Pioneers Ice Hockey Club
Developing Hockey for the youth in Somerville and Branchburg , New Jersey
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FAQ'S
 
How many teams will be in the club?
  • The Pioneers are fielding one Middle School team and one High School (JV) Team. 
  • Should interest warrant supporting additional teams, it will be taken into consideration

 

Is this a "learn to play hockey" club?

  • This is a competitive club, not a "learn to play hockey" club; however, we highly recommend those interested in learning to play ice hockey contact one of the local rinks and first participate in one of the in-house programs (see related links).
  • The Pioneers is also exploring the possibility of holding a few introductory clinics.  If intersted, please Contact Us.
Will there be evaluations or tryouts?
  • Yes, every player will be required to participate in an evaluation and tryout for the team.
Are the Pioneers a Somerville High School (SHS) Sanctioned Team?
  • No, this is an independent, parent run club and is currently not sanctioned by SHS.
  • We have presented to the SHS Board of Ed and a sanctioning decision is pending.
  • We have reached out to other teams that have recently gone through the same process (Hillsborough Raiders and Hunterdon Storm). We have been advised that we need to establish a local club to prove there is local interest and that there is growing support within the community for the sport. 
  • Our goal is to establish a club that engages and gains support from both Somerville and Branchburg residents and brings together players from both towns.
  • Getting the school to sanction a team will take time.  It requires budget, board of education approval and support from the community. We would love to see this happen but at this time there is no guarantee.

Is this a travel club?
  • No, this is not a travel program.

 

Which rink is the home rink and where will games be played?
  • The Pioneers Home rink is Aspen Ice in Flemington.
  • All games for the Middle School league will be played at Bridgewater Sports Arena (BSA).
  • For the High School League, Games will be played out of Aspen Ice in Flemington.
Where will practices be held?
  • For the 2009-2010 Season all practices for both teams will be held at Aspen Ice in Flemington.
  •      Middle School team will practice on Monday evenings from 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm.
  •      High School team will practice on Monday evenings from 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm. 

Who will the teams compete against?
• The teams will compete against other USA Hockey Sanctioned teams.


• Middle School League (Grades 6, 7 and 8) – The 2009-2010 Season will be the 7th season BSA has run this league. The Middle School league will be limited to 16 independent teams representing different clubs, communities and schools. (Games were played on Friday and Sunday evenings for the 2009-2009 Season.)

• JV/High School League (grades 9, 10, 11 and 12) – For the 2009-2010 season we will be playing against other club teams in Somerset and Hunterdon counties.  In 2008-2009 we participated in the JV Cross County League out of Aspen Ice in Flemington and are working with Aspen to possibly continue this league in 2009-2010.

Who will coach the teams?

Will coaches be paid?
  • If funds allow, we will consider paying the Head and Assistant coaches; however, many of the assistant coaches will be volunteers.

How much will it cost per player?

  • The tuition for the 2009-2010 seasion will be $950.  Costs are based on the league fees, practice ice time, Team Jersey’s, socks, etc. and is subject to change depending on the number of players, sponsors and fundraisers.
  • A $100 deposit per potential player is due at time of registration to secure our place in the league and will be applied towards both the league fee and tryout/evaluation which will be held prior to team selection at the start of the season.  This deposit will also be applied towards the overall registration fee.
  • Making a deposit now does not guarantee team placement.  Evaluations/tryouts will determine team placements and will be held in the August/September timeframe.  Should a participant not qualify for the team after evaluations, $50.00 of the $100 will be refunded.  The other $50.00 will be non-refundable and applied towards the evaluation ice time.
  • Each player will also be responsible for registering individually with USA Hockey (this is an additional $40 fee and is paid directly to USA Hockey.)  A copy of the registration confirmation is due prior to any player taking the ice.  Players that play for multiple teams only have to register with USA Hockey once.  Check with your other team to see if this fee/registration has been done by your other team and ask for a copy of the confirmation.

Can a player participate in Pioneers and also play for another travel ice hockey team.

  • Absolutely.  Players should check with the other travel team to insure there is not a conflict of interest.
Will Pioneers be USA Hockey Sanctioned?
  • Yes.  All players, coaches and teams will be USA Hockey Sanctioned. 
  • All players will be responsible for registering individually with USA Hockey and provide a copy of their registration to the club for insurance purposes.  Those players that are on multiple teams will only have to register once with USA Hockey.