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