by AHA posted 09/01/2009
Welcome to Andover Hockey Association’s 2009-2010 season. AHA continues to be one of the largest youth hockey organizations in the state with approximately 500 boys and girls participating in the program, that will total 18 co-ed teams between the Mite and Bantam levels, six girls teams, four high school age boys and girls teams, and two initiation (i.e., learn to skate) programs in 2009-2010 . While many of the other town programs struggle to remain viable, AHA continues to maintain solid membership, which is a reflection on the quality of the program and the dedication of the many volunteers who are committed to making the program the best it can be. AHA represents the best that town programs can offer: a top quality and competitive hockey experience in an equal play environment, a manageable travel commitment, a convenient and first class practice facility, and a venue for players to develop new, and foster existing, relationships with friends from Andover.
Andover Hockey Association continues to strive to improve upon what is arguably the highest quality town program in the region. These efforts have paid dividends; the program is coming off another strong season in 2008-2009 that included four state championship teams (Squirt 2 & 3, Pee Wee 3, and Bantam 2) and 10 first or second places in the Valley League, which represented 56% of AHA teams participating in the league and was the most of any program in the Valley League. The AHA girls program continues to grow such that, like the co-ed teams, the girls program is now one of the largest in the state. Some of the highlights of the AHA program are described below.
In 2008-2009, AHA co-ed and Girls U10 teams switched to an expanded Valley League schedule that provided teams with a 45-game schedule at rinks that were typically more convenient than those that were associated with the second league in which AHA teams had participated in the past. This change resulted in the elimination of game schedule conflicts that had occurred with two-league teams in past seasons, which enabled all teams to supplement the one-league schedule with a number of “independent” games (i.e., non-league games organized by the team) played at the Phillips rink complex. The move to the single league also provided AHA an opportunity to partner with the Valley League to schedule a number of league games at Phillips Academy. We believe that the move to the one-league schedule was a positive change for the program; it provides our members with a challenging and full, but more manageable, schedule during the long season and, consequently, AHA will again participate in the expanded Valley League schedule in 2009-2010. In terms of the Girls program, the older level Girls teams (i.e., U12 & U14) will participate in the Middlesex Yankee League, which was selected for its quality of competition, and will be supplemented with either participation in the new Valley League Girls League or an independent schedule. AHA believes that this combination of leagues and competition puts the Girls program in the best position to develop players, enjoy success, and continue grow into one of the region’s most formidable programs.
In terms of player development, AHA will again offer a skills program for its Mite through Bantam age players (boys and girls) run by Superskills. Superskills provided the skills sessions in 2008 to positive feedback, and AHA’s Hockey Committee (group that oversees player and coach development) will work with Superskills to ensure maximum benefit to our membership. The program will run from September to November and is free of charge to AHA players. AHA will also continue to offer goalie skills in 2009. The goalie skills have been offered over the past couple of years to very favorable reviews. The goalie skills program runs for eight weeks and the sessions are conducted by Stop-It Goaltending, run by Brian Daccord. These skills sessions are also free of charge to the AHA membership. AHA’s Initiation program (Learn to Skate) was again one of the crown jewels of the program. The Initiation Gold program has proven to be extremely successful at meeting the goals of developing our youngest participants’ ability to skate while at the same time making their first experience with hockey a fun and challenging one. Likewise, the Initiation Blue enjoyed a very successful campaign. The focus of this Learn to Play Hockey program is the development of the players in a structured but less intense environment than the travel teams. The Blue program has incorporated the small game concept, which involves fewer players on a smaller ice surface (i.e., cross-ice), which has been endorsed and strongly promoted by USA Hockey. Small games have been shown to enhance player development while at the same time increasing the children’s enjoyment, as players are more “involved” in the game with increased “touches” of the puck, more scoring, and improved/quicker decision-making skills. AHA’s experience with the small ice approach has confirmed the benefits of the program, so we will again be utilizing small games as part of the Initiation Blue player development strategy in 2009-2010. The quality of players coming out of the AHA Initiation program has firmly validated AHA’s strategy relative to the development of its youngest players.
In terms of coach development, AHA goes to great lengths to support its coaches in an effort to maximize its players’ overall experience. AHA reimburses coaches for participating in the USA Hockey coaching certification program and the Hockey Committee stands prepared to provide coaches with the materials and resources necessary to meet their coaching challenges. In 2009-2010, AHA will incorporate a Coaching Mentor program that will partner experienced coaches with first year coaches to provide a support system to new coaches. There are a number of individuals who have years of coaching experience and have volunteered to be paired up with the new head coaches in our program to share what they have learned through experience to make season as successful as possible. We believe this program will make our already strong coaching staff that much stronger.
AHA endeavors to maximize it players’ development in a fun environment, and balance the fostering of the competitive spirit with good sportsmanship, discipline, and fairness. We believe that our balanced philosophy has produced a recipe for success. With the scores of dedicated and qualified volunteers, the coaching support system in place, the quality of our practice facilities (Phillips Academy), we firmly believe that AHA is one of the best town hockey programs in the state that rivals most select programs. We sincerely hope you enjoy your 2009-2010 season
