The Coyotes are a hockey organization based out of the Charles Moore Arena in Orleans. Many Nauset Regional Middle Schools students play for the Coyotes. In a year when other team sports aren’t happening, the Coyotes resumed practice and games in September, following the guidelines outlined by the Massachusetts EEA safety measures for youth and adult amateur sports. 

Hockey players like Violet Yingling, in sixth grade, had to adjust to new rules that have changed during the season. “This is my fifth year playing hockey and sixth year skating. The precautions we are taking are very different at this time and every rink has different rules. Some of them are saying no spectators, some are saying you have to wear masks on the ice.” The locker rooms are closed, and face-offs require masks. 

 Then, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health ordered a suspension of hockey and ice skating activities at the Charles Moore Arena from October 23rd to November 7th. Eighth grade student Andrew Bohannon said, “this session has been pretty stressful. I’ve just been hoping that everything wouldn’t be shut down, and when it was, I was more stressed than ever. Hockey’s the best part of everyday life and it’s pretty annoying when they cancel it. Though, I think it’s fine because they are trying to get a pandemic under control.”

“We’re doing everything we can to make sure the kids still have a season,” said Charles Moore Arena Manager Lyndsay Clarke. That means that Yingling and her teammates will get to do what they like best, “playing games with my friends and just playing my hardest.”