Multiple sources are reporting that the British Colombia Hockey League has notified the Canadian Junior Hockey League that they will be withdrawing from CJHL membership as of the 2021-2022 season.

TJHN has confirmed from BCHL team sources that a letter was in fact sent to the CJHL informing the CJHL of the BCHL’s intent to leave last week.

Other sources that have not been confirmed are reporting that the BCHL will also leave the umbrella of Hockey Canada.

According to statements made “off the record” the BCHL has made it clear that they feel they are better than, or above the rest of the other CJHL members when it comes to level of play. Multiple sources have said the BCHL has made it clear they feel other “Junior A” leagues in Canada should be on a “level below” the BCHL.

One source said;

“They think they should be the USHL of Canada and the rest of us should be like NAHL teams. They think they are better than everyone and they aren’t or they would win every RBC Cup and they don’t.”

Another source said;

“They think they are loosing players to the USHL and NAHL and they aren’t. They think they are just as good as the USHL and they aren’t. They think that by leaving they can compete directly with the USHL and NAHL for player recruiting and it just won’t work.”

While the BCHL has long been a great league for NCAA player development, it is not on par with the USHL or NAHL when it comes to college commitments or level of play.

As the USHL and NAHL and now NCDC have grown and proven to NCAA coaches that they are developing players for their NCAA programs at a higher rate the BCHL has fallen behind.

As NCAA budgets have been cut, and scouting budgets have been slashed, those NCAA programs have changed where and how they scout. They no longer need to go to Western Canada to recruit NCAA players. Scouting predominantly in the United States, they save time and money. This is just the economics of hockey, and the BCHL can not change those economics.

Scouting across Canada as a whole is down, even before the pandemic. NCAA programs are simply saving money and staying home.

NCAA scouting bias has also changed. While most NCAA coaches in the past were Canadian, younger coaches and assistant coaches doing the recruiting are now American born. Coaches and scouts tend to be biased toward the leagues they know the best. This is why the leagues in the United States are so far ahead of Canada in NCAA player development.

If indeed the BCHL leaves the CJHL, and if it leaves Hockey Canada they will not rival the USHL. They will simply be seen as another league not sanctioned by a national governing body. They will not rival the NAHL and will likely see a dramatic drop off in talent within two years.

Regardless of result, the BCHL has certainly shown they have a high opinion of themselves and they are willing to alienate themselves further from the rest of Tier II Junior A hockey in Canada.

article courtesy of the junior hockey news .com

It was exactly one week ago today that the SJHL, officially called off their season due to Covid 19.

This was a bitter pill to swallow especially for all the 20 year old's in the league who won't get another opportunity to play another junior game.

The Bombers will graduate eight 20 year olds including Easton and Chase Haygarth, Reid Robertson, Zach Huber,Billy Klymchuk, Matt Flodell, Hayden Clayton and Ryder Richmond.

We did catch up with Head Coach and GM, Mike Reagan last week and he talked about how the shut down would affect the organization and the different steps the league was taking in returning to playing.

I wanted to get the player's response so I reached out to team captain and three year veteran Matt Flodell to find out how the players were feeling.

I also wanted to give the player's an opportunity for some closure on what has been a very difficult year.

You can hear Matt's full interview here: https://soundcloud.com/102-9-cfar-podcasts

The Flin Flon Bombers have announced another fundraiser to help them raise money during this pandemic and help keep Junior Hockey in Flin Flon.

The Bombers are now selling tickets for a 50/50 draw.

Tickets will be 1 for $5.00, 10 for $10.00 and 60 for $20.00.

The draw will take place on Friday April the 30th at 6:30pm.

Tickets can be purchased on line by going to the Bombers web-site at bombers.ca.

You must be a Manitoba resident or physically located in Manitoba to buy a ticket.

The Phantom Lake Soccer Club is planning on having a season but are unclear on how the season will look at this particular time.

Online registration dates will be announced soon as the soccer club continues to follow all the rules and restrictions in getting back on the field. They will be issuing a press release.

A lot of things are expected to change before the season gets going in May.

You will be able to get more information as it becomes available at phantomlakesoccer.com.

Congratulations to the Victoria under 13 Admirals on being awarded the 2020 Good Deeds Cup on behalf of Chevrolet.

This has been the 5th year that Chevrolet has given minor hockey teams from right across the country to make a difference in their community and raise money for a local charity.

With Covid,  it was a little different this year where teams were asked to come up with ideas on where to donate money to.

The Admirals have been awarded $100,000.00 to support the Children's Health Foundation of Vancouver Island.

The under 11 AA Thompson King Miners represented Northern Manitoba and were looking to donate the $100.000.00 to the Thompson Aquatic Centre to get a new pool.

You can see Thompson's bid and video on the Thompson Minor Hockey page.

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League delivered some tough news to it's teams, sponsors, communities  and fans today that the league would once again be forced to cancel the remainder of the season.

The league has been working diligently the past few months trying to put a plan together that would work and be safe for the teams that chose to take part.

The Saskatchewan Gov't and Sask Health would not approve a return to play now or the next few weeks, so the league felt they had no choice but to call it a season.

Mike Reagan, the Head Coach and GM of the Flin Flon Bombers was very involved with the process and was very dissappointed with today's announcement.

Reagan joined us for a very detailed interview today on 102.9 CFAR and explained the different ways the league was moving in getting back on the ice and what their return to play would have looked like.

You can hear the complete interview right here: https://soundcloud.com/102-9-cfar-podcasts

The Koop Geotechnical Ski Series wrapped up  on the weekend and numbers were a liitle down due to the warm temperatures and icy conditions.

18 Ladies and 8 Men came out and entered times for a number of great prizes.

Congratulations to Prestom Saam who won the Male Participation, and Debbie Burman who won for the Females. They both received a $25.00 gift certificate for the Orange Toad.

There were two Membership Draws which went to Christine Martiniuk who picked up a $25.00 gift certificate from the Orange Toad and Oden Sorensen who won a $25.00 gift certificate from Ped's Threads.

Year end total km's went to Sandra Garinger who won a ski bag from Fresh Air Experience.

The series was such a great success that the Ski Club is planning on bringing it back again next year to encourage people to stay active with cross country ski-ing.

Total reported km's that were reported this year were 6,974 which means the members were  able to ski the total distance of Canada from east to west which is 5,514 km's.

A big thank you go's out to Koop Geotechnical for sponsoring this event as well as to all the local business's that donated prizes and to all the volunteers who worked hard on the trails.

courtesy of mjhlhockey .ca

OCN Blizzard Jr. A Hockey Club are accepting applications for the position of Athletic Therapist/Equipment Manager. This is a full time, seasonal position with a start date of August 15, 2021.

The successful applicant must have excellent communication and organization skills as well as be able to work both independently and in a team environment.

Responsibilities/Duties for this position include, but are not limited to the following:
• Assist in the prevention, assessment and treatment of injuries
• Responsible for giving players medical treatment they may need prior to, during or after practices/games
• Provide medical coverage at all practice sessions and games, both home and away
• Develop an Emergency Action Plan
• Provide injury evaluation, management, and rehabilitation
• Develop a return to play plan for injured players
• Coordinate treatment with physicians/medical personnel
• Provide an injury report/update to the coaching staff daily
• Maintain all medical records pertaining to treatment required
• Coordinate medical insurance claims
• Maintain team equipment: Sharpen skates, perform minor fixes, cleaning and laundry throughout the season
• Keep an up to date inventory of all equipment
• Order equipment as required
Desired Qualifications an asset but not a requirement:
• Graduation from an accredited Athletic Therapy University/College program
• Respect in Sport
• Hockey Canada Safety Program
• First Aid and CPR
• Certified Athletic Therapist (CATA or NATA)
• Criminal Record Check

Salary and Term will be based on experience.

Please send Resume & Cover Letter to keane5@mymts.net any questions can be directed to Billy Keane Coach/GM 204-250-5565

Closing date to apply is April 15, 2021

FFMH is working hard to provide fair refunds to their membership.

The refunds are prorated based on 6 weeks of hockey completed minus the Hockey Canada/Hockey Manitoba insurance cost.

Refunds will be given as a credit to your Hockey Canada account and can be applied to next year's registration costs.

If you prefer to have your refund paid out to you, please state this in an email along with the division of your player to treasurerffmh@gmail.com and a cheque will be mailed to you.

Please note no refunds will be issued until your team jersey has been returned, U11 Atom is not required to return their jersey.

Thank you for your patience, refunds will be completed by March 31, 2021.

FFMH  look forward to return to hockey next season .

While the SJHL continues to wait to hear back from the government on getting back on the ice, the WHL East bubble has started playing games in Regina.

The bubble consists of the 5 teams from Saskatchewan including Moose Jaw, Swift Current, Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina. Manitoba's two teams are also taking part from Brandon and Winnipeg.

The Flin Flon Bombers have a number of players  who are playing in the WHL including five in the East Division.

Marek Schneider- Saskatoon Blades, Brad Ginnell- Moose Jaw Warriors, who has two assist's  in three games. Riley Ginnell- Brandon Wheat Kings ,Rylan Thiessen - Brandon Wheat Kings, one assist in two games and Rhett Rhinehart who is a point per game player with Saskatoon.

Local product Justin Lies is suiting up with the Vancouver Giants who has 6 career points in the WHL and did suit up for his hometown team for this year's home opener.

The Phantom Lake Soccer Club continues to move ahead in hope that they will be able to have a season this Spring.

They have welcomed three new people to their board, President, Jalene Dease, Treasurer, Faryn Bergman and Secretary, Deanna Petrash.

The soccer club continues to be in touch with the MSA and the last update they had was in early March.

The MSA has only ruled on indoor sites with 10 cohorts allowed on the field or turf in designated areas and masks to be worn at all times. Those cohorts can't intersect at any time.

They will be meeting with the MSA again in the next few days before having a meeting next week on going forward.

The Jimmy Jackfish Fishing Derby wrapped up this past weekend with 116 people from all over the north  taking part.

This was the first time they ever did an event virtually and it was well received. There were a lot of big fish caught in all the categories.

They are hoping to return to an in person derby once again next year.

Congratulations to Flin Flon's Corey Grant and Colin Hynes on catching the two biggest fish in the Burbot event.

Matt Hagborg and Cliff Salisbury from the Pas caught the two biggest fish in the Jackfish category with Cranberry's Gord Fidierchuk finishing third.

In the Walleye event, the two biggest fish were caught by Matt Paul and Devin Salisbury from the Pas.

Even though the ice is out at most SJHL arena's, the league is still working very hard to have some type of conclusion to the season.

If the league does go  ahead,  all the teams will play out of one bubble which is looking like it could be Weyburn. 7 teams are committed including the Flin Flon Bombers.

It was being reported that Estevan would also be in the mix, but the Sask Gov't said all games must be played in one centre.

Mike Reagan,  the Flin Flon Bombers Coach and GM is one of the coach's who is in constant communication with the Sask Gov't and was a special guest on today's SJHL At Noon.

Reagan said there has been a lot of positive communication and feels the meetings with the Saskatchewan Government are going very well.

" I think we feel we can see the finish line and of course a lot has to happen before we get there and that is not saying we are going to get there.  There are a lot of positive things that are going back and forth between the committee and Gov't. I feel more confident today with the way things are moving than I did last week."

Reagan also said the reason why things  are taking so long as they want to make sure they get everything right and want this to be a success. They are working off the WHL platform and feel this is helping them with their proposal.

The SJHL continues to do everything they can to fulfill their part and do not have a definitive date to start as they are more concerned with making sure they do everything right in getting back on the ice.

You can hear Mike's interview from the SJHL here. https://fb.watch/4fmlxYDPkq/ 

Week 7 was another big week for the Koop Geotechnical Ski Series with a record 88 entries for the week.

There were 85 entries from the ladies and 30 from the men.

Here are this week's past prize winners:

Male Participation-Bill Fulford $25.00 Gift Certificate to Eddy’s Family Foods

Female Participation-Emily Sparling-$25.00 gift certificate to Eddy’s Family Foods

Group Distance Draw Winner-Paolo Strappazzon-$25.00 Gift Certificate to Rock ‘n Diner and Bakery

Fastest Male-Mike Spencer- 12:55 for 3.26 km-$25.00 Gift Certificate to Rock ‘n Diner and Bakery

Fastest Female-Penny Grove-21:30 for 3.26 km-$25.00 gift certificate to Ped’s Threads

This will be the final week for the 2021 Koop Geotechnical Series, so there will be some special events.

• No designated trail, but  they  recommend skiing the Valley trails and the Carlisle due to the icing.
• Anyone who sends in their kms for the week gets entered in the Participation Award.
• Anyone who sends in their total kilometers skied this year gets entered in the Group Distance Draw for a ski bag from Fresh Air Experience.
• We will be drawing two names (one male, one female) from Flin Flon Ski Club Membership list to say thank you to our members for supporting our club.

Thanks  to Koop Geotechnical Services for sponsoring this event and thank you to everyone for participating this week. A special thank you to the groomers who keep the  trails in great shape.

The Flin Flon Bombers are one of the most illustrious hockey teams in the world and have had a number of  quality players wear that beautiful maroon jersey over the decades.

The 60's and 70's saw them graduate a number of players to the NHL and various leagues around the world.

Even though the Bombers no longer play in the WHL, they continue to have a quality program in the SJHL and a number of their players continue to excel after their junior career is done.

Jesse Mychan, is one of those players who is having a fabulous career with the Allen Americans of the ECHL.  Mychan just picked up his fifth  career hat-trick leading the Americans to a 6 to 2 win over the Utah Grizzlies on the weekend.

Mychan suited up for 81 games for the Bombers between 2009 and 2011 and ended up with 39 points before moving on to the WHL with Everett and Tri- Cities.

Congratulations to former Bombers, Zach Bannister and Troy Quinn on recently winning the Division 3  WLAC Championship.

They suit up for the University of Wisconsin/ Superior who beat the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point 3 to 2 in regulation.

Due to Covid , a  year end tournament took place and this was the Yellow Jackets first Championship in a decade.

Bannister came over last season in a mid season trade with Melville and collected 15 points in 18 games. He also had 2 points in 4 playoff games.

Troy Quinn was also a mid season trade with Merritt of the BCHL, and he put up 13 points in 35 games.

The Flin Flon Bomber Player Raffle is now sold out, and the organization would like to thank everyone who purchased a ticket and all the business's for donating prizes.

The draws will take place April the 4th.

The Koop Geotechnical Ski Series is coming off another great week as they held their virtual Centaloppet in honor of Val and Ivor Hedman.

This would of been the 46th year of recognizing the Hedman's contribution to cross country ski-ing here in our communities.

62 people took part and the group easily surpassed the group distance goal of 520 kms, reaching a season high of 867 kms for the group.

Here is a complete list of this past weekend's winners.

 Fastest Skier Male-Brett Unrau- 3.21 kms in 10:14

Fastest Skier Female- Ruth Unrau-3.21 kms in 15:41

Youngest Skier-4 years old- Luke Unrau- 3.21 km in 45:10

Oldest Skier- Larry Fancy- Speedy Seventies- 3.21 in 16:23

Best Costume-Hollee Babcock

Largest family-tie (5 people)- Unrau and Peever families.

This week is combination of the moonlight, valley and half valley trails in a figure eight. Start from the chalet going counter clockwise on the moonlight trail, connecting to Duane Davis's trail, then do the figure eight taking the half valley trail twice and ending up back at the chalet.

They will once again be looking for male and female participation, fastest male and female times and a group distance goal of 1,042 kms.

Thanks again to Koop Geotechnical for sponsoring the event and a big thank you to all the business's for donating prizes and all the volunteers for all your work on the trails.

The Norman Northstars did manage to get in 7 games before play was suspended in early November for the Manitoba Midget Triple A League due to Covid.

The ice is out at the CA. Nesbitt Arena and teams will not be returning to finish out the 2020 and 2021 season.

Teams were hoping for some type of return to finish out the year but  with all the restrictions and remaining health concerns , league officials decided to cancel the rest of the season.

The league said in a press release that teams could get back on the ice and practise but games would not be permitted.

Levi Taylor,  the league commissioner thanked everyone for their patience and understanding and looks forward to seeing everyone back  at the rink in the fall.

Flin Flon's Hunter Lee is in Rome Italy this weekend for the prestigious  Matteo Pelicone Wrestling Event.

Hunter will be wrestling sometime between 10:30 am and 3pm Italy time  on Sunday which works out to about 3am Canada time.

This event will feature some of the best wrestlers in the world and will be a Senior Worlds Ranking Series so the competition will be very tough.

Hunter will be one of the younger wrestlers competing and due to Covid , the Canadian team has not had the intense training and competition that a lot of the other countries have had.

Hunter has already had lots of success on the world stage and is looking forward to the big challenge for him and the Canadian team this weekend.

You will be able to follow his progress with Huskie Wrestling, Canada Wrestling Lutte or United World Wrestling.

Despite Covid, it has been a good year at the Flin Flon Ski Club with lots of people coming out to enjoy the different programs and facilities.

The Ski Club would like to thank all the people and groups for their generous donations with help from the Northern Neighbors Foundation and Cross Country Saskatchewan.

A big thanks to Tom and Linda Guthrie who donated a door for their recently constructed building. Karen Clark from the Norva Centre created the unique design, and George Fontaine clear coated the door in his garage.

The Northern Fellowship Chapel in Creighton donated two beautiful wooden pews for benches.

Duane Davis finished installing the door and the club now has a beautiful addition to the ski facilities.

Ski Club members Shaun Nabe and Dean Grindle will lead a work bee in the spring to install plywood inside the building.

The Ski Club wants to recognize all these donations and want to thank  the community for all their support.

The Manitoba Winter Games will be returning to Niverville from February the 26th to March the 5th, 2022.

One of the new sports being offered for the first time will be Futsal.

Futsal is basically indoor soccer that will have 5 players on the court at one time including the goaltender.

The Manitoba Winter Games is looking for coach's for the entire province including the Northern Region.

They will be looking for two coach's, including one for the male team and one for the female team.

Applications can be found at manitobasoccer.ca and must be submitted by March the 15th.

Days and weeks continue to go by, and still no word from the SJHL on when they can get back on the ice and try to crown a league champion.

The league continues to hold out hope with the AJHL planning to get back on the ice and the WHL already playing games with the Saskatchewan and Manitoba based teams playing out of a bubble in Regina.

The ice is out at the Whitney Forum and I hear it is just a matter of time for a lot of other SJHL centres.

The plan remains to go into a bubble which will likely be split into two different locations. The league was looking at three different hubs at one time but there is some speculation that not all 12 teams will participate.

Flin Flon Bomber President, Travis Rideout was on 102.9 CFAR yesterday and indicated that the league Governors had submitted a solid proposal to the Sask Gov't and were still waiting to hear back.

" We have been in a lot of conversations within the league and it seems we are meeting every other day. There is still a desire to get back on the ice and the league governors and coach's are working very hard to try and make something happen. We are waiting to hear from the Saskatchewan Gov't and Sask Health to make their decision."

The league is considering playing 15 regular season games and then a year end tournament would take place.

It is business as usual for the Bombers in the mean time as they are offering refunds for any- one who purchased a season ticket.

Remember, there are three different options including a complete refund, donation back to the team for a tax receipt and you can exchange your refund for items at the Bomber store.

The deadline to let the organization know your plans is March the 31st at 204-687-4404 or flinflonbombers@mymts.net.

The club also announced new hours for the store on Main Street which will be open Wednesday and Friday 2 to 6. They will also be open periodically on Saturdays, so keep your eyes on social media.

The Koop Geotechnical Ski Series is coming off their best week yet.

A record, 71 skiers took part with the ladies making up 49 of the entries with the other 22 coming from the men.

They easily achieved their group total for participation with skiers making it to the Laronge Ski Club of 322 km's. They did a whopping 580 kms.

Prize winners included:

Male Participation- Dave Koop- $25.00 gift certtificate from the Bulk Bin

Female Participation- Cindy Lee- $25.00 gift certificate Chicken Chef

Group Distance Winner- Rick Hall- $25.00 gift certificate Art Emporium.

Fastest Male, Duane Davis and Fastest Female Charlotte Unrau with both winning prizes from Fresh Air Experience. 

This Sunday (March the 7th) would of marked the 46th annual Centaloppet in honor of the founders Val and Ivor Hedman.

They won't be able to gather like the past but they are hoping for over 100 skiers to come out and have fun and celebrate the spirit of ski-ing.

They will be handing out lots of prizes,  so make sure to enter your times to bigisland 5959@gmail.com.

We will announce all the winners next Monday.

The MJHL may have cancelled the rest of their regular season but there will be some hockey to look forward to.

The league has announced a Prospect Development Camp which will take place in Winnipeg at the Seven Oaks Arena from July the 14th to the 18th,

The camp will be an invite only and will be geared towards prospects born between 2004-2005 and will be suiting up in the MJHL for the upcoming season.

The camp is expected to be attended by scouts from the WHL, USHL, NCAA. U-Sports and NHL.

“The MJHL Prospect Development Camp provides the next generation of MJHL Players with the knowledge and resources to be successful both on and off the ice, an experience of what playing in the MJHL is all about, and the platform to showcase themselves to coaches and scouts from all levels of hockey,” explained MJHL Commissioner, Kevin Saurette.