Travel Teams
Beyond the In-House Programs, WYHA players in a particular division of play and of a particular age are divided into various travel teams, such as Squirt B or PeeWee C or Mite A. The travel teams are selected based upon player ability and commitment level. Parents and players should expect a significant amount of commitment with each division of play. Travel team players generally practice at least once during the week, and often have a weekend practice too. With one or two games on the weekends, our players skate an average of three or four times a week. Developmental clinics are also held throughout the season. Skaters are expected to attend all practices, clinics and games.
Most WYHA travel teams play in the Valley Hockey League (VHL). Our girls teams compete in the Middlesex Yankee Conference Girls League and 2 midget teams participate in the Midget Tier II Development League.
Practices are generally held on weekday evenings at the Babson Skating Center and various other rinks where we have secured practice ice. These rinks include Boch Ice Center (Dedham), the NCDS/Daly Rink, the Dexter School, the Rivers School, and the Fessenden School. Valley League games are held at various rinks. The Middlesex League uses rinks along the Route 128 corridor.
League officials prepare game schedules for WYHA, which are posted directly to the WYHA website and appear on each teams schedule immediately upon receipt. WYHA does not have control over game schedules and all participating teams and programs are treated equitably in terms of game locations and time. Although we have no control over the game schedules, we plan our practices around them once they are known. WYHA will attempt to produce, and make available via the website, practice schedules as soon as possible and for as long a period as possible, but please recognize it makes little sense to produce practice schedules until we have the critical input of games schedules (provided by the league). Our intent is to have these schedules available as soon in advance as is humanly possible!
Wellesley team shirts are black and white. Home (white) and away (black) shirts are ordered by WYHA at the time of registration. Players need to have one of each shirt and are encouraged to keep both in their hockey bags at all times. We supply goaltender equipment to goalies until they reach the PeeWee level; these older players must provide their own equipment.