Mankato Area Hockey Association

MAHA's "In House" program consists of our Mite and Mini Mite age groups. Mini Mite's include all kids from age 4-6, with the Mite's including ages 7-8. These age groups are determined by a predetermined age cutoff determined by USA Hockey. If you have questions as to which age group you belong in please contact the Operation's Manager on the "Contact Us" page. The In House program usually runs from late October thru the end of February.

Mites and Mini Mites skate 1-2 times a week on average early in the season (usually Saturday mornings and/or Sunday afternoons from time to time), and 2-3 times a week towards the end.  In house teams DO NOT travel. On ice content includes basic skill development, skill based games, and scrimmages. Registration for this age group occurs in early September, and will be posted on the website at least one month in advance. 

MAHA's traveling programs are available to all member's aged from 9-15 (based on USA Hockey's age guidelines), and are broken down into different age groups. Squirt/U10 girls are for all player's aged 9 and 10, Peewees/U12 Girls are for player's aged 11 and 12, and Bantams/U14 girls are for player's aged 13-15. These teams take part in a tryout process in early-mid October (when necessary by numbers) and are assigned to teams from there, running until the end of February. Each age group is broken down into corresponding "A" (higher skill level) and "B" (more emphasis on skills) teams as decided by a qualified panel of evaluators present the entire week of tryouts.

Traveling teams vary in their degree of ice time, number of games, and level of travel:

• Squirts/U10 - Usually on the ice between 3-5 times per week. They usually practice earlier in the night and play roughly 30 games per year (traveling and at home combined).
  

• Peewees/U12 - Usually on the ice between 4-5 times per week. They usually practice mid-evening and play roughly 32-35 games per year (traveling and at home combined).

• Bantams/U14 - Usually on the ice between 4-6 times per week. They usually practice in the later time slots at night and play roughly 32-40 games per year (traveling at home and combined).

All traveling teams partake in one home tournament and a combination of 2-4 traveling tournaments (some stay over tournaments and some drivable tournaments).

The Advanced Mite program was designed to bridge the gap between kids who have accelerating through the Mite in house program quickly, but may not be prepared to move up to Squirts due to age and/or ability. The Advanced Mites practice separately from the In House Mites and are not allowed to travel until after January 1st of their season. At that time, the team can play no more than 12 games between January 1st and March 1st. This team skates and additional sixteen practice sessions on top of their initial Mite team, and is on the ice between 1-2 times weekly. Generally,  practices are at early times on the weekends and during the week.

Advanced Mites are selected by a panel of evaluators from the main In House group the first few weeks of the in house session. The main In House group is constantly evaluated from that point on, and any player accelerating through the In House program, and worthy of a spot on the Advanced Mite team will be added to the Advanced Team roster. No player's will be added after the final weekend of December due to Minnesota Hockey rules on roster finality.

The advanced programs exist in MAHA to provide player's with the opportunity to learn specific skills outside of a team atmosphere, and to be taught but MSU player's and staff. Between 8-10 times throughout the year times are set aside for Defensemen, Forwards, and Goaltender's to participate in drills and practices specifically designed for their position. The are 100% OPTIONAL ice times, but all MAHA participant's are urged to participate as it is free ice time for them. Again, it allows all player's in MAHA to receive an additional 8-10 hours of ice time they normally would not get.

This program was designed to continue the growth of our girls program through free ice times. Between six and 8 on ice sessions are set aside from mid November thru the end of December for any/all girls in Mankato wishing to try hockey for free. MAHA provides helmets and skates when/where possible, as well as free instruction from the MSU Woman's hockey team and the Mankato girls High School teams. Basic skills and concepts are worked on in order to give girls the chance to decide if hockey is right for them. Come the 1st of January, any/all girls wishing to continue with the program are charged a small feel to continue with seven more sessions thru the end of February.

WHEN: SUNDAY NIGHTS FROM NOVEMBER 11 THROUGH MARCH 2

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