Bonnyville minor hockey plays on

Despite the setbacks, 2020 has presented Bonnyville Minor Hockey Association has kicked off its season, and while it’s looking like a lot of practicing, there may be hope for some games later on.

“Things aren’t as normal as previous years for sure, but right now we’re getting through the process of tryouts,” said BMHA president Terry Rupp.

“We’ve had some clinics we ran for a few weeks and then we’ll be building our cohorts probably starting next week.

“From there we’ll have what’s called development season into October, and then it sounds like we’re getting closer to building a cohort that could play some games with other teams.”

While Rupp remains optimistic on the possibility for there to be some games later this fall, there have been no official word on when or if that could happen — whether or not there’s a spike in COVID-19 cases in the Lakeland would likely be a deciding factor.

Enrollment numbers are close to what they were last year, which Rupp believes is due to the months of inactivity families experienced this past winter.

“I think parents are really hungry to get their kids into some type of recreational sports after sitting for so long from March,” he said. “They’re looking at any ay to get out of the house, and hockey is the number one looked at sport area.”

The season is projected to run until February, as per normal, but could run into March depending on if games become a possibility.

Should games begin to be scheduled, communities will be paired as “cohorts” which can contain up to 50 individuals altogether.

In the event a community competes with a community other than their last cohort, those that participated will be required to have a 14 day break between games, after which the two teams will be allowed to play.

“We’re gonna try and maximize our ice time with internal scrimmages and practices in order to develop the skills of our players.”