Preeceville Minor Hockey had to revamp its regular season including exceptions made with COVID-19 precautions.
All six teams in IP, Novice, Atom, Peewee, Bantam and Midget will be hitting the ice once the season begins. There are approximately 85 players registered for the season.
"Coaches are not certain at this point and we are currently seeking assistance from anyone in the community willing to coach or help out with the teams, especially the younger age groups," stated Candace Kuta, president.
The organization hosted its annual general meeting on September 21 with a new board and executive being elected. Joining Kuta are: Andrea Tonn, vice-president, Jamie Jakubowski, secretary and Lisa Moekerk, treasurer. Board members are: Jocelyn Shultz, Bobbiann Danielson, Stacey Boychuk, Marina Soltys, Lindsey Bashforth, Stacy Anaka, Shannon Nelson, Cory Paul, Maggie Lukey and Brett Spray. Meetings are held the first Wednesday every month.
At this point the Saskatchewan Hockey Association has not advised of a date where sanctioned events will be able to resume. "We have commenced the “Return to Hockey” plan laid out by SHA and Hockey Canada where we will be focusing on on-ice development of our players and await direction from the governing agencies before resuming games or tournaments," said Kuta.
"As of now, Health Canada guidelines state that we can have a maximum of 30 spectators (socially distanced) in the common areas of the arena at one time so therefore we have asked only one parent (no siblings or friends) attend practice with their child. Players will come dressed to practice and have no shared equipment or water bottles. Like the rest of the world, while taking the necessary precautions, we are simply looking forward to getting the kids back on the ice and as a board we will focus on what we can do rather than what our limitations are. Onwards and upwards for a great season ahead," Kuta concluded.
The Saskatchewan Hockey Association is now accepting registrations for getting officials back on the ice, stated the SHA website. It is in the first steps of getting officials certified and back on the ice in the province through online registration and module learning. The certification process will be delivered in phases beginning with online courses and online modules. In the coming weeks the program will then move to a webinar and finally an on- ice session for all junior officials which is scheduled for sometime in November.
The ice in the Preeceville Arena is tentatively scheduled to be put in on October 15 and the new caretaker for the season will be Chris Smith.
