ROCKPORT — An opportunity for kids ages four to nine years old will be available this fall at the Midcoast Recreation Center in Rockport.

MRC in partnership with the Boston Bruins will be hosting a four week program, that includes free hockey equipment that participants keep afterwards ($500 retail value), from Oct. 8 through Oct. 29 on Mondays at 5:30 p.m. Registration starts on Thursday, July 19 and end by Aug. 16. Interested families can sign-up for the program at bostonbruins.com/learntoplay. Registration is limited to 60 spots, per a press release, and organizers anticipate those spots filling up rapidly. 

Participating kids will need to go to the Bruins Fan Fest Tour in Portland on Aug. 17 to be fitted for the gear that they will receive for free for this program. The program cost is $100 per participant and has the mission to grow the game of hockey throughout the region.

During the Bruins Fan Fest tour, the Bruins expect to outfit over 5,000 kids, ages four to nine, who have signed up for the Bruins Academy Learn to Play program, in brand new CCM hockey gear valued at $500 (retail value) per player for a total of $2.5 million (retail value) worth of equipment dispersed to local communities.

Last year, the Bruins distributed $2 million worth of youth hockey equipment through the Bruins Academy Learn to Play program, contributing to the overall growth of youth hockey in the area. The number of youth hockey players in Massachusetts under the age of eight grew by 10 percent last season. Last summer, over 14,000 Bruins fans attended the inaugural Fan Fest tour stops in Portland; Manchester, New Hampshire; Burlington, Vermont; Springfield, Massachusetts; Hartford, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island.

Current Bruins players, coaches, executives and NESN personalities are expected to be on hand throughout the tour to play games and mingle with fans, sign autographs, take photos and participate in Q&A sessions, according to a press release. Fans will be able to participate in skills and drills on synthetic ice rinks, pose for photos in a mock Bruins locker room, and have the opportunity to partake in NESN virtual reality experiences. Boston Bruins BFit will also be on hand to lead kid-friendly fitness activities at each stop. Kids can visit the Bruins Academy Zone for face painting, poster making, and Bruins trivia. Please note that player, coach, executive and NESN personality appearances will vary at each location and are subject to change.

Gifford’s Famous Ice Cream will once again be on hand at each stop scooping their Bruins themed ice cream, Power Play Fudge, for $1 donations to the Boston Bruins Foundation. Admission to each tour stop is free, and fans are welcome and encouraged to participate in all of the event's festivities. For more information, fans can visit BostonBruins.com/FanFest.

Midcoast Recreation Center (MRC) is a nonprofit committed to the promotion of healthy living in our community through sports and fitness programs.

MRC is conveniently located on Route 90 in Rockport and houses an ice rink, four indoor tennis courts, and three fitness/dance studios. In addition to public skating and tennis court rentals, sports and fitness programs at MRC include youth and adult ice hockey, figure skating, learn-to-skate, junior and adult tennis, private and group tennis lessons, group fitness classes, personal training, and dance. MRC is open to the public and financial assistance is available. For more information, visit midcoastrec.org or call 207-236-9400.

Reach the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.