Dear Parents,

I hope this message finds you well. My name is Matthew Brown, and I am honored to serve as the VP of U5 and U7 for Sackville's hockey program. With great enthusiasm, I extend a warm welcome to you and your young athletes as we gear up for an exciting 2022-2023 hockey season.

Our U5 program is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday, October 11th. Stay tuned, as we'll be sharing more details about what to expect on that exciting evening in the days ahead.

For our U7 players, I'm delighted to announce that we have secured ice time over the upcoming week. These sessions will provide our kids with a solid foundation. Each child will be grouped into one of four teams, with each group receiving two hours of ice time over the next seven days. After these initial skates, we will organize our teams for the season. Tomorrow, we'll unveil the groupings and their assigned ice times for the week.

I understand that many of you have been eagerly awaiting the final schedule. Your patience is greatly appreciated. We've been collaborating closely with the Rangers and Kings hockey programs (U15 Major and U16 Minor), which will serve as mentors to our athletes. These players have roots in Sackville and will be fantastic role models for our young talents. The scheduling complexities for their groups are nearly resolved, and once finalized, we will have our season schedule ready for each of our teams.

We anticipate announcing the finalized teams for our age group by October 13th, so stay tuned for that exciting news.

The moment we've all been waiting for is drawing near, as the kids prepare to hit the ice in the coming days. Here's the schedule for the upcoming week:

Monday, October 2nd, at the Sackville Arena (91 First Lake Drive): 4-5 PM, 5-6 PM, and 6-7 PM
Wednesday, October 4th, at the Sackville Arena: 6-7 PM
Thursday and Friday, October 5th and 6th, at both the Stadium and the Arena: 5-6 PM
I hold the sincerest hope that during this time, your children will develop a deep love for the game of hockey. Whether it's through early morning practices, forging friendships in the dressing room, showcasing their skills in front of 6,000 fans during the Halifax Mooseheads' intermission, enjoying holiday parties, or simply connecting with new members of the community, hockey has enriched my life, and I'm confident it will do the same for your young athletes.

For those of you interested in volunteering and coaching this year, please bring your skates, sticks, helmets, and gloves in the coming week. There are several required courses to complete before December 1st, 2023, but you're more than welcome to join us as you work through them. You can expect an email with detailed information about the coach's course requirements.

I eagerly look forward to meeting each and every one of you at the rink in the coming week. If you have any questions or need assistance with anything at all, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Warm regards,

Matthew Brown