PRESENTED BY
Longtime AHU staffer Yubeta a valuable asset to Arizona hockey community
Melissa Yubeta has been involved behind the scenes with Arizona hockey since 2010 and has been enamored with the game even longer. Needless to say, Yubeta is a familiar face in the desert when it comes to hockey in the Valley. And a valuable and important person when it comes to the continued hockey boom happening in Arizona for the last 20-plus years. Ask Yubeta, though, and she’ll say what she does is all for the love of the game. “I joined Arizona Hockey Clubs in 2010 when my son Luke played for the Arizona Heat out of the Gibert rink as a Mite,” said Yubeta. “The following season is when AHC merged the Chandler Polar Bears and Gilbert Arizona Heat, forming the Arizona Hockey Union and becoming the Knights. I love to get involved and help and when Luke’s AZ Heat team asked if anyone was interested in being the team manager, I volunteered. I am now entering my 15th season as a team manager for AHU.” After Luke aged out of youth hockey, he played two seasons of
Melissa, Luke, and Jeremy Yubeta bond on the ice as a hockey family. junior hockey in the Eastern Hockey League and is entering his sophomore season of NCAA Division III hockey this fall at Framingham State University. Hockey is a family affair in the Yubeta household, too. Melissa’s husband Jeremy was an assistant coach with Luke’s AHU teams from 2012-20 and has been coaching with Desert Vista High School ever since. Many individuals may leave an
organization once their children are finished playing, but not Melissa Yubeta. “I have always loved hockey,” she said. “I grew up watching my uncle play for the University of Arizona. My nephew started playing hockey out of Tucson from the age of five until he was 14. They played in the youth league in Phoenix and I would go to all of his games and even travel with him and my sister to all his
tournaments. I loved youth hockey and once I had Luke, I couldn’t wait for him to be old enough to play. He was eight weeks old when I took him to his first youth hockey game at the Chandler rink. Luke grew up running around the rinks watching his cousin play and fell in love with hockey just like his mom. “Honestly, hockey is my favorite way to spend my free time. Being as involved with AHU as I have been over the years, I just couldn’t see myself not being a part of the AHU family even after Luke aged out. I have worked hard for AHU over the years and have loved every minute of it. It is fun still being a team manager even though I don’t have a kid on the team. Volunteering and helping in all the roles I have makes me happy and keeps me busy not leaving me much time to miss Luke too much while he has been out in Massachusetts these past three years playing junior and now college. Luke even helps out during the offseason and summers with AHU skills and coaching AHU teams.” MORE AT AZRUBBERHOCKEY.COM!
AUGUST 2024