Draft:Sunday Sauce Hockey

Sunday Sauce Hockey

The Sunday Sauce Hockey League is an amateur pickup ice hockey league originating in New Haven, Connecticut whose home ice arena at Ralph Walker Skating Rink. The league is open to members of any gender who are 18 years of older. An organized high quality pickup hockey skate designed for players on the go, unable to commit to multiple month adult league seasons.

The inception of the league can be traced back to AJ Massaro initiating a petition that garnered attention from the New Haven Register. This event coincided with the City of New Haven's establishment of 5-year contract plans for the Ralph Walker Skating Rink and its eventual reopening in 2019.

This leagues creation was founded after AJ Massaro started a petition which lead to the New Haven Register covering the story, which by The Ralph Walker Skating Rink's 5-Year contract plans established by the City of New Haven and it's eventual re-opening in 2019

History
Hockey and pizza have long been cherished in the heart of the New Haven community, with Ralph Walker Skating Rink standing in close proximity to some of the city's most iconic Apizza restaurants since its construction in the 1960s.

In the late winter of 2021, AJ Gemmell and AJ Massaro, after participating in a few word-of-mouth pickup hockey skates at Ralph Walker Rink, conceived the idea of establishing an organized alternative to public pickup skates or structured adult leagues. As the local Sunday morning pickup skate attendance dwindled in the fall of 2022, the vision for something new was starting to take shape.

While savoring a slice of New Haven's finest pizza, Mark DeCola, a local hockey legend and co-founder of the New Haven Athletic Club, along with AJ Gemmell and AJ Massaro, conceived the idea for Sunday Sauce Hockey™.

Beyond being a mere pickup hockey skate, Sunday Sauce aspires to foster a community of like-minded adults from across Connecticut who share a profound enthusiasm for healthy exercise and the game of hockey.

It was envisioned as a casual and enjoyable way to connect with new people, stay active, and remain involved in hockey without the added time commitment of a competitive adult league. Sunday Sauce became a platform for newcomers to discover the joys of hockey, for current players to enjoy extra ice time, and for new memories to be forged with friends and family through the shared love of the game.

Sponsors

 * Trinity Bar & Restaurant - 157 Orange Street, New Haven, CT 06515
 * Ranfone Training Systems - 109 Sanford St, Hamden, CT 06514
 * PG Sports - West Haven, CT
 * Decola Realty LLC - 1172 Townsend Ave, New Haven, CT 06512


 * Chiarito Real Estate - 30 Plains Rd, Essex, CT 06426

Special Events & In The News!

 * October 9th, 2023 - 2023-2024 Winter Kickoff Event hosted by Trinity Bar & Restaurant
 * November 19th, 2023 - 1st Annual Double Sauce Sunday hosted by the Bridgeport Islanders at Total Mortgage Arena
 * November 2023 - January 2024 - Inaugural "Learn to play Hockey" Adult Practices held at East Haven Patsy DiLungo Veteran's Memorial Ice Rink
 * Steve Bevins is highlighted on NBC Connecticut as a feature story "Lifelong hockey player returns to ice after open heart surgery".