With first year under belt, Kachinas program booming in Arizona
In further proof that hockey continues to grow in Arizona, 2019 brought aboard the Arizona Kachinas to the state’s slate of programs.
The Kachinas came to fruition earlier this year, providing girls a place to play hockey at the level they’re currently playing and develop their skills from start to finish.
“It’s been a pretty long process that started about 4-5 years with a meeting between myself, Lyndsey Fry, her dad Doug and his co-pilot for the Chandler Jr. Polar Bears, Jackie Hodgins, at California Pizza Kitchen at Tempe Marketplace,” said Arizona Coyotes director of amateur hockey development Matt Shott. “We really spent the last year finalizing and getting things prepared for the upcoming season, working with Natalie Rossi, Vanessa Maines, Jennifer Triant, Katie McGovern and Erin Cain to make this dream a reality for the 2019-20 season.”
Any youth female hockey player can participate in the Kachinas program, which boasts development teams in house leagues from 14U down to 8U and travel teams from 19U to 12U. The Kachinas skate at Oceanside Ice Arena, AZ Ice Arcadia and Ice Den Scottsdale. Many games will also be played at Gila River Arena.
How does the Kachinas speak to the growth of the game in Arizona?
“We are just getting started on this part, so we can talk about our growth in the girls hockey game next season,” Shott said. “We are just happy to provide girls a place to get proper development for them throughout their entire youth hockey career.”
“Our focus for growth within the association will be aggressively working to grow the base of the pyramid with the Small Frys and development programs and to provide an amazing experience for those in the association so we retain the girls we have,” added Fry, the Kachinas president.
For more information, including costs and requirements, visit www.AZKachinasHockey.com.
“Our tryouts and evaluations have already concluded, but we are open to adding new girls who are interested,” noted Fry.
Photo/Janelle Etzel
— Matt Mackinder
(Aug. 21, 2019)
