In the back of Mr. Brandel’s room, a stack of county championship trophies sits idly and collects dust; the team has no picture or award displays. If one asks the students about it, most will be surprised it even exists. The games are quiet; the student sections are empty. But occasionally, should the team find itself with the perfect mix of luck and skill, the championship games will fill many hundreds of seats. The Marriotts Ridge ice hockey team has been functioning since as long as the school’s doors have been open to students. In spite of its legacy at the school, one will seldom find it listed with the other winter sports. Due to Maryland state policy, Marriotts Ridge Ice Hockey (MRIH) exists in a gray area, and cannot be considered an official high school athletic association.
Due to jurisdiction from the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSA), ice hockey is not allowed to operate as a public school sport due to its high barrier of entry concerning costs and skill. However, ice hockey is allowed to function as a club group formed from high school students. Due to the MPSSA’s refusal to adopt ice hockey, the Maryland Scholastic Hockey League (MSHL) operates and manages schedules and leagues within Maryland. The MSHL is run entirely by volunteers. Although technically allowed to run, the Marriotts Ridge ice hockey team is not considered an official sport with the school due to Howard County policy that treats it as a non-school club.
“Marriotts Ridge ice hockey is associated with the school. We get more money from MRHS Boosters than any other club or sport aside from football… We’re not a high school team, though. You’re not allowed to call it ‘Marriotts Ridge High School Hockey’, because we’re not a high school sport,” explained Chris Ekman, an MSHL volunteer and MRIH manager.
The separation between traditional Maryland high school athletics and Howard County ice hockey is not necessarily without its advantages. Due to this separation, ice hockey is able to continue functioning during periods where traditional athletic teams cannot. MSHL has full jurisdiction over whether or not games may be run during poor weather conditions, containing the ability to evaluate whether involved teams are able to adequately and safely attend games.
“[W]e were only able to continue playing during COVID because we had separation from high school athletics,” remarks Andrew Eaton, a former player and captain whose freshman season with the team occurred during quarantine lockdowns. USA Hockey guidelines during the pandemic required that players wore masks and prepared for games in socially-distanced environments. MRIH won county championships during the 2020-2021 season. During a period where all other high school athletic activities had been suspended, ice hockey was allowed to continue running as long as it followed a set of standardized policies.
In spite of the occasional advantages found in separation from the schools, ice hockey at Marriotts Ridge has also suffered. The team’s budget comes from MRHS Boosters and player payments. While the budget is sufficient to operate the team, it also comes with some severe limitations; the number of practices that the team can run is limited to just a handful per year.
For experienced players, incentive to play in Maryland’s high school leagues can be limited. Teams in Howard County tend to lack the consistent player base required to operate; over the past five years, schools like Atholton, Howard, Oakland Mills, Reservoir and Mt. Hebron have all disbanded their teams or combined into coalition teams due to a lack of players.
“It’s not always worth it to play [high school hockey] when club hockey already takes so much time. I still enjoy it, but it’s less exciting when nobody from your school knows that the hockey team exists – especially with the coalitions,” said Atholton senior Mason Schneider. Schneider is currently playing for the Tri-City Eagles (a local competitive travel team) in the 18u AA division of the Atlantic Hockey League. Although it previously ran its own dedicated team, Atholton High School is currently part of a coalition high school team called ‘The Royals’ with Reservoir and Guilford Park.
Many Maryland ice hockey players who desire a high school athletic experience choose to attend local Catholic preparatory schools. Unlike public school teams, these preparatory school teams operate multiple levels (JV/Varsity) and receive direct funding from their school’s budget. However; preparatory schools have significant tuition fees, making them inaccessible to many.
Accessibility of high school ice hockey in Maryland continues to be an issue; whether said issues are due to the nature of the expensive nature of the sport or ignorance from the MPSSAA is unclear.
