South Shore Women’s Hockey League

Meeting Minutes

7:00PM Monday 10 August 2009 

NESC Marlboro MA

 

 

 

Collection of Team Fees: $300 deposit from each team due to Louise Cardinale by August 15, 2009.  Please give to her at meeting or mail to her.

 

Elections:  Sean Sullivan must give up position of Secretary due to work committments.  Judy Sheldon nominated, seconded, unanimously approved.  For President, Laura Bowser nominated, seconded, unanimously approved.  For Vice President, Jenn Devlin nominated, seconded, unanimously approved.

 

Treasury Report: All teams have paid up for last year.

 

New Teams: Mass Chaos, Melanie O’Connor, will start at C1 and move up to B half way through season.

Hell’s Belles – D team

Breakers – C2 team

Chelmsford – A team

East Coast Wizards, Cynara Wu – C team in addition to B team

New teams should see Cynara at the end of the meeting.

 

Divisions to start 2009-10:

 

A Division (5)             B Division (10)           C-1 Division (12)

                       

Assabet A                    Lightning                       Nighthawks Red

Nighthawks A             East Coast Wizards B    RI Panthers C

Needham                     Nighthawks B    Phantoms       

NEWHL Stars A/B      Quincy                          Ravens

Chelmsford A/B           Renegades                    Storm                         

Stoneham (B2) Ice Sharks                              

                                    Cheetahs (B2)               Lady Monarchs                                  

                                    Sirens (B2)                    Randolph

                                    Bears (B2)                   Chaos

                                    Nighthawks Blue (B2) Shamrocks

                                                                         Mass Chaos

                                                                         East Coast Wizards C

 

 

                       

 

C-2 Division (6)                                              D Division (9)

 

Raptors                                                            Black Ice

Demolition Divas                                              Storm Chasers

Ice Devils                                                         RI Panthers

Cougars                                                           Raging Storm

NH Lady Panthers                                            NEWHL Outlaws

Breakers                                                          Bulldogs

                                                                        Cougars D

                                                                        Puma

                                                                        NEWHL Hell’s Belles

 

 

Ice Schedule: Nick Cardinale stated that the SSWHL would have 42 teams for this coming year.  He has requested 249 hours at the NESC but is still waiting to receive the ice contract.  One hour of ice per week has been added in Bedford at a cost of $265 per hour which is an increase of $15 per hour over last year.  We expect to have 96 hours in Canton.  Teams should let Nick know if we want to play 22 or 23 games.  The cost for the year will probably be $4300 per team, but he needs to receive the NESC contract and do the final calculations based on number of games.  NESC games will begin the weekend of 9/11.  Canton and Bedford both start Sept. 13.

 

Players with Financial Obligations Outstanding: If any team has a player with an unpaid balance from last year please notify Laura Bowser immediately.

 

Registration:  Not all teams registered with USA Hockey last year.  This compromises the insurance coverage for everyone in the league and the qualification process for teams going to nationals.  All teams MUST register this year.  Players will register with USA Hockey and send their registration numbers to their teams.  Teams will contact Registrar Don Moore (donm@myitg.net) to get the software to create the official rosters.  Teams will print out two rosters: one with addresses and one without addresses.  Each player will need to sign the two rosters which will then go to Don Moore to be stamped.  Don will return them to the team which will keep the copy with addresses and get a copy of the roster without addresses to the league.  This copy must be delivered to Jenn Devlin  (email: JDevlin@Pridestarems.com) by December 1, 2009.  Another copy of this is to be used for tournaments.

 

Referee’s Report: Bill Paulsen explained that this is a rule change year for USA Hockey.  The significant changes for our league are:

  1. Equipment must be used according to manufacturer’s specifications.  For example, zip-up pants must be zipped up and cannot be cut.  Violation of this rule will result in a misconduct penalty, with a second offense being a game misconduct.
  2. If there is a delayed penalty, and a goal is scored during the delay, the goal and the penalty will both be recorded, with the penalty being considered served.  This penalty will thus count toward the max penalty counts for players and teams.

 

Schedule: Cynara will need at least two weeks after receiving the ice times from NESC before the league schedule will be available.  There will be games played between Christmas and New Year’s.  There will be no game on Superbowl Sunday.  Each team may request one weekend off per half but this may result in having one less game.  Any team may use this one weekend off per half request to be used for States or Nationals.

 

Forfeits:  There has been a problem with teams forfeiting games but not paying the forfeit fees stipulated in the rules.  The Board proposed instituting an additional $300 league fee to be held in escrow until it may be needed to cover a forfeit ($150 per forfeit).  Alternate proposal from the floor: forfeit escrow fee of $150 in additional league fee to be collected in three payments of $50; if used, team must replenish to keep escrow balance at $150.  Fee to remain in escrow indefinitely.  Any team not complying will be suspended for the next half of the year.  This proposal seconded and unanimously approved.  Rules specify three hour notification window on snowstorms.  Problem has been that it may be snowing in one part of our league’s home towns but not in others.  Teams may agree to switch the game to another sheet provide by one of the teams.  President must be informed.  If the league decides to cancel games due to adverse weather conditions, no forfeit fees will be imposed.  President must be informed of snowstorm issues outside the three hour window.

There are several outstanding forfeit fees owed, some from 2-3 years ago: teams include Stoneham, Sirens, Storm, Nighthawks.  The President will communicate with these teams and try to get the issue resolved.

 

Meeting adjourned 9:30pm.  Next meeting will be in November.

 

 

South Shore Women’s Hockey League

Meeting Minutes

7:00PM Monday November 23, 2009 

Metropolis Rink Canton, MA

 

 

 

Teams Present: Stormchasers, NH Lady Panthers, RI Raptors, Quincy, Cougars C, Cougars D (Eagle), Randolph, Stoneham, Chelmsford Happy Cows, Pumas, Lightning, RI Panthers, Storm, Raging Storm, Ice Sharks, Ice Devils C, Black Ice, Renegades, Bears, Shamrocks, Hell’s Belles, Ravens, Mass Chaos, Bulldogs, Phantoms, East Coast Wizards B and C, Chaos.

 

Board members in attendance: Laura Bowser, Jenn Devlin, Stephanie Spunt, Judy Sheldon (Louise reports that Nick is in the hospital).

 

Treasurer’s report: Checks from the Renegades and Monarchs had been sent to her but not received.  These teams will issue new checks.  November payments are now overdue.  Cynara suggests that we add late fees if payments are not on time.  If team payments are not received in a timely manner, then the League gets behind on paying for ice, refs, and timekeepers.  The person who signs the contract is responsible for getting the payments in on time whether or not they have been able to collect from their teams.

 

Penalty problems: Some teams are committing too many penalties.  For example, Mass Chaos has too many team penalties and they want to move up.  Upper group will not tolerate this.  Mass Chaos must minimize penalties and have their coach behave also.  RI Panthers had one player with four penalties in one game – she will be suspended for one game.  Some game sheets have 8-9 penalties; no more than 5-6 is acceptable.  Under USA Hockey rules, once a team reaches 15 penalties in one game, the coach is removed from the bench.  We may want to decrease this limit.  In a recent game, a goalie was hit so hard that her clavicle was broken in two places and she suffered a severe concussion.  We cannot have people getting hurt like this in a recreational league.  All teams please have your coaches address this issue with your teams.  The aggression seems to correlate with age (the younger teams are more aggressive).  A rule change has been proposed:

7. Team Rosters

• All players that wish to play in the SSWHL must be at least 19 years of age or older.  The player must be 19 years old on or before Setember 1st of the year they wish to be rostered on a team.  The only exception is for goalies (for the goalie position only; no skating out).

 

This rule change passed with 20 out of 25 votes.

 

Over the summer we should also discuss the USA Hockey rule about past D1 or D3 college players not being allowed to play in the C division.  There was a question whether this was for 15 years after college or forever.  We may want to have a five year rule.

We should also take a survey of teams and see whether they are interested in age-level divisions.

 

Game sheets – be sure that jersey numbers on the ice match those on the game sheet and sign the game sheet each week.

 

Movement between divisions for the second half:

 

A Division (3)             A/B Division (4)         B Division (8)                        

Assabet A                    NEWHL Stars             Nighthawks

Nighthawks A             Happy Cows                 Quincy

Needham A                  Lightning                       East Coast Wizards B

                                    Renegades                    Mass Chaos

                                                                        Cheetahs

                                                                        Sirens

                                                                        Bears

                                                                        RI Panthers

 

C-1 Division (12)        C-2 Division (6)          D Division (9)

Nighthawks Red           Raptors                        Pumas

Nighthawks Blue          Demolition Divas          Black Ice

Phantoms                     Ice Devils                     Storm Chasers

Ravens                         Cougars                       RI Panthers

Storm                           NH Lady Panthers        Raging Storm

Ice Sharks                    Breakers                      NEWHL Outlaws

Lady Monarchs                                                Bulldogs

Randolph                                                          Cougars D

Shamrocks                                                       NEWHL Hell’s Belles

East Coast Wizards C                                                             

Chaos

Stoneham

 

Registration:  Jenn Devlin has only received USA Hockey rosters from three teams so far.  The deadline is December 1.  If teams are having problems getting the software from Don Moore, Judy Sheldon can create a roster for you.  Please send her a list with names and USA Hockey registration numbers (judysheldon@verizon.net).

 

Canton Games:  Please keep an eye on the Patriot’s game schedule if you have a game at the Canton Rink.  Stay away from Route 1 if possible before and after Patiot’s games.

 

Goalie sub list:  We will compile a new list and distribute to teams.  Goalies can sub up or at the same level (C1 and C2 are considered the same level).

Skater subs: If you are going to forfeit a game otherwise, teams can add subs from the same level or the level below.  The exception is that subs can go up or across if from the same organization; but once the sub has played up for five games, they must stay with the hgher team after that.

 

H1N1: We will send out an email with the USA Hockey recommendations.

 

 

Meeting adjourned 9:30pm.  Next meeting date not set.