Youth ice hockey continuing to grow, find success in Owensboro

September 14, 2021 | 12:09 am

Updated September 14, 2021 | 6:40 am

Tyler Dixon | Owensboro Times

Ice hockey has been a part of Owensboro since 1971; for the past five decades, the sport has continued to grow.

The Owensboro Youth Hockey Association (OYHA) celebrated a standout season in 2020-21 with two teams representing Kentucky at national events. 

The Owensboro Rampage high school team won back-to-back Kentucky High School hockey League state titles in 2020 and 2021; the program also previously won in 2012 and 2016. They were unable to compete at the national level in 2020 due to the pandemic but were able to take part in the 2021 national tournament.

In addition, the 14U Owensboro Puckhogs followed suit by winning their state tournament and representing Kentucky at the national championships in Texas.

OYHA has called the Edge Ice Center their home ice since 2009 when the facility originally opened. Prior to that, they operated out of the Owensboro Ice Arena, which was only open 6 months per year due to the joint heating and cooling system shared with the Owensboro Sportscenter. 

Having the Edge Ice Center open 12 months a year meant hockey could become a year-round sport. The ice center is the only municipally owned and operated arena in the state. The new facility also opened the doors to hosting travel hockey games and tournaments at the Edge. 

The 2020-21 season resulted in a direct economic impact of $193,904. 

“With the Edge Ice Center being open year-round it gives the players so much more time to build and develop their skill by attending out-of-season clinics, going to stick and puck and other outlets the kids can sign up for,” said Jason Link, coach for the Rampage. “This also allows Rampage players to interact with the younger players on the ice during the Edge Ice Center’s Summer Skate Camp program.”

The Owensboro Rampage is made up mostly of local high school students in Daviess and Warren counties. 

Wyatt Fireline is getting ready to start his third season with the Rampage. He was on the team for the 2020 and 2021 state titles. 

“I was 9 years old when I started playing hockey and throughout those years I have gained a ton of new friends and learned life skills that will help me in my future,” Fireline said. 

Fireline said his most proud moment was when he won the Brandon Scott Mullins Leadership Award — a scholarship award given out annually by the Owensboro Ice Foundation and the Mullins family in memory of SPC Mullins, a former Owensboro Youth Hockey member, and awarded to a player based on their outstanding leadership and sportsmanship.    

Twelve volunteer board members lead the Owensboro Youth Hockey Association. 

“The board is motivated to provide this unique sport to our community that is normally more familiar to people who live up north,” said Jason Koger, the new president of the association. “I am amazed at the coaches because they can take a child using a training aid at their first practice, and within 2 weeks the improvement in balance, control, and speed is unreal.”

Players can start playing in the Owensboro Youth Hockey recreational league as young as 4 years old. The first year a player participates, the hockey program supplies their gear. 

There are four different age divisions within the recreation hockey program: 6U, 8U, 10U, and 16U. The recreational league is a co-ed league that plays for 6 months out of the year. A travel team for each age group is also offered for those who want to compete at a higher, more competitive level.

Those interested can register for the recreational hockey league by visiting the OYHA website and clicking on registration at the top of the page. To find out more, visit the site and click on connect to see a list of the current board members and their email addresses. 

September 14, 2021 | 12:09 am

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