With Ole Man Winter forcing the postponement of Monday night’s game in Sackville between the Blazers and Liverpool, the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League finally got back into action in Port Hawkesbury Tuesday night after a two month delay due to the Omnicron version of Covid.

The Membertou Jr. Miners looked as if they had never left the ice as they dumped the Strait Pirates 8-3 at the Civic Centre.  The Jr. Miners took a 3-0 lead after the first on goals from Blake Cox, Brady MacLean and Logan Snow.  The Strait Pirates stormed back in the second to tie the game at 3-3 on a pair of goals from Quinn McClelland and Logan Saulnier only 24 seconds apart early in the second before Jason Johnson knotted the game at 3-3 with 13:01 to play in the middle period.  The difficult part of the game for the Strait Pirates was the short-handed and game winning goal from the Jr. Miners Josh MacKay only 1:03 after the Pirates and tied the game and Port Hawkesbury never seemed to recoup as Coby McCarron scored the first of his two on the evening to make it 5-3.  In the third, McCarron scored again and single markers were registered by Nathaniel Fuller and Brandon Grant to make the final 8-3.  Cox of the Jr. Miners also registered 2 assists and new teammate Andrew McCarron obtained in a deal with the Valley Maple Leafs was impressive in his first game with the Jr. Miners as he recorded 4 assists.  The Jr. Miners outshot the Pirates 39-38.  The Jr. Miners are now 8-5-2 on the season while the Pirates fell to 7-7-1.  Both teams swing back into action in what will be an exceptionally busy Friday night as the Jr. Miners travel to Cumberland, the Strait Pirates host Antigonish, Liverpool travels to Shearwater to play the Capstone Colts, the Sackville Blazers will be in East Hants while Brookfield travels to Windsor to play the Valley Maple Leafs.

Good evening everyone,

 

Earlier today, (Wednesday, February 9) the province announced that beginning next week, COVID-19 restrictions will be eased over three phases. To read the complete release from the province, please click here.

 

Phase 1 will begin at 12:01 a.m. on Monday, Feb, 14 and the following restrictions impacting hockey will go into effect:

 

• Groups of up to 60 are now permitted in the field of play.
• Teams can have practices and regular league games (see explanation below).
• Competition is limited to regular league games. This refers to the current league that your team is playing in. If a game is part of your team’s regular league or competitive schedule, it is allowed. Bringing together teams that typically do not play one another is not allowed.
• Tournaments are still not permitted.
• Physical distancing is not required in the field of play; masks are recommended at all times when not on the ice surface.
• Spectators are allowed up to the formal gathering limit; the formal gathering limit for gatherings is 50 per cent of capacity indoors. Capacities will vary by facility. Please check with your local rink. (NOTE: While today’s press release states that fitness, recreation and leisure businesses and organizations can operate at 75 per cent capacity and references arenas, we have clarified with the province that this section does not apply to hockey or spectators at a hockey game).

 

We know today’s update will be welcome news for our members as we return to game action. We are hopeful that we will continue to trend in the right direction. Phase 1 is the first step in a three phase reopening plan and each phase is expected to last about a month. We understand that the situation will be evaluated on a week-to-week basis and we will provide more information to you as soon as we have it.

 

We will also be providing an update later this month on how this will impact the remainder of the season (including provincial tournaments and other events).

 

Please continue to follow the protocols and thank you all for your continued support. As always, we appreciate your efforts and commitment to keeping everyone on the ice.

 

Sincerely,

 

Amy Walsh

Executive Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

 

Arnie Farrell

President

Hockey Nova Scotia

 

 

Garreth MacDonald

Communications & Special Events Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

 

259 Commodore Drive

Dartmouth, NS, B3B 0M1

902.454.9400

 

New information was provided by Hockey Nova Scotia concerning potentially getting back on the ice in hopefully the not to distant future.  Here is the latest from Hockey Nova Scotia today Friday, Feb 4/22/

As to what Wednesday's Jan 5 announcement by Public Health Nova Scotia MEANS FOR HOCKEY

 

No Hockey until at least Feb 1:

 

 

• Sports - Participants and officials in organized sports (recreational, amateur and professional) can practice and train with up to 10 people indoors and up to 25 people outdoors without social distancing. Masks are recommended when you can’t maintain a minimum physical distance of 2 metres (6 feet) from others. Sport games, competitions, tournaments and spectators are not permitted (you also can’t participate in a tournament outside Nova Scotia).

Publci Health Nova Scotia

 

 

Good evening everyone,

 

With COVID-19 case numbers on the rise in Nova Scotia, the province announced today that restrictions on physical distancing and gathering limits are returning over the next few weeks.

 

Starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 17, and lasting until at least the new year, the following restrictions impacting hockey will be in place:

 

• spectators are limited to 50 per cent of a facility’s capacity; spectator limits are also capped at a maximum of 150 people
• a limit of 60 participants indoors and outdoors applies to sports practices, games, and regular league play; physical distancing is not required

 There are also new recommendations for close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases, including those who are fully-vaccinated. We detail those below.

 

REGULAR LEAGUE PLAY

 

We have clarified with Public Health that regular league play refers to the current league that your team is playing in. This includes provincial leagues.

 

MASKS

 

On the ice, masks are not required during practices, training sessions, and games. Off the ice, masks are required everywhere (especially in the dressing room).

 

It is extremely important that you continue to wear your mask when you are not on the ice.

 

Please note that coaches and instructors who work with more than one group must wear a mask at all times while inside the facility (including while on the ice).

 

CLOSE CONTACTS

 

As a result of the recent outbreak in Nova Scotia, all close contacts of positive COVID-19 cases, including those who are fully-vaccinated, now need to isolate until they have a negative result from a lab-based (PCR) test. The lab test should be performed at least 72 hours after the exposure.

 

In a hockey context, if two teams play a game within 48 hours of a positive exposure involving a player or coach on either team (meaning a player or coach on one of the teams tests positive for COVID-19 within 48 hours of the game), both teams (as well as the officials) would be considered close contacts. We recognize this is not spelled out clearly on the Public Health website but we have worked with Public Health to determine that this is what they mean.

 

Due to increased testing and rising positive cases, we are aware that Public Health may be delayed when it comes to reaching out to close contacts. We have seen examples of hockey associations and teams being proactive and abundantly cautious in terms of pausing activities after potential exposures. We commend these groups for prioritizing the safety of their members and wider communities.

 

For more information on what to do if you are a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case, please click here.

 

If you have any questions about any of this or about a potential exposure, we encourage you to continue to follow the communication flow in the Rebound Plan 2.0.

 

To help curb the spread of COVID-19, Public Health is also strongly recommending regular rapid testing for all Nova Scotians. Learn more here.

 

Dr. Strang will be meeting with the sport sector tomorrow. We will take part in those discussions and will pass along any updates that come out of that meeting.

 

For now, please continue to be vigilant. It is vital that we do not become complacent. Please continue to wear your mask in the dressing room and everywhere else in the arena when you are not on the ice. Wash your hands often. Do not come to the rink if you are feeling unwell. Follow the Rebound Plan 2.0.

 

Thank you for all that you do for hockey.

 

Sincerely,

 

Amy Walsh

Executive Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

 

Arnie Farrell

President

Hockey Nova Scotia

 

 

Garreth MacDonald

Communications & Special Events Director

Hockey Nova Scotia

 

259 Commodore Drive

Dartmouth, NS, B3B 0M1

902.454.9400

 

hockeynovascotia.ca