By Carolyn Braff

This weekend, the nation’s best hockey players ages 10 to 18 will take the ice in Hackensack, N.J. and Williamsville, N.Y., to compete for the USA Hockey Youth National Championships. Thanks to a renewed partnership between USA Hockey and B2 Networks, parents stuck at home thousands of miles away will have a rink-side seat for the live competition. “A lot of the parents can’t travel to watch their kids play and this is very important to them,” explains Bruce Levine, senior vice president of sports programming for B2 Networks. “This partnership gives them an opportunity to see their kids have a big moment on the ice.” 

The Championships take place Saturday and Sunday and consist of more than a dozen games in four age groups across two tiers, and will be played on two different rinks in two different locations. The details should present a logistical nightmare for any production crew, but B2’s proprietary system is designed to handle remote location broadcasts just like this one. 

“We have a self-proprietary system of encoders, software and cameramen that we are using to send out to these locations and send the games to a worldwide audience,” Levine explains. “We’re basically using the same setup we use for every one of our partners. We’re not changing anything; we’re just doing it on more of a mobile basis than we normally do.” 

Normally, B2’s broadcasts come from one of the 150 stadiums, arenas and venues across the country that have the B2 broadcasting system installed. From those locations, B2 pushes 700 hours of live programming each week to personal computers, television screens, mobile devices and commercial venues worldwide. Thanks to partnerships with organizations ranging from the AHL and NLL to Arena Football Leagues and the NCAA, on any given evening, viewers can choose from upwards of 40 live events from the B2tv.com portal. 

For this weekend, however, the Network will effectively be going in blind. 

“Normally when we do an event, we’re going to be in their buildings for three or more years,” Levine explains. “We have time to run the options for how we’re going to do all of the equipment setup, where we’re going to house it, etc. Now we’re going into two places that we haven’t worked with, so there is a higher level of difficulty. It’s a one-weekend thing, so we have to do it right and there’s no margin for error.” 

Because they are unfamiliar with the arenas, B2 is relying on a single camera for this weekend’s broadcasts, but Levine foresees moving to multi-camera shoots for future USA Hockey productions.  

“Because we are not familiar with the setups there, the most important thing is to get it done and get it done right,” Levine says. “We’ve hired professional camera people to shoot the games and we expect it to be a top-grade broadcast.” 

B2 began its partnership with USA Hockey a year ago, when the Network broadcast the U12 and U14 Championships from Amherst, Mass. After that event, Levine saw that the audience for youth hockey can be substantial, so the risk in producing the event is worth the potential reward.  

There is also a sentimental draw to producing this particular event. 

“From a personal standpoint, we made our business in the hockey world, starting off with the minor leagues and expanding to the NCAA and junior hockey,” Levine explains. “USA Hockey is the most respected governing body of amateur hockey in America, and to be able to work with them again is a big milestone for our company. A lot of us have hockey backgrounds, so it’s great to be able to bring these events to people who would never be able to see championships like this one.” 

For those who are unable to tune in for the live broadcasts, which are priced at $9.00 each, B2 offers a video on demand option for $19.95. 

“Parents want to have a hard copy that they can keep on the shelf,” Levine says. “So we offer a video on demand option for parents who want to get the game shipped to their house so they can keep it forever.”