Ten and Thriving

On a dark December evening, you might drive through a quiet Northford center wondering where all the town's inhabitants have gone to spend their day.

Save for a lone child swinging on the playground, Northford Park is empty. The concrete of the tennis courts has become too cold to give a ball proper bounce. You might make the mistake of thinking there isn't much going on at all.

But if you drive down Route 22 toward North Haven, you would see that the town's citizens are slowly funneling in and out of the Northford Ice Pavilion.

Celebrating the rink's ten year anniversary, employee and town resident Jay Bird reminisced about when the establishment had just begun lacing up its proverbial boots.

"It's come so far, so well put together," he said. "And now, it isn't just the North Branford High School splitting time with free skaters."

Now, figure skaters are coming to the ice for lessons. There are four age groups for hockey—Peewee, Squirts, Bantams, and Midgets. Both girls and boys can come to learn.

Karen, the mother of a boy whose New Haven Warrior Might B were playing the Wonderland Wizards, began bringing her son to play when he was four.

"You've got to start them young," she says of her son, now eight.

When the love of hockey begins at such a young age, it's no wonder other significant gains have been made of late to perpetuate the craft. Conditioning coach Mike Bouchard works with kids of all ages on weight and strength training. Josh Siemba, a Quinnipiac goalie in his prime, gives private lessons to kids preparing for high school athletics.

Off the ice, the Pavilion offers a number of other amenities. A pro shop is run out of one part of the facility, which supplies any age group with a range of equipment.

There is an area where it appeared many local youths were just spending their free time. One or two even appeared to be doing homework. An arcade, perhaps in testament to the popularity of the rink, stands entirely empty. Not to be outdone is the full-service snackbar, which has expanded its culinary offerings over the years.

As he poured me a simple cup of water, Jay Bird looked out over the sea of locals. He says the Pavilion is becoming so popular that people from other towns are even beginning to come in. North Haven, Lyman Hall, Hand, and Branford come to play their high school games.

And with a standing-room capacity around 1,200, there is never any shortage of excitement. Bird said for one Branford game in recent years, a young fan crowd-surfed his way through the lobby.

"It wouldn't have been like that ten years ago," Bird mused.