Winter is here, temperatures are dropping, and hockey season is heating up! It's the perfect time to hit the ice, burn off those holiday treats, and make the most of the chilly months ahead. Whether you're gearing up for a big game or just enjoying the thrill of the sport, hockey is a great way to stay active and connected during these cold months.
Shout out to Maggie Hanson for this month’s Parking Lot photo winner of $25! Her photo showcases the B2 Spartans and Outlaws with some “Big Fans”!
AHA Player Spotlight
Our player spotlight of the month is Cory Kutina.
Name: Cory Kutina
Hometown: Lake City, MN
# / Position: #40/30 Goalie
Team / Tier: C3 Fighting Loons & D1 Kan Jammers
My First hockey memory was game 6 of the 91 Stanley Cup Finals—North Stars vs Penguins. I was 8 years old and had to have my tonsils removed, and I refused to stay in the hospital because they didn't get the channel the game was on. Other than that, I somehow grew up in the part of the state where not many people cared about hockey.
Fast-forward 15 years, and I see a post about a local pond hockey tournament needing refs; no experience required. While there, I heard about a couple of leagues to join; no experience was required, and I had no clue what that was going to be the start of.
I started as a forward but had always been drawn to the goalie position, so when we had a couple of off weeks, and my team's goalie asked if I wanted to borrow his gear for a couple of days, I jumped at the chance to try it out. I decided then, and there I was going to slowly piece together a set of gear to be a goalie; slowly, I had everything 5 weeks later when we needed a sub. Next thing I know, I'm often playing 2 to 3 nights a week. During one of these nights at the rink, a couple of friends said I should come to play AHA with them, and I'm glad I did because I've met some great people since then. The only break I've taken from hockey came during COVID-19, and it turns out COVID-19 plays into the most exciting part of my hockey story.
During COVID, one day, I was wasting time in a chat room, and the subject of hockey came up, and I got talking to a couple of people about it. It happens to people all the time; the difference is this time, the person on the other end just happened to work for a Semi-Pro team in Australia. Most people at this point are surprised that they have hockey in Australia. Their premiere league is the AIHL. It's a 10-team league, and they play for the Goodall Cup, the 5th oldest hockey trophy in the world, awarded in 1909. As we talked more and more, it got joked that I should come to work for them. After several seasons of trying to see if we could make something happen, I was hired as the Director Of Analytics for the Melbourne Ice Hockey Club. We had a great year after going 10-16 in the previous season. This last season, we went 22-11 and lost in the Goodall Cup Final. The best part of the job is that I get paid to watch a lot of hockey, just the people I have met and the places I get to go. I often look back and say wow, all because I saw an ad online about refs needed and because I got asked to play hockey.
Last Call for Helping the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship
On our social media, AHA announced the opportunity to make hockey history with The Great Minnesota Puck Pass!
AHA Hockey was asked to participate in the announcement video for the IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, which will be hosted in Minnesota in December 2025!
How you can help:
Create a 5-10-second video of you or your kids receiving and giving a pass. Instructions and how to upload can be found HERE.
All submissions must be uploaded by December 16th, 2024. So get out there and represent your team for the Junior Championship!
Parking Lot Photos Wanted
AHA Hockey is still looking for pictures to include in The Parking Lot and wants to showcase our community. To make things more enticing, if your image is selected for a particular month, you will receive a $25 credit on your AHA account for any future program! I'm looking forward to seeing all the fun teams are having this winter season!