Preeceville Minor Hockey (PMH) teams are all gearing up for another hockey season with only practices allowed.
The ice for the Preeceville Arena was put in on October 15 and teams re-organized for another season, according to the Preeceville Minor Hockey Association executive.
"As the start of the season is quickly approaching, we would like to share the following COVID policies which will require to be followed," stated Candace Kuta, president.
“Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) has come out with a Return to Hockey Guideline which is very detailed and something that all members must follow. SHA has advised if non-compliance is reported disciplinary action will not be taken lightly and could lead to our association being not allowed sanctioned events, which means no hockey. They advised that there are lots of cell phones present and that there are people on both sides of the spectrum, those not in favour of all of the safety protocols and then those feeling like the protocols in place are not enough. To sum it up, if we want our kids on the ice, we as adults must follow these guidelines set out for us.”
All team staff and PMH Board members are required to take a COVID Safety Course online. Parents are encouraged to take this free course also, but not required.
Per SHA Rules. Each team needs to have a Safety Manager in place. The Preeceville COVID representative this year will be Shannon Nelson and will be required to communicate COVID updates etc to/from SHA on behalf of PMH through these individuals. Preeceville Arena has come out with its policy on the number of spectators allowed, dressing room use and entry and exit points. There will be signage at the rink however. The washroom renovation at this point is not complete, so the men’s washroom will be unavailable for the start of the season.
Contract tracing is required as part of the SHA return to hockey plan. There will be barcode access which will allow users to simply "scan in" with their cellphones. Alternatively, a paper sign in method will be available for those members that do not have cell phones.
The Arena Board has come up with the following schedule for practices and would like to mention that there will be open ice times on the weekend for rental if teams/members should chose. Chris Smith is the arena caretaker this year and will be handling all ice bookings (306) 562-7142:U7 (IP): 5:45 to 6:45; U13 (Peewee): 7:00 to 8:00, Monday and Wednesdays and U9 (Novice): 4:45 to 5:45; U11 (Atom): 6:00 to 7:00; U15 (Bantam): 7:15 to 8:15 and U18 (Midget): 8:30 on Tuesdays and Thursday.
Coaches are, Conrad Peterson, U7 with nine players; Jason Anaka, U9 with 13 players; Nicole Korpusik, U11 with 16 players; Greg Olson, U13 with eight players, Jordan Vogel, U15 with 17 players and Kirby Pankratz, U18 with 19 players.
Preeceville Minor Hockey would like to remind everyone that “if your child is sick please stay home! It is better if your child / siblings remain at home until the household is symptom free. The Major Hockey League has encouraged all teams to work together to reschedule games if necessary rather than pushing sick kids to be on the ice for a game.
Thank you all for your cooperation as we navigate through the start of the season and get through the bumps together so our kids and members can stay safe and healthy on the ice.
Please follow the Preeceville Minor Hockey Facebook page ‘Preeceville Minor Hockey’ as we will be using that for any COVID policy updates.”
