TBL is excited to announce Tyler Elbrecht as the new Hockey Director

Dear TBL Families,

Thank you all for great participation on our End of Season Survey for the 2022-2023 Season. As a board, we have been spending time evaluating the responses and using them to help prepare for an even better 2023 - 2024 season. Much of the feedback we've received revolves around raising the overall competitiveness of the club, offering more impactful training opportunities to our players, and providing more advanced training and development to our amazing network of volunteer coaches.

To that end, we have an exciting announcement to share! We've hired Tyler Elbrecht to join the Lightning as our Hockey Director for the upcoming season. Tyler and his family are local to the area and he has grown up playing hockey in and around the Twin Bridges club. After playing youth hockey for TBL, Tyler went on to play AAA Blues as well as Division I college hockey and even wracked up an impressive 386 professional hockey games in the ECHL. After retiring from his professional hockey career, Tyler has invested significant time building his business, Elite Hockey. In addition to training many of the TBL players through camps, lessons, and off-ice training, Tyler also runs the Elite Hockey School. Tyler personally trains players ranging in age and ability from 2 years old through NHL players and even Olympians! Tyler will bring a level of hockey knowledge to the club that will be beneficial for every level of player within the Twin Bridges Lightning family. Tyler's goal for all of our children is to push our players out of their comfort zone to be not only the best players they can be for their teams but also the best people they can be for our community. Please join us in welcoming Tyler into this new role within the club!

The End of Season Survey also has helped set additional priorities for the board as we prepare for the upcoming season. Here are a few of the things that we're working on during the off-season:

Providing a better, more robust experience for our club goalies.

More advanced communication leading up to the start of the season

Pre-planned fundraising opportunities for the Fall Season

Cohesive training for our network of volunteer coaches, led by the Hockey Director

As the school year and spring hockey wind down, be on the lookout soon for Save the Dates for our upcoming summer Pre-Season Development Camps and the 2023-2024 Season Evaluation timelines.

Amy Taul, TBL President

Youth Cardiac Screening

Cardiac Screening Event for youths ages 12-22 on July 9 & 10, 2023. The heart screening checks for abnormalities in the heart and consists of a 2D echo and ECC tests for only $34. If your child has been screened before, it is recommended to be screened every 2 years up to the age of 22 because the heart continues to grow. This event is sponsored by the nonprofit Greg Holthaus Memorial Fund. Two locations are available and spots are limited. To register please go to:

July 9, 2023 - YMCA (Niebur Branch) Edwardsville, IL: https://mcoreathletes.com/scheduler_schedule/?event=1249

July 10, 2023 - Centene Community Ice Center:

https://mcoreathletes.com/scheduler_schedule/?event=1248

Fuel your Game - Pre-Game Nutrition

Did you know that what you eat the day before a game can impact your performance? 

It takes 24 hours for food to be digested and available for your body to use as energy for your muscles.

You don’t have to “carb load”, however carbohydrates are a key source of that energy. It’s essential that those are quality carbohydrates. Protein is also important, but shouldn’t be the biggest portion on your plate.  A side of dairy is recommended as well.

How do you time those meals, especially if you’re on the road for a 4-game weekend tournament?

Several hours before the game you’ll need to “top off” your tank. Timing depends on the athlete, but you need to give your body time to digest it. It’s okay to have a small snack an hour before game time. 

One other bit of advice, pre-game meals probably aren’t the best time to experiment with new foods. 

You can find more on Pre-Game Nutrition on our Resources page. 

Fuel you Game Resources Page

Equipment 101: Sizing Skates

Buying skates can be a big investment. 

Getting the right skates can make a significant difference when it comes to comfort, athlete health, and performance.   

What you buy, is really up to your player's feet as this article explains:

Hockey Skate Sizing Guide

More Tips for Using the Website and Crossbar App

Our website and the Crossbar app should be your first source for information about TBL and the first stop for communication with your team.

When you go to your team page online, you are able to message your team, check out the roster, find contact information for your coaches and Team Manager, look at your schedule, etc.

If you go to the Family Calendar link at the top left of the homepage you can access a calendar feed for iCal, Google and Outlook.  

Here are a few tips for navigating the App from Crossbar:

https://help.crossbar.org/en/articles/5467964-need-access-to-the-mobile-app

If you are not receiving notifications or messages from other members of your team, we recommend you turn those settings on so you don't miss anything.  Here's how to set that up on your mobile device.

https://help.crossbar.org/en/articles/5467943-not-receiving-app-notifications

I'm new to 10U. What happens after evaluations???

If your child is moving up from 8U to 10U, the season will be quite a bit different.

Once evaluations are complete and TBL teams have been rostered, your player will enter what's called the Declaration Season. 

The Missouri Amateur Ice Hockey Association Youth Division explains the Declaration Season like this:  "Declaration season helps determine what playing level teams should be placed in for Youth Division Regular Season league play.  10U, 12U and 14U teams will participate in the Declaration Season."   For example, your team may be B1 or C3.  You'll play a series of games to make sure your team is placed correctly. 

There are three phases of "Dec" Season, which runs from September 23rd to November 6th this year.   Scheduling for the first phase begins in mid-September.  You will play three games in that first phase between September 23rd and October 16th, according to MO Hockey.

Once the regular season divisions are finalized in early November, then your regular season games will be scheduled.    The regular season is scheduled to begin on or after November 19th.

We hope this helps you understand the process a little better.  For more information from MO Hockey, including a list of these  key dates, go to this link:  MO Hockey YD Info and Dates

Earn credits toward hockey expenses while helping TBL

To help ensure the evaluation process runs smoothly we will need volunteers to help with check-in.

The Board of Directors has approved credits to ensure check-in is fully staffed.

CORRECTION FROM OUR EARLIER POST: Each family is eligible to sign up for two shifts, per player. Each shift will earn $20 in credits. 

You will be responsible for checking players in, handing out numbers, directing players to locker rooms, and ensuring any necessary documents are signed by families.

We will open sign-up for these shifts on Wednesday 8/11 at 6:30 pm. 

To access the sign up after that time, go to your Account in the upper left corner of the TBL homepage, then go to the Volunteer tab to see available shifts.