2022 / 2023 Season Info (Athens Youth Hockey Association | Athens Ohio | Bird Arena)

Print2022 / 2023 Season Info
The AYHA is excited for your child to come play hockey as a Bobcat this season!  It is the goal of the Association to offer a broad hockey experience that emphasizes team play, sportsmanship, and skill development in a fun and positive environment.  Additionally, the AYHA offers through its partnership with the Buckeye Travel Hockey League competitive play with other teams with similar skills and abilities, while also providing a high ratio of practices to games to ensure youth players can focus on developing their on-ice skills.  This year's season will begin in September 2022 and conclude in March 2023.


Season Planning
2021-season-info-1.jpg2020 was incredibly disruptive for everyone, and youth hockey in Athens was no exception.  Ohio University's decision in late 2020 to close Bird Ice Arena for the entire season left the AYHA without a home rink and cancelled not only all Association hockey practices, but also the University's learn to skate and learn to play hockey programs.  As a result, we have many youth hockey players whose skates did not touch ice for almost 18-months.  Fortunately, Ohio University reopened Bird Ice Arena in September 2021, and the AYHA was able to have a full season, including Learn to Play opportunities.

For 2022, the AYHA looks forward to continuing its mission of providing a quality youth hockey experience for players in the southeast Ohio region.  The Association believes that all current youth players and those interested in learning to play should have an opportunity to have hockey, and all of the AYHA members, coaches, and volunteers are dedicated to making that opportunity a reality. 


Practice Planning
For youth players, the Association’s emphasis is on player development by maximizing the ratio of practice time to game time to ensure the focus remains on player skill development, with occasional competitive game play (please see Player Development under PARENTS).   For the 2022 / 2023 season, youth players and their parents can expect the following hours of estimated practice time at Bird Ice Arena:
Age Division October   Nov & Dec Jan & Feb Total 
6U/8U 10 16 20 46 hours
10U 11 17 23 51 hours
12U 12 19 23 54 hours
14U 21 27 30 78 hours
High School 17 31 39 87 hours 


Game Planning
Each season, the AYHA strives to provide both travel-based hockey and zero-travel hockey options for its youth players.  However, if there are insufficient players in an age division at the start of a new season to fill both zero-travel and travel-based team rosters, the zero-travel may not be an option.  For the 2022 / 2023 hockey season, the Association is planning to provide the following game-play options:

Zero-Travel Hockey Games
  • For ages 4 through 8, the 6U/8U team will participate in games at Bird Ice Arena as ice is available throughout the 2022 / 2023 season.
  • If there are a sufficient number of 10U and 12U youth players who have registered for zero-travel hockey for the 2022 / 2023 season, teams will be formed and players will participate in games at Bird Ice Arena as ice is available throughout the 2022 / 2023 season.
Team-Based Travel Hockey Games 
  • 10U, 12U, and 14U travel teams will participate in the Buckeye Travel Hockey League.
  • The High School travel team will participate in the Ohio Scholastic Hockey League.
  • Games will occur at Bird Ice Arena and other ice rink facilities across Ohio.
 

Updated 2022-04-09.