Future hockey stars hit the ice
January 21, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout Group shot courtesy Harwood Girls Varsity Hockey Coach Katie Martin (kneeling right). Standing on the right are Assistant Coach Eric Boyden and Assistant Team Captain Kate Wilkesman.
Several dozen youngsters turned out at the Ice Center for a Youth Hockey Day organized by the Harwood Girls Varsity Hockey team last week.
Girls Coach Katie Martin said the aim is to get more kids in the community skating and playing hockey at a younger age. Introducing both new skaters and young players to high school team members for drills and games is a fun way to build that interest.
“One of the struggles that the girls varsity program faces is that it only has one feeder program that comes into the high school level,” Martin explained.
“We really want to get more athletes in the community to try hockey, and specifically girls for our program,” Martin said, adding that new players who join the program in high school often say they wish they had started at a younger age. “By promoting this every season, the goal is that youth student athletes will find the love that we have for it as well.”
Harwood’s girls varsity team includes players from Northfield High School. High school players from both the girls and boys team joined the young skaters last Monday for the late afternoon session.
Martin said the turnout of about 40 young skaters far exceeded expectations. “The levels were from beginners working on crates and using chairs, to intermediate who are working on their forwards and backwards skating, shooting and passing, all the way to the higher levels who were able to skate with our girls and boys varsity teams,” she said.
Martin thanked the high school players and coaches for making time to train with the younger players. “We’re lucky that we have two great varsity programs to really help to foster youth hockey in our community and like to volunteer their time in their own practice hours towards activities like this,” she said.
Waterbury Roundabout photographer Gordon Miller was at the rink to capture the action.
Photos by Gordon Miller. Click to enlarge.
