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HOME ICE: New Hope Ice Arena NICKNAME: Wings 3 M H J ON L I N E . C O M | M A R C H 2 0 2 3 18 of STATE HOCKEY Armstrong Cooper State of Hockey Spotlight WHY THEY'RE AWESOME Every time kids from the Armstrong Cooper Youth Hockey Association show up for practice at New Hope Ice Arena, they can't help but feel a little starstruck. After all, they're skating on the same ice where Gordon Bombay and Charlie Conway led the Ducks to the championship game. The association's home ice served as a filming location for parts of "The Mighty Ducks" movie and inspires players to live up to many of the film's lessons. Just as the Ducks bonded together, the Armstrong Cooper Wings are fostering that same culture of teamwork, friendship and an open door to anyone who wants to play. "They form a pretty tight-knit bond, as do our parents. There's no doubt about that," said Brian Thul, president of the Armstrong Cooper Youth Hockey Association. "We're big enough that we have the resources to take care of our families, but we're small enough that we know each other on a personal relationship level." WELCOMING NEW FACES There are nearly 400 kids registered this season, largely thanks to word of mouth and strong recruitment efforts. "I think our biggest recruitment tool is our players getting their friends to come and join them," said Jennifer Berndt, marketing and communi- cations director for the Armstrong Cooper Youth Hockey Association. "Especially in the past few years, we've had kids that have never played hockey start at the Peewee or Bantam level." Photos / Armstrong Cooper Youth Hockey Association P R E S E N T E D B Y by Elizabeth Boger DISTRICT: Brian Thul PRESIDENT: 397 2022-23 REGISTRATION NUMBERS: