Posted: 7/26/06
Any smooth surface will do
 The future of North Branch hockey. Evan Murray (left) and Luke Fabini stand in the parking lot at the North Branch Middle School July 24. Local hockey players practice in parking lots until the multi-use arena is built. |
By Steve Morris
Mites, Squirts, Pee Wees and Bantams all come together to play hockey ... in the summer, in local parking lots.
Starting last week, local hockey players are meeting every Monday night at the North Branch Middle School parking lot to work on hockey drills and scrimmage. At the first session between 40 and 60 kids attended.
Lynn Courtright, a mother who has three sons who play hockey, said a majority of the kids in the North Branch Hockey Association (NBHA) attended the first session.
The kids practice from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The first half they work on basic drills and coordination and the second half they scrimmage.
ìThey love it,î Courtright said. ìThey all look forward to it.î
A central goal of the Monday dry hockey sessions is to make sure the kids stay active and keep hockey fresh in their minds in the offseason.
Steve Lee coaches Pee Weeís B-2 team and has two sons who play hockey. Lee said the scrimmages and the drills help develop different skills in the players.
ìThe scrimmages keeps them moving and thinking hockey,î he said.
Lee, along with coaches Chris and Ben Fairbanks, have volunteered their time and money to organize the Monday night practices. The practices are not sponsored by the NBHA.
The three coaches brought the summer hockey practices to North Branch around three years ago, Troy Martineau said.
Lee estimated they have around $500 invested in different equipment. Lee also spends time watching hockey training videos to get ideas for different drills he can teach the kids.
Lee and others are hoping all the practice and time will pay off in the form of a stellar high school team in the years to come.
ìItís not that far away,î he said.
The Monday practices will continue until to the start of hockey season ñ or until daylight becomes an issue.
ìThey will run until itís to dark too play,î Martineau said.
HOCKEY ARENA UPDATE
The estimated cost to build an indoor hockey arena in North Branch is $2.5 million, according to the NBHA Web site. To date, the association has raised $216, 433.
The North Branch City Council has agreed to provide land and infrastructure improvements for the arena granted the hockey association raises the money to build it. People wishing to make donations should send money to Community National Bank in North Branch or go to www.northbranchhockey.com for a form.
For more information on the progress of the hockey arena, visit their Web site at www.northbranchhockey.com.
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