Good day JAHA!

A few updates for your Tuesday morning:

- PLAYOFF SCHEDULE: The final playoff schedule is posted at the rink and can also be found by clicking here. There were two changes from the original schedule published in January, those are marked with an asterisk (*) and highlighted in red text.

- BANQUET: The end-of-the-year JAHA banquet is scheduled for Friday, April 14, 2017. Times and more details will be announced as it gets closer.

- RULE CHANGES: To address playoff games running long and delaying the remaining games during the day, the board is proposing two major rule changes that affect overtime periods and shootouts. (A minor change to the rules was also made to clarify that overtime periods are 5 minutes with a running clock.) FIRST, during the overtime period, it is proposed that all penalties are assessed as a penalty shot for the non-penalized team in lieu of the penalized player being sent off the ice, unless the penalty involves a suspension – immediate and otherwise, which still must be served. SECOND, it is proposed that after all players on a team have had a shot attempt during a shootout, there are no restrictions on who shoots, meaning any player may take any number of consecutive shot attempts until a winner is declared. If you have any concerns about these two changes, please send them to info@juneauhockey.org by March 16, 2017.

That’s all for today. All the tiers look to have some tight races for seeding coming into the last few games of the regular season. Should make for some exciting JAHA hockey!

Have fun out there and see you on the ice.

— Commissioner Soza

JAHA Members,

Hope everyone had a great holiday break and a very happy New Years.

The Winter 2017 JAHA season begins tomorrow and as usual, it looks like it’s going to be an awesome one. Your JAHA Board has been hard at work over the holidays putting the schedule and teams together, getting jerseys cleaned and organized, and making sure all the accounting is done, so if you happen to see your tier rep, secretary, vice president, registrar, or treasurer, be sure to give them an extra thanks!

As always, there are some thank you’s, reminders, and notices as we head into the new season:

• SPONSORED JERSEYS: A huge thank you to all the businesses who have sponsored JAHA jerseys! Using sponsored jerseys helps JAHA keep registration fees low by avoiding costs associated with buying, maintaining, laundering, and storing jerseys. Big shout outs to ISLAND PUB, SVENSSON BOATWORKS, ALASKA AIRLINES, LOUIE’S, SEARHC, KENSINGTON, CARPENTERS LOCAL 1281, SHAW DENTAL, THUNDER MOUNTAIN DRYWALL, and our newest sponsor, COEUR ALASKA. Thanks to these businesses, Tiers A and B are completely sponsored and Tier C is close. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN SPONSORING A TEAM OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE? Before buying a set of jerseys, shoot us an email and we’ll work with you on colors, recommended quantities and sizes, and custom jersey sources.

• JAHA RULES: You should already be familiar with USA Hockey rules , but you also need to know that JAHA has its own supplemental rules and be familiar with them as well. If a JAHA rule calls for a suspension or ban, this is in addition to any penalties assessed under the USA Hockey rules.

• RULE CHANGES: The JAHA Board will be amending the JAHA rules this season to change playoff shootout rules so that after a team has gone through their bench once, with everyone having taken a shot, the team can choose any player to shoot in subsequent rounds and there are no requirements to change players for each round. DO YOU HAVE A SUGGESTION FOR A RULE ADDITION OR CHANGE? If so, let us know!

• NO ALCOHOL IN THE RINK: We can’t stress it enough – the rule against possession/consumption of alcohol inside the rink is a City & Borough of Juneau rule, not a JAHA rule. Savikko Park, the park that Treadwell Arena is located in, does allow for open alcohol containers. So if you would like to enjoy an alcoholic beverage after a game, you may legally do so in the park area immediately outside the rink as long as you are not in a roadway.

• REMEMBER – DON’T ARGUE WITH THE REFS: They are there to officiate the game according to JAHA and USA Hockey rules, maintain order, and ensure everyone’s safety. If a penalty is called on you, head directly to the penalty box. If you disagree with a call, wait until immediately after the game and calmly bring it up with the ref. If you cannot do this and/or still disagree, please contact JAHA and we can get in touch with the Juneau Hockey Officials (JHO) board on your behalf. Any abuse of officials, including swearing – even if not directed at a specific person – can result in at least a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and can escalate to a game misconduct, which carries an automatic one game suspension imposed by USA Hockey.

• PLAYOFFS: The Winter 2017 playoff schedule is ATTACHED to this announcement! That’s right, the playoff schedule is being released even before the season starts, which may very well be a JAHA first. We are aware that some of the games fall during the high school’s spring break, which may conflict with travel plans. Our schedule is driven by the rink’s schedule and unfortunately, this timing is unavoidable. We hope you understand! The championship games for all tiers will be held on APRIL 2nd.

• INTRO TO HOCKEY: JAHA is offering another Intro to Hockey class starting on January 18th! If you are new to the sport or know someone who is thinking about playing, it’s $60 for four 1-hour sessions led by some of JAHA’s best. You can register by following the directions here !

• QUESTION NOT ANSWERED HERE?: Check out our Frequently Asked Questions and if you’re still skating in the dark, please contact us !

Lastly, we are always interested in your feedback. If you have a few minutes to take a very brief survey, we’d really appreciate if you’d click here and answer a few questions for us. We take all input very seriously and do what we can to improve the association for all.

Thank you all for your participation in making JAHA the best adult hockey association in the world, as voted by us! Looking forward to a great season on the ice.

See you out there.

— Commissioner Soza

JAHA has scheduled a 4-session Intro to Hockey event beginning JANUARY 18th!

Lorna Wilson will be the lead instructor and she will have other coaches to assist through hockey drills, fundamentals, and off-ice “chalk talks.”

The event is $60 for all four sessions.

Sessions will be held on Wednesdays at 7:45pm on the following dates:

• January 18th
• January 25th
• February 1st
• February 8th

Basic hockey gear is required. If you need help with gear, give us a shout.

You can register by following the instructions here.

If you signed up for the Holiday Jamboree, please see attached for Teams and Schedule.

As soon as jerseys are finalized, we’ll enter teams and schedule into the website so you can enjoy the additional features!

A couple of reminders:

• KEEP YO’ DRINK OUTTA THE RINK: Remember, Treadwell Arena has a strict NO ALCOHOL policy. This is not a JAHA rule, this is a City & Borough of Juneau rule, so please observe it. Breaking this rule reflects poorly on JAHA as a whole and could make it more difficult to rent ice and/or obtain legal alcohol permits down the road. Treadwell Arena sits within Savikko Park, which has an open container policy. If you’d like to responsibly enjoy an adult beverage after a game, you may legally do so outside of the rink within the park, as long as you’re not standing in a roadway.

• WINTER SEASON IS AROUND THE CORNER: The Winter season will begin on January 8th. The registration deadline will be mid- to late-December and we’ll be sure to bug you with reminders before it passes – but why wait? Sign up now if you haven’t done so already!

Have fun! See you on the ice!

— Commissioner Soza

Alright JAHA – the time has come to prove yourself: the playoffs are here.

Rankings are set and the first round of games have been scheduled. Subsequent games will be scheduled as results are known, but keep an eye on the previously-posted schedule to make sure you don’t miss any action!

Before you cue up your favorite inspirational hockey movie and hit the ice in beast mode, a few important playoff reminders:

• CONFUSION AND ERRATA: The playoff schedule lists Tier C Game 1 as happening after Tier C Game 2. This is correct. However, the schedule also lists the Women’s Tier championship game as happening on “Friday, 11/20/2016.” This is incorrect and should say “Sunday, 11/20/2016.” The Women’s Tier championship game is on the same day as all other tiers’ championships.

• WE DON’T WANT NO SUBS: JAHA rules do not allow any player substitutions during playoffs except for goalies. Make sure to rally your team!

• DON’T. GET. ELIMINATED: The tournament is double elimination except for the championship game.

• AIN’T NO WIN-WIN HERE: If a playoff game ends in a tie, it goes to a 5 minute run time, sudden death OT period. If the game remains tied, it will go to a best-of-3 shootout. If still tied, both teams will continue shootout rounds until there is a winner. No player may shoot twice until all players have taken a shot.

• FOR THE LOVE OF HOCKEY, DON’T ARGUE WITH THE REFS: They are there to officiate the game according to JAHA and USA Hockey rules, maintain order, and ensure everyone’s safety. If a penalty is called on you, head directly to the penalty box. If you disagree with a call, wait until immediately after the game and calmly bring it up with the ref. If you cannot do this and/or still disagree, please contact JAHA and we can get in touch with the Juneau Hockey Officials (JHO) board on your behalf. Any abuse of officials, including swearing – even if not directed at a specific person – can result in at least a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and can escalate to a game misconduct, which carries an automatic one game suspension imposed by USA Hockey.

• GIVE US THE JAHA SWEATER OFF YOUR BACK: If your team is eliminated and you have JAHA jerseys, be sure to turn them in to your team representative! If you know you will miss games and your team may be eliminated in the interim, leave your jersey with someone you trust who can turn it in on your behalf. If you’re unsure who your team representative is, get your jersey(s) to your tier rep. All tier reps can be found on the Board of Directors page. We need to sort, launder, and get them ready for the Holiday season, so getting them to us as quickly as possible really helps!

• ACT LIKE A CHAMPION, RESPECT THE TROPHIES: If you win your tier’s championship game, head over to the Island Pub and politely ask if they’ll grab your tier’s trophy from over the bar. If you ask really nicely, they may even give it a good rinse and throw in a frosty beverage of your choice so you can sip from the cup and taste victory. When you’re done passing the trophy around, snapping selfies with it, and have had your evening of Stanley Cup-like celebrations, please make sure the trophy makes it back to the bar, preferably with a gracious tip for being kind enough to have donated the trophies to JAHA and storing them for us year-round. That’s what champions do! (In no case should any of the trophies leave the Island Pub!)

Above all, go out, skate hard, have fun, win humbly, and lose graciously. We’ll see you on the ice next season.

— Commissioner Soza