The Twin Valley Flyers youth hockey program appears to have met its demise.
Organization president Eric Russman confirmed this week that the Meriden-based Flyers plan to dissolve all of their co-ed programs beginning next season, citing declining participation and ice-time concerns at Kimball Union Academy’s Akerstrom Arena.
Twin Valley did not field Squirt or Peewee programs this winter, and roughly one-third of its total participation came from its three girls teams. Other than a learn-to-skate program, its largest co-ed team was a 17-player Bantam unit that will see about half of its players age out of youth hockey prior to next season, Russman said.
“As Twin Valley winds down, we’re trying not to lose the legacy of hockey for this geographic area,” said Russman, KUA’s associate dean of students. “We’re working with other hockey associations in the Upper Valley to keep hockey alive and keep it as much of an option for kids in this area as it ever has been. We have to take a cooperative approach.”
Woodstock Youth Hockey has agreed to enlist Twin Valley’s remaining Bantam players next season, while the Flyers’ remaining co-ed players will likely suit up for either the Upper Valley Storm, based at White River Junction’s Wendall A. Barwood Arena, or the Hanover Hockey Association, which practices and plays at Campion Rink in West Lebanon.
An official merger between Twin Valley and the Storm is also a possibility, but those talks are still in the works. Whether they merge could affect that status of Twin Valley’s U10, U12 and U14 girls programs, which have about 30 combined players and could feasibly remain the Flyers next season if no formal merger takes place.
Russman cited declining enrollment at Plainfield School as one of the primary reasons for Twin Valley’s struggles.
“The core of Twin Valley in recent years has been from Plainfield, though it has also served players from places like Claremont, Newport, Charlestown and Cornish,” Russman said. “The last 10 years, it has relied more on Plainfield School, and there are dwindling numbers in the school system.”
A representative at Plainfield School confirmed a K-8 enrollment of 212 this year, down from 304 in 2004.
The Flyers have also experienced defections in recent years by players pursuing enhanced competition elsewhere. Most of Twin Valley’s programs played in New Hampshire Amateur Hockey Association Tier III, IV or V, while Hanover in particular offers many programs in Tier II.
Even Russman’s daughter, Kyra, skated for Hanover’s U14 team this season despite increasing numbers and commitment among Twin Valley’s girls teams and parents.
“Some players feel they’re ready for an increased challenge, so they’re moving on for good reason,” Russman said. “It’s an opportunity to challenge themselves.”
Kimball Union’s growing hockey programs have also presented issues for Twin Valley. The Wildcats added a junior varsity girls program several years ago, and increased competitiveness among all of its teams have resulted in more midweek and evening games.
“The academic program at KUA also limits practice time to the same hours that conflict with ideal youth hockey,” Russman wrote in a follow-up email.
“After reviewing extensive sleep research and the advantages of more hours of rest, the school projects that classes will start later and end later (next year), thus possibly further limiting ice time for outside renters.”
Twin Valley Flyers began as Claremont Youth Hockey around 1970 and had provided a reliable youth hockey outlet ever since. Chris Gogan, of Claremont, played for the organization in the 1970s and has two children, 12-year-old Lilly and 8-year-old C.J., who skated for the Flyers this year.
“We played at an open-ended rink at KUA, the old dinosaur,” Gogan said. “It’s definitely tough to see the program go. You make a lot of friends in youth hockey. It’s a different animal than other sports because there’s so much traveling together. I’d say half of my friends today I met when I played for the Claremont Flyers.”
Dan French, Hanover Hockey Association’s director of girls programs, has been involved with youth hockey in the Upper Valley since the early 1990s and also lamented the news of Twin Valley’s apparent demise.
“Twenty-five years ago, you had Woodstock, Hartford, Hanover, Lebanon and Twin Valley, so there were a lot of local games. It helps limit travel, and you form good friendships working together,” French said. “I was with Woodstock in the past, and we went to Twin Valley’s tournament in March for years and years. There were always a lot of quality people involved with that program. It’s sad that people in that part of the Upper Valley won’t have a place to play that’s closer to home.”
The Storm formed nine years ago as a collaborative between Hartford Youth Hockey and the Greater Lebanon Youth Hockey Association, both of which were experiencing declining participation. It has grown steadily in recent years — about 5-10 percent annually, Storm president Matt Maher estimated — with participants from nine Upper Valley towns comprising more than 120 players on six teams this winter.
“The Storm has always enjoyed a spirited rivalry with the Flyers, from Mites through Bantams, and the fact they’re local has made it even more special,” Maher said in an email. “In the end, you may want to beat your opponent on the ice, but you want to see them succeed off the ice to maintain that local competition.”
The Storm and Flyers boards have been collaborating to ensure every Twin Valley player has a team to play for next season, Maher and Russman indicated. The boards plan to reconvene in two weeks “to see if there’s mutual interest in going further” in pursuing a merger, Maher said.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.