CCYHA Mission Statement:

The safety of each player is our organization's highest priority.  The purpose
of this organization is to provide an opportunity for young people to learn
the rules and skills of ice hockey through supervised instruction and
competition while emphasizing the ideals of good sportsmanship and
teamwork.

The Central Capitals Pee Wee AA team are the Pics Fall Classic champions!  After going 2-1 in the preliminary round, they avenged their only tournament loss by beating the Springfield Jr Thunderbirds 5-2 in the semifinals to advance to the championship game where they would face their EJ rival the Springfield Aces. The championship game started off on a good note with goals from Braden Linskey, Luke and Max DeFilio. The Aces hung in there, scoring on a powerplay goal and another goal to narrow the score but the Capitals were too much for the Aces, scoring three straight to put the game out of reach, ultimately winning 6-4. Nate Gaydos blasted a slapshot for a goal and Braden Smith scored on a rebound but it was the back breaking powerplay goal by Linskey with 0:01 on the clock in the 2^nd period that powered the victory.

Congratulations to players and coaches

The CCYHA Squirt AA team won the Springfield PICS Fall Classic by defeating the Springfield Aces 3-2 in the final. Their spot in the Championship game was setup by beating the VT Flames 5-2 in the Semifinal round. During the Round Robin format, they earned the number 1 seed by defeating the LI Kings 2-1, Springfield Thunderbirds 4-0, and the VT Flames 4-1. Congratulations to all the Players and Coaches.

Once again our annual pond hockey turkey shootout was a huge success.  Over 150 current and former CCYHA players participated in our 10th annual event. This event was the idea of CCYHA VP of Development and Coaching Director, Doug Partridge, 10 years ago and has continued to be a special event. Thank you to Doug for not only all you did this year to make this event a success but everything for the past 10 year. 

The night kicked off with all participants being given a special 10th Anniversary t-shirt. We had this idea of giving out t-shirts on the Friday before the pond hockey event. Within a few hours, Dan Bush and his Hamden Sports (ProShop at Newington) team, designed a logo, put in an order for t-shirts and ordered the logo's to press. They worked feverishly on Monday and Tuesday to get all the t-shirts ready for us. Thank you to Dan and his entire team!!!!

Champions were crowned throughout the evening and smiles were aplenty.

Mite Champions:

Bowl: Cougars - Austin Coli, Sawyer Embury, Talon Hoffman

Plate: Aliens - Connor Cipolla, Ryan Collette, Evan D'Acunto

Cup: Demons - Drew Kitchens, Weston Kitchens, Barret Linskey

Squirt Champions:

Bowl: Kangaroos -  Lukas Cocco, Dylan Faber, Ally Fields

Plate: Cougars - Aiden Cyr, Benjamin Roberts, Mason Swan-Rouleau

Cup: Fury - Cameron Allatin, Cheyenne Theriault, Easton Theriault

PeeWee Champions:

Shield: Cougars - Luca Faienza, Daniel Pimenta, Jaxton St. Arnauld

Bowl: Eels - Tyler Collette, Marco DeFilio, Jaxon Richard

Plate: Beavers - Ted Majewski, Patrick Maziarz, Gunner Manske

Cup: Kangaroos - Dominic Greco, Sam Guilmartin, Braden Linskey

Bantam Champions:

We Didnt Come In Last: Hellions - Braden Drapeau, Reid Parker, Dillon Torneo

We Did: Iguanas - Alexis Castellani, Conner Gagliano, Jack Leahy

Shield: Aliens -Shane Aaron, Evan Kuczenski, Emerson Stambaugh

Bowl: Cougars - Aiden Costanzo, Nicholas Perillo, Gavin Power

Plate: Gangsters - Josh Cline, Ryan Cline, Benjamin Tompkins

Cup: Beavers - Timothy Dube, Paxton Kelly, Jake Soderlund

Young Legends Champions:

Bowl: Aliens - Braeden Hart, Camden Sharkevich, Jeffrey Thebeau

Plate: Fury - Donovan Burke, Griffin Manske, Jack Petronio

Cup: Gangsters - Justin Bonfiglio, Nicholas Fretz, Matthew Schneider

OG's Champions:

Bowl: Demons - Duke Nower, Sophia Nower, Emily Schneider

Plate: Aliens - Seth Cholewa, Cam Partridge, Colin Reilly

Cup: Beavers - Michael Prestash, Michael Schneider, Aiden Spring

Congratulations to the CCYHA U18 team on winning the U18 Tier 2 State Championship!!!!!!!  CCYHA U18 defeated the Wonderland Wizards by a score of 5-4, in overtime, to capture their back to back state title. The U18's will be representing CT at the USA Hockey National Championships in March/April in Maple Grove, Minnesota. Congratulations to players and coaches.

Central Capitals Pee Wee AA won the Gold Medal at the CanAm tournament in Lake Placid, November 3^rd thru 6^th.  After a slow start, a 1-1 Tie with the Manchester Flames, the Capitals turned it up a notch and got rolling with an 8-0 win over the Minuteman Flames, a 7-1 win over the Valley Jr Warriors, and an 8-2 over Top Gun Hockey to advance into the Gold Medal game and a rematch with the Manchester Flames. Before the Gold Medal game would take place, the boys participated in the Skills Competition and represented Central well. Griffin Fink stopped all six shots he faced to win the Goalie competition. Max DeFilio buried four out of six breakaways to win the Shootout competition. And the relay team of Braeden Smith, Colin Rahmann, Jackson Faber and Nate Gaydos finished in 2^nd place overall after three very impressive races. Back on the 1980 Rink in Herb Brooks Arena, home of the greatest upset in sports history when the 1980 USA men’s hockey team upset the mighty Soviet Union, the Capitals took on the Manchester Flames for the Gold Medal. The Capitals Pee Wee AA team got on the scoreboard first with a goal by Luke DeFilio at 5:01 of the 1^st period with assists to Ted Majewski and Jackson Faber. A powerplay goal at 1:07 by Jaxon Richard, assist by Max DeFilio made it 2-0 for the good guys. Then late in the 1^st period, the tournament’s leading scorer, Braden Linskey, buried the puck in the net to give the Capitals a 3-0 lead after one period. A scoreless 2^nd period meant there were 12 minutes standing in the way of the Gold Medal. A great defensive effort and a stunning kick save by Fink kept the Flames off the scoreboard. Ryan Jennings finished the scoring with a slapper from the blueline to secure the Gold. Congratulations to the players and Coaches of the Gold Medal winning Central Capitals Pee Wee AA team!

Central CT Youth Hockey is made up of 432 members representing 55 towns across the state.

Below is the breakdown of our membership:

Check out the latests Gotta Love CT Hockey webisode featuring former CCYHA player Molly Jordan as she discusses her time with the USA Womens U18 National team. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kb3kvLf8QQ

The Central Capitals Pee Wee AA team won the 2022 Nutmeg Games Pee Wee AA division in thrilling fashion with a 3-2 comeback win in overtime over the Mighty Irish in the Gold Medal game.  It was a slow start for the boys in red, white & blue with only a late 1^st period goal by the Mighty Irish on the scoreboard.  The Capitals knotted the game at 1 at 9:09 of the 2^nd period with a gritty goal by Max DeFilio.  The teams battled for 20 plus minutes until the Mighty Irish scored on a 2 on 1 with 1:37 to go in the game.  The Capitals responded 22 seconds later when Luke DeFilio tied the game with a wrap-around goal.  A late penalty on the Mighty Irish had the Capitals on the power play for the last 26 seconds of the 3^rd period an into the overtime. Ultimately, the Capitals powerplay was too much for the Mighty Irish to overcome as Connor Quinn picked off a pass in the defensive zone and matriculated his way down the ice, drawing the defense towards him before dropping a perfect pass to Luke DeFilio who slammed home the OT winner. In their first outing as the CCYHA 2022-2023 pee wee AA team an outstanding effort was given by all.  This is Coach DeFilio’s 2^nd Gold Medal as Head Coach of a Capitals team.

Congratulations to the Pee Wee AA on winning the Gold Medal.  And good luck to the 9 Pee Wee AA players who trade in their hockey gloves for baseball gloves this week as they compete as a team in the Nutmeg Games baseball tournament.

The CCYHA Squirt AA team captured the Gold this past week at the 2022 Nutmeg Games by defeating The Pack 7-4 in the final. The team earned their spot in the title game by rolling through the round robin, defeating the CT Fireants (Red) 14-1, PHG (Chiefs) 6-0, and the Dragons 10-0. Congratulations to all the Players and Coaches.

Congratulation to former CCYHA player, Molly Jordan, and Team USA as they competed in the U18 Women's World Championships in Madison Wisconsin. Team USA took home the silver medal after going undefeated in the opening round. Molly scored her first international goal in the preliminary round game vs Canada. 

Semi Final vs Sweden W, 3-2

Gold Medal Game vs Canada L, 3-2

The CCYHA Squirt AA team captured the Tier 3 New England Regional Championship by defeating the CT Whalers in the championship game. The finals was tied 4-4 after regulation. After a scoreless 10 minute overtime, the teams went to a shootout. Our Squirt AA team won the shootout in 4 rounds.

Congratulations to all players and coaches. 

The CCYHA PeeWee AA team captured the Tier 3 New England Regional Championship by defeating Northwestern in the championship game by a score of 5-3. The finals was a rematch of the state championship game where our PeeWee AA team also came out on top. 

Congratulations to all players and coaches. 

Congratulations to the CCYHA U16 team on winning the U16 Tier 2 State Championship!!!!!!!  CCYHA U16 defeated the undefeated Wonderland Wizards by a score of 7-4 to capture their back to back state title. The U16's will be representing CT at the USA Hockey National Championships in March/April in Troy, Michigan. Congratulations to players and coaches.

Congratulations to the CCYHA U18 team on winning the U18 Tier 2 State Championship!!!!!!!  CCYHA U18 defeated the Wonderland Wizards by a score of 3-2 to capture the state title. The U18's will be representing CT at the USA Hockey National Championships in March/April in Irvine, California. Congratulations to players and coaches.

Congratulations to former CCYHA player, Molly Jordan, on being selected for the 2022 U.S. U18 Women's National Team.  Molly currently plays for Loomis Chafee and is committed to player her college hockey at Boston College. The US Womens U18 World Championships is being held January 8-15 in Sweden. Best of luck to Molly and congratulations on this accomplishment!!!!!!

Central CT Youth Hockey Program Overview

CCYHA is one of the largest and most successful travel programs in the state. We are an American Development Model (ADM) compliant program with the objective of long-term development. Our mission is to provide an opportunity for young people to learn the rules and skills of ice hockey through supervised instruction and competition while emphasizing the ideals of good sportsmanship and teamwork.

Program Offerings:

         Development Programs

                  Learn to Play Hockey – This program is for our beginner hockey players ages 3 and up. Session 1 is a 5 week session (one weekend instructional hour per week) from mid October until the weekend prior to Thanksgiving.  Session 2 runs from December through mid March and consists of two weekend instructional hours (Sat. and Sun.) per week. Registration for Learn to Play Hockey opens in late summer.

                  Mite Development – This program is for our players (ages 4-12) that have already participated in a Learn to Skate or Learn to Play hockey program.  The Mite Development program runs mid October to mid March and consists of two weekend instructional hours (Sat. and Sun.) per week. Registration for Mite Development opens in late summer.

                  House League – This program is for kids aged 5-12 who have at least 1-2 seasons of skating AND hockey experience. Players are placed onto teams and have two practices and 1 game per week.  Games are played half ice, with real boards across the center ice line separating the two games. Games are played 4 verse 4 plus a goalie in net (using goalie equipment). The House League program runs from mid October to mid March. Registration for House League opens in late summer. 

         Travel Programs

                  U8 Mite Travel (2013 & Younger Birth Years) – CCYHA is compliant with USA Hockey ADM model at the U8 level. The mite travel teams consist of our more experienced players at the U8 level. Mite travel teams will compete in CHC. Tryouts are held in March for the following season. Mite Travel teams will have two practices per week plus 2 games per weekend. Most weekends consist of one home and one away game. The number of mite travel teams will be dependent on several criteria including; number of participants, birth years, and talent level. The Mite Travel program runs from late August to mid March.

                  U10 Squirt Travel (11 & 12 Birth Years) – We have offerings for all experience levels at the U10 level. We typically have several teams at the A, B and C levels. Tryouts are held in March for the following season. Squirt Travel teams will have two practices per week plus 2 games per weekend. Most weekends consist of one home and one away game. The number of squirt travel teams will be dependent upon number of participants. Our squirt travel teams will compete in CHC and will have the opportunity to qualify for Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4. Our Squirt AA team will also compete in the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League (EJEPL). This will consist of a 16 game schedule, 8 games of which will be played at two festivals and 4 home and 4 away games. The Squirt Travel program runs from late August to mid March.

                  U12 PeeWee Travel (09 & 10 Birth Years) – We have offerings for all experience levels at the U12 level. We typically have several teams at the A, B and C levels. Tryouts are held in March for the following season. PeeWee Travel teams will have two practices per week plus 2 games per weekend. Most weekends consist of one home and one away game. The number of peewee travel teams will be dependent upon number of participants. Our peewee travel teams will compete in CHC and will have the opportunity to qualify for Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4. Our PeeWee AA team will also compete in the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League (EJEPL). This will consist of a 16 game schedule, 8 games of which will be played at two festivals and 4 home and 4 away games. The PeeWee Travel program runs from late August to mid March.

                   U14 Bantam Travel (07 & 08 Birth Years) – We have offerings for all experience levels at the U14 level. We typically have teams at the AA, A and B levels. Tryouts are held in March for the following season. Bantam Travel teams will have two practices per week plus 2 games per weekend. Most weekends consist of one home and one away game. The number of bantam travel teams will be dependent upon number of participants. Our bantam travel teams will compete in CHC and will have the opportunity to qualify for Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4. Our Bantam AA team will also compete in the Eastern Junior Elite Prospects League (EJEPL). This will consist of a 16 game schedule, 8 games of which will be played at two festivals and 4 home and 4 away games. The Bantam Travel program runs from late August to mid March. For those players that plan to tryout for their high school teams in the fall, we will explore offering a Bantam Half Year option. Players who plan to tryout for their high school must notify CCYHA on the commitment agreement so we can plan accordingly. These players will be guaranteed a spot on a travel team if they do not make their high school team. 

                   Midget High School Teams – CCYHA will be hosting Midget teams for the Wethersfield HS and Newington HS coop. These teams will be a half season team with players from those high schools on the roster. These teams will be undeclared midget teams.  Midget season will run from late-August through Thanksgiving.

                   U16 &U18 Midget Tier 2 and U15/U16 Split Season Teams – Building off the success of last year’s season at the midget tier 2 level, Central CT Youth Hockey (CCYHA) will be, once again, forming split season teams at the U16 and U18 Tier 2 levels for the 2021-2022 season. Our U18 team finished tied for second in Tier 2 and our U16 team went undefeated in state games and have been crowned STATE CHAMPIONS and will be representing CT at USA Hockey Nationals. These teams fill a void in our area at the Tier 2 level. Teams will be competing in CHC Tier 2 with the winners of the CT State Tournament advancing to the USA Hockey Tier 2 National Championships. Teams will practice and play at Newington Arena. Tryouts will be held in mid April.

Additional Program Offerings:

                  ProCrease – On-ice goaltender instruction for all Mite-Bantam teams two times per month.

                  Future Fitness -  Off-ice training for all Bantam teams two times per month.

                  Goaltending Director – CCYHA has a Director of Goaltending to help advance the skills of goalies within our organization.

                  Summer Ice – We will be offering ice throughout the summer. Each age group will have a weekly session to stay on the ice (if they wish). This will be a combination of skills, small area drills and scrimmage.

                  Skills Sessions – Regularly scheduled skills sessions will be offered throughout the season.

                  Turkey Shootout Pond Hockey Tournament

                  State Tournament

       Program Fees:

                  Tryout Fee: $100.00

                  Mite Travel: $2,325.00

                  Squirt Travel: $2,375.00

                  PeeWee Travel: $2,625.00

                  Bantam Travel: $2,725.00

                  Bantam Half Year: $1,500.00 (if we have enough players for a half year team)

                  Midget U16 & U18 T2, U15/U16: 1,850.00

What better way to spend time while our kids are practicing and playing than to play some virtual golf. Overlooking the Red Rink at Newington Arena, Arena Golf will be open for business on Monday November 2 at 9am. Please visit www.arenagolfct.com for more information and to book time in our state of art golf simulator.

The CCYHA U18 Tier 1 Midgets completed their quest for a BACK TO BACK National Championship by defeating the North Jersey Avalanche 3-2 in overtime.  The CCYHA Selects started the national tournament with convincing wins over the Belle Tire 9-1 and Washington Little Caps 5-2.  Game 3 brought a loss for CCYHA at the hands of the Boston Jr. Eagles by a score of 4-1.  By going 2-1 in the opening round, the team earned the top seed coming out of their bracket.  The opponent in the quarterinals would be #1 nationally ranked Shattuck St. Mary's. CCYHA was up to the test as they advanced to semifinals by defeating Shattuck 8-6.  In-state rival Yale Jr. Bulldogs was the opponent in the semifinal round.  CCYHA earned a berth in the national championship game by defeating Yale 6-2.

The final game was a matchup against #5 nationally ranked North Jersey Avalanche. After CCYHA took a 2-0 lead late in the third period, the Av's tied it up with 2 goals in a 14 second span in the final minute of play to force overtime. The game ended early in the first sudden overtime period as Killian Rowlee secured the second of the back to back National Championships for CCYHA.

The Central CT Youth Hockey Selects Academy u18 Tier 1 team wins the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP by defeating the Cape Cod Whalers 5-2.  Congratulation to the midgets on winning a national championship for CCYHA.