highlighting some d2 players!
NorthEast Metro Stars 15A take on a team from China
The NorthEast Metro Stars a team made up of girls from Mahtomedi, Tartan and Cottage Grove Associations took on a U15 team from China on Wednesday, December 4. Team China is in town for a month playing friendly games and scrimmages against the area U15 teams. The team trains year round in their home country.
The night started out with a Meet and Greet at the rink. The girls interacted with each other, taking selfies, doing different handshakes, used Google translate to communicate, exchanged gifts and shared a lot of laughs! Then it was time to take the ice. The crowd at Tartan Arena was electric and was ready for a great game. The NorthEast Metro Stars goalie Nicole James made a whopping 45 saves in a loss.
After the game, the MN girls said their goodbyes to their new friends from China and all agreed it was a great experience and a highlight of the season so far.
To have your child's team featured on D2, send a short article and photos to: D2hockey.webmaster@gmail.com
hockey happenings to check out
The OVAL is Open for the Season. The Guidant John Rose MN OVAL is a unique outdoor recreation facility with 110,000 square feet of refrigerated ice from November to March. The OVAL has a 400 meter speed skating track surrounding an infield ice area used for hockey or bandy. Go to: skatetheoval.com for more information.
Girls Hockey Weekend The Minnesota Wild, in conjunction with Freschetta Pizza, Minnesota Hockey, USA Hockey, WCHA, and the Minnesota Whitecaps, would like to welcome everyone to come celebrate the 4th Annual Girls Hockey Weekend at Xcel Energy Center on December 20-21. Clinics will be conducted by Minnesota Hockey certified coaches for 8u, 10u, and 12u girls on both days.
USA Hockey Player Safety
USA Hockey Board Launches New Initiative on Safety, Fair Play and Respect
The USA Hockey Board of Directors unanimously ratified the Declaration of Player Safety, Fair Play and Respect at its Board of Directors meeting on June 8 in a significant move focused on improving the game at the youth level, particularly related to player safety. The focus of the Declaration is a concentrated effort to change the culture around body checking and competitive contact at all levels of play and clearly define what is acceptable and unacceptable. The Board’s action makes clear that a body check must be an attempt to win possession of the puck and not an effort to punish or intimidate. Further, USA Hockey is committed to a culture where there are: 1) no late hits 2) no hits to the head and 3) no checking from behind. Click here to read the full article.
2020 State Tournament Locations
Minnesota Hockey today announced the host sites for the 2020 Minnesota Hockey State and Region Tournaments. For the seventh consecutive year, The Drive to State is presented by Chevy, and will be highlighted by 14 State Tournaments hosted by nine communities. Region Tournaments will be played February 28 through March 1, followed by State Tournaments being played March 13 through 15.
Hockey Monday Minute
Check here each Monday to find an article, fact or idea related to hockey. If you have a topic that you'd like to see or share, send it to D2hockey.webmaster@gmail.com.
Top 30 Best gifts for hockey players
When it comes to giving a gift to anyone special in your life, you will want to be conscientious of likes and hobbies, including hockey. But what can you really give a hockey player that he or she might want? What is the perfect hockey gift?
Whether you are looking for a hockey gift for Christmas, a birthday, or even just because, there are many gift options out there that will suit any price range.
Top 30 Gifts Link • Best Stocking Stuffers Link • 11 Gifts for Kids Link
And don't forget Small Business Saturday - a good day to get your skates sharpened at your local sporting goods store!
Hockey's Organizational Structure
USA HOCKEY
USA Hockey is the national governing body of hockey in the United States. Located in Colorado Springs, CO, USA Hockey is responsible for — among many duties — development and education programs for players, coaches and officials; determining Select, National and Olympic Teams, and developing policies and procedures.
MINNESOTA HOCKEY
Minnesota Hockey, an affiliate of USA Hockey, is the governing body of youth and amateur hockey in Minnesota and the premier developer of hockey players in the state. Since 1947 Minnesota Hockey (formerly known as the Minnesota Amateur Hockey Association) has been providing volunteer services for the development and growth of hockey in Minnesota. Minnesota Hockey is governed by a board of directors.
DISTRICTS OF MINNESOTA HOCKEY
Minnesota Hockey is currently divided into 12 "Districts" based on geography. These districts are responsible for organizing, supervising and enforcing Minnesota Hockey's rules and regulations within their districts, including tournaments. Districts are primarily composed of representatives from local associations, and each district elects one District Director to represent their district on the Minnesota Hockey Board of Directors.
COMMUNITY-BASED ASSOCIATIONS
Minnesota Hockey is comprised of approximately 150 community-based associations that serve as the base of hockey in Minnesota. Associations create teams, develop hockey players and grow the game at the local level. They are typically managed by a volunteer board of directors. Minnesota Hockey’s community-based structure is considered by many to be the premier youth hockey model in the United States and across the world!
There are three distinct advantages to the community-based model. Perhaps most importantly, this model allows players to develop their hockey skills close to home. In many other states, hockey involves significant travel and leaving home at the ages of 14-16, or even earlier to compete at a high level. In Minnesota, players get to stay at home and play hockey with their best friends from school from Mites through High School. Secondly, our associations work directly with the community in supporting hockey and maintaining a volunteer based, non-profit structure, which keeps the cost of the game down. The third benefit is in many ways a byproduct of the first two as limiting the cost and travel involved in playing hockey allows more kids to participate and learn to love the game.
Source: MN Hockey
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