Sachem Ice Hockey Club, By Laws updated 1/24/16

Article I: Name

Article II: Membership
Membership shall be comprised of the coaches, board members and parents or guardians of all players of all teams of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club who remain in good standing with the organization by fulfilling their financial and participatory obligations.  Membership for parents or guardians of seniors shall expire at the end of the Suffolk County High School Hockey League winter season. The parents or guardian of each participating player are entitled to one vote per player. Coaches and board members are entitled to one vote each.

Article III: Purpose of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club

A. To promote competitive interscholastic ice hockey.
B. To develop hockey skills of players grade 7 through 12.
C. To field teams on the Varsity, Junior Varsity, and Freshmen Level, or any other level as designated by the Board of Governors.

Article IV: Governing Body
The Sachem Ice Hockey Club shall be directed by a Board of Governors comprised of the following members:

1.      President

2.      Vice President

3.      Secretary

4.      Treasurer

5.      Coach Coordinator

A head coach may not serve in the dual capacity of coach and board member. 

A Board member is not required to have a participating player in the organization, but if they have a participating player in the SCHSHL, they must be playing for Sachem. All Board members must reside in Sachem or any other connecting district that the SCHSHL considers to be part of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club at the time of election. All board members positions are volunteered and no payment shall be rendered.

Article V: Purpose of Governing Body
The Board of Governors shall be the governing body of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club. They shall by their majority vote, render all decisions on matters brought before them or originated by them on any and all matters concerning the best interest of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club.  Each member shall have one (1) vote.

Article VI: Definition of Responsibility

A.     President – The president shall have the overall responsibility for the well being, and operation of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club. He/She shall see to it that the mandates of the Board of Governors are implemented and carried out according to the by-laws of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club.  He/She will chair all meetings of the Board of Governors and will represent the Sachem Ice Hockey Club at all meetings needing representation.

B. Vice President – The Vice President shall act as an assistant to the president and in his/her absence shall assume the president's duties. In addition, the vice president will be responsible for all advertising of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club, including publicity of the games, and shall also act as an historian by maintaining a scrapbook on all activities and publicity that the Sachem Ice Hockey Club receives. He/She shall be the liasion between the vendors of all uniforms, equipment and apparel ordering.  He/She shall be the liaison between the team parents and the board. Assist with all daily activities with the club.

C. Secretary – The Secretary shall take attendance and record the minutes of all board meetings and general meetings, and report those meeting minutes at subsequent meetings.  They shall provide general administrative support as required including preparation of letters and notices to the members, mailings, etc. Assist with all daily activities with the club.

D. Treasurer – The Treasurer shall prepare and maintain a financial report summarizing the financial status of the organization and will present this information to the general membership at each meeting and/or as otherwise required by the by-laws of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club.  The treasurer shall receive all payments and all checks issued by the organization shall be signed by both the treasurer and president (or vice president in the absence of the president).  In addition, the treasurer shall be responsible for having the annual tax return prepared. 

E. Coach Coordinator – The Coach Coordinator must have ice hockey experience, must be a Level 2 or higher and will be responsible for organizing the coaching staff and communicating with them on a regular basis.  The purpose of this position shall be to create and maintain a “coaching philosophy” for the organization as well as to develop systems of play for use by all levels. It shall be the coach coordinator’s responsibility to act as chairman at all meetings of the coaches.  
 

Article VII: Elections

A. At the January meeting a nominating committee shall be formed from the general membership to take nominations for the election of the Board of Governors.

1. The nominating committee will consist of no more than three members.
2. The three members of the nominating committee will be from the general membership.
3. Volunteers for the nominating committee shall be selected at the January meeting from the general membership and the names, phone numbers and email addresses will be posted immediately to the Sachem web site.
4. The purpose of the nominating committee is to gather the names of persons wishing to run for office for the following season.
5. The nominating committee will submit the names of those persons wishing to be placed on the ballot to the secretary no later than one week prior to the "Elections" meeting.
6.  Names and positions must be posted in advance on the web site by the secretary one week before.

B. Elections for the five members of the Board of Governor’s shall be held no later than the last Varsity practice to enable the Varsity parents to vote. The election will be a closed ballot.

C. The term of office for all positions shall be two years and no member may serve for more than four (4) years consecutively in the same capacity.  A quorum of members must be in attendance.  The definition of a quorum is 25% of the number of players registered for the season.  A simple majority vote of those members attending the election will be required for election to office.

D. Any vacancies on the Board of Governors, shall be filled by the Board of Governors by appointment from the general membership subject to the majority approval of the general membership in attendance.

E. Any or all members of the Board of Governors may be removed from office by a majority vote of the members of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club.  Any or all board members who have been removed, may never sit on the Board of Governors in any capacity as long as the club stay in exitence.

F. Two family members may not serve on the Board of Governors in the same given year.

G. A nominee is not required to have a participating player in the organization.

Article VIII: Fees

A. Prior to the start of each season, the Board of Governors shall determine the cost of participation per player. This cost will consist of the following:

1. The total cost of league fees for all teams
2. Total estimated cost of practice ice
3. The cost of general operations (i.e. printing, stamps, etc.)

B. Fees will be due and payable as follows:

1. Total cost will be paid based on a payment schedule determined by the Board of Governors.
2. Failure to meet the payment schedule may result in the suspension of the player from the team.
3. In the event that a player leaves the team for any reason and still has fees unpaid, that player shall not be permitted to rejoin the team until all past due balances are paid in full.

C. Fees will not include required Black Helmets, Jerseys or Socks, which will be paid for separately.

D. The Sachem Ice Hockey Club will conduct an annual fund raiser whereby each player while assisting the club he/she will have the opportunity to cover part of the cost of tutition.

E. It shall be a club policy not to issue any refunds except as deemed by the Board of Governors in the case of an injury or other grievance.

Article IX: Eligibility
Player eligibility shall be in accordance with Suffolk County High School Hockey League rules. In the event of a vacancy occurring on the Varsity or Junior Varsity levels, eligible candidates will only be those players who registered for the current season's tryouts.

Article X: Team Structure
Leadership of each team shall consist of a Head Coach, one or two Assistant Coaches, and a team manager. Each Head Coach shall select a captain and two assistant captains from the team players, in addition to his Assistant Coaches. Head Coaches shall be selected by the Board of Governors prior to the tryouts.

A. The Head Coach will appoint at least one but not more than two assistant coaches subject to the approval of the Board of Governors.

B. All Head and Assistant Coaches must have a minimum of a USA Hockey Associate level coaching certification by December 31^st of the year in which the coaching assignment is to begin. All Safesport requirements and screenings must done yearly in addition. Any coach who has not yet attained this certification and Safesport requirements may not act in the capacity of a coach at any USA Hockey sanctioned event.

C. Team rosters should carry no less than 15 or no more than 20 "active" players. 

D. The team manager shall be selected by the coaches subsequent to the tryouts and will be responsible for the following:

1. The team manager shall act as a liaison between the parents and the club
2. The team manager shall be responsible for coordinating all team activities, contacting players and assisting the coaching staff when needed.

E. The captains shall act as liaison between team members and coaches, and shall provide leadership by example both on and off the ice.
 

Article XI: Participation Commitment
All players on each team of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club are expected to make a participation commitment to attend all practices and scheduled games of their team.  Failure to meet this obligation may result in disciplinary action at the discretion of the coach.

Article XII: Ice Time
There are no guarantees of equal ice time. Ice time will be at the discretion of the coaches. Article XIII Complaint Procedure will be followed for any complaints regarding ice time.

Article XIII: Complaint Procedure
Members having comments or complaints concerning an individual or team problem should follow the following procedure.

            1- Adhere to USA Hockey’s 24 Hour Rule, ie.do not voice your complaint for 24 hours.

            2- After 24 hours if you are still upset, speak with your team manager about your complaint. The team manager will speak to the coach and either the coach or the team manager will get

            back to you.          
            3- If still unhappy speak with the coaching coordinator and let him/her know your problem.

            4- If still no resolution, then your problem can be taken before the Board of Governors for final resolution.

            5- Failure to follow the 24 hour rule or the above procedure can result in disciplinary action for the person involved at the discretion of the Board of Governors.

Article XIV: Miscellaneous
Any matter not covered by the articles in the by-laws shall be determined by the Board of Governors.

Article XV: Retired Numbers
Uniforms #1, #9, #12, #13, #14, #15, #18, #22 and #86 are retired on all levels of the Sachem Ice Hockey Club in honor of Keith Kinkaid and in memory of Todd Keleman, Anthony Fronzoni, Anthony Gallo, Jim Kelly, Joe Buttacavoli,  Michael Rizzo,Thomas Herzberg and Donny Richardson respectively.

Article XVI: By-Laws

A. Every other January, names of volunteers for the by laws committee will be taken.  
B. The purpose of the by-laws committee is to review the present by-laws and any new proposed changes and present the opinion of the committee as to the merit of the proposals and the committee's recommendation.
C. The current by-laws and proposed changes must be posted on the club's internet website, at least one week prior to the 'Elections' meeting at which time any proposed changes will be voted on by the members present at that time.
D. A two-thirds majority of the members present is required for any by-law changes.
E. A copy of the revised and dated by-laws will be maintained on the Sachem Hockey web site and copies will be made available to the general membership by September of the same year, upon individual request.
F. All by-laws changes go into effect immediately.

Article XVII: General Meetings
The Sachem Ice Hockey Club must hold at least three (3) general meetings per year. These meetings shall be held as follows:

1. The first meeting will be held at or around the time that the first fee payment is due.
2. The second meeting will be held in January in order to form a nominating committee and by-laws committee for the elections (this can be one person).
3. The third meeting will be held no later than the last varsity practice, to enable the varsity parents to vote.

Article XVIII: Scholarship Award

The Scholarship shall be named the Todd Keleman Memorial Scholarship. The Scholarship shall be awarded to a graduating senior who has demonstrated good sportsmanship, academic achievement and dedication to the Sachem Ice Hockey Club. The Keleman family with input from the Board and Coaches shall select the number of recipients and dollar value. The Scholarship shall be named the John Rizzo Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship shall be awarded to a graduating senior who has demostrated community service.  The winner is picked by the Rizzo family and the award is given out by the Board of Governors in the dollar amount of $500 by the club. The awards will be presented at both the Annual Awards Dinner and the Sachem East and North Scholarship Night.

Article XIX: Tuition Payments

All Sachem Ice Hockey Club players shall pay the full price of tuition for their respective teams.

Article XX: Candidate Introduction:

The candidates for office will introduce themselves to the Sachem Membership on the night of the vote, the introduction will last no longer then 3 minutes per candidate. The introduction is needed so that all members can make an informed decision on the best candidate for the Sachem Ice Hockey Club.

Article XXI : President Emeritus:

The President elect can ask the President who is stepping down to stay on as President Emeritus. The President Emeritus will attend all Board Meetings as a consultant and is a non voting position of the Board. The term shall last for one year and can continue at the discretion of the President.