By Georgia Brown

Staff Writer

Dominic Sebastian of Medway has been waiting to play ice hockey with his older brother Vincent.  He is one step closer after participating in the free Instructional Program offered at Hobart Arena in Troy. 

The free camp is held twice a year to generate interest in the sport.  Dominic and 25 other boys and girls spent three one hour sessions on the ice with local coaches learning basic ice hockey skills. 
At first Dominic had trouble skating, so he pushed plastic painter’s buckets around the ice   After his first day of camp, he got off the ice and asked his big brother, “Did I do good?”  He also learned important skills like how to get up after falling and how to hold his hockey stick.  By the final practice, he played "Duck Duck Goose" without needing help to skate! 
Dominic said he had a lot of fun.  His favorite part was "skating fast and hitting the puck."  Since he will turn five in November, he is eligible to participate in the Recreational Junior Ice Hockey Program Offered by Troy Bruins Youth Hockey.  The regular hockey season will run from September 20th to mid-March.  Dominic and about twenty-five other girls and boys will participate in the Instructional Program that meets once a week for an hour.   
Vincent participated in the IP camp in 2007 and decided he preferred ice hockey over soccer.  He will participate in the Troy Recreation Department’s Hockey Camp September 13-17, 2010.  The Medway Elementary third grader is looking forward to his brother playing hockey.
"I like (hockey) up in Troy so it is pretty cool he gets to play too.  I think he will like it a lot," Vincent said. “And we can practice at home together.”  
Vincent shared all of his old equipment with Dominic except his stick.  Hockey sticks are designed for the way a player is comfortable shooting the puck.  Vincent shoots right, Dominic shoots left.  Imagine Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburg Penguins who shoots left versus Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals who shoots right.  So before the final practice, Dominic got a new hockey stick.
Abigail Sebastian, a Tecumseh graduate, is happy her boys enjoy playing hockey.  “The coaches really make the sport fun and at their ages playing a sport should be fun,” she said.
The Troy Bruins Youth Hockey coaches provide the program to “allow youngsters to experience: cooperation, fair play, fitness and safety.”   One slogan on the team’s website rings true with Sebastian: “Hockey rinks are a lot warmer than you think.”
“Last year was Vincent’s first year to play in hockey tournaments and the coaches really focused on good sportsmanship.  Each game one player would win the “Golden Puck” for their effort on the ice.  Vincent learned to recognize other players on his team and I was so proud when he said, ‘Mom, he worked really hard today, he deserved the reward.’”
She was also proud when Vincent earned the “Golden Puck” and she is looking forward to Dominic earning one when he advances to the Mites.  Advancement is based on age and hockey skills.
Troy Bruins Youth Hockey offers various teams based on player ages. This season 15 six to eight year olds will be on the Mites, including Vincent.  There are 20 players signed up for the Squirts for ages nine and ten.  Nineteen players will be on the Pee Wee team for ages eleven and twelve.   Twenty-three players who are thirteen and fourteen will be on the Bantam team and ten players aged fifteen to eighteen registered to be on the Midgets.  So far eleven Clark County residents have signed up to play hockey in Troy.
Troy teams play other leagues in the area including the Dayton Blue Hawks at Hara Arena and the Dayton Bombers Youth Hockey at the Kettering Recreational Center.
Each year the Troy Junior Hockey Booster Association raises money to help support the hockey program.  The club provides scholarships to help parents cover 50% of the registrations fees and 50% of the jersey fees.  The money is also used to buy hockey equipment which can be rented during camps and for the season.  During the July camp, fifteen participants rented full gear from the club.  The Club will sell used equipment closer to the start of the season. 
The Club will sponsor “Super Saturday” on November 13, 2010.  All team levels will play a game before the Troy Bruins Jr. A Hockey team takes the ice for a home game that evening.    
Parents interested in learning more about the ice hockey program in Troy can visit www.eteamz.com/troy-bruins-youth or contact booster club President Matt Wilkerson at: 937-308-4800.