The Elite Hockey camp has moved into Krietzberg Arena for a Month this summer. The "camp" in Northfield is actually a series of four one week camps that allows both boys and girls to work on their hockey skills under the watchful eye of skilled coaches, many of whom are former Norwich players. The kids schedule is packed with daily drills and hockey games as well as conditioning activities. Photo by Bill Croney, The Northfield News The temperatures around the area may have been in the high 80’s and 90’s for the past couple of weeks but that hasn’t stopped the ice surface at Kreitzberg Arena from being a very busy place. That’s because the Elite Hockey Camp has skated out on the cool surface.

Actually, the Elite Hockey camp is a series of mostly one week camps held during the month of July. After a four week set that includes three boy’s camps and one girl’s camp at Norwich the Elite hockey camp will move to Hanover, New Hampshire for three more weeks, This time at Dartmouth. The Camp was started 25 years ago by long time Dartmouth hockey coach George Crowe. For the past 11 summers the Camp has been coming to Kreitzberg. Patti Crowe, the founder’s daughter took over the Camp three years ago and she explained just how the Elite Hockey Camp came to Norwich. “First, coach McShane was an assistant coach under my father way back so there was a connection. When Kreitzberg opened they were looking for a summer hockey camp and it seemed like a perfect fit,” Patti said. It has worked out well for the Hanover based camp.

“I can’t imagine a better place to run a camp. The Norwich staff is very cooperative and accommodating. The facilities are second to none and it’s great that everything is so self -contained. It’s just a short walk from the rink to all the places the kids need. The dorms, the dining hall and the playing fields are almost next to each other. The food in the dining hall is wonderful,” said Patti.

The camp cost is $795 per week and kids from 8-17 can take part. While at camp the kids have a very full schedule with very little down time.

They are on the ice about an hour after they arrive on a Sunday, taking their initial skills tests that are recorded and checked again throughout the week. At the end of the camp they get a “report card”

that shows their strengths and those things that they need to work on as wells as comments from their coach. The kids are put into teams by age group when they arrive and each team under the tutelage of a coach and two councilors for the entire week. Many of the coaches and councilors are present and former Norwich hockey players such as Sophie Leclerc and Tyler Stitt. The kids are on the ice three times a day.

Morning drills such as stick handling, shooting , puck handling and power skating make up the first session. Team practice is in the afternoon and games are played at night. On Friday, the last day of camp the teams hold their playoff games.

When they are not on the ice the kids have an off ice conditioning program that includes things like hiking, using the shooting range and taking part in coaches strategy sessions. All in all a very busy week for each of the over 400 kids that will skate out on to Kreitzberg ice this month.