Kudos to Mike Carroll 9. Life Without the Bruins The Board of Directors would like to extend their greatest By Hank Hamilton appreciation and thanks to Mike Carroll, who has just stepped Alternatives to Bruins hockey. down as our Program Director. Mike has been an instrumental contributor to this program where he has served tirelessly in numerous ABYHA positions during the past 11 years. He has About this Issue also volunteered his time for many other youth hockey The special focus of this issue deals with the questions and positions outside of ABYHA. He does all of this because he concerns ABYHA members have raised in this and previous loves hockey and thoroughly enjoys the work. ABYHA is the seasons, such as: strong program it is today due in large part to Mike Carroll. If you see MIke around the rink, please thank him for all his • What is the condition of the ABYHA’s finances? dedication and effort. • Why do we have to do all of this fundraising? • Why we have to go all the way to Dracut for practices? • Why is our practice schedule so crazy? In summary, the ABYHA Board of Directors understands these concerns and does everything possible to address them. ABYHA Finances Close to 80% of the program expenses are for ice time and By Tom Barrett league fees. Unfortunately, these are also the two areas that ABYHA Director of Finances have seen the largest increase in costs in recent years. In addition, the program has continued to grow, with the number The 2004/2005 hockey season is nearing the end and over the of teams increasing from 19 in 2002/03 to 24 this season. The course of the season the ABYHA Board of Directors has number of teams, the quantity of players per team and the received a few questions regarding the fundraising campaign availability of ice time are all key issues we continue to face and the finances of the hockey program. This brief article is moving forward. The remainder of the larger expense items an effort to provide more information about the status of our includes insurance, skills and coaching clinics, equipment, program. tournaments, and playoffs. (Please note that those teams playing in the Middlesex league do get one tournament paid To begin, ABYHA remains in sound financial shape. for by the program due to the league playing fewer games than However, the costs for our two biggest expenses, leagues and the Dual State schedule. This is done in an effort to provide ice time, continue to increase. For example, the average approximately the same amount of games for each team.) The league fees have increased by 19% from the 2002/03 season to Other expense category includes: office expenses, website the current year. After running a small deficit in 2003/04, the fees, accounting services, advertising, tryout costs, and Board decided to try to keep the fees fixed for the 2004/05 trophies/jackets. season, and focus on other ways to create a breakeven budget. As a result, a decision was made to eliminate the one The costs for a travel player (Mite and up) for the 2004/05 tournament which was provided to all teams, and initiate a season are $926, based on 13 skaters and a goalie. The fees more focused fundraising effort. Fundraising has always been for the year were $790 plus $60 for registration for a total of an important part of the program but it did not have a major $850 per player. The budget gap between the fees charged and emphasis for the past two years. Both of these strategies have the actual costs are balanced through fundraising and the small worked well to keep the program on a projected break even surplus in Learn to Skate. The cost breakdown for the budget for this year. ABYHA travel player is show below. Below is a breakdown of the income and major expense items League Costs $423 for the program. For the 2004/05 season, the program is Ice Time $355 targeting to raise close to 5% of its income from fundraising in Insurance/Registration $ 44 an effort to offset the increasing costs. Clinics/Equipment $ 42 Tournaments/Playdowns $ 28 Other $ 34 Income $926 With the anticipated cost of ice time and leagues expected to continue to rise, ABYHA will be looking at a significant fee 7% 5% increase for the 2005/06 season. For the first time in a number 17% of years, the program is in the midst of a successful fundraising Fundraising campaign which will help to bring the program to breakeven LTS this year. As a nonprofit organization, I believe fundraising needs to continue to be a part of the program. The challenge Travel going forward will be to continue to improve the quality of the Registration program at a reasonable cost. I welcome any ideas or thoughts you may have on improving the ABYHA program. 71%

ABYHA Fundraising By Scott Angell Expenses ABYHA Director of Business Activities 3% On behalf of the Board and the ABYHA program, we would 3% 5% like to express our gratitude for those players and families that 3% League Costs have participated in our two major fundraisers for this season. 7% Ice Time Please understand we fully recognize the increase in 38% Insurance/Registration fundraising activities, from schools to just about every non- Clinics profit organization we can think of, including every youth Equipment sports programs. The reality of the matter is our program must Tournaments/Playoffs also engage in these activities in these times of spiraling costs. Other 41% As Tom Barrett has illustrated in his article in this newsletter, we can clearly see the score. In his analysis he indicates the break-even point for a player on a travel team this season is $926 representing a variance of $50 per player. League fees have also increased 19% since the 2002-03 Season. In addition, we have not raised our fees in a number of years, and • Establishing a merchandise program with items like hats, we have seen a decrease in participants in the Learn to Skate shirts, blankets etc. program as other area programs have developed their own. • This is not to suggest the foundation for the program is in Having a silent auction at the year-end party. decline because it certainly is not. In fact, it is as strong as ever • And of course, scheduling a year-end celebration for the and we are projecting 160-170 LTS participants. If anything, it program. is advantageous in that less kids on the ice means more time for the coaches to work with them. However, lower revenue In closure, we again thank everyone for their support and combined with rising costs has mandated that we respond, and understanding as we ramp up these annual events. For the in aggregate, this represents 5% of the overall budget that committee, it has been a learning experience and one we are needs to be addressed via fundraising. committed to making easier and more enjoyable in future seasons. In addition, our fundraising team is growing with It is very important that everyone understands the financial volunteers that are willing to dedicate their time to our condition of the program is strong as Tom has also indicated, program, and we deeply appreciate their willingness to do so. and we feel this is a very manageable situation. Thus we energetically introduced new fundraising programs and at the We would also like to thank the individuals that stepped forth outset we had the following goals outlined that are detailed with questions, concerns, and suggestions. We are optimistic below. that we have answered the questions, and we certainly welcome suggestions. To that end, please feel free to contact • To raise funds to create a cash neutral position for the Patty or me any time and I sincerely hope that you are program and even provide a cushion for unforeseen comfortable in doing so. expenses. • To establish programs that will be easy and enjoyable to participate in. • The Practice Ice Challenge To establish programs that would not rely solely on the By Hank Hamilton membership to support to be successful. (We were ABYHA Director of Marketing and Communications optimistic that the poinsettias are something that our friends, family, and associates would normally consider.) Introduction – You just received an email notification message from the ABYHA website that lists the practices that • To establish motivating rewards for the top contributors. have just been added to your team’s schedule. You look it By and large, we feel we did a decent job of attaining these over and your blood begins to boil. It’s the worst possible goals, but we could have done a much better job in the areas of situation: communication, implementation, and timing for which I take • ownership of. We learned a great deal and we will do better It’s January and only three new practices were added. next year. For example, some of the improvements that you • Today is Thursday and the first practice added to the can expect are the calendar raffle being collected in January schedule is this Saturday. and run in February so we are not competing with the plethora • It’s in Dracut. of fundraisers in the fall. Simpler forms and an earlier start • And your team has a game scheduled later that afternoon. and finish to the poinsettia program. We are even considering distributing the flowers before Thanksgiving to allow everyone • Your next practice is not for another nine days. to get them to their families during the holiday weekend. One You think, “What is the matter with this program? What are thing we definitely will not do is run major activities back to they thinking about?” Well, nothing is the matter with this back. These are just a few of the improvements we are program considering that most other youth hockey programs in planning and many of our ideas came from suggestions by the Eastern face the same difficulty in obtaining association, and, by all means, please keep these ideas and and scheduling practice ice. This article explains the factors suggestions coming! that go into creating practice schedules and the difficulty that We have managed to raise about $12,500 and that leaves us ABYHA faces in securing sheets of ice. with $1,500 to go for the season. The calendar raffle had The Questions – The above scenario elicits many of the winners from five different states and 60% of the families questions members often ask regarding practice schedules: participated. The poinsettias program, which was launched late on purpose to give everyone a bit of a breather, was also • Why do we have to go to Dracut? successful with 36% participation. We sold over 830 flowers • Why can’t we be given a practice schedule that is effective and literally filled the entire cafeteria at the Conant School. for several months instead of a few weeks? Furthermore, we have heard nothing but great comments on • the spectacular quality of the flowers from Cupp and Cupp, Why are so many practices on the weekends? and, if you were there on distribution day, you could not help • Why can’t we have regular time slots every week? but to get into the holiday spirit. The Good News – One of the goals that ABYHA has Other fundraising activities for this and next year include: maintained over the years is that every team gets two practices • per week. This includes skills and 3-on-3 sessions. Despite Securing sponsors for our yearbook and website. the huge demand for ice throughout the region, and despite that ABYHA has added teams over the last few years, the number of practices per week per team this year averages over 1.9. Admittedly, the circumstances are not always ideal, such as sharing ice with two other teams and having to travel to Dracut. The Shortage of Ice – Many have asked, Why can’t the program just get some more ice at NVO or find some other nearby rink other than NVO or Valley to hold practices? As you’re aware, NVO is a busy place and it also happens to be one of the leading centers for figure skating in all of New England. Of course ABYHA has asked NVO for more ice but there simply isn’t any during the acceptable practice hours. The best NVO can usually offer us is to maintain our current levels. This past season, however, ABYHA did get two additional sheets per week in our allocation. We are fortunate to have the ice that we do because NVO could certainly sell our allocation to another group who would be willing to pay higher rates. Besides figure skaters, other users of NVO include our Mosquito program, our Learn to Skate program, the Nashoba Youth Hockey Learn to Skate program, the NECDL hockey program, the high school girls and boys JV and varsity hockey teams, the Middlesex Yankee Conference hockey league (for our girls teams), public skating, and a men’s hockey league. The two ice sheets at the Valley Sports Arena in Concord face equally large demand. Users there include the elite Assabet Valley Girls program, the Assabet Valley Patriots hockey program, Concord Carlisle Youth Hockey, SMS Youth Hockey, the Greg Carter hockey school, the Middlesex league, figure skating, public skating, and adult hockey leagues. What about other area rinks? Why can’t we just go elsewhere? There are two problems with that. First, there simply aren’t that many rinks around, and second, all rinks, no matter where they are, have burgeoning demand for ice similar to NVO and Valley Sports. The ABYHA Director of Ice Activities doggedly attempts to secure “spot ice” from places such as the Middlesex School and the New England Sports Center. He has been successful, but overall the opportunities unfortunately have been few and far between. On the map on the next page, each dot represents a rink location. As you can see, there are very few rinks within a reasonable driving distance of the Acton/Boxborough area. Outside of Route 128, the dots are sparse. Seeing the high density of dots, you might conclude that youth hockey programs near Boston have plenty of ice. They don’t. In fact, some of those programs are much worse off than ABYHA. For instance, Winchester holds practices at eight different rinks and Needham uses eleven. Only programs associated with town-owned rinks, such as Watertown, Natick, Chelmsford, and Stoneham, have an adequate supply of practice ice. Locations of Eastern Massachusetts ice rinks.

Why is the demand so high at all of these rinks? The short programs consume ice at higher levels per participant than answer is that there are just more kids than ever playing most town hockey programs. hockey, and possibly more involved with figure skating as If demand is so high for ice time, why don’t they build more well. (There has been growth in adult hockey, too, but adult rinks? Well, more rinks are coming online each year, but not hockey events are at times that don’t compete for ice with at a rate fast enough to meet demand. youth hockey events.) The economics of the ice rink business is rocky and profits are There are many contributing factors to the explosion of the difficult to come by. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, number of kids playing hockey. First, Massachusetts has participation in hockey in Massachusetts exploded as a result experienced a steady population growth of children in recent of the Bobby Orr effect. Rinks were built in haste to keep up years. The population of children living in the Bay State with surging demand. Having ice times at 5 AM was not between ages 5 and 14 (the prime youth hockey years) uncommon. Many of the rinks constructed during that era increased 18% between 1990 and 2000. Naturally, many will were MDC rinks in the Boston area and other municipal rinks choose to play hockey. Second, the sport of ice hockey itself such as the West Suburban Arena in Natick and the Ryan rink has become more popular, both in Massachusetts and around in Watertown. the nation. Membership in USA Hockey has increased 2.5 times between 1990 and 2004. Third, there has been a very During the 1980s, because of falling birth rates and rapid rise in the number of girls playing hockey. For example, skyrocketing energy costs, many rinks fell on hard times and two years ago, ABYHA had no girls’ teams and now we have had to close their doors. By the 1990s, demand for ice was three. picking up again but unfortunately the conditions for a rebound in the rink industry were just not there. The problem Also, with Massachusetts being one of the nation’s hotbeds for is the ice rental market was being artificially depressed developing hockey talent, there has been a steady rise in the because of the presence of all of the subsidized municipal number of development and elite hockey programs such as the rinks. These rinks had been bought and paid for years before Metropolitan Boston Hockey League, the Eastern Hockey and were not required to generate a profit. They were in a Federation, the New England Hockey League, the New position to charge low rates for renting ice. And besides, their England College Development League, the New England mission even today is to provide low-cost recreation to the Stars, and the expanding junior hockey leagues. All of these communities in which they serve. During the prosperous 1990s, the idea of building upscale ice ABYHA tryouts, high school games, and obtaining “spot facilities took root, in keeping with the trends at the time. ice.” Why not offer something the MDC rinks cannot, such as • A practice must not conflict with a team’s game. Games amenities like restaurants, health clubs, and function rooms? include regular league games, district and state playoff The concept was to combine an ice rink and a general games, and tournament games. Ideally, a practice is not entertainment complex. The archetypes of this type of facility scheduled on the same day as a game. include the New England Sports Center (NESC) in Marlborough and the Icenter in Salem, NH. Both of these • The number practices that can be added to the schedule at rinks are spacious and luxurious. Both had serious financial any one time is limited by when the next league schedule difficulties after they were built. is expected to be issued. Each of our three leagues, Dual State, Middlesex, and Middlesex Yankee, releases their Nowadays, common sense is prevailing. Investors understand schedules at different points during the season. that the demand for ice time is still high, but are now approaching the problem more pragmatically. They know that • There are USA Hockey rules governing how late practices customers are really only interested in a high-quality sheet of can be held for each age division. Younger players cannot ice, not a health club or a commodious pro shop. They are have late evening practices, and, consequently, older willing to pay almost as much per hour to rent ice at NVO as players must be given the later practice times. they are at NESC. The owners of the Ice Huts and the • Superskills rink in Tewksbury understand this and base their Teams of similar ages and abilities share practice ice. business model around this premise. Convert an existing This allows teams to do full-ice drills together. facility to an ice rink, provide good quality ice, rink boards, • In order to be fair, “bad ice” is rotated so each team shares and locker rooms, but keep costs to a minimum. the burden. The sheets that are considered bad ice include Building a new rink is a difficult business challenge. Land in early Saturday mornings and late Sunday nights at Valley, Massachusetts is very expensive, and large construction and the distant Ice Hut practices on Saturdays. projects are fraught with lengthy approval processes, court Clearly, scheduling practices is a complex and challenging battles, regulations, and cost overruns. The risks are high for assignment. It reminds me of the task of managing a busy the opportunity to earn razor-thin profits. However, the manufacturing plant where dispatching work orders is serious ice shortage we are now experiencing is not about to scheduled based on the promised delivery dates, lead times, go away anytime soon, so you can expect to hear about more and available equipment, labor, and materials. There are many projects like the Ice Huts, or the expansion of existing factors that are involved in creating such a schedule, as there facilities. are in creating an ABYHA practice schedule. So, why do we have practices at the faraway Ice Huts? We Why can’t we be given a practice schedule that is effective for want to maintain our program’s quality objective of having several months instead of a few weeks? We have three leagues two practices per week, and, due to ice shortages, that is where each releasing their game schedules at different times, and the ice is available. Also, did I mention that hockey players each league releases three to five times per year. love the ice up there? It’s really cold. Why can’t we have regular time slots for practices every Why are so many practices on the weekends? Because the week? The situation makes this impossible. The available ice weekends are the times we have ice available from NVO, times change weekly, most games are not scheduled at regular Valley, and the Ice Huts. We have 28 regular one-hour sheets times, and the “bad ice” times need to be shared among all of ice per week. Twenty of them are on Friday, Saturday, and teams. Sunday. Unfortunately, most of our games are on the weekends, too. If the ice were available, more practices would The Grand Solution – One solution to most of these problems be scheduled on Monday through Thursday. would be the advent of a savior, a wealthy benefactor, who decides to build a rink in Acton or Boxborough, and reserves Practice Scheduling – Our Director of Ice Activities has an all of the ice for ABYHA, and maybe some for the high school extremely difficult job. Scheduling practices is similar to what hockey teams. Second, all of ABYHA’s leagues decide to a computer program does: Inputs are examined, decisions are release the schedule for the entire season in September, and made, and the output, a practice schedule, is the result. each team has games scheduled during a regular time slot. Unfortunately, there is no off-the-shelf computer program available that is set up to perform the type of schedule Since the possibility of either of these wishes coming true is processing we need. practically nil, you can in the mean time, while sipping a hot cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee on a cold Saturday morning at The requirements, inputs, and constraints used in creating a 6:30 AM at Valley, be thankful for the great experience you practice schedule are as follows: are giving your child by enrolling him or her in youth hockey, • Each team is provided with two practices per week, and being the supportive hockey parent that you are. Also, if including skills and 3-on-3 sessions. you see our Director of Ice Phil Pengeroth around the rink, tell him to keep up the good work. • Skills and 3-on-3 sessions must occur at the proper intervals for each team throughout the season. • Practices are scheduled on the ice sheets that are available each week. The number of available sheets can go up or down depending on holidays, special events at NVO, The 2003-04 Membership Survey having an erratic practice schedule. (See the By Hank Hamilton accompanying article, The Practice Ice Challenge.) In March 2004, ABHYA members (i.e., parents) were 8. Rate your satisfaction with the skills sessions [1-5]: surveyed for their evaluation of the hockey program, their likes Average rating is 4.0. Overwhelmingly, parents like Greg and dislikes, and suggestions for improvements. A total of 76 Carter and several mentioned that their kids attend surveys were returned, which, by historical standards, is a high Carter’s own skill sessions and camps. However, some number. Surveys were submitted electronically via email, and feel that there weren’t enough skill sessions during the on paper in typed and handwritten forms, via the mail and in year. Others wanted more Carter coaches on the ice given person. The survey encouraged long, descriptive comments the number of kids. A few felt that the sessions were too and many respondents answered the call. This article presents much the same every year and need to be changed in order the results of the survey, summarizes the findings, and, by to keep their kids interested. using this survey as the voice of the membership, makes 9. Rate your satisfaction with the 3-on-3 sessions [1-5]: recommendations for changing and improving the program. Average rating is 4.3. There were many fans of the 3-on-3 Below are the 23 questions contained in the survey and the sessions. To make things more interesting, a few summary results of each question. An average is given for suggested playing other programs and mixing up the each numerical answer. Summaries are given for written teams a bit, rather than playing with and against kids from answers, and for comments that accompanied numerical their own team. answers. Unfortunately, for most questions, the set of answers 10. Rate your satisfaction with the goalie clinics - if did not yield any consensus, so making a summary was applicable [1-5]: difficult. Average rating is 3.8. Naturally, not very many comments 1. Name of your child's team (e.g., Mite 2): were received for this question because of the relatively few number of goalies in the program. The consensus is 2. Number of years your child has participated in ABYHA: that the clinics were excellent but too crowded. Average is 3.9 years. Overall, respondents had children newer to the program than the median. 11. Rate your satisfaction with the tournaments [1-5]: Average rating is 4.0. Last year, there were many 3. Number of children you now have enrolled in ABYHA: complaints about a specific tournament. This year, the Average is 1.6. Having more than one child in the tournament’s coordinators addressed those complaints and program is quite common. ABYHA teams returned with much satisfaction. Questions 4 through 19 are answered on a five-point scale. 12. Rate your satisfaction with the league your child's team Unless otherwise specified, the responses are 5-excellent, 4- played in [1-5]: very good, 3-good, 2-fair, 1-poor. Average rating is 3.8. There were complaints about one of our leagues. Those complaints have been addressed 4. Rate your satisfaction with the quality of coaching [1-5]: this year and hopefully we will have better responses in Average rating is 4.3. Overall, the respondents were very our next survey. pleased with the coaching their children received. There were many glowing responses and yet there were reports 13. Rate your satisfaction with program communications of dissatisfaction on two or three teams. [1-5]: Average rating is 4.3. Many complimented the new 5. Rate your satisfaction with the team manager and website for providing good program communications. administration [1-5]: Some were, however, dissatisfied with their own team’s Average rating is 4.4. Again, mostly high ratings. The communications. complaints involved failing to send out email messages in a timely manner, and not using the website to post 14. Rate your satisfaction with the ABYHA website [1-5]: messages and game scores. Average rating is 4.7. Ted Stefanik (the previous Webmaster) and the new website based on League 6. Rate your satisfaction with the player placement process Athletics received a lot of compliments. Many liked the [1-5]: email notification system and schedule presentation that Average rating is 3.8. Out of all aspects of our program, the website provides. player placement has traditionally been the most emotionally charged. As you can see, this category 15. Rate your satisfaction with the registration and payment received one of the lower scores. Some of the low scores process [1-5]: were delivered without comments, perhaps reflecting Average rating is 4.1. Not many issues here. Two dissatisfaction with their child’s placement, but could not suggested using online registration, as Acton-Boxboro articulate the reason behind it. Others suggested that the Youth Baseball has done. Several compliments were process has been corrupted, giving coaches their choice of given to Dan and Ingrid Joyce. players, or favoring the children of coaches. However, there were many positive comments as well, recognizing 16. Rate your satisfaction with your child's overall the difficulty of the task, but pleased with the system experience this season [1-5]: nonetheless. Average rating is 4.3. All comments were positive except those from two families of the same team who did not 7. Rate your satisfaction with the team practices [1-5]: have an enjoyable season. Average rating is 3.9. Many complaints were related to wanting more practices, not using ice at Dracut, and 17. Do enjoy reading and find useful the Around the Boards tournaments, have more input from the kids such as an newsletter? [5-absolutely, 1-It's useless]: essay contest, and include a season summary of each team. Average rating is 3.3. Admittedly, last year’s production Recommendations – The amount of information collected in of the Around the Boards newsletter fell on hard times. this survey was extensive, and based on the suggestions and There were only two issues published and each contained complaints received, I can make the following recycled articles. Those few who read it wished for more recommendations to improve the ABYHA program: information about the program and our teams. Several said they stopped reading it when it was published in • Serious problems and issues occurring at the team level electronic form only. Last year, the newsletter was in fact should be reported through proper channels and be de-emphasized as a means of communication after the addressed immediately to prevent a deteriorating advent of the new website, which provides up-to-the- situation. minute news updates with the headline articles and email • notification. Make mandatory that teams use email for distributing effective and timely team-specific information. Also 18. If the newsletter were top-notch, would you take time to make mandatory that each team keep its website schedule read it? [5-always, 1-never]: up to date. Average response is 3.8. Most said they would take the • time to read a good newsletter. Again, some said they Determine if there is interest in having regular issues of would only read a hardcopy edition. the Around the Boards newsletter. If so, appoint a full- time position to manage its production and publication. 19. How often does someone in your family visit the ABYHA Also, distribute a hardcopy version in addition to posting web site? [5-daily, 4-twice a week or more, 3-weekly, 2- it on the website. occasionally, 1-never]: • Average response is 3.8. Most visit the website more Implement online registration using the website in order to than once a week. There were more positive comments make it more convenient for members and to reduce labor about the website. There were complaints however about for ABYHA volunteers. Allow members to update their some teams who did not maintain accurate schedule personal information (e.g., email address) using a information. password-protected web page. • Questions 20-23 require written answers. Continue to investigate ways to improve practice scheduling problems and ice shortages. One solution to 20. What aspects of the program were you most satisfied with the ice shortage is ABYHA’s addition of the second this year? league option. Overwhelmingly, the most positive aspect of the program that was most frequently cited was the coaching. Out of Please remember that any time you have a question, 44 comments received, 19 said the coaching was a big suggestion, or problem, do not hesitate to contact your coach reason for satisfaction. Other favorites included or the appropriate board member. All of our email addresses satisfaction with the team (5), skills sessions (5), the and phone numbers can be found on the team pages or the overall experience (4), 3-on-3 sessions (4), the website Contacts page on the website. You do not have to wait for the (4), the yearbook (3), the girls’ team (3), the program annual survey to voice your opinion about the program. overall (2), high school hockey player’s involvement (2), and player placement (2). 21. What aspects of the program were you least satisfied with this year? It should be of no surprise that the two biggest areas of complaints were game and practice scheduling (11), and using the faraway Ice Huts rink in Dracut for practices (8). People did not like the schedule inconsistency and short notice received for game and practice times. Other complaints received involved a bad team experience (6), issues with coaches (4), player placement (3), team placement in league divisions (3), lack of ice time (2), skills sessions (2), and traveling to games (2). 22. What ideas do you have for improving ABYHA? There were many ideas given for solving issues or improving the program. Only the following suggestions were mentioned twice or more: Release practice schedules earlier (4), drop practices at Ice Huts (3), have teams play in two leagues (2), and emphasize skating and conditioning more in practice (2). 23. What suggestions do you have for changing or improving the ABYHA yearbook? Not many responses were given here, but the most common were: Include more photos of the kids and of Angell a Man for All Seasons He is also honored to be inducted into the CCHS Hall of Fame By Stephen Tobey and on October 9 [2004]. He will be presented by his former Staff Writer, Concord Journal football coach, Al Robichaud. The following article appeared in the September 30, 2004 "One of the best parts of the honor is being recognized by issue of the Concord Journal. It is being reprinted with people whom I've stayed in touch with over the last few permission of the author. Scott Angell is an ABYHA coach decades," he said. "I have a lot of great memories about those and the current Director of Business Activities. He was teams and the sports." inducted into the Concord-Carlisle Athletic Hall of Fame on October 9, 2004. Ask Scott Angell what his favorite sport was during his time at Life Without the Bruins Concord-Carlisle High School and his answer will be typical By Hank Hamilton of any three-sport athlete: whatever he was playing at the moment. You’ve had a rough day at work, but the good news is that none of the kids has a hockey practice tonight and there is a Bruins game on the tube. Is there any better way for a hockey family to spend some quality time together than an evening of watching Bruins hockey? This could have been a scene at your house one year ago, but this season the protracted labor dispute between the NHL owners and players prevented Boston’s favorite pro hockey team from taking the ice. And what’s worse, this lockout might continue into next season, or there’s a chance that NHL teams will be stocked with replacement players. In either case, things look bleak for Bruins fans. Fear not, for there are some first-rate alternatives to hockey, and all of them are far less expensive than attending Bruins games. We live in Eastern Massachusetts, arguably the best location on Earth, including Canada, for Angell around the boards at NVO. choices in seeing great hockey. And most of these venues are more easily reached by car from Acton/Boxborough than "I can't really say I had a favorite sport," said Angell, who driving in to the FleetCenter (actually now the TD Banknorth graduated in 1979 and played football, hockey and lacrosse. Garden) to see the Bruins. "They were all team-based sports and they all helped me out in This article covers the options that are available in our area for life. I had a successful sales and marketing career and when I you and your family to see top-notch hockey. So while Joe started my own business, it really helped me out." Thornton bides his time over in Switzerland waiting for the Angell was a tackle and guard on Concord-Carlisle's 1978 NHL to return from its hiatus, in the mean time you can team that won the Dual County League championship and the venture to the Tsongas Arena in Lowell, or to one of the many Eastern Mass. Division 3 Super Bowl. In hockey, he played other nearby venues, to watch your favorite sport. defense and wing and in lacrosse he played attack. The – This North American Some of his most enduring memories are of the run toward the hockey league is the second best hockey league in the world. Super Bowl, but his favorite memories are of the Thanksgiving The AHL, with its 28 teams located in the USA and Canada, Day game with Bedford and his teammates and coaches. serves as the primary farm system for the . Many of the AHL’s players are on the doorstep of the "It was a great group of people," he said. "The camaraderie NHL, either as young up-and-coming prospects or as NHL was great. The coaches were awesome. I remember the journeymen. Too often, local hockey fans either dismiss or Bedford game better [than the Super Bowl]. It was a lot of overlook this league, focusing instead on the Division I college fun. Bedford was our rival. It was a really cold day and a game. But make no mistake about it, AHL players, on close game." average, are far more skilled, more experienced, and are bigger After he graduated, Angell played lacrosse at the University of and faster than their counterparts in Division I college hockey. New Hampshire. Today, he owns a company that designs The speed, intensity, finesse, and physicality of an AHL game emergency operation centers and high-end consoles. He lives on many nights approach that of the NHL. in Littleton and has three sons, ages 11, 8 and 4 who play The closest AHL teams in the area are the Lowell Lock hockey and baseball. He coaches youth hockey and hopes that Monsters and the Worcester Ice Cats. Unfortunately, the Ice his children can enjoy the kind of life as a multi-sport athlete Cats will be moving next season to Peoria, Illinois in order to that he did. be closer to their parent NHL club, the St. Louis Blues. There "We don't go overboard," said Angell. "I really consider is however serious discussion going on right now to bring a myself fortunate to be a part of a generation that was not new AHL team to Worcester. taught to play just one sport year-round." If you’re willing to drive a little farther, you can go see home games of the Manchester Monarchs (53 minutes by car), the (71 minutes), the Springfield Falcons (78 go along with it. For hockey players who grow up in the minutes), the Hartford Wolfpack (90 minutes), and the Boston area, the desire to win the Beatpot is comparable to the Portland Pirates (98 minutes). Die-hard Bruins fans should be desire of Canadian players to win the Stanley Cup. particularly interested in seeing the Providence Bruins because Unfortunately for the three other schools, the is they are the farm team of the Boston Bruins. Today’s stars of sometimes called the “ Trophy” because of the Providence are potential future stars of Boston. frequency in which BU is victorious, winning 26 times in 53 years, and eight of the last 10. Attending an AHL game is a great night out for a hockey family like yours, and the ticket prices are very reasonable. A Over the past 20 to 25 years, Division I college hockey has family of four can attend an AHL game for just about $80 increasingly become a major amateur feeder system for including tickets for best seats, parking, and snacks. Tickets professional hockey and is now recognized as an alternative to for kids and seniors cost less than adult tickets. An evening at Canadian Major Junior hockey. College players are typically the Bruins for the same family would cost over $400. In older, more mature, and more prepared for pro hockey than addition, the AHL caters to families with children with fun 20-year-olds fresh out of juniors. In recent times, there have events such as Louie the Lock Monster T-shirt giveaways and been plenty of graduates of local Division I college teams who Chuck-a-Puck contests. have made it to the NHL. That was not the case years ago. Seeing an AHL game during the NHL lockout is an extra treat Similarly, in previous eras, a majority of the players on the because there are several players on each team who would rosters of BU or BC were Bay State natives. Today, in normally be playing in the NHL. These include Patrice addition to 5 to 10 locals, players come from many other Bergeron and Andy Hilbert of the Providence Bruins, Chuck states, as well as Canada and Europe. These are signs of the Kobasew and Eric Staal of the Lock Monsters, and Mike advancement of the college game. And along with it, there has Cammalleri of the Monarchs. been a growing interest in college hockey among local sports fans. College Hockey – Choosing the brand of hockey that represents the next tier down from the AHL is difficult, but We must not overlook Division III college hockey. Of course Division I college hockey is certainly a worthy contender. We the skill level is not as high as that of Division I, but the have plenty of options to see college hockey in our area, and quality of hockey is nevertheless very good. Local Division III the costs are similar to attending AHL games, very reasonable. teams include Babson (Wellesley), Salem State, UMass Boston, Assumption (Worcester), Curry (Milton), Wentworth One of the best, if not the best, college hockey conferences in (Boston), Framingham State, Suffolk (Boston), Stonehill the nation is . Half of its teams are located right (Easton), Fitchburg State, Worcester State, and Tufts here in Eastern Massachusetts and their names are familiar: (Medford). You might be a graduate of one of these colleges, , , , so why not show your allegiance to your alma mater and bring UMass Lowell, and in North Andover. your family to a few games. The rest are close by and include UMass (Amherst), , University of New Hampshire, and Junior Hockey – Historically, the path for serious hockey . Next year, the is players in Massachusetts included youth hockey, followed by parting with the ECACHL to join Hockey East. Most of the high school hockey, and if talented enough, college hockey. In teams in Hockey East are fairly evenly matched, which makes Canada, years ago and today, this path is different. It includes for some exciting games and very close battles in the minor (youth) hockey, Junior C or Junior B, Junior A, and standings. finally, Major Junior. Hockey East features some heated, long-standing rivalries such Teams that compete in the three Major Junior leagues, the as BC vs. BU, and UNH vs. UMaine. The BC/BU rivalry is Ontario Hockey League, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey particularly intense because of their close proximity to each League, and the Western Hockey League, enjoy a passionate other, because of their perennial positions in the top echelons fan base and are similar in caliber to Division I college hockey of college hockey, and because of the prominence of their in the United States. Canadian high school and collegiate legendary head coaches, BU’s Jack Parker, and BC’s Jerry hockey is less competitive and more recreational in nature than York, who set the standards by which all other college hockey its junior hockey system. coaches are measured. Except for Red Sox vs. Yankees, it’s As American hockey increases its participation at the elite hard to conceive of a more fierce sports rivalry in all of New levels of hockey, the player development landscape has England than college hockey’s BC vs. BU. changed as a result. It is now become quite rare for a public Other area Division I teams include Harvard University of the high school hockey player to receive a Division I hockey Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Hockey League scholarship. Also rare are 18-year-old Division I college (ECACHL), and Holy Cross College and Bentley College of freshmen. Nowadays, entering freshmen are typically age 20 the Atlantic Hockey Association. Harvard is often a top team and are seasoned with two to five years of prep school hockey in the ECACHL and this year they are doing particularly well or junior hockey, which is becoming more and more common. under the leadership of their new head coach Teddy Donato, a Even the traditional Catholic high school powerhouses such as Dedham native and a former Boston Bruin. BC High, Catholic Memorial, and Austin Prep are losing their allure to top hockey talent. One of the centerpieces of our hockey tradition here in Massachusetts is the annual Beanpot tournament. Four teams, To answer the call, the number of junior hockey leagues in the BC, BU, Northeastern, and Harvard, gear up every year for the United States has risen sharply in recent years. These leagues battle to win the Beanpot and secure the bragging rights that are chartered at different levels and include Tier 1, Junior A, Junior B, and Junior C classifications. A junior hockey system To pursue their dream of playing college hockey, some public is emerging in the USA that is similar to the Canadian system. high school players after graduation attend prep school and And unlike Canadian Major Junior hockey, all levels of play hockey as postgraduate students. In other cases, prep American junior hockey allow players to maintain their school hockey players who don’t have college recruiters amateur status, which makes them eligible to play college knocking at their door during their senior year may elect to hockey. play junior hockey for a year or two in order to continue their hockey ambitions. Junior hockey players range in age from 16 to 20, and play about 60 games per season. With a longer season and more Like college hockey, prep school hockey is divided into tiers. intense schedule, junior hockey requires a more serious Here in New England, there are Division I and Division II commitment than playing high school or prep school hockey. leagues. There is some overlap in ability where the best Many players still attend school, either high school, or in some Division II teams can defeat a lower Division I team. cases, community college. Junior players often live away from The nearby Division I prep school hockey teams include home and stay with host families. This is called “billeting.” Belmont Hill, Lawrence Academy (Groton), BB&N So a talented, young hockey player now has many paths to (Cambridge), Governor Dummer (Byfield), Milton Academy, choose from in preparation for a hockey career. A player Nobles (Dedham), St. Sebastian’s (Needham), Thayer begins with Midget hockey, then public or Catholic high (Braintree), Cushing (Ashburnham), and Phillips Andover. school hockey, then prep school or junior hockey, and finally There is usually no admission charge is see a prep school on to college hockey. Some skip college hockey and go game. directly to pro hockey, usually in one of the lower North High School Hockey – Even though many of the top players American minor leagues, such as the ECHL. Some cross the get siphoned away by prep schools and junior hockey, Bay pond and play in one of the many European pro leagues. State high school hockey still has plenty of talent and the In Massachusetts, there are many Junior B and Junior C games are always exciting to watch. The games of Acton- hockey teams and their numbers continue to increase every Boxborough Regional High School boys’ varsity hockey team year. While the quality of hockey is excellent, there is little certainly fall into this category. ABRHS has traditionally been fan support to speak of. Most of the folks you see in the stands a powerhouse and they play in the very competitive are the friends and family members of the players. However, it MVC/DCL Division 1 league. Home games are normally still might be fun to go watch a few games. All teams have a played on Wednesday or Saturday nights at NVO in late website where you can find schedules and directions to their December through February. home rinks. Purchasing tickets in advance is not necessary but March is playoff time for high school hockey and there is no do expect to pay a small entrance fee at the door. better showcase for seeing Massachusetts high school hockey The local junior teams include the Walpole Junior Stars, the than the Super 8 tournament, officially known as the MIAA Bridgewater Bandits, the Bay State Breakers (Rockland), the Division 1A Hockey Tournament. The 10 top-ranked teams Boston Harbor Wolves, the Junior Bruins (Marlborough), the face off in a double-elimination tournament in the pursuit of Junior Huskies (Tyngsboro), the Valley Junior Warriors being the crowned the number one team in the state. The (Lawrence), the Boston Bulldogs (southern NH), the Northern MIAA picks the five best public high school teams and the five Mass Cyclones (Dracut), the Boston Junior Blackhawks best Catholic high school teams to participate. While every (Saugus), the Massachusetts Maple Leafs (Raynham), the year there is hope that a public high school team will be Minuteman Junior Flames (Marlborough), and the Salem Ice triumphant, they are, in the end, overmatched by one of the Dogs (Salem, NH). These teams are members of the Eastern Catholics, usually Catholic Memorial or Boston College High Junior Hockey League (independent), the Atlantic Junior School. The games are held at either the Tsongas Arena or Hockey League (independent), the Empire Hockey League BU’s new Agganis Arena, with the finals played at the (Junior B), or the Interstate Junior Hockey League (Junior B). FleetCenter. Some teams belong to more than one of these leagues. While hockey is not on most people’s minds during August, Prep School Hockey – New England preparatory schools that is when the annual Hockey Night in Boston tournament is have for years been the primary training ground for elite, held. Teams are comprised of top high school players selected young hockey players. Look at any college roster and you’ll from Massachusetts, around the USA, and Eastern Canada. still see plenty of prep school teams appearing in the “last The tournament is essentially a festival of all-star teams team” column. (However, junior hockey is gaining a larger intended to showcase players to college and pro hockey scouts. share these days.) Most of the games are held at the nearby Chelmsford Forum. While prep schools can provide more ice time and superior Women’s Hockey – While so far there are no female facilities than public high schools, the primary reason hockey professional hockey leagues, there is in increasing number of players choose prep schools is the increased attention they venues to see women’s and girls’ hockey as the numbers of receive from college recruiters. Recruiters know that nearly all female hockey players grows. of the players they evaluate are prepared for the academic One of the appealing aspects of the women’s game is its rule rigors of college. In addition to receiving a superior against full-contact body checking thereby making it a education, good hockey players flock to prep schools during different game from men’s hockey. There is a greater their high school years in order to increase their chances of emphasis on skill, finesse, passing, and teamwork, which getting a college hockey scholarship. Consequently, by makes women’s hockey a pleasure to watch. attracting players from a wide geographic area, prep school hockey teams are, in effect, all-star teams. The highest level of women’s hockey to see locally is Division I college hockey. Local teams include Harvard University of the ECACHL, and Boston College and Northeastern University of Hockey East. Harvard has been over the years one of the leading teams in the nation and has included many Olympians such as A.J. Mleckzo, Jennifer Botterill, Angela Ruggiero, and Julie Chu. There are also local Division III college teams that include Holy Cross (Worcester), MIT (Cambridge), and UMass Boston. For school-age hockey, there are almost the same opportunities to see girls’ hockey as boys’ hockey. This includes prep school games, high school games, and the renowned Hockey Night in Boston tournament. After the Lockout – If and when the NHL lockout is over, you still don’t have to turn all of your attention back to the Bruins. A hockey game is always exciting no matter which level of play or age group you’re watching. So be sure to take full advantage of all the opportunities that exist in our neck of the woods for you and your family to see this great game of ours. Web Links – The following websites provide you with all of the options for seeing great hockey in our region: www.theahl.com – The American Hockey League. www.uscho.com – United States College Hockey Online, the definitive website for college hockey fans. www.insidecollegehockey.com – Another excellent website covering college hockey. www.hockeyeastonline.com –The Hockey East conference. www.ecachockeyleague.com – The Eastern College Athletic Conference Hockey League. www.atlantichockeyonline.com – The Atlantic Hockey Association. www.usajuniorhockey.com – The USA Junior Hockey Magazine. Use this website to learn about all of the junior hockey action in Massachusetts. www.newenglandprephockey.org – New England Prep School Ice Hockey Association. www.hockeynightinbostoninc.com – Hockey Night in Boston, the high school hockey tournament.