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ADULT 3-ON-3 LEAGUES ARE NOW ICING!

Call or email to get in on the action.

Try it, you'll like it.

That's the message from former Boston Bruins great Rick Middleton & Pro Skills, who promises everyone a great workout and lots of fun playing in his new Saturdays Pro Skills 3-on 3 Men's Hockey League. The former Bruins captain, in partnership with the new Pro Skills Training Facility on Route 1 South in Peabody (located in the back of the Namco Plaza), is running a pro Skills 3-on-3 Men’s Hockey League for players age 18-and-over. It's a unique concept played on a rink that is 115 feet by 55 feet, less than 1/3 the size of a standard 200x85 ice surface. Players will be changing on the fly and there are very few whistles during the three 16-minute running time periods. Bodychecking, slapshots and fighting are not allowed. Because of the small rink, the ref is stationed off-ice between the two benches where players stand, and he is also the timekeeper. All serious infractions are settled with penalty shots. Middleton & Pro Skills will set up the teams, aiming for parity.

"It's something different. Right now we're relying on word of mouth to let people know about what we're doing here," said Middleton, a sniper with great moves around the net that earned No. 16 the nickname "Nifty" during his days in the NHL (1974-88). "What it'll give you is a great workout that's twice as much fun in half the time. There are lots of shots and lots of goals scored. "Right now we've got a nucleus of 16 players and a couple of regular goalies, along with a third who fills in. The goalies love it — and hate it because of all the scoring."

Looking to grow

Middleton says ideally, he'd love to have three 12-week sessions: one for the spring, fall and winter seasons. He's expecting to get a lot more players for the league once word gets out and players find out how much they enjoy this different style of play. "It's a lot of fun," said 20-year old Paul Antonelli, who played high school hockey for Lynn Classical. "I had my name on a list at Hockey Town in Saugus, like a free agent list for goalies, and got a call to play here in Peabody. I thought it would be like regular hockey, but it's a crazy game that requires a lot of mental thought and reading the plays for goalies. If you were to give up only 16 or 18 goals a game, that would be phenomenal. "This league will whoop you, and it's perfect for anybody looking to shake the rust off their game. We've got some young guys who were high school or junior players, and some older ones, too. There are all levels of ability. Guys looking to get a little more out of their game should skate here."

Middleton & Pro Skills will set up the teams for the league on a basis similar to pond hockey games. He wants parity, and doesn't want a group of friends to come in and dominate.
"It'll be the same as pond hockey where I could show up with a friend and be on a different team than him," said Middleton. "It's not about the fastest, strongest, or biggest guys. Right now we seem to have a bunch of young guys in their 20s and older ones in their 40s or 50s. We'd like to get some 30s in here as well."

Dennis Keohane first heard about the 3-on-3 games from his boss (who also plays) and has been making the trip from Tewksbury to play every Saturday morning.
"It's like pond hockey with boards," said the 26-year old former Tewksbury High defenseman, who plays forward in 3-on-3 games. "I really look forward to this — and I'm definitely planning to join the league." Middleton said once the league gets underway, they'll have six hours of ice time on Saturdays available if they need it. That could expand to Sunday mornings if the league expands to up around 24 teams. "Ideally I'd like to see the numbers increase enough that we could have 12 teams playing," said Middleton, who played in 1,005 NHL games. "I'd be very happy if we can do that, but because this is so different from what guys are used to, we have to let them see what we're doing.
"We want to have 7-8 players and a goalie on each team; we tried it with less, but it's tough. What a workout that was. I'd like to have an Under-35 and 35-and-older divisions, with eventually getting a 50-and-over division going."

He's still got the skills

Antonelli, for one, was thrilled that Middleton — the only skater not wearing a helmet — was one his team last Saturday.
That way I don't have to worry about stopping his shots," Antonelli laughed. "He's still got all the moves; he hasn't lost a thing."

3-on-3 Hockey in Peabody

What: Pro Skills 3-on-3 Men's Hockey League
Where: Pro Skills Training Facility on Route 1 South in Peabody
When: League starts Sept. (pickup game are currently held Saturdays at 10 a.m. through March 26)
Run by: Former Boston Bruins captain Rick 'Nifty' Middleton
Cost: $200 per player for the 12-week league ( $16.66 per game)

For additional info. Email us at proskillstrainingcenter@gmail.com or call 781-853-9832

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