Dunedin Ice Hockey Association

February 2010 Newsletter

From the President

Welcome to the 2010 season. Over the summer break the DIHA Board of Directors and the various volunteers that make ice hockey happen have been busy preparing for an exciting year of ice hockey. The season kicks off in the first week of March with practices and the beginning of a senior contact premier league, with an Autumn DIHL starting shortly after.

Most importantly, the club will be holding a registration night this Sunday. It is important that all members register and sign up for practices and leagues so that we know where the club stands in terms of numbers for ice time booking and coaches.

While you were sunning yourself…

Hockey never stops, particularly for those playing rep hockey. Dunedin Thunder members Regan Wilson and Heath Dunlop travelled to Turkey to play with the NZ U20 team, coming 4th in their championship. Regan will also be playing in the NZ U18 team, along with Thunder team mate Tom Wilson. Ice Blacks have also has trials and trainings and Thunder goalie Rick Parry will be travelling to Europe in April to compete in the Division II World Champs.

Professional Coaches 2010

The club is pleased to announce its Professional Coaches for the 2010 season. Our 2009 coach, Sophia Leon de la Barra will be returning to coach Kiwihockey, Peewees, and Adult Beginners for the club. And our own Megan Gilchrist will be coaching midgets, juniors, and SNC trainings. Dunedin Thunder goalie Rick Parry will be coaching a new goalie training session.

Coming Up:

Registration

The club will be holding its registration evening this Sunday 21 February, 5.30 – 7pm. The registration evening is an opportunity to register with the club, but also to sign up to play in the various leagues that begin the season – particularly the new premier contact league, and the Autumn DIHL (for all members who are not playing premier).

During registration, we will also be holding a second hand gear sale. Bring any gear you wish to get rid of, with attached prices down at 5.30, and we’ll try and sell them for you. The club will also be selling its collection of gear, so it’s a good opportunity to pick up a bargain.

If you don’t want to come down to the Ice Stadium to sign up, you can also register for the club online. From this weekend, the club will be using a new online system to manage registration and leagues, called Club Hub. It collects your information, signs you up for your practices and games, and tells you how much you have to pay to the club, which you can then do via internet banking. Visit https://dunedinicehockey.hellyer.kiwi/registration/ from this weekend onwards.

The club has faced some increased costs from our regional and national bodies this year, but has held registrations for all our members to the same level as 2009 – $100 for seniors, $80 for Under 19s.

We are also introducing a new membership level, for people who only play in our local DIHL or oldtimers competitions. This ‘social’ membership makes you a full member of the DIHA, but only has associate membership for Southern Ice Hockey and the New Zealand Ice Hockey Federation. Social members will not be able to play against other teams in the Southern Ice Hockey League, Easton Cup, Erewhon Cup etc. Social membership costs $50.

Adult Beginners begins 28 February

The adult beginners sessions begin again for 2010 at 7pm Sundays, starting next weekend. So turn up this weekend, register and sign up for the DIHL, and then get back on the ice the following week to get some training in.

Premier League

The inaugural Dunedin Ice Hockey League Premier Grade will kick off in the first week of March, with three teams competing in a senior contact competition. The competition will take place on Wednesday evenings (final on Saturday April 24th), include four team training sessions, and involve all senior contact players, plus eligible juniors. Cost is $110/player. Contact Richard Sykes on premiers@dunedinicehockey.hellyer.kiwi for more information.

Dunedin Ice Hockey League Autumn SNC

Shortly after the prems kick off, the rest of the club will fire up for a 7 week DIHL, with space for four teams. The DIHL will be open to all players, but with the prems playing in their own league, it will have a strong ‘B grade’ flavour. Cost is $84/player for seven games. Email dihl@dunedinicehockey.hellyer.kiwi for more information.

Club Working Bee

This coming Monday, 22 February, from 7.30 pm, the club will be working in the gear room to try and prepare the gear for the new season. New helmets need to be sized, sticks to be taped, old helmets to be repaired, gear to be put back in their boxes. If anyone can help for an hour (bring a screw driver), please email Kyle on president@dunedinicehockey.hellyer.kiwi, or turn up on Monday evening.

Volunteers Wanted

The club is still looking for people to volunteer for the following jobs:

DIHL Autumn Coordinator
Kiwihockey Manager
Junior Coach
Adult Beginners Manager
Senior Non-Checking session manager

If you are able to assist with any of these jobs, please let Kyle know, president@dunedinicehockey.hellyer.kiwi.

New Club Tops/Socks

As part of a rebranding exercise, the club will be making available new tops/socks for members to buy. All Dunedin teams will wear this new uniform in the upcoming season. Players will (except where there is a conflict) be able to choose their own number, and have their name screen printed on their top. A sample of the top will be at the registration desk, or you can see it here: