Frequently Asked Questions

The team is comprised of many MCPS schools in the Down County area:

Montgomery Blair, Blake, Edison, Einstein, Northwood, Wheaton, Kennedy, Paint Branch and Springbrook.

We also host some smaller private schools that do not have their own teams: Avalon,  Barrie, Echelon, The Nora School, Spencerville Adventist and Takoma Academy.

We also welcome homeschooled players who would normally attend one of the MCPS schools.

If you're unsure of which MHC team you might be part of, feel free to send us an email.

Team fees  for the regular season vary from year to year. We try to keep them as low as possible!

Fees usually fall between $1000-$1300 per season per skater, depending upon how many players we have. (Goalies are charged 50% of the fee.)

Payment is due at the time of registration.

Team fees cover: 

• Practice ice time, game ice, league fees, compensation for officials, and other incidentals. 
• It also includes our end of year banquet, some Senior Night costs, a team and school photo, and team-building events.  

Uniforms are NOT covered by team fees.

Contact us if you're experiencing financial hardship and we'll do our best to assist you.

No. 

However, the rules of our conference prohibit us from having more than 15 players who attend Montgomery Blair in any given season. 

Should this become an issue, we may suggest that Freshmen opt for Spring hockey in order to maintain our co-op status.

Any skater who has played (while in high school) or currently plays at a AA or AAA level is eligible ONLY for Varsity (they are considered ineligible for JV). 

Most players will be dual rostered as both Varsity and JV.

Coaches have the discretion to roster less experienced players (usually Freshmen and Sophomores) or lower-skilled players as "JV Only" for safety reasons.

There sure are!

Academic eligibility requirements follow MCPS athletics and are as follows: Students in high school must maintain a 2.0 average with no more than one failing grade.

We are obligated to submit report cards each quarter and are audited once a season. Reports can be pulled fromParentVue or StudentVue.

• Sophomores, juniors and seniors, have to provide reports for Q4 (of the previous school year), Q1 and Q2.
• Freshmen have to provide one for Q1 and Q2 only.

Yes. In fact, we consider ourselves a "voluntold" organization. Our coaches and managers are all parent volunteers so we need all families to pitch in to make things work.

For each game, we assign a family (not each person!) to different tasks: clock, scoresheet, locker room monitor, penalty box. 

Details are assigned and added to TeamSnap once we have game schedules. And don't worry! There will be multiple opportunities to get training in the various jobs. We've done them all and so can you!

Throughout the season, there are also other opportunities to share the workload.

Varsity games (~11-12 per season) are almost exclusively on Friday nights; start times will vary.

JV games (~6-7 per season) could be played almost any night of the week, including some double-headers with Varsity on Fridays; start times will vary.

All Blazers are required to purchase:

• 1 reversible practice jersey
• 1 Home jersey (white)
• 1 Away jersey (red)
• 1 red shell
• 1 set of white game socks
• 1 set of red game socks
• 1 black 1/4 zip game warm-up

In addition, the league requires:

• Mouth Guards: You're not supposed to be on the ice without one. 
• Neck Guards: USA Hockey requires ALL players to wear neck guards/protection, for both games AND practices.

The portal will become available in August.

Gloves and helmets are at the discretion of the player (club gear can be worn).

Blazer "swag" will also be available for purchase.

Pricing varies and is in addition to team fees.

For Spring hockey, players can wear their regular season gear and - if they are new - they just have to wear a mostly white or mostly red jersey.

Yes...kind of. 

Returning players always get first dibs on a given number. Players new to the Blazers will be asked at registration to provide their top 3 number choices and we do our best to honor them.

All numbers between 1 and 99 are on the table, if not already taken.

Registration is done online through our website; it opens in late July/early August and entails:

• Your latest USA Hockey # (if the 4th digit of your number does not match the last digit of the calendar year, you'll need a new number!)
• Payment information
• You'll have to fill out some of the required USAH/league forms.
• Complete SafeSport Training (at least one parent in the family for volunteer jobs and older players)
• Report card for the last quarter of the previous year (everyone but freshmen!) 

If your player will be attending one of the Blazers' co-op schools in the fall, 8th graders are invited to play as part of the Spring League. We look forward to getting to know you!