TIER 4 HOCKEY - 2024-2025

We will be participating at the Tier 4 level, which we believe our teams will be good competition for other local programs. Teams will practice x2 a week (exception of school vacations/holidays) and scrimmage other teams almost every weekend. We also hope to host a tournament at home this year, though this is not yet confirmed. 
Open to:

• 8U (2016-2018)
  10U (2014-2015)
  12U (2012-2013)
  14U (2010-2011)
• Practice schedule will be provided by coaches. 
• Scrimmages will be at our home ice and other teams home ice, so light travel will be required.
• 1 Tournament per team paid for by the Association.
• 10U,12U and 14U Teams eligible for State Tournament. 

USA Hockey has spent many years researching the development of both genders and ages of players and has built a very specific model we MUST follow regarding age groupings of players. Those groups are 6U, 8U, 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U. Players are unable to move up to other age groupings. These decisions will be made by coaching staff only and board members only. 
 

• We do offer a discount for registering more than on child
•  Ask us how to apply these discount.
• Must be under the same household to qualify for the discount. 
• All fees are non-refundable. 

Each child is required to register with USA Hockey and have a full set of hockey gear.

8U is a stepping stone to the more competitive hockey seasons of 10U and up. Below are some key components to 8U that are a little different than the other age groups. 

• 8U teams are typically 6-14 players, depending on the game/tournament. 
• 8U games are cross ice. USA Hockey implemented this as a developmental factor for the players, small ice surface less tiring for little legs, but also it means more puck touches since the puck isn't being chased around the entire ice surface.
• Multiple games are played at the same time typically with 8U.
• 8U is 4vs4 or 3vs3 depending on team sizes.
• 8U games are running time, meaning the clock never stops. 90 second shifts (shifts refers to the time the player is on the ice between rest breaks) or 2 minute buzzers for line change. 
• Face offs are only utilized to begin the game and each period. After each goal, players from the scoring team must race to touch their goal post and the team that was scored on can immediately take the puck out of the net and begin down the ice. 
• 8U games  will sometimes have officials, though typically coaches and utilized more often. 
• 8U games are 40 - 60 minutes with no more than 120 minutes a day of game play. Meaning, we will only partake in 2 games a day at most at 8U (Tournaments typically involve multiple games a day)
• There are no rules regarding periods per game. Typically a hockey game has a warm up, followed by 3 periods with a rest break between each period. USA Hockey does not require this for 8U as they wish to emphasize actual play time versus the struct. The home team/organization typically determines the type of game play. 
• Score is not always kept, as the objective of the game at 8U is puck touches and playing time.  
• There are no fulltime goalies in 8U, meaning kids will rotate through playing the goalie.
• A blue puck is utilized for 8U as it is lighter and easier for smaller players to push around. 

HERE is a link to the ADM model USA Hockey utilizes for 8U. This link is very informative and easy to read. 

Another good resource is the Maine Amateur Hockey Association's 8U policy which you can find HERE

The Piscataquis County Ice Arena is offering used equipment at a significantly discounted fee. Reach out to the piscataquis coutny ice area or gunn's sport shop in brewer for more info