ANNAPOLIS, MD: The United States Naval Academy’s D1 and D3 men’s club teams have continued to practice on a regular basis with the hope of having a regular, although shortened season. Tryouts took place in mid-September. The women’s team has also been practicing during this time. The D1 men have four one -hour practices per week, while the D3 and women have three one-hour practices. For training purposes, the Mids are also allowed the gym at the Brigade Sports Complex, available to the hockey, golf, rugby and tennis teams. 
There are many safety protocols in place to help in mitigating the COVID19 risk. Most Mids come over to the rink on a bus, socially distanced with masks on, and ready to put the pads and skates on. There is a separate hockey entrance with a hand sanitizer at the door. Players are not allowed in their usual locker rooms, and instead, have to put their gear on in open air rooms within the rink. They are not allowed to shower at the rink.
Coaches are trying to keep practices fun, as there are currently no concrete plans for the season. This past Saturday, the teams combined to have a Blue and Gold scrimmage to have a little extra friendly competition. There is also some talk about having a four on four tournament with some of the women joining the D3 men. Also, there is still hope that at the very least, there could be an Army/Navy game sometime in 2021. 
Kevin Rooney returns for his fourth season as head coach of the D1 team, Scott Steel returns as coach of the D3 team, and Ron Siefert returns to coach the women.
Thank you to Mike Yff for setting up some time for Pro Hockey News to discuss Navy Hockey, as well as allowing me to finally get back to a rink and do what I love to do, which is shoot hockey! I will continue to update the status of the season, and hopefully will be able to shoot some games once they begin.
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