Elmira Youth Hockey season in jeopardy, parents share concerns at First Arena | WETM

ELMIRA, NY (WETM) – Local hockey parents expressed immediate concern about their children’s future in sports.

Elmira Youth Hockey, a major group that provides a platform for hundreds of children to play in the area, remains unsure whether they will play at all as First Arena tenants move. Earlier this month, CAN-USA’s contract with First Arena expired on July 16, just weeks before the start of the youth hockey season on ice.

The owners of the first arena, The Chemung County IDA, have not yet announced a new tenant since the contract expired. Parents now have questions and are looking for quick answers.

On Tuesday night, Elmira Youth Hockey held a special board meeting in West Elmira to discuss possible options for children to play the game you love. Parents discussed their problems getting their children to their chances on the ice and staying cold for the future. IDA revealed that they will leave all new tenant options on the table.

At Tuesday’s meeting, parents suggested contacting IDA and Chemung County Mayor Chris Moss to find a good solution.

With the expiration of the three-year agreement between IDA and CAN-USA, the future is indeed in doubt. Robbie Nichols, who is chairman of the Elmira Youth Hockey Board, was also a former tenant of First Arena and owner of Elmira Enforcers. No meeting has yet been held with Nichols and CAN-USA on a possible new agreement.

IDA will hold its own special meeting on Thursday morning at 9:30 a.m., which could potentially address the concerns of local hockey parents regarding the season. The streaming is provided by Chemung County and can be found here at Thursday’s meeting: https://www.chemungcountyny.gov/live_meetings_and_video_archive/index.php

While IDA and CAN-USA may be on different sides of the talks, parents and the hockey community hope that rationality prevails to keep many hockey dreams alive. They want more. Something this area and its people deserve. 18 Sports will take you to a meeting on Tuesday night.