ESHA Families,

Thank you for your patience as we navigate this pandemic. We wanted to provide our players and families an update regarding what things will look like as we start to play hockey.

We had a meeting on Monday of this past week with the Talbot County Community Center and it went really well. It was great to walk into the rink area and see the ice was down as we are looking forward to being back on the ice this coming weekend. If you have any questions about this coming weekend, please let us know.

Maryland entered phase three a little over a week ago and that has allowed for several restrictions to be lifted including the ability to play hockey games. The TCCC has allowed us to adhere to the current guidelines that have been set forth by PVAHA (Our local USA Hockey affiliate), this means that we are currently allowed to practice and play games.

Here are our revised operating guidelines:

• Temperature checks are no longer required prior to entering the TCCC.
• All players, coaches, parents, and spectators must wear a facial covering while in the rink. This is a must and there is no debate on this. If we cannot follow this rule, then we do not get to play hockey. It is that simple.
• Players do not need to wear a facial covering while on the ice or bench but must wear it at all other times. Coaches and all other team personnel must wear a facial covering at all times.
• There is no food or drink allowed in the rink. The only exception is players are allowed to bring their own personal water bottle, which must be labeled with their name.
• For practices, we are allowed one parent in the rink per player. Parents must practice social distancing and space out along the glass area, basically parents should stand at every other pane of glass. You cannot be in the warm area or stands during practices. When practice is over, you must exit the facility as quickly as possible.
• For games, we are allowing spectators into the facility. Again, facial coverings must be worn, and each family will need to practice social distancing. If there are younger children attending, they must stay with their parents/guardians and wear a facial covering.
• For practices, players will be allowed in 15 minutes prior to practice and must come completely dressed with the exception of skates, helmets, and gloves. Goalies may enter 20 minutes prior and should come dressed in all equipment except for their chest protector, skates, pads, and mask. We will have two staging areas for players to put on their skates, helmets, and gloves. We will use the Tuckahoe room and the area outside of the Tuckahoe room. We will not be using the dressing rooms at this time.
• We are currently working out the details for dressing prior to games.
• If you are showing symptoms to COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, please DO NOT attend any ESHA activities.
• On the week of October 12th, we will resume our usual schedule with two teams for practice and two team practices during the week. We will also begin using our weekend slots for home games. This schedule will get posted to both our website and the app.
• On game days, players, coaches, and team personnel will enter through the hockey entrance. Parents and spectators will enter through the main doors at the front of the facility. For practices we will only use the hockey entrance for players and one parent/ guardian.

The entire ESHA board has been working hard to get players back on the ice. We are all in this together and we need everyone to work together as a team. If we do not follow these guidelines, we will lose our ability to play hockey.

Looking forward to a successful 2020-2021 hockey season!

1) When will the season start?

This will be determined by our local USA Hockey district. CBHL league play may begin on 10/30/2020.

2) Will players be allowed to change in the locker rooms?

Currently under the CDC guidelines, players are not allowed to use locker rooms or change inside of the arena.

3) Will players be required to wear masks?

Yes, they must currently wear a mask until they enter onto the ice surface.

4) Will there be team water bottles?

No, each player must bring their own water bottle and are not allowed to use another players water bottle.

5) Will parents be allowed inside the arena?

We have a meeting scheduled with the Talbot County Community Center on Monday 9/14, and we will have an update soon thereafter. However, our first week of practice will be under our current COVID procedures and parents will not be allowed inside the rink. The exceptions will be for our parent volunteer to conduct our temperature screenings, and up to two parents to help tie and untie skates for our 8 and 10 Us.

6) Will coaches wear masks?

Yes, any team official (coaches & managers) must wear a mask both off and on ice.

7) What happens if a player test positive for COVID-19.

We will follow all the CDC and USA Hockey protocols to inform players and parents if this were to happen. We are also required to have a Board Member fulfill the duties of a  Contact Tracer within our organization. 

8) Will teams be traveling to different states for games / tournaments?

Currently, it is recommenced that teams play within their local region. We will continue to monitor the recommendations from USA hockey.

9) How many players will be allowed on the ice for practices?

This will be determined by local  guidelines as well as USA Hockey. We will know more after our meeting with the community center staff.

10) What will happen if part or all of the season is canceled.

ESHA will refund based on a prorated rate.