Triangle ice rink reaches deal to keep Hillsborough Hogs youth hockey league going
The Hillsborough Hogs will continue to play on the SportsPlex ice in Hillsborough next season after reaching an agreement with management.
The deal was reached in mediation and announced Monday on the SportsPlex Facebook page.
The future of the Hillsborough Hogs had been in question for several months after its board reached an impasse with Sportsplex officials over who would manage the program’s ice schedule, player registration, and player and coach assignments.
Orange County owns the Sportsplex, but Recreation Factory Partners has had a contract to manage the facility for nearly 20 years. Triangle Youth Hockey of North Carolina has operated the Hogs’ youth hockey program in Hillsborough for 44 years.
TYHNC President Tom Deis said the Sportsplex management will register players, maintain the ice schedule, and collect the fees that pay for ice time, referees and jerseys. TYHNC will receive any money left over at the end of the season and will manage team rosters, practices and games, he said.
TYHNC offers house, or recreation, programs, clinics and games against teams from Raleigh to Winston-Salem. Its programs had over 50 volunteers, including 30 USA Hockey-certified coaches, and 178 players in the last season, which ended in March.
The Sportsplex operates a separate travel hockey league, the Carolina Thunder and other ice rink programs.
Sportsplex General Manager Andrew Stock said changes were needed to better allocate ice time at the hockey rink, which like others in North Carolina, has seen the popularity of ice sports and recreational skating explode over the last 20 years.
Hogs supporters and officials feared the management was trying to push TYHNC out, after rejecting suggestions that would free up ice time by cutting one practice night a week, the number of Hogs teams, and consolidating programs for young players. SportsPlex officials agreed with some of the suggestions, but said others would further harm their ability to serve more local children.
Monday’s announcement, signed by TYHNC board leaders Andrew Stock and John Stock, chief executive officer for Recreation Factory Partners, said the Hogs’ program will not change in the 2024-25 season, which starts later this year.
“We want the community to know that both the Hillsborough Hogs and Recreation Factory Partners intend to work together to grow youth house hockey, develop players, maintain affordability, and respect the long legacy of those that came before us to build the Hillsborough Hogs program and all of youth hockey at the Orange County Sportsplex,” the announcement said.
This story was originally published April 22, 2024 at 3:18 PM.
