Middle school students across Lynn have finished the inaugural Middle School Hockey Program that was held at Connery Skating Rink this winter.
Colleen Peterson, Assistant Director of Physical Education and Health, said the program was designed to give boys and girls in middle school the chance to learn and excel in the sport of hockey under the guidance of experienced coaches.
“They may not have played hockey before or been on the ice so this is kind of one of the sports we wanted to introduce them to,” Peterson said.
Because the hockey numbers are so low in the city’s high schools, there is only one team — the Lynn Jets — to accommodate athletes from Classical, English and Tech, Peterson said.
The Middle School Hockey Program will help bolster the program at the high school level, she said. Exposing students earlier will garner more interest and at the same time, help the high school program in the long run, Peterson said.
Seven students participated in the initial program, which started Feb. 5 and concluded this past Monday.
Peterson recalled the first session where a Breed Middle School student gave the sport a shot for the first time. That student had never been on the ice, she said. It was rewarding “just seeing him out there giving something new a try,” Peterson said.
“Taking a chance on something, which is hard in middle school because they’re always so worried about what everyone thinks,” Peterson said. “He was actually really good so that is something he could pursue in high school.”
School Committee member Lorraine Gately is a huge advocate for the program, Peterson said. Brian Boisson, Lynn Jets head coach, Brett Molea, Lynn Jets assistant Coach, Joe Driscoll, a physical education teacher and new middle school hockey coach, and Athletic Director Dick Newton played significant roles in making this new offering happen seamlessly, Peterson said.
They met once a week. Boisson and Molea allowed the program to share the ice time. Boisson helped facilitate some of the practices, while the high school team practiced on the other half of the rink.
Driscoll was the official coach for the middle school program. Peterson said students now have a connection with Lynn youth hockey and the program aligns with the mission of the district to provide more extracurricular activities.
“This is definitely diverse programming for Lynn,” Peterson said.
The program was successful because it allowed students to meet new kids.
“What’s good about this is these kids are all from different schools so they created bonds with other kids from outside their schools,” Peterson said. “That’s another way to make new friends and branch out beyond what they know.”
Peterson said she aims to implement the Middle School Hockey program every year.
“I’m hoping it will catch on,” she said.
Lynn Public Schools will also be doing middle school golf in the spring.
Peterson said the city is gearing up for a city-wide track meet for fifth graders in the spring. It’s the largest meet of its kind in the city, Peterson said and this will be the ninth year. There are four dates including May 24, May 28, May 31, and June 14 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Each day four different elementary schools will compete in the track meets.
