We will be opening the west rink this weekend. Look for signs and barriers to follow the flow.

REMINDERS

• Masks worn by everyone at all times in building (exception for skaters on the ice)
• Come dressed, only change in and out of skates, only small bags allowed
• Enter and exit promptly, arrive 15 minutes or less before game or practice and exit ASAP
• Coaches are asked to return equipment used during practice to their proper spots
• Locker rooms to be monitored; benches are marked to keep people 6' apart
• No spectators allowed at practices, unless 10 years of age and under
• 2 spectators allowed for each skater at a sanctioned game (not scrimmages)

Note: hallway doors between the rinks will be closed and locked to prevent people from wandering and mixing pods.  

As we prepare for games and scrimmages, we have made some changes in the East arena that will also apply to practice times.

TRAFFIC FLOW is reversed

• You will now ENTER through the south two doors in the front of the building. Players will continue to the seating area by the concession stands or to the locker rooms. Spectators will go up the long staircase to get to the bleachers.
• To EXIT, players will remove skates in the designated lobby area and use the north two doors. Spectators will leave using the small flight of stairs at the bottom of the bleachers and proceed to the north two doors.

LOCKER ROOMS are now open!

• Players can use locker rooms for putting on skates and helmet; using the locker rooms to get dressed or
• undressed is not allowed
• For games/scrimmages, locker rooms may be used for pre-game talks
• Doors will remain open
• There will be two locker rooms per team
• Max capacity is noted on the door and 6’ spacing is marked on the floor; if a team is larger than allowed capacity, a player will need to exit before another can enter
• Skaters will bring their small bag with them to the bench (no hockey bags) and take skates off in the designated lobby area near the conference room, then exit the arena
• In the event there is no game/scrimmage after you, you may keep your small bag in the locker room and go back after the game; you still have 15 minutes to exit the arena
• Masks required for all, except for players on-ice and refs during games
• SafeSport certified locker room monitor must be present for each practice and game/scrimmage when locker rooms are in use; one monitor can cover two adjacent locker rooms with the doors open

LIVE STREAMING coming soon
Given the spectator limitations, we are looking into options to offer live streaming for games/scrimmages later this year. More details to come.

TRAVELING for games/scrimmages
Lastly, we ask that you respect protocols for other arenas when traveling for games/scrimmages. You are representing your team, association, and community. Check with your coach or team manager to get more details for each arena prior to the event. For any team coming to Burich arena, coaches/team managers can direct them to our COVID-19 page on the HHA website. 

Thanks again for you continued patience as we deal with this season of change.

Effective 10/21/20, MN Hockey has made some changes to their COVID-19 documentation due to hockey increasingly coming under the microscope by the media and health officials, making it even more important these protocols are being implemented, followed and enforced. Please note that many of these items have already been accounted for, but should still be reviewed. You can find the updated documents right from the HHA COVID-19 page. 

Below is a preview of the changes (also indicated in red on each of the impacted documents). As additional changes are made, we will make you aware and update the HHA COVID-19 page accordingly.

• If a member of a player's household tests positive, that player must stay home for 14 days. Even if the player receives a negative test result, they need to complete 14 days of quarantine before returning to the team. If another member of the household tests positive, the 14-day quarantine resets at the most recent positive test result.
• For practices or clinics, players are allowed one parent/guardian to be in the arena. Those parents/guardians should be socially distanced from others. Masks are required for any spectators, per the MDH mandate.
• It is recommended that players and officials arrive at the arena fully dressed, and at a minimum, half-dressed, with the exception of skates (coming into the arena with skate guards on is ideal) and helmets. Exceptions may be made for goalies, who may need to put on additional equipment at the rink. 
• Electronic whistles are an encouraged alternative for coaches to use during practices.
• To minimize time spent in confined spaces, players should leave the premises within 15 minutes of the end of practice.
• The scorer’s/announcer’s/penalty box should be staffed by no more than two persons, preferably from the same household, and should be staffed by the home team. If off-ice officials are not from the same household, they should maintain social distancing at all times. Masks should be worn by off ice officials at all times.
• Masks are required to be worn at all times inside arenas, with the exception being players practicing or playing games, and officials during game play. Coaches must wear masks at all times, including on the bench during games, and during practices.

Thank you for your continued understanding and compliance.

09.24.20 As we prepare to kick off our season this Saturday 9/26/2020 there’s some important information regarding Covid-19 as well as return to play guidelines that everyone needs to be aware of.

Please visit the HHA website using this link https://hutchhockey.pucksystems.com/covid to review a quick video of player drop off and rink flow. In addition to the video please read the HHA Preparedness Plan pdf. Pay special attention to the Quick Hits section of this document. The second pdf is Burich Arena Preparedness Plan highlights.

All the resources and links pertaining to Covid-19, as well as the Return to Play Guidelines are under the Covid-19 tab off the home page. Our priority for the association is to keep players healthy and follow protocol to continue playing throughout the 2020-2021 season. We ask that each of you take responsibility to educate yourself and follow these guidelines accordingly.
 

REGISTRATION

Registration will be open this week and available right from the HHA homepage. We will confirm when everything is up and running. You will need to first register as a USA Hockey member before following through with the HHA process. You can take care of that step now. Registration is later than normal, so we ask that you please act quickly and get your child(ren) registered by September 15, 2020. After that date, rates will go up $100 per player.

RATE INCREASE

When you register, you will notice that we had a rate increase this year. Prior to approving the increase, the Board researched rates for other D5 teams and beyond. Even with the increase, we are below the average rate. We understand this may be a hardship for your family and would like to encourage you to take advantage of the payment plan option. We will also be starting the wreath fundraiser this year sooner than usual to give families more time to sell. This is a great way to offset registration and team fees. If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out to Josh Karg or Kati Katzenmeyer.

ICE TIMING

We will have one sheet of ice going in by Saturday, September 26th. Plans for the second sheet are still being worked out with the City and may depend on the MSHSL decision for hockey this year given COVID-19.

UPDATE TO BOARD POSITIONS

Adam Fink has resigned as the Director of Hockey Operations and has been appointed the Director of Mites. Tony Bridge has been appointed the new Director of Hockey Operations. Both of these positions will be up for election following the 2020-2021 season.

SAFESPORT CERTIFICATION

Now is a good time to complete your SafeSport certification. You must complete this training if you hold one of the following positions: all coaches at the traveling level - rostered and non-rostered, all Mite level rostered coaches, team managers, board members, and locker room monitors. SafeSport certification is required each season – either the Core SafeSport course or a Refresher course for those that have recently completed the Core course. This needs to be complete before you can take the ice. Check out the SafeSport page on the HHA site for more details. Contact Kati Katzenmeyer, SafeSport Coordinator with any questions.

Parents/guardians: USA Hockey and Minnesota Hockey have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for abuse and misconduct which will be followed by HHA. Please be sure to review the 2020 SafeSport Handbook & Policies and cover important details with your player.

COVID UPDATE

Let me start by saying that we plan to have hockey this season starting in late September. What that looks like will vary from past seasons. As we plan for a return to the ice, we must have a plan that complies with guidelines set forth by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and its Guidance for Social Distancing, as well as local government officials. Given the breadth of details and how quickly everything changes, we will be sending out more information a week before practices start. In the meantime, please check out the PDF on the HHA homepage for more details about Phase 3 which opens on September 1.

APPAREL

We are working with Branded Solutions as a local vendor to work through Hutch Hockey apparel and masks. Ordering apparel is always optional. More details, including the online store, should be coming in a couple weeks.

FUN NEWS

• We are currently working with the Fairgrounds to secure a third sheet of ice in the Swine barn. This timing will be dependent on mother nature, but will likely be available from December until the end of February. It will be available to HHA players and coaches only with some open ice times, as well as dedicated times by playing level, i.e. all Mites, all Squirts, etc. This will provide the kids with a “pond hockey” atmosphere to have fun with their friends enjoying the game of hockey in a non-structured format. A SafeSport certified parent and/or coach must be present. There will be a heated trailer available to be used as a warming house for kids to put on their skates. We can have up to 10 people in the warming house at a time. As this idea develops, we will share more updates.
• Girls Hockey Fun Night is tomorrow, Tuesday, August 25th. All girls - Mites through Varsity - are encouraged to attend. The night will start with pizza at 6:30pm followed by games. Meet at the Masonic/West River Park by the RiverSong stage.

JERSEYS

As an association, we have an alternating schedule each year to ensure our jerseys are in adequate condition. This year the PeeWee team will be getting new jerseys, as well as adding to Squirts given the influx of players. 

Josh Karg

HHA President

Kati Katzenmeyer

HHA VP & SafeSport Coordinator