Games of October 16 and 17 affected

The circuit breaker shutdown in New Brunswick led to the decision to cancel the Atlantic Challenge Cup which would have started tomorrow in Moncton.  It is also having an impact on the MMFHL schedule, as games for next weekend have been rearranged to allow for teams not to have to cross the New Brunswick/Nova Scotia border.

As a result, the league schedule that weekend will be as follows:

Saturday:

2:30pm - Grant Harvey Arena - Rockets at Reds

4pm - Hector Arena - Penguins at Selects

5pm - Membertou Sports and Wellness Centre - Western Capitals at Lynx

Sunday:

Time TBA - Venue TBA - Rockets at Nationals

11am - Membertou Sports and Wellness Centre - Western Capitals at Lynx

12pm - RBC Centre, Rink C - Selects at Penguins

Next week we will run a full preview of these games.

Still looking for first win of the season

It has been a challenging start to the season for the Funday Nationals. SIx games in to the MMFHL campaign, and the Nationals are still winless.  However, there is reason for optimism.  

The Nationals will be making their first overnight road-trip of the regular season, and this is a great opportunity for the team to bond, build memories, and possibly remove the 0 from the win column.  

There are some bright spots for the Nationals to this point.  Claire Noftell currently sits 5th in the league in save percentage, which is all the more impressive when you consider that she leads the league in shots faced.  Noftell has turned aside an average of 51.3 shots per game, while giving up just 12 goals in her 3 starts.  And while the team has scored just four goals in their six games, the goals have come from four different players.

When they head into the Metro Halifax region next weekend (October 16 and 17), they will face one team off to a bit of a slow start themselves in the Halifax Western Capitals, before going up against the much-improved Bussey Auto Brokers Penguins.

The Caps are the newest franchise in the MMFHL, and are showing some growing pains in the early going.  With just one win in their first eight games, they have had some struggles scoring goals (6th in the league in goals per game - 1.38).  However, they are not getting outscored by huge margins.  In fact, while they only have one win, they also have three ties to go with that, and a goal differential of -9 (-1.13 per game).  So with a pair of struggling offenses, could it be first goal wins when they meet on Saturday in West Hants?

The Nationals will move further into the city on Sunday, playing the Bussey Auto Brokers Penguins at the RBC Centre in Dartmouth.  The Penguins are off to a very good start this season, sitting in third place with points in 5 of their 8 games (4-3-1).  The Penguins sit third in the league in goals scored per game, third in goals against per game, and third in goal differential.  

The Penguins are getting very good goaltending out of their tandem, with Kaitlyn Langille and Grace McNutt both in the top 7 for GAA, and top 10 for save percentage.  They are also getting balanced scoring, as they are on of only two teams (Selects are the other) with every skater on the team registering at least one point this season.

Tomorrow (Friday), we will take a look at the Lynx and Rockets ahead of their meeting in Membertou in just over a week.

Top spot showdown set up for October 16, 17

As the 2021-22 hockey season entered October this past weekend, the seven teams that make up the MMFHL were finishing up their first month of the regular season.  There was certainly a lot to celebrate, as games were able to go off without interruption from COVID-19, althought there continue to be protocols in place to protect the players, officials, coaches, and fans.

The 2021-22 season has brought about a few changes to the MMFHL, including the removal of the Station Six Fire, and the insertion of a new franchise in the Metro Halifax area to replace them, the Halifax Western Capitals.   This season also saw the league return to a 7-team circuit, after the Northern Lightning in New Brunswick were not able to make a go of it.  Another change, as with every season in every hockey league, is the changeover of rosters, as players are aging out, and a new crop of talent enters the fray.

Through the first month, however, there are a few things that do look familiar.  The Northern Subway Selects are once again off to a strong start, going 7-1 through their first 8 games, and outscoring their opponents 31-5 (which works out to 3.88-0.63 per game).  However, their winning percentage is not as strong as the team currently sitting in second place, with two games in hand.  The EDZA West Reds are 5-0-1 after 6 games.  They are scoring at a clip of 3.5 goals per game (2nd to the Selects), and giving up 0.67 goals per game (also second to the Selects).

As the teams all prepare to take Thanksgiving Weekend off from league play, the Reds and Selects have the following weekend circled on their calendars.  The Reds will be making their way to Hector Arena in Pictou to face the Selects on October 16 and 17.  For the Selects, this is not only a showdown against the team that looks to be the biggest challenge as they look to repeat as league regular season champions, but it is also their first home games in their new permanent home in the Town of Pictou.  In past seasons, and earlier this season before the ice was ready in the Hector, the Selects played their home games in the Pictou County Wellness Centre on the outskirts of New Glasgow.  But now, the Selects will move to Pictou, where they will have their own permanent dressing room, something they could not have at the Wellness Centre.  

Will that extra level of comfort of home make a difference for the Selects?  Fans who can't make it to Pictou will still have a chance to find out, as the games will be streamed through http://3sixty.live.

Check back in regularly to our website here, as we will have more previews, recaps, and stats all season long.  Thursday we will look at the newest franchise, the Western Capitals, as well as the Fundy Nationals ahead of their meeting on the 16th and 17th.

Effective: Tuesday, September 21, 2021

To comply with Nova Scotia’s Proof of Vaccine Policy, HNS requires that all Affected Persons be Fully Vaccinated against COVID-19, per the remainder of this policy, as a condition of participating in Hockey Nova Scotia Sanctioned Activities per defined timelines. This policy is in strict accordance with the NS Proof of Vaccine Policy and will be amended as required in accordance with that policy.

As of October 4, 2021, this policy will apply to all HNS members who are 12 and older. At present, this policy does not apply to HNS members (i.e.: players) under 12 years of age or to hockey spectators.

The complete Hockey Nova Scotia COVID-19 Vaccination Policy is available on our Regulations and Policies page and is linked direclty here.

The Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association’s (PWHPA) first Secret Dream Gap tour of the 2021-22 season is coming to Truro, N.S. this November and you’re invited! 

The PWHPA showcase will take place at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre (RECC) in Truro from Nov. 12-13 and members of Hockey Nova Scotia are eligible for an exclusive ticket offer. Tickets are now being sold to Hockey Nova Scotia members in groups of 25 for just $10 per ticket (plus taxes and ticketing fees). 

To purchase tickets through this exclusive offer from our friends at the RECC, please visit the hockeynovascotia.ca website.

The RECC will be adhering to all mandated COVID-19 protocols, guidelines, and recommendations from the province and Public Health.

When the puck drops in Nova Scotia, it will mark a major milestone for women’s hockey in the region as this will be the first professional women’s hockey game to be hosted in Atlantic Canada. 

The showcase will feature Toronto (Team Sonnet), Calgary (Team Scotiabank), Montreal (Team Harvey's) and the PWHPA’s newest hub, Boston (Team Bauer). 

The teams will play one game each on Friday, with the winners from each game moving on to play in the championship game on Saturday and the losers facing off in the consolation game. Players will compete for prizes and for season ranking points. 

Come watch some of the best players in the world as they face off at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro this November! We can’t wait.

Earlier today, the province announced that the move to Phase 5 of the provincial reopening plan will be delayed until Oct. 4.

Sport Nova Scotia has provided an update on today’s announcement. You can find it at the bottom of this email.

To read the province’s press release, please click here.

As stated in Sport Nova Scotia’s update below, “Starting Oct. 4, people who are 12 and older will need to provide proof of full vaccination to participate in most events and activities that bring groups of people together. While the policy is not yet final, it will apply to participants and spectators for indoor and outdoor sports practices, games, competitions and tournaments as well as indoor and outdoor extracurricular school-based activities, including sports.”

We all need to do our part to ensure we get to Phase 5. As part of this effort, we once again strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to be vaccinated to do so.

From now until Oct. 4, we would like to remind you that we remain in Phase 4 of the province’s reopening plan. During Phase 4, players, coaches, and officials can practice, train, and compete with up to 59 people in the field of play without social distancing. You are reminded that the field of play refers to the ice surface, team benches, penalty box, timekeeper’s box, and dressing room.

Hockey Nova Scotia applied for and received special exemption from the province and Sport Nova Scotia to allow for a group of this size to be permitted in the field of play during Phase 4. It allows for competition between two teams. To learn more about Phase 4 and what it means for hockey, please click here.

We know you will likely have a lot of questions about today’s announcement, the implementation of this policy, as well as the exception policy that the province is still developing. We will continue to work with Sport Nova Scotia and the province to seek clarity around these issues and we will update you as we receive more information.

As always, we would like to thank you all for your hard work and continued support.

Yours in Hockey,

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

Sport Nova Scotia

COVID-19 Update: September 14, 2021

Today the province announced that Nova Scotia will delay moving into phase 5 of the reopening plan until October 4.  Starting Oct. 4, people who are 12 and older will need to provide proof of full vaccination to participate in most events and activities that bring groups of people together. While the policy is not yet final, it will apply to participants and spectators for indoor and outdoor sports practices, games, competitions and tournaments as well as indoor and outdoor extracurricular school-based activities, including sports.

We will continue to update you as more information about the details of the vaccine policy become available to us.

Quick Notes

• An exception policy for people who cannot get vaccinated because of a valid medical or behavioural reason is being developed.
• Children who turned 12 between January 1 and October 4 this year will have until December 31 to attend events and activities while they get vaccinated; children who turn 12 after October 4 will have three months from their birthday.

Link: Province of Nova Scotia Press Release: September 14

Regards,
SNS Communications