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MYHA Welcomes New Girls Hockey Director

By MYHA, 04/19/21, 4:30PM EDT

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Montgomery Youth Hockey Association (MYHA) is excited to announce the hiring of Mike Bazzone as the club’s full-time Girls Hockey Director.

Coach Bazzone brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in training, developing, and coaching youth hockey players and is committed to maintaining MYHA as one of the premier Girls hockey programs in our region.
Coach Bazzone grew up playing and loving hockey in Pittsburgh and then in Tampa. As one of the top players in the Southeast District, he left home to play prep hockey at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. He then attended George Washington University in Washington D.C. where he studied finance.

After graduating, Coach Bazzone volunteered as a coach for the Rooftop Hockey Program at Medstar Capitals Iceplex. It did not take long for Coach Bazzone to realize his true passion was developing and mentoring youth athletes. Since 2011, he has been dedicated to exploring and refining new methods to accelerate the growth of youth and junior players while building up a successful business training many of the top players in the area. In addition, over the past three seasons, Coach Bazzone was a head coach for Team Maryland at the pee-wee, bantam, and midget age levels.

Working closely with MYHA’s Director of Hockey, Rob Keegan, Coach Bazzone will focus on fostering a positive and competitive culture fundamental to the long-term growth and success of the MYHA Girls program and its players. He will be responsible for overseeing the on-ice development of female skaters and goalies throughout MYHA, will actively coach some of MYHA’s Girls Travel teams, and will develop and lead off-season programming. “Coach Bazzone’s coaching style and philosophy is consistent with MYHA’s approach, which is to develop and implement a long-term athlete development plan consistent with USA Hockey and ADM principles. He will be a great addition to our coaching staff and will bring a high level of energy and passion to the ice, from the Atoms up to the 19U Girls team,” said Rob Keegan.

Coach Bazzone will also share best practices with coaches throughout the club. With nearly 200 girls playing at all levels at MYHA, the Girls Hockey Director will ensure the program is coordinated in its efforts to maximize the long-term development of MYHA’s female athletes, no matter the team or level. “MYHA’s size and long-standing commitment to Girls Hockey provides a broad and deep platform for female hockey players to pursue the sport at whatever level is best for them. From its Instructional and Atoms and Mites programs, to the robust house league and Youth and Girls Tier II teams at all age levels, MYHA offers girls a variety of options to play and develop a life-long love of the sport,” said Coach Bazzone. “I’m excited for the opportunity to work with Coach Keegan, our hard-working volunteer coaches, and dedicated girls and their families to take the program to the next level.”

“Girls Hockey is one of the fastest growing sports in the U.S., and MYHA has experienced 15% growth in female players in just the past two years. The Board of Directors’ decision to add a dedicated hockey professional to consistently maintain MYHA’s unique culture amongst our players, coaches, and programs underscores its long-standing commitment to serve the Girls hockey community,” noted Sarah Stettinius, MYHA’s Director of Girls Programs.
Please join us in welcoming Coach Bazzone and his family to the MYHA community. For further information or if you have questions, please contact girlsprogram@myha.org.