A team of individuals interested in bringing youth ice hockey to the Sunbury area are working hard to build a Big Walnut club team, starting in 2018.

“We are committed to raising interest, teaching core skills and sportsmanship, and building a foundation for the game we love,” said one of the club organizers, Dean Lewis. “We have just scheduled a free skate to introduce youths in the area to skating and hockey.”

Lewis said the free skate clinic would be at 6:20 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 14, at Easton Chiller.

“We will have coaches and youth assistants on the ice to help skaters,” Lewis said. “You will be able to rent skates at the front desk. However, we are working to get this discounted as well. The skating is 100 percent free.

“Hockey is often thought of as expensive and out of reach for many individuals,” Lewis said. “This, however, is not the case. From hardship scholarships to equipment banks, there are many avenues that can be taken to drastically reduce the cost of ice time, lessons and even equipment.”

Lewis said he encourages parents to email confidential inquiries about different types of assistance to [email protected]. Confirmation of attendance to the free clinic should also be emailed to that address.

For more information, go to Big Walnut Hockey on Facebook or bigwalnuthockey.com.