GROVE CITY — Jack Ogoreuc was thrilled when he received all of his hockey equipment.

“I was excited to play,” said Jack, who is a 7-year-old Grove City resident.

Thanks to a program his dad, Robert Ogoreuc, heard about, so were his parents.

From friends, they had heard about Sidney Crosby’s Little Penguins Learn to Play Hockey program and rushed to get Jack involved.

“We didn’t know anything about a hockey rink,” said Robert Ogoreuc, who is a professor at Slippery Rock University. “Are we going to spend $500-1,000 and find out a week later he doesn’t like it?”

It’s the program’s sixth year and provides boys and girls from 4 to 8 free head-to-toe hockey equipment along with instruction.

The program’s website estimates that 4,200 kids have participated since its inception in 2008-09.

Frank Catone, the Youth Program Director at Hess, said they’ve been involved with the program since its second year.

He estimates the cost of equipment is around $500.

Some of the equipment includes skates, helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, elbow pads, pants and a stick.

Jack’s interest for skating started when he made trips with his sister to Hess Ice Rink in Castle, Pa., for ice skating.

Jack decided he wanted to play hockey after skating. While he hasn’t seen a hockey game in person, his favorite player is Sidney Crosby.

He also joined with a friend, Connor Corrigan, also a Grove City resident.

There are coaches there to instruct the kids and they follow the “Little Penguins training guide.” During the practices, they split the ice up into six sections and do different drills with the kids.

“The feedback has been tremendous,” Catone said. “The instruction has gotten better.”

They have about 35 kids in the program.

During a game next month, the kids involved will also skate on the ice during a Youngstown Phantoms game.