So, after a nice off-season, and after a couple of pre-first-practice practices, we had a nice kick off last Sunday where we had 11 players show up. 10 skaters and 1 goalie. The really, really good news is that we had a couple of new kids show up for the first time.

Now, the original intention of this practice was going to shake the rust off a bit, as well as pick teams for the in-house league that is going to start up, and play a round of games. Well, we decided, since some key players weren’t able to make it, we held off on picking teams and went with a good old fashion scrimmage (with clock and score board) and just had some fun. But, of course, we did run some warm-up drills, but tried to keep them light and fun.

So, moving forward, we want to kick off the in-house league this Sunday so we would like everybody to make an effort to be there if you want to be on a team. We are trying to make 4 teams, but may have to settle for 3 if we don’t get the turnout that we are hoping for.

Each Sunday, games will be played with the teams that are picked (I am sure there will be some substitutions from other teams when all the players aren’t able to make it).

Time frame-wise, we are going to open the doors to the rink at 8:00am for warm-ups and practice. Then, depending on the turnout and whether or not there is a private skating party booked, game play for the in-house league will start between 9:00am and 10:00am. It hasn’t been decided yet whether you will play each team, each week, or just play one team a week. Again, depends on the amount of teams that we have in the league.

For now, make sure you bring a light colored shirt and a dark colored shirt to practices so when game play is occurring, it’s easy to identify other members of your team.

If anybody has any questions, either contact me, Bryce, or Kevin Hayes.

And, on a side note, for those who haven’t notices already, our wonderful sport has gone through a name change. Previously, it was called Hardball Roller Hockey (here in the states), but in order to become more aligned with the rest of the world, the name has now be changed to Rink Hockey. The main website for the sport is now USARinkHockey.com. Our club’s website is now MercedKnights.USARinkHockey.com. My new email address is PJ@USARinkHockey. Not to worry though, if you try to go to any of the old website names, or send me an email to my old email address, it will be re-routed to the new one. This is just a head’s up to change your bookmarks and update your contacts.

Talk to everybody soon,
PJ

It has been a while, but not because I haven’t been thinking hockey, just that it’s the off season and you just have to step away and recharge.

Well, I guess the time away has done me some good, because I am bringing a whole new list of ideas to the table, and that always gets me fired up.

The important news at hand is this:

Our first official club practice will be:

Sunday, October 5th, from 8:00am to 11:00am.

This is going to be a “kick-off” practice, which will give us a chance to not only kick-off some of the rust that has built up over the summer, but also get the ball rolling for new ideas and programs we want to run to not only build up our skill, but build up our club and sport in Northern California. There will be lots of things to talk about. Might even be a club meeting, officers and all, taking place. None the less, lots of hockey and lots of excitement towards the upcoming year.

So, if you are already part of the club, it will be nice to see you back. If you are new to the club, welcome aboard. If you are just looking to start playing and don’t want to be in the club, you are welcome too. Our practices are open to anybody who wants to play hockey, that’s it.

See you all soon,
PJ

2 practices left and then it’s off to Nationals, or off to the off season for some of us. Unfortunately, I do have some bad news for those that were either expecting to see me at practice, or needing to see me at practice. Looks like I am going to be heading to the off season a little early this year. Again, daddy duties are calling. Mommy and baby are doing well, but so much energy is used during the week that I need to help out extra over the weekends, which means I can’t take 5 hours away for practice, and then be exhausted for the rest of the day. Just not in the cards right now.

So, I hope that all of you are practicing hard in preparation for Nationals and I know that you all will do well.

Talk to everybody later,
PJ

Another short but sweet post. With June 15th being Father’s Day (my first), there won’t be a scheduled practice. If you still have the itch, contact Bryce to see if the floor will be available, but I know that I won’t be there.

I hope everybody is doing well and I will see you all soon.

PJ

Well, it looks like as this season is coming to a close (Nationals coming up in July), it is becoming less likely that I will see you all at practice too many more times. Daddy duties are my priority right now, so again, I will have to miss practice this week. Still trying to get into the parenting grove. Hopefully I will get there before July so I can help you all prepare for Nationals.

Talk with you later,
PJ

Sorry for the late post. Since I have been home, I have been trying to update my computer so it took me offline for a bit. None the less, there will be practice June 1st (tomorrow) at 8:00am. I will not be able to attend however due to my new daddy roles and getting mommy up to speed before I go back to work. Not to worry those because Kevin and Wayne always do a great job in running practice so I know you all are in good hands.

See you soon,
PJ

Hello All.

Well, I hope you are all gearing up for Sunday. It should be a lot of fun, as well as a lot of hockey. Be sure to bring as many people as you can that would either enjoy watching or playing. As a reminder for the day, it will kick off at 8:00am and run until 2:00pm (or 3:00pm, depending on how it’s going). Also, make sure that you bring a white (or light) colored shirt and a black (or dark) colored shirt. The schedule will be determined on who shows up and is ready to play first. I am envisioning games that are 20 minutes long (one 20 minutes shot or two 10’s, not really sure yet). This way the game will be a good length, but it will keep teams rotated on the floor so nobody has to wait too long to play.

I look forward to seeing you all there.

PJ

Hello All,

Normally I would say just to check the website for this info, but it’s pretty important and I want to make sure that you all get it so I will post it there and email it too.

First of all, practice as normal on Sunday, May 18th, from 8:00am to 11:00am. Unfortunately, I will not be there due to baby obligations, but I know that Kevin and Wayne run a pretty mean practice and you will get better for it.

Secondly, and the biggest change, is this upcoming hockey tournament that was scheduled for May 24th and 25th. Due to a lack of participation from out of state clubs (inability) to bring more than 1 or 2 teams, we have decided to cut the tournament down to a 1 day event that should resemble a practice, but with a lot of game play. The club from Tracy, and some players from Klamath Falls and Redwood City will also be attending so we should have some really good team games, and a really fun mix up tournament. Basically, if you are tired of coming to practice because all we do is practice, then this in the day for you. We will probably warm up for about 10-15 minutes, and then start playing. I don’t have a schedule yet because it kind of depends on who all shows up, but everybody will get a chance to play, and probably play more than they want.

The day will be Sunday, May 25th.
The time will be 8:00am to 3:00pm.
Bring a white (or light colored shirt) and a black (or dark colored shirt).
Also bring $10. That is what it will cost you to play.

That’s all for now. See you in a week.

PJ

Well, I hope this goes without being said, but to honor all of the fantastic mothers out there that deal with us hockey players, we will not have practice this May 11th in observation of Mother’s Day.

Please, take the time to say thanks to those that made this all possible and we will see you all next time.

Well, practice is back on this Sunday. There shouldn’t be any interference with other tournaments so I would expect all players to make this practice. However, know that I don’t know if I will be able to be there. It kind of depends on how wifey and baby feel. Baby isn’t here yet, but it’s very close to go time. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised is my boy comes within the next 24-48 hours. So, again with all that being said, I don’t know if I will be there so I am looking for Kevin and Wayne to run practice. And as most of you know, if Kevin is in charge, it’s going to be a very high paced, high energy practice so make sure you get your rest prior to Sunday.

Now, listed below is part of an email that I received from Kristy, our club’s treasurer. What she says is straight to the point, and right on point. Please take it to heart and get involved!

“Pasta Dinner fundraiser:

Debbie has been working really hard to get donations. So far we have a grand total of $20 in donations (thank you Target). We are getting really worried – if we don’t get some bigger and better donations, we will have to pay for all of the supplies out of the funds raised, which will obviously kill our profit.

Ticket sales — $35 has been turned in so far for ticket sales, which represents 7 tickets sold. If we don’t get more tickets sold, we will have to cancel the dinner and refund the money collected. If you have been selling tickets, please turn the money in so that we can get an accurate picture of how many dinners we should plan for. Remember, to gross $1500, we need to sell 300 tickets. That will be especially important if we have to pay for all the food and containers instead of getting them donated.

We also need guaranteed help for May 23, 24, and 25th.

May 23 – Pasta Dinner and $1 skate — we need servers.

May 24 and May 25 – Snack bar/ bake sale during tournament — we need people to cook the hamburgers and hotdogs; we need people to run the club snack bar. Last year we made $387.75 on the snack bar at the tournament.

We need every family to participate. We will be having a sign up sheet for people to sign up for shifts for all 3 days.

Additional fundraisers:

We will be getting a cut of the entry fees for the May tournament. Last year the club got $237 from entry fees.

We will be selling tickets for a car wash, date to be determined.

Individual sponsor letters for the kids will be given out at Sundays practice. Whatever they raise through those letters is theirs.

We are looking for as many ideas for fundraisers as you can come up with.”

So, I hope to see everybody soon.
PJ