Charlestown Youth Hockey Roundup – District Highlights
The District 1 youth hockey tournament took place over the last week, with most games taking place at Emmons Horrigan O’Neil Rink in Charlestown. Youths on the boys and girls side competed against teams from the Boston neighborhoods and inner suburbs for the right to advance to the State Tournament in Springfield in late March.
Youth Hockey Board member Mike Frawley reported that five CYHA teams won the district championship and will be headed to Springfield, with all three girls teams sweeping the field – something the girls did in this month’s Mayor’s Cup as well.
The highlights were apparent though for teams that won, and lost, their games.
•Early this week marked a major highlight for the Squirt 3 team, who won their district game on Monday night. The Squirt 3 team has been very competitive, and they will join the Squirt 2’s in advancing.
•The Squirt 2 team was one of the biggest highlights in the tournament, putting in an amazing effort to beat Winthrop in the finals, 6-2, last week. However, the Squirt 1 team, widely considered one of the better teams in CYHA and Valley League met a stout rival in the Dorchester team. While they had beat Dorchester for the Mayor’s Cup earlier this month, the tables turned in district play as Dorchester dominated the game.
•The Bantam team had a tough draw from the get-go with the Dorchester Bantams looming large in the tourney bracket. The Dorchester team is considered one of the better teams in the state, and has big, experienced kids that can skate very fast. In previous games, the Dorchester team had shut out the Bantam Townies in dominating fashion. But that wasn’t the case last Wednesday night at the Charlestown Rink. The Townies came to play, and kept the game tight to the end. Goalie Charlie Maynard kept the puck out of the net most of the game, and the score was knotted 1-1 after the first period. The Townies came out on the attack, and disrupted the fast moving Dot team on defense. A back and forth battle ensued the rest of the game, with the score tied 3-3 in the third. However, Dorchester grabbed a goal to go ahead, and the Townies couldn’t get through their defense to tie it up again. Dorchester won 4-3 and advanced.
•The U10 girls had a bye in the first round of the Districts, but faced their arch-rival Allston Brighton for the championship. The first period was a stalemate with tough defense on both sides. However, the second and third period saw two goals come from Abbey DeRoeve to bring the momentum to the Townies. The game was sealed when Georgi Schenker streaked down the ice towards an empty net and handled a pass from DeRoeve, smashing in the third goal of the game and her first on the year. The U10s advanced with the 3-0 win, a great shutout played by Goalie Erin Alves – who stopped dozens of shots, including one stop using the facemask of her helmet.
•Coaches Derek Arsenault and John Sutich took their talented team to South Boston last Thursday, Jan. 23, to play Dorchester for the finals. They had beat Allston-Brighton 12-1 earlier in the tournament, and then proceeded to easily handle Dorchester, advancing with an 8-0 win. They followed that up with an incredible weekend in league play, beating Nashoba 6-0 last week and then taking Arlington Sunday, 9-1. The defense was very strong in that stretch, including Meryl Sutich and Phoebe Niese, while Brianna Dacey, Estelle Corbitt, and Kate Frawley played well up front. The team’s overall record is now 22-2-3. They will be a force to contend with in Springfield come late March.
•The U14 Townie were to play Parkway for the district championship, but after being that same team decidedly in the Mayor’s Cup, Parkway chose to forfeit the game. That meant the U14s punched their ticket to Springfield without having to take the ice. They will also be a tough draw for any team that plays them in Springfield, and are widely considered a major contender to go deep into the State Finals.
Charlestown Little League Winter Work
Winter Clinics: Tuesdays 6-8pm at Harvard-Kent School gym, Jan 7- Mar 17. 6-7pm for tee ball and Rookie Ball/Coach Pitch; 7-8pm for AAA and Majors. There will be no clinics when Boston Public Schools are closed for vacation, holidays, or snow days.
Mar 24 and Mar 31 will be mandatory player evaluations for all (current and new) AAA players (6-7 p.m.) and Majors players (7-8 p.m.).
Tee ball: ages 4-7 yrs. (for those just starting baseball and cannot hit a pitched ball)
Rookie Ball/Coach Pitch: ages 5-7 yrs. (must be able to hit a pitched ball)
AAA: first level of player pitch: 2nd and 3rd graders
Majors: 4th, 5th and 6th graders.
Player registration and volunteer sign-ups will be available on line soon- stay tuned!
Little League Registration Is Open
Registration for the 2020 season is now open! $85 for the first child in a family for Rookie ball/AAA/Majors, $35 for siblings. $40 for tee ball. Registration after March 1st will be $100, so register early! Please also register as a volunteer to coach or help with events- any help is appreciated!!
Here is our website- register on line and read about the schedule and division levels here:
https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/charlestownllma
We hope to start outdoor practices on April 11, weather permitting. The Opening Day parade will be on April 25, with the MLB Pitch/Hit/Run competition that day instead of games, since it is the last day of April break.
Other important dates:
•Dick’s sporting good Charlestown Little League shop weekend March 21-22 at the Medford and Saugus locations- 20% off everything.
•Mandatory player evaluations for AAA (6-7 p.m.) and Majors (7-8 p.m.) at Harvard Kent on March 24 and March 31.
•Picture Day June 6
•End of regular season June 20
•Lastly, we have a fun opportunity to try out new bat models at the Saugus Dick’s Sporting Goods location on Feb. 1 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Have your swing analyzed in their HitTrax system, plus 20% off everything.
Winter Softball Clinics
The Charlestown Girls Softball team winter clinics will take place for girls ages 4-18 (as of Jan. 1) from 6-8 p.m. Clinics started on Monday and will continue each Monday through March 30, with the next one being on Jan. 27. Spring registrations will also begin for instructional through 14U.
Contact Jack Schievink at (617) 201-4507 or Bill Nugent at (617) 447-3106.
Charlestown Youth Hockey Night at the 99
The Charlestown Ninety Nine Restaurant invites you to Dining with a Cause benefiting the Charlestown Youth Hockey program on Monday, February 3, between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. (dine in or take out). Present the voucher located on www.cyha.com (electronically or in print) at the 99, and the CYHA will receive 15% off your bill. Grab your family and friends.