By Sam Westcott | The Pearl | Vol. 7 No. 1 (January 16, 2019)
With Minor Hockey Week underway, we sat down with Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association President Trevor Murphy. Here’s what he had to say:
Q: How many skaters are enrolled with Mount Pearl Minor Hockey this year?
A: The MPMHA is over 500 participants again this season. When you include coaches, volunteers, and other members, our membership would be closer to 700 people. There are also a number of MPMHA players and coaches who are currently involved with the DJHL pooled teams and AAA teams in the Pee Wee, Bantam and Midget levels.
Q: And what about teams?
A: With respect to teams, we have the following:
Initiation Program - no teams as such but three groups and numbers are strong again this season with our introductory program
Novice - 6 teams
Atom - 4 house league teams and 2 all star teams
Pee Wee - 4 house teams and 1 all star team
Bantam - 3 house league teams and 1 all star team
Midget - 4 house league teams
Female Hockey - U9, U12, U15 and U20 teams
Q: What have been some of the highlights of the past year?
A:Highlights so far would be:
• Roger's Hometown Hockey was a phenomenal show of community and association spirit.
• Annual MPMHA Food Drive
• Our Lions Atom Tournament, Novice Jamboree and Female U12 tournament were hosted with strong numbers and wonderful response from participating teams
• Annual Christmas Tournament
• Our junior coach program
The second half of the season will bring with it further highlights and we are excited to see our young players continuing to develop on and off the ice.
Q: How did the annual Christmas tournament at the Glacier go this year?
A: The Christmas tournament was a success with 91 games, 37 teams, and six divisions it is a big undertaking, but we have a wonderful base of volunteers, officials and others who make the tournament run and run well. Lots of exciting hockey played throughout.
Minor Hockey is all about creating a positive environment for these young players to play the game - no matter of age, division or team. MPMHA has a long history of volunteer support. We are so proud of the young players and volunteers in our system. As we continue to grow as an Association, we continue to review our programs and processes. We will continue to work hard on player, parent and coach education and development programs.
