Interested in joining East Meadow’s ice hockey team?

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Lace up your skate and get ready to take to the ice if you’re interested in joining East Meadow’s ice hockey team.

Fifth through twelfth-grade students are welcome to play on the team, which will be merged with the Levittown/Hicksville club in its inaugural season as part of the NY Islanders High School Hockey League.

There will be a middle school, Junior Varsity and Varsity team with the former two starting play the last weekend of September. The Varsity team will be starting in November with roughly nine home games to be played at Cantiague Park in Hicksville on Monday nights at 9 p.m.

There will be an ice session for all in fifth through seventh-grade who are interested in joining on August 26 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Iceland in New Hyde Park. The cost is $20 at the door payable in cash, credit card or check. All who live in East Meadow are welcome.

All ninth to twelfth-grade students must attend the tryout on August 29 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Iceland in New Hyde Park. The tryout is mandatory to be part of the program and those interested should RSVP to President Tom Columbia at EMHockey1@gmail.com. The cost is $20 at the door payable in cash, credit card or check. Any ninth or tenth-grade students cut from the Varsity team will be placed on the Junior Varsity team roster.

Eighth-grade students will automatically be placed on the Junior Varsity team so there is no need to attend the tryout session.

Any eleventh or twelfth-grade students cut from the varsity team will be offered a spot on the practice roster and may be considered for the roster at a future date.

Practices for all teams will begin in the second week of September and rosters for both teams will be announced by the end of Labor Day weekend.

In order for Catholic school students to have a roster spot, they must be cut from their school team. However, all are welcome to attend and play.

The team mascot is going to be the Ice Falcons, a combination of the Levittown Falcons and East Meadow Ice. While the programs are merged, Columbia said, “Hopefully our program will grow and we can be independent in the future.”

Columbia is an NHL off-ice official and East Meadow father with 23 years of refereeing and 9 years of coaching under his belt. He has coached the Nassau County recreational league for 7 years before his son Matthew aged out. In addition to assistant coaching for Great Neck, he has also been coaching the Bethpage Spitfires spring travel team.

For more information about the team or upcoming season, contact Columbia at EMHockey1@gmail.com or 516-246-1756.