Competitive hockey will soon be back in Saskatchewan rinks such as Northern Lights Palace in Melfort (Submitted photo/Jaret Schneider).

By Aaron Schulze

Northeast Re. Return to Hockey

‘Return to Hockey’ plan just the beginning for Northeast programs

Oct 10, 2020 | 4:01 PM

Following nearly two months of practicing in limbo, hockey players, fans, families, and programs got a nugget on Oct. 8.

The Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) unveiled its Return to Hockey Safety Guidelines from U-7 to Senior and northeast hockey programs expressed their eagerness to hit the ice once more.

Minor hockey, various starts, and mini-leagues

Jody Goodfellow, president of the Melfort Minor Hockey Association, said there are still a few details to sort out in their area, but they’ve done just about everything they and the SHA could do to ensure a safe return to play.

“We feel fairly confident… implementing a mask policy for players and spectators ensure we keep everything as safe as possible for everyone,” Goodfellow said. “With the goal of no interruption to play, everyone has been anticipating games getting going and that’s what we have the opportunity for now. I think we’ll look at getting the teams going and getting some ice time. From there, there will be scheduling involved with the other towns and cities to organize games.”

Alumni spotlight

Raiders coach, former captain named to coach at U17 World Challenge

10h ago

Down to the wire

Battlefords' Shae Maunula rallies to qualify for Nationals at Sask. Golf Junior Provincials

10h ago

Homicide

Death of woman in Beaver River was a homicide

11h ago

At the earliest dates, exhibition games are scheduled to begin Oct. 17, league games Nov. 1, and provincial players Feb. 1, 2021. The number of teams or players allowed in a “mini-league” vary as the season progresses.

(Saskatchewan Hockey Association).

(Saskatchewan Hockey Association).

Melfort Minor Hockey has boys programs from U-7 to U-18 and the girls’ aces program. Goodfellow is alright with some age groups starting later than others to ensure the Return to Hockey plan is working as expected.

“Everything that’s been composed is with safety in mind,” Goodfellow said. “Normally, we schedule for more than what would be composed of a mini-league. If we do have to reduce to a limited number of teams, we should be able to do that without issue.”

Minor hockey games will permit up to 150 spectators if there is enough room to maintain two metres of physical distancing between extended households.

For higher levels of hockey – Junior, Senior, and U-18 AAA – a maximum of 150 spectators are allowed if there’s no assigned seating. If there’s assigned seating, arenas can welcome in a maximum of 50 per cent of its capacity if there’s enough room to maintain two metres of physical distancing.

For the Tisdale Trojans, the Tisdale RECplex is one of the smaller rinks in the Saskatchewan Male U-18 AAA Hockey League.

“One of our advantages is having that great atmosphere and the crowd behind us,” Head Coach Dennis Kubat said. “With 50 per cent, we won’t be able to have that as much. It’ll hurt financially; we have some great 50/50 sales and we fill our barn pretty full. Everyone is doing things different this year and we as a board need to figure out ways that we can maybe make up some of the lost money.

“I just hope fans are excited to come to the rink when they can. The boys have been working their butts off to be the best program we can be.”

No matter the attendance, the Return to Hockey plan was welcomed news by the Trojans. Kubat said he’s happy to have a clear direction to resume play and that they’ll play quicker than anticipated.

“The boys are enjoying their time here, but you can only practice and keep them engaged for so long,” Kubat said. “They can actually see on the calendar that we have games. There are the protocols in place, but they’re trying to do their best to keep everyone healthy. Nothing really stuck out negatively. Whatever circumstances are with crowd sizes or what we have to do, we’ll make sure we abide by them. We’re just grateful for the opportunity to get back into some games.”

Kubat expects he and his fellow coaches to hammer out a schedule within the upcoming days. He predicts the Trojans will do most of their travelling in Northern Saskatchewan communities until Christmas.

Elsewhere, leagues with larger gatherings at games such as the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League are still working with the Saskatchewan Health Authority on protocols and how each team’s arena will handle spectators.

–

aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow