The Genesee Amateur Hockey Association hosted 37 registered youngsters as well as 5 walk-ins at the David McCarthy Memorial Ice Arena on Evans Street on Saturday, at the “Try Hockey for Free” event, which is part of “USA Hockey Week Across America” which was celebrated at 285 ice arenas across the entire United States.
Local youth, ages 4 to 9, were welcomed at the rink to experience getting on the ice, learning how to skate, get up after falling, basic skills with a hockey stick and shooting pucks into a hockey net (with guidance from a coach and on-ice helpers). This year, kids had the experience of shooting on actual goalies.
“We welcomed families to McCarthy Ice Rink from Batavia, Buffalo, Byron, Corfu, LeRoy, Nunda, East Bethany, Alexander, Byron, Brockport, Albion, Wyoming, Rochester, and Elba to try our great sport of ice hockey,” said Sharon Gray, Coordinator of the “Try Hockey for Free” event.
“Our goal is for these families to enjoy watching their kids learn new skills with big smiles on their faces and for the youngsters, the on-ice experience.”
The head coaches for event were Tim Sprague and Dan Calkins, both with more than 30 years of experience. Both Sprague and Calkins started out as GAHA players, high school players and then GAHA coaches over the years. Most of the on-ice helpers were from this year’s Batavia-Notre Dame United High School team along with their coaches – Marc Staley and John Kirkwood.
Also assisting on the ice, were coaches and players from the GAHA organization.
The beginning of the event featured the playing of the national anthem.
The event is hosted by the Try Hockey for Free Coordinators, Sharon and Bob Gray and the GAHA Beginner Player Coordinator, Marcia Barnes on behalf of the Genesee Amateur Hockey Association, who provided the ice, and the McCarthy Rink Staff, Katie Murray (General Manager), Matt Gray (Rink Operating Manager) and their great staff.
The goal is to provide the hockey experience to area youngsters free of charge and encourage them in October to become a player in the GAHA Beginner Program which starts the first week of October. The Beginner Program consists of two sessions (October to December and January to March) with a total of 15 on-ice hours per session.
The skates used were provided free of charge by the McCarthy Rink Management Group.
USA Hockey’s Try Hockey program, with the support of the National Hockey League and NHL member clubs, among others, is designed to provide youth hockey associations with a national platform for introducing children to the sport, free of charge. Pure Hockey (sponsor of USA Hockey) provided free USA Try Hockey jerseys to each child.
The next Try Hockey for Free event will be November 2, 2024.
