It
has been rewarding to see Eagles back on the ice with their teammates in
preparation for the 2020-21 hockey season. As we progress through the 5
stages of the OHF Return to Hockey guidelines there will be an increasing range
of skills development and competition. There will be uncertainty with the
timing of those stages, but rest assured there is certainty in our commitment
to maximize player fulfillment and enjoyment at each stage. We appreciate
that there have been obstacles and last-minute changes on a daily and even
hourly basis.
One of our greatest priorities is working with the City to match our scheduling with the ramping up of ice availability. It takes about 10 to 14 days for an ice surface to be ready once the process starts. I did a walk-through with City staff of Appleby 1 today and understand that Appleby 2 will be next. We have further been advised that Mountainside, Mainway, and Aldershot are scheduled to be in operation by mid October.
We appreciate everyone’s patience so far and ask for your continued understanding over the next few weeks as we ramp up to an average of 3 ice times per week; we are still at the very start of a long season with more than six months to go. It remains our intent to use our total yearly amount of ice by the end of March, rest assured that if circumstances prevent this from happening we will make the necessary adjustments.