LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 15 How did small-town Inlet, New York, go from having no hockey program to having a fully functioning hockey program with fifty sign-ups in a matter of months? Thanks to Steve Schanely, Bret Thompson, the Inlet Youth Com- mission, and an army of community support is how. Steve and Bret had been wanting to build a team and program for years. It wasn't until they locked in a massive donation of hockey gear from the Clinton, New York, hockey community and a few vol- unteers that they could get started. But then, the Most community hockey programs practice in, you know . . . are- nas. Not the kids of Inlet. They laced up for their first practice and stepped out onto the Fern Park Covered Pavilion. Practices were held there a few nights a week from 6 to 8 p.m. On many nights the temperature would drop well below freezing, but the Mighty Loon Kids never noticed. The first few practices were about learning the basics: how to stand on skates, how to get a helmet off and on. The next week, drills began, and the kids were hopping over sticks, skating between cones — some even held hockey sticks for the first time. By the end of the eight weeks, they had something that looked more like a team. The kids were passing more frequently and falling less. They were shoot- ing pucks, ducking obstacles, and high-fiving after practices. As parents, we honestly couldn't believe the progress. We went from learning how to tie tight hockey skates to yelling "defense!" from the side of the ice. Let's just say it was an education for every- one. Except for Bret and Steve and their growing group of volunteers off and on the ice — including Carolina Perez Gabler, Katie Orr, Ma- rie Kate Russell, Adele Murdock Burnett, Hannah Wheaton, Mary Marleau, Kristin Armendola, Seth Knoeller, and others. The program began to formalize into a team when the name "Mighty Loons" was coined, with a logo following shortly after. Through crowdfunding, uniforms and gear were procured, and be- fore they knew it, the Mighty Loons looked and acted official. Inlet officially had its own real hockey team and program for the first time in decades. With a generous connection, the team was invited to perform at halftime for the Utica Comets on March 11th. They walked into the arena that evening to see jerseys hanging in lockers on the walls — a far cry from their snow y outdoor pavilion evenings. Their eyes spar- k led. They geared up and waited for their cue to hit the ice as thou- sands chanted "MIGHTY LOONS, MIGHTY LOONS." In the weeks that followed that historical night, the kids cart- wheeled, skipped, and walked in the local parade — again to the cheers of the community. Even National Hockey League star Jona- than Marchessault joined in by encouraging the kids and sent a vid- eo wishing them well. When we went out for dinner in Utica, my son Olin pointed out a stranger wearing a Mighty Loons sweatshirt. I thought he was going to faint. ice.

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