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Plan on watching your favorite high school team online

Ryan McGoldrick looks to dribble up the floor against Somers last January. (Photo courtesy Paul Amrose)

The high school sports season begins next week for basketball, ice hockey and swimming and the best way for fans to view the action will be online through streaming services.

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) has recommended that no fans be allowed in any athletic events in the effort to limit the spread of the contagious COVID-19 virus. But those decisions will be left up to individual school districts.

In Avon, no visiting fans will be allowed into the building. Attendance for boys and girls basketball games will be limited to two family members per household (parent, guardian or sibling). Masks will be required to attend a game.

It will be the same in Canton with no visiting fans allowed for basketball. Attendance will be limited to two family members per player. Masks will be required to attend the game. Farmington and Simsbury have similar policies with no visiting fans allowed and just two family members per player allowed.

While some schools have set up their own YouTube channel, many area schools, including Canton, Simsbury and Farmington, are broadcasting their games over the National Federation of High School Association (NFHS) network. There is a monthly fee of $10.99 required to see the games.

With ice hockey, the state of Connecticut has mandated that no spectators be allowed into the ice rinks to watch hockey at least through the month of February.

Many state rinks are part of the LiveBarn.com network that hosts live streaming of the games. The International Skating Center in Simsbury, Enfield Twin Rinks, Newington Arena, South Windsor Arena and Veteran’s Memorial Arena in West Hartford are streaming games through LiveBarn.

There is a monthly fee of $17.95 for LiveBarn. The yearly fee is $14.95.

Canton is part of the Newington High boys hockey co-op program and the team’s games will be available through the team’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

In terms of swimming, Avon’s team trains and competes at Cornerstone Aquatic Center in West Hartford. Only athletes, coaches and officials will be allowed into the building at this time.

Canton opens the basketball season on Tuesday, Feb. 9 with the girls team hosting Windsor Locks and the boys team visiting the Raiders on the road. Avon also opens the season on Tuesday with the boys team visiting Bristol Central and the Falcon girls basketball team hosting Bristol Central.

The Newington co-op ice hockey team opens the season on Wednesday, Feb. 10, when they host Conard at Newington Arena at 4:10 p.m.

The Farmington Valley co-op ice hockey team, which includes Avon, Farmington, Windsor and Lewis Mills, opens their season on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 5:50 p.m. , when they host East Catholic at the International Skating Center in Simsbury.

In girls hockey, Avon’s co-op team opens the season on Monday, Feb. 8 when they face Conard/Hall at Veteran’s Memorial Arena in West Hartford at 7:20 p.m. Canton is part of the Suffield co-op girls team and the Wildcats open the season on Friday, Feb. 12, when they host Simsbury at Enfield Twin Rinks at 8:10 p.m.

We are sharing links to the streaming sites for your convenience.

ICE HOCKEY
Live Barn.com  (Find the rink where the game is being played)

Newington co-op hockey (includes Canton, Berlin, Manchester, Cromwell)
Facebook
Instagram

BASKETBALL
Through NFHS network

NCCC
Canton

Windsor Locks

SMSA

HMTCA

Suffield

Central Connecticut Conference
Farmington

Simsbury

Plainville

Other area schools

Avon
YouTube

Bristol Central
TBA

Bristol Eastern
YouTube

Granby
Live stream links (You Tube)

East Granby
YouTube

Lewis Mills
YouTube

New Britain
YouTube
Go to the school website at CSDNB.org on the day of the game a link to the game

Southington
YouTube

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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