September 28, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Monday, Sept 28, 2020

September 28, 2020

Penalty Box Post

Monday, Sept 28, 2020

GWH alumnae updates...

Schammel signs with PWHPA for 2020-2021 season

Following her decision in August to join the prep coaching ranks as the assistant coach of the Red Wing H.S. Wingers, Nicole Schammel has been named as the ninth Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna to sign with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) for the 2020-2021 season, as posted on Twitter last Wednesday, September 23.

Schammel transitions into the PWHPA after playing last season as a member of the Minnesota Whitecaps in the NWHL, where she recorded 11 goals and 14 assists in 23 games (including the Isobel Cup playoffs). Schammel joins Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Amanda Kessel, Gigi Marvin, Kelly Pannek, Sarah Potomak, and Sydney Scobee as Gophers in the PWHPA for the upcoming year.

Woken heading to Germany for upcoming season

Catching up on some news from August, recent Gopher alumna Alex Woken became the third member of the 2019-2020 senior class to sign with a European team to start her professional career. Woken came to terms with Mad Dogs Mannheim in Germany, as announced by the team on Facebook on August 5.

Woken joins Patti Marshall (Brynas IF, Gavle, Sweden) and Katie Robinson (TPS, Turku, Finland) as Gophers headed across the Atlantic to continue playing following college.

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Olson named 2020 winner of Lester Patrick Trophy

Longtime Power Play Club member and women's hockey advocate Lynn Olson has been named "winner of the 2020 Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States," as announced by the National Hockey League this past Thursday, September 24.

Olson's involvement in women's ice hockey spans decades within Minnesota, across the U.S., and even in the international game as part of the group that lobbied the International Olympic Committee to add the sport to the Olympics. Olson was a member of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Women’s Task Force and Coach Selection Committee for establishing women's hockey as a varsity program for the Gophers.

As noted in the press release from the NHL, Olson will be honored along with the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Classes of 2020 and 2021 as part of the Hall's induction celebration in December 2021. Congratulations, Lynn!!

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IIHF announces cancellation of 2021 Women's Under-18 tournaments

Citing the recommendations of their COVID-19 Expert Group, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Council voted to cancel of all tiers of women's Under-18 tournaments for 2020-21 on Thursday, September 17. Lower division tournaments of the men's Under-20 category were also cancelled as part of that vote, but the top division men's U-20 tournament – the World Junior Championship – will still be played in a "bubble" format in Edmonton, Alberta, starting December 25, 2020. The U-18 Women's World Championship had been scheduled for January 5-12, 2021, in Linkoping & Mjolby, Sweden.

In addition to the cancellations, the IIHF Council determined that the Olympic Qualification tournaments will need to be rescheduled and are postponed until further notice.

As noted in the release from the Federation, the cancellations do not impact the men’s senior and women’s senior tournaments, including the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship and the 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey Women’s World Championship. The 2021 IIHF Ice Hockey (Men’s) Under-18 World Championship and all other men’s U-18 tournaments are also unaffected.

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PPC Board of Directors meeting – October 14 at 7 p.m.

Here's a reminder that the Power Play Club Board of Directors will be meeting again on Wednesday evening, October 14, at 7 p.m. As with the previous meetings this off-season, the board will be meeting virtually on Zoom. All club members are welcomed to attend (2019-2020 membership applies).

The board is continuing its planning for the 2020-2021 season during this time of uncertainty. At minimum, a focus is set on expanded fundraising and financial support for the Gopher Women's Hockey program as the U. of M. Athletics Department contends with a severe budget crunch.

If you are interested in attending the meeting, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

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Locker Sponsorship program open for 2020-2021 – We also provide another reminder that registration for the Power Play Club's Locker Sponsor membership level is open!! With a donation of $600 or more (per locker), the sponsor's name will be displayed on a nameplate attached to the respective player's locker. Following the season, members will also receive a photo of the team (sent electronically) and a link to the team's highlight video. (Please note that other benefits from past seasons may not be available this year; we thank you for your understanding and patience.)

Please contact Rennie McPherson at susanmcp@drsusanmcp.com if you are interested in registering as a Locker Sponsor or would like more information.

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Follow the Power Play Club online at www.powerplayclub.org, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PowerPlayClubMN, or on Twitter at twitter.com/powerplayclub.

Follow the Gopher women's hockey team and all Univ. of Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics at www.gophersports.com. You can also find the Gopher women's hockey team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GopherWomensHockey and on Twitter at twitter.com/GopherWHockey.

Power Play Club

September 8, 2020

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, Sept 8, 2020

Power Play Club

September 8, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minue Minor
Tuesday, Sept 8, 2020

GWH alumna Lorence re-signs with Whitecaps for 2020-2021

Gopher Women's Hockey alumna and three-time NCAA champion Meghan Lorence was among three players re-signing with the Minnesota Whitecaps for the 2020-2021 season, as announced by the Whitecaps and NWHL last week. In her first season with the 'Caps last year, Lorence was selected as a 2020 NWHL All-Star, recording 10 goals and 11 assists over 24 games.

Lorence joins Allie Morse and Meaghan Pezon as the recent Whitecaps signees, and is the second Gopher alumna to join an NWHL roster for the upcoming season after Amanda Leveille re-signed with Minnesota earlier this summer.

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PPC Board of Directors meeting – tomorrow (September 9) at 7 p.m.

The next Power Play Club Board of Directors meeting will be held tomorrow night, Wednesday, September 9, at 7 p.m. Once again, the meeting will be held virtually on Zoom, but is open to all club members (2019-2020 membership applies).

The board hopes to get an update regarding the Gopher Women's Hockey schedule and logistics for the 2020-2021 season. Regardless, board members will continue discussing club operations and fundraising efforts for the hockey program in this unprecedented year.

We also reiterate our call for volunteers to fill open board positions. If you are interested in joining the board, or just wish to participate in the tomorrow's meeting, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

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Power Play Club

August 23, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Thursday, August 20th

Power Play Club

August 23, 2020

Penalty Box Post
Thursday, August 20th

GWH alumnae updates...
Schammel returns to high school alma mater Red Wing as asst. coach

Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna Nicole Schammel was named as a new assistant coach – pending board approval – for her high school team, the Red Wing H.S. Wingers, as announced by the school on Twitter this past Tuesday, August 18.

As noted in the announcement, Schammel appeared in the Minnesota State High School League tournament with Wingers five times in her prep career. She also set a school career scoring record and reached #2 on the MSHSL all-time scoring list.

Congratulations and best wishes on this new opportunity, Nicole!!

Kessel named as seventh Gopher alum signing with PWHPA for 2020-'21

2013 Patty Kazmaier Award winner Amanda Kessel was named as the seventh Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna to sign with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) for the 2020-2021 season, as posted on Twitter on August 6 in the organization's on-going series of signing announcements. Kessel joins Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Gigi Marvin, Sarah Potomak, and Sydney Scobee as Gophers in the PWHPA for the upcoming year.

Hockey rule changes ratified by NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved the rule change proposals forwarded by the Men's & Women's Ice Hockey Rules Committees, as announced by the organization on July 22.

As reported when the proposals were first announced in early June, the biggest change involved a switch of overtime format in regular-season games to a single five-minute 3-on-3 sudden-victory period if the game score is tied after regulation. An optional 3-player-per-side shootout is (still) allowed for conference games and in-season tournament contests requiring advancement. Other approved changes include:

Allowing a team in the offensive zone to choose from which side to take the faceoff following an icing infraction or penalty by the opposing team.
Allowing officials to issue a warning on faceoff violations instead of ejecting the center. A second violation by the same team during the same faceoff would result in a two-minute, bench-minor penalty for delay of game. (Note that the penalty for two faceoff infractions was an existing rule.)
Removing the national rule requiring team members to shake hands after a game, allowing conferences or schools to determine postgame sportsmanship protocols.

Additional to the previously-publicized proposals, the Playing Rules Oversight Panel also approved another change making the 360° spin-o-rama maneuver illegal during a shootout.

NCAA to allow uniform patches supporting social justice issues,
commemorative purposes

On top of ratifying the ice hockey rule changes, the Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved rules to allow student-athletes in all sports to wear patches on their uniforms for commemorative and memorial purposes, as well as to support social justice issues, as announced on July 30.

As noted in the press release, panel members reaffirmed and expanded existing rules, now allowing student-athletes two places on the uniform, one on the front and one on the back, to express support and voice their opinions.

The patch on the front, which most sports already allowed, may be a commemorative/memorial patch (names, mascots, nicknames, logos and marks) intended to celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes. While not all team members are required to wear the patch, they must be identical for those who choose to wear them.

On the back of the uniform where the player name is traditionally located, players will be allowed names/words intended to celebrate or memorialize people, events or other causes. The names or words may vary by team member.

Any patches or messages in either location must be authorized by the school and/or conference.

PPC Board of Directors update

The Power Play Club Board of Directors held its regular monthly off-season meeting on August 12 in preparation for the 2020-2021 Gopher Women's Hockey season, though some decisions were tabled due to the uncertainty of the team's schedule and spectator attendance policy should games be held.

The board continued to discuss expanding fundraising efforts this coming season. As noted in the July 10th letter to club members and GWH fans, financial assistance will be more critical than ever to support the program and the young women who comprise the team. A fundraising committee of both board and non-board club members is developing plans for increased giving opportunities.

Also per the July 10th letter, the club's annual Silent Auction will be moving online for the 2020-2021 season. Logistics and exact timing are still being discussed, but the auction will tentatively be held over a two week period in January.

In-person club events and merchandise sales are dependent on the team's playing schedule, which is still very much in flux. We again thank you for your patience as we work through this unprecedented situation.

The next PPC board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 9, at 7:00 p.m. As with the previous meetings this off-season, the September meeting will be held virtually on Zoom, but will be open to all club members (2019-2020 membership applies). If you are interested in participating, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

Power Play Club

July 23, 2020

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, July 21

Power Play Club

July 23, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minue Minor
Tuesday, July 21, 2020

Classic Border Battle replay on Big Ten Network – tomorrow morning
Wednesday, July 22 at 8 a.m. CT

Catch a replay of a classic Border Battle women's hockey game between the Minnesota Golden Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers which concluded the 2015-2016 regular season on February 20, 2016. The game airs tomorrow morning, Wednesday, July 22, at 8 a.m. CT on Big Ten Network as part of their Minnesota Day broadcast, with coverage beginning at 6 a.m. with a Gopher soccer replay.

The full BTN broadcast schedule can be found at btn.com/shows.

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Knowles, Wente, Woken earn more academic honors!!

We send more congratulations to members of the 2019-2020 Gopher Women's Hockey team upon earning additional academic honors, as Olivia Knowles, Taylor Wente, and Alex Woken were named Krampade All-American Scholars earlier today by the American Hockey Coaches Association.

The trio were among 571 Division I men's and women's honorees, recognized for having attained a 3.75 GPA for the fall semester and participated in 40% of their school's games. Including Knowles, Wente, and Woken, 56 WCHA Women's League players were recognized. (Note that this year's criteria was modified due to the impact of the Covid-19 impact on spring courses, and a small number of waivers to the participation requirement was granted due to injury or for back-up goaltenders.)

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Power Play Club

July 16, 2020

The Two Minute Minor - An Edition of the Penalty Box Post - Thursday, July 16, 2020

Power Play Club

July 16, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minue Minor
Thursday, July 16, 2020

Gopher Women's Hockey names 2020-2021 team captains

A quartet of seniors have been selected to serve as team captains for Gopher Women's Hockey in 2020-2021, as announced by head coach Brad Frost on Tuesday. Grace Zumwinkle and Emily Brown were named as team co-captains, while Olivia Knowles and Taylor Wente will serve as assistant captains.

Brown enters her second season serving as a captain after being an assistant captain as a junior last season, while Zumwinkle, Knowles, and Wente all begin their first season as captains for the Gophers.

We send our congratulations to all four players, and look forward to seeing them lead the squad in the upcoming season!!

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WCHA adds St. Thomas as 8th women's team starting in 2021-2022

The Board of Directors of the Women's League of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association voted unanimously to add the University of St. Thomas Tommies as an 8th team to the league, as announced yesterday. The Tommies will begin WCHA play in the 2021-2022 season, and will be immediately eligible for the conference's regular season and postseason championships, while becoming the first team from a private school to compete in the league.

UST athletics programs are transitioning from the Division III level to Division I. Nineteen (19) of the school's other 21 sports will join the Summit League while the school's football program will join the Pioneer League. League membership for men's ice hockey will be announced at a later date. The school has been a member of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) since 1920.

The Tommies women's hockey program has a 357-171-52 (.660) all-time record, posting an active streak of 20-straight winning seasons. They have two Division III Frozen Four appearances – most recently in 2019 – while claiming six MIAC regular season titles and six MIAC postseason crowns. Their home games are played at St. Thomas Ice Arena, across the street from St. Thomas Academy prep school in Mendota Heights (map).

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Dave Malerich

July 13, 2020

An Update from the Power Play Club Board of Directors

Dave Malerich

July 13, 2020

July 10, 2020

Dear PPC members and fellow GWH fans –

First and foremost, thank you for your continued support of the Golden Gopher Women's Hockey program. It is always much appreciated.

As we approach the planned 24th season of competition for the team, the Power Play Club Board of Directors is continuing its off-season work, discussing all the usual topics of club operations, events, and merchandise. That said, the upcoming season will undoubtedly be quite different than past years, and the board is trying to remain as flexible as possible with all the various details. While a preliminary schedule of club events has been planned out for 2020-2021, it is still very much subject to change.

As with many of you, the PPC board is closely following any and all announcements regarding intercollegiate athletics and the impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes yesterday's announcement that Big Ten Conference fall sports – football, volleyball, soccer & cross-country – will be moving to in-conference competition only, which followed Wednesday's announcement from the Ivy League that “it will not be possible for Ivy League teams to participate in intercollegiate athletics competition prior to the end of the fall semester.” The latter is of particular interest due to its impact on the hockey season.

The board is acutely aware that there will also be financial impacts to colleges and universities, and their respective athletics departments, as event schedules are scaled back and spectator attendance is limited. As an example, Stanford University announced the discontinuation of 11 varsity sports programs, effective at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year in an attempt to maintain their fiscal stability. Closer to home, GWH head coach Brad Frost indicated at the May club board meeting that fiscal pressures are mounting within the U. of M. Athletics Department, requiring modifications to their operating budgets. Given all of this, your financial assistance will be more critical than ever to support the program and the young women who comprise the team and exemplify the term "student-athlete" through their academic performances and community service off the ice. More details on how you can help will be shared in the upcoming weeks as we approach the traditional start of the season.

Given the uncertainty of the competitive schedule and fan attendance policies, the PPC Board of Directors approved a motion at its July meeting to switch the club's annual Silent Auction to an online format for 2020-2021. Many associated details will need to be worked out over the upcoming months, and will be announced as they are finalized.

As has been noted previously, the board has several openings, and operating with less than the full slate of directors puts additional pressure on those currently serving. We again put out a call for volunteers to help fill those openings, and you can contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org if you are interested or have any questions. The board's next meeting will be held via online video conference on Wednesday, August 12 at 7 p.m.

Updates will continue to be sent through our Penalty Box Post or Two-Minute Minor newsletters, or special letters such as this, as announcements warrant.

Thanks, and GO GOPHERS!!

Dave Malerich
PPC vice president & communications chair

Power Play Club

July 2, 2020

The Two-Minute Minor - An edition of the Penalty Box Post - Thursday, July 2

Power Play Club

July 2, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Two Minue Minor
Thursday, July 2, 2020

Six GWH players named 2019-2020 B1G Distinguished Scholars

Six (6) members of the 2019-2020 Gopher Women's Hockey team were among 119 U. of M. student-athletes named Big Ten Distinguish Scholars following an excellent academic year.

We send our congratulations to Olivia Knowles, Gracie Ostertag, Sarah Potomak, Catie Skaja, Taylor Wente, and Alex Woken on this achievement!! Recipients must receive All-Big Ten recognition during the previous academic year, be enrolled full time at the institution for the entire previous academic year (two semesters or three quarters), and earn a minimum of a 3.70 GPA, excluding summer classes. We send a special shout-out to Wente and Woken (pictured) for posting perfect 4.0 GPAs for the academic year!

As noted in the press-release from the U., the 119 honorees is a new school record, as is the cumulative student-athlete grade point average of 3.36 for the Spring 2020 semester (the fifth-straight semester that statistic has improved).

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Stecklein, Pannek re-sign with PWHPA for 2020-2021

The Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) has continued its series of 2020-2021 player signing announcements on Twitter, including two more Gopher Women's Hockey alumnae: Lee Stecklein (on June 23) and Kelly Pannek (on June 26). It will be the second year with the organizaton for both players after they joined last season. (Photos courtesy of USA Hockey)

Stecklein and Pannek are the seventh and eighth alumnae of the Gopher Women's Hockey program, respectively, to be announced as signing with the PWHPA for the upcoming season, joining Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Gigi Marvin, Sarah Potomak, and Sydney Scobee. As noted previously, we'll continue to watch for additional signings and related announcements.

PWHPA New Hampshire hub team to face U.S. Premier Hockey League squads – Also this past Friday, June 26, the PWHPA and the U.S Premier Hockey League (USPHL) announced an agreement to play a series of exhibition games during the 2020-21 season. Members of the PWHPA's New Hampshire regional training hub will face each of the teams in the USPHL's National Collegiate Development Conference once, with game dates and locations to be announced later. The NCDC is the top tier of the USPHL, and is a Tier-2 Junior Hockey league based in the northeastern United States. All games will follow the junior protocols, with all costs associated with the games picked up by the NCDC member teams.

Also in the press release was the announcement that Cyclones Arena in Hudson, NH, will serve as the home rink for the PWHPA's New Hampshire hub. It is also home to the Northern Cyclones, one of the NCDC’s 13 member clubs.

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Quick hits...

2020-2021 Gopher roster released – The Gopher Women's Hockey team has officially posted its full 2020-2021 player roster, including the jersey numbers for the eight players joining the team this upcoming season. The team also published a special release documenting the numbers for each of the newcomers and the history of past Gophers to wear each number.
PPC board meeting next Wednesday – Here's a reminder that the next Power Power Play Club Board of Directors meeting will be held Wednesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. via online video conference. Club members wishing to participate should contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.
Thibodeau named WCHA Assistant Commissioner – Dean Thibodeau, a former Director of Hockey Operations for the Gopher Women's Hockey team, has been promoted to Assistant Commissioner, Operations in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, as announced by the league yesterday. For the past two years, Thibodeau has held the position of WCHA Operations & Administration Manager.

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Power Play Club

June 23, 2020

Penalty Box Post - Tuesday, June 23

Power Play Club

June 23, 2020

Penalty Box Post
Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Knowles, Potomak, and Cherkowski invited to Canadian Summer Camp

Gopher senior Olivia Knowles, junior Amy Potomak, and incoming freshman Anne Cherkowsi are among 50 players invited to the BFL CANADA National Women’s Development Team Summer Camp, as announced by Hockey Canada and recapped by the U. of M. yesterday. Another 59 players were also named to the Canadian National Women's Under-18 Team Summer Camp.

The "virtual" Development Team camp will consist of weekly meetings until athletes return to university in the fall. As noted in the press release, the athletes will cover topics that include at-home strength and conditioning plans, mental performance plans and check-ins, nutrition, dry-land skills, skating simulations, team-building activities, short-term international competition preparation and meetings with coaches. Frequency could also increase to twice weekly as the summer progresses.

We send our congratulations to Olivia, Amy, and Anne!

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GWH alumnae updates...
Leveille signs with Minnesota Whitecaps for third season in St. Paul

Minnesota Women's Hockey alumna goaltender Amanda Leveille will be rejoining the Minnesota Whitecaps for a third season, as announced by the team and the NWHL last Thursday, June 18.

Leveille – a three-time NCAA champion with the Gophers – has excelled in the NWHL as well, winning the Isobel Cup championship with both the Buffalo Beauts and Whitecaps, while also laying claim as the 2017-2018 Goaltender of the Year and the league's current all-time wins leader. After playing for the Beauts during her first two years as a pro, she joined the Whitecaps in their 2018-2019 NWHL expansion season.

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Six Gopher representatives sign with PWHPA for 2020-2021

Following its initial year and the "Dream Gap Tour" of events across several Canadian and U.S. cities, the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) announced a regional structure last month for the 2020-2021 season. Each regional group will require a try-out to make its 25-player roster, but this will allow participation in association showcase events plus additional regional games, and will give players access to training opportunities. Regional training hub locations were announced for Calgary, Toronto and Montreal in Canada, and in New Hampshire and Minnesota in the U.S.

In the subsequent weeks since the format announcement, the PWHPA has been sharing the list of players who have signed on for the upcoming season on its Twitter account. Currently, six alumnae of the Gopher Women's Hockey program are among the signees: Megan Bozek, Hannah Brandt, Dani Cameranesi, Gigi Marvin, Sarah Potomak, and Sydney Scobee.

We'll continue to watch for additional signings and event announcements from the PWHPA.

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PPC Board of Directors meeting – Wednesday, July 8 at 7 p.m.

The next Board of Directors meeting will be held next Wednesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. The board is continuing to meet via online video conference as the summer progresses. Topics for the July meeting will including finalizing the club's 2020-2021 budget and continued discussions on fundraising efforts in the upcoming year.

The board is also continuing to work with the university staff regarding the schedule and logistics of the 2020-2021 season. It is expected that many details will not be finalized until very shortly before action begins, so your patience is greatly appreciated.

Board meetings are open to all club members (2019-2020 membership applies this off-season). Additionally, we are still requesting volunteers to fill our several open board positions. If you are interested in joining the board, or just wish to participate in the July meeting, please contact PPC president Bill Johnson at president@powerplayclub.org.

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