06/02/2026
OFFICIAL MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT:
Good evening, Junior Bears and the greater Maine youth hockey community.
This morning we began rolling out details for our much anticipated fall clinics and camps that will be taking place at The Colisée.
These programs include:
- A 6-week pre-season fall recreational league (limited to Tier 4 and 3 players) modeled after Hockey Night in Maine hosted at the Thomas College Ice Vault and our fiends at SAM Jr Terriers.
- A 4-week power skating camp
- A 2-session goalie boot camp for players age 10+
- A try goalie event for 6-8U players
- A Lewiston/Auburn-based Learn to Skate and Learn to Play program in support of access for new skaters
- A preseason recreational adult hockey pick up league to benefit the MCYH Legacy Fund
Additionally, we plan to roll out details for a multi-week girls hockey camp as well as pre-season "knock off the rust" sessions ahead of assessments for interested families.
All of these programs are completely optional and supplemental to the traditional Junior Polar Bears experience. Each program will have a dedicated registration process and supplemental fees for ice time and in some cases professional fees.
In the spirit of full transparency I want to take a moment to outline the sequence of events that got us to this amazing landing spot.
In July of 2025 we signed a multi-year agreement to rapidly expand our ice access in support of the demand for ice time that was far surpassing supply. We not only added travel programs. We also expanded our Growth and Development program for new skaters age 10U+ as well as introduced a state champion Tier 4 Girls team for 10/12U-aged girls who want to play and grow without the commitment level that a travel-only offering requires. This expanded ice time was in addition to the limited time available at Watson Arena at Bowdoin College as well as a standing block of time at Bates College. This is also not a temporary solution. It is part of a multi-phased process to secure Midcoast for the next generation.
At the end of last season we were given the opportunity to expand our commitment by adding hours (and months) that were not in our original agreement. We made the decision to do so because we know that Junior Polar Bears families are built different. We know that there is a desire to get together as a community, invest in our kids, and continue to do so in a way that puts building good people above winning at all cost. This approach has led to more and more success on the ice. Winning is a byproduct of investing in player development. Not a result of sacrificing community and culture.
Of course, as we all know, the "will they, won't they" aura surrounding the Colisee seems to be an annual tradition. Since the end of the Lewiston Maineiacs season I have been in regular contact with a number of parties. And, as I have continuously said, I cannot and will not comment on behalf of parties involved in a real estate transaction that we are not a part of.
What I will say is that, despite clear attempts by external parties to negatively impact ice access for over 400 youth in our region, we have continued to focus on the business of being Junior Polar Bears and supporting ice access for all players. Myself and the board have remained confident that the situation would be resolved given the deep community roots of the facility and the clear impact on youth throughout the region.
We continue to advertise our offerings with honesty and integrity. We don't advertise ice time we don't have or declare teams we don't have the numbers for. Those types of things are not helpful or productive.
We declared travel teams we have the numbers for at the annual MEAHA meeting. We opened our house registration when we knew we had a solid plan, and now with the green light we received this morning we have opened our fall pre-season programming.
All this to say; to the best of our knowledge no one has sold the zamboni at The Colisee. The chiller's installed and ready to be kicked back on for next season. We're looking forward to hanging our banners and we can't wait to see our logo on the ice once again.
We continue to support the ongoing transaction and look forward to more and more positive momentum as we head into the summer months.
Thank you again for your support of our players and this amazing community. I'm so glad to be a part of it.
Go Polar Bears!
Gil Rogers
President
Midcoast Youth Hockey - Junior Polar Bears
