• Payment of $160 per player (including goalies) by Friday, Feb 19^thvia etransfer to Tracey Bonik slmha.treasurer@hotmail.com  Make sure to add the name of player(s) and division in banking info  
• Payment is confirmation of registration and is NON-REFUNDABLE unless the government issues orders to shut down.  Any refunds will be based on $10 per practice that you haven’t skated on
• Ice time missed due to isolation/illness is not subject to reimbursement
• Designated chaperones will be assigned at the younger levels (u7, u9, u11) and are required to stay in designated areas the entire practice
• All teams must have a parent present at each practice to do COVID contact tracing
• Teams may be split into 2 groups and must stay on their designated side of the ice at all times
• No spectators
• No dressing rooms
• All SLMHA attendees are expected to follow facility, Alberta Health, Hockey Canada, Hockey Alberta Guidelines
• Staggered start for those who have groups of 10 or more sharing ice
• All coaches will ensure that players maintain a distance of 3M at all times
• Players need to stay on their side of the ice for the entire practice, coaches can go back and forth on the ice as they are masked the entire time
• The MRC and SLMHA are working on finalizing COVID safety protocols and anticipate similar rules
• More details to follow

THUNDER UPDATE

Update: FEBRUARY 3, 2021

In point form to just keep it simple:

-NAI canceled all league scheduling two weeks ago. Teams would be responsible for scheduling their own exhibition games, if associations could return to play. No refunds will be issued from NAI for season costs (cost to slmha).

-Hockey Alberta then cancelled all sanctioned League play (AAA, AA and tiered) across the province on Tuesday. Some invoices from HA to SLMHA have yet to be issued (usually a substantial bill)

-Based on the gov’t of Alberta’s Path Forward update, we would not be eligible to return to the ice until March 1 at the earliest (and not guaranteed on that date but we worked with that date)

-the MRC staff have been laid off and have one week to return to work in the facility putting us then to March 8 to get back to the ice

-that would then give us 2 weeks of possible ice (our facility/town is unable to extend our season due to staffing restrictions) in the MRC

-the Board discussed thoroughly if it was in our best interest to hope to get a couple practices and possibly one exhibition game during those two weeks and with consideration of all factors,  we believe that it’s best to conclude this season and issue credits to families for next season

-all players will have a credit of 70% of their paid registration fees* applied to their accounts for next season (different situations will require different actions: graduating players, funding supported players, ect)

-if families would rather a refund of monies, requests can be made via email to Bobbi (slavelakethunder@live.ca). Please state your player(s) name and which team(s) they’re registered to as well as sending the email address you’d like the refund to be transferred to. Refunds can take up to two weeks to process and will be E-transferred to original payees, less the $1.50 cost of the transfer

-requests for refunds must be received no later than February 28, 2021

-graduating players will be issued refunds automatically (no request required)

-some cases will require more details but can be discussed via email with Bobbi

SLAVE LAKE MINOR HOCKEY BOARD MEETING

Update: JANUARY 26, 2021

Update from the SLMHA Board:

Hockey Alberta has set a February 1st deadline to inform all Leagues of what is to come for the remainder of this season.

One of our Leagues (NAI) has already informed us that they will not be providing any more scheduling, no matter what the update brings and it will be in teams’ individual hands to properly schedule exhibition games, if we get permitted on ice.

With this information, the Board decided last night to wait until that deadline (Feb 1) to see what Hockey Alberta and our local facility decide.

We want nothing more than to hit the ice again, even if it’s only for a short time. If there are no significant changes or the current restrictions are not lifted at that time, SLMHA would likely cancel our season and start the process of applying refunds/credits.

Your continued patience is greatly appreciated.

HOCKEY ALBERTA (BULLETIN 20-09)

UPDATE: JANUARY 26, 2021

Update from Drew Dixon, Hockey Alberta:

Deadline set for reviewing Minor Hockey league play Hockey Alberta, in conjunction with its sanctioned Minor Leagues (male and female), is currently reviewing the sustainability of league play for the remainder of the 2020-21 season. If there is no new information from the Government of Alberta by February 1, a decision will be made about whether to continue planning League play.

Please note that any decision regarding league play will not mean the end of hockey activity for the 2020-21 season.

All timelines of when hockey will be allowed to return and the required safety protocols that may be in place if that happens are still uncertain. Hockey Alberta Members should discuss deadlines and options for a return with their facility/ municipality.

Members also need to consider options for flexible programming, such as skill development programming and/or exhibition or mini-league games (ie: 3 on 3 / 4 on 4), that could be implemented to complete the year.

It also will not end Hockey Alberta’s work with the Government of Alberta, Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services to implement a relaunch plan for our sport. Hockey Alberta remains focused on working with government officials to develop a plan that will permit teams to return to practice and eventual game play and keep our youth active for their physical and mental well being.

To date, representatives of Hockey Alberta have met with Alberta Health and Government of Alberta representatives on several occasions, as recently as last week. Discussions have focused on how hockey can be relaunched in a way that ensures the safety of all participants.

HOCKEY ALBERTA

UPDATE: JANUARY 21, 2021

Update from Drew Dixon, Hockey Alberta:

Today Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw announced that the current Public Health Orders (44-2020, 01-2021 and 42-2020) remain in effect for Province of Alberta.

For Hockey Alberta and sanctioned amateur hockey across the province, unfortunately this means the current pause in activity continues until further notice. No date was provided as to when the current status will be reviewed.

We have been very clear in our support of the expertise provided by Alberta’s health experts and the importance of the health and safety of all Albertans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

But we also share the sentiment that has been expressed to us by hockey parents across the province - that the mental and physical health benefits of participating in hockey are important to their children. We believe that, given the opportunity, Hockey Alberta and our Member organizations can develop and implement a plan to allow our more than 100,000 participants to return safely to the ice to enjoy the final couple of months of the season.

As recently as this afternoon, Hockey Alberta has been working with officials from the Government, Alberta Health and Alberta Health Services. We presented a plan that we believe would allow hockey to return in a safe manner for all participants and we discussed options that could allow a safe return to hockey in some fashion in Alberta. Hockey Alberta will be reaching out to our Members for feedback on the proposed plan.

Please recognize that we still have no confirmation if or when team sports can return, but we are prepared to complete a plan that would allow our participants to hit the ice through to the end of March or April when deemed safe and when approved by AHS.

As always, thank you for your patience. We will keep our Members updated on options under consideration and decisions made. And we ask that you update members of your organization with this information.