Post #116 – 7/31/23 – It’s Nice To Be Back!
The Pipeline Returns
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Back At It!!
Vacation time unfortunately, has come to an end. But it’s great to be back with another post of the Pipeline.
After a quick trip to New York City/CT to see friends, it was on to Orleans, MA just north of the ‘elbow’ to see my extended family – 15 of us in fact. The weather was great, seafood delicious, and great to get away to the beach for a few days to relax.
If you’re a fan of the ocean beach life and any type of seafood, then Cape Cod is a must. You can plan next year’s Beantown or ECW Summer Showcase event or even your College visits to New England around a few days (or more!) ‘down the Cape’. And it’s only a 2 hour drive from Marlborough, MA.
On to today’s post.
Catching Up
It was a fairly quiet week as far as news goes in the women’s college hockey world. One week closer to the start of freshman orientation and another college hockey season. But there were some major recruiting events that took place.
Massachusetts was home to two of them – The Beantown Classic held in Marlborough, MA & surrounding areas, and The Edge Sport Center in Bedford, MA was home to the East Coast Wizards Summer Showcase.
Out west in Minnesota, the 2nd OS Prospects weekend was held in Edina, MN.
These are no small events. Beantown = 2,225 rostered players, East Coast Wizards Summer Showcase = 500+ rostered players, and OS Prospects in MN = 600+ rostered players. Well over 3,300 players, all playing on the same weekend. 🤦
Summer Burnout Setting In?
This is about that time when ‘Summer Burnout’, as I call it, sets in. Players have played so much hockey they get fatigued, physically and mentally. The week after week of being carted around from event to event takes a toll whether players realize it or not. It’s really easy to loose your edge and focus, especially after 2 months on the Summer Showcase Hamster Wheel.
Parents feel the fatigue too. All that driving and travel, hotel-bed hopping, eating out. Oh, and the bank account… YIKES! Where did all that money go??
The way some of these events are structured don’t help players or coaches much either. Playing 5-7 games in 72 hours doesn’t make for great hockey. Even the best conditioned players will struggle to be at their best.
So, if you have been an active participant in the Summer Silly Season (Read Pipeline Post #85), it may be time for some rest – or at least something different. With the start of another hockey season right around the corner, going into it rested and motivated – is the way to go!
Until Next Time Everyone… Be Well and take Care,
-Streams for games in the ECAC can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.
-Streams in the WCHA can be found HERE. Subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.
-Streams in Hockey East this year can be found HERE. Hockey East once again is streaming all game live and for FREE.
-Streams for CHA games with the exception of Penn St. can be found HERE. Paid subscriptions will be necessary to watch games.
-Streams for NEWHA games can be found at each teams’ website. Subscriptions may be necessary to watch games.
NCAA Coaching Changes… Keep up with all the coaching changes across D-I and D-III HERE.
Recruiting Events/League Online Directory… Find all the recruiting events on WCH.org right HERE. Want to add your event? Click HERE to fill out our WCH.org event form.
Grant Kimball is founder and contributing writer at Women’s College Hockey.org and beginning his 4th season as an Assistant Coach with the Yale University women’s hockey program. Grant has developed an experienced perspective in the world of women’s ice hockey, having coached and recruited players from across the globe during his 25+ year amateur and NCAA coaching career. He has coached at 6 NCAA DIII and DI programs in the NCHA (D3), the CHA, WCHA, Hockey East, ECAC, and the Ivy League (DI). Beyond coaching, Grant served as a site representative for the 2019 NCAA quarterfinal of the D-I NCAA Tournament. He also currently serves as an Officer with the American Hockey Coaches Association as Vice President of Membership and sits on the AHCA’s Women’s Hockey Executive Committee.
