Local hockey fans who have been clamouring for the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) to return finally have a little more information on the start of the season, although there are still questions lingering.
In a news release issued Friday night, the SJHL said it has received the green light to begin play immediately.
The SJHL said it would be allowed to have a maximum of 150 fans in attendance; the league later clarified that the 150-fan limit would apply to the preseason.
Fans will be required to wear masks while in arenas.
Teams are scheduling exhibition games to be played between now and Nov. 1. The Estevan Bruins said they would play four preseason games versus Weyburn.
Estevan will visit Weyburn on Oct. 23, and host Weyburn the following night. The two teams will meet again Oct. 30 in Weyburn and Oct. 31 in Estevan.
All games will start at 7:30 p.m.
As for the regular season, a date for opening night has yet to be announced. The number of fans allowed in Affinity Place also has yet to be determined.
Bruins head coach and general manager Jason Tatarnic said the first games will likely be played Nov. 6-8.
“I know it’s exciting for the coaching staff and people involved with the organization, plus the players are going to be ecstatic,” Tatarnic told the Mercury.
And while the games will be classified as preseason contests, Tatarnic expects they will have a bit more of an edge to them, due to the rivalry between the Bruins and the Wings, and since the two teams will play four times in eight days.
“Any time you play someone that amount of times, there’s always stuff that fuels a little bit of fire,” said Tatarnic. “We’ll have some first year players playing, but definitely there’ll be veterans playing those games as well. Obviously the veterans know the history of the rivalry.”
The exhibition games will also be a good opportunity to make sure they have protocols in place for the regular season that can be followed.
“It’s almost like a report card. This is what we did. Grade us and we’ll move on from it,” said Tatarnic.
He predicted each individual team would have its own issues to work out.
“We all talk about how important teamwork is on the ice for the players to be successful and for teams to be successful, and I think it’s going to be just as important with our organization and our fans,” said Tatarnic. “We’re going to have to work together to make sure we can follow the protocols.”
If the league wants to have more than 150 fans in the stands, it will be up to everyone to make it happen.
The clubs are hoping to have access to 50 per cent of the seats and standing room slots in the arenas, although the actual number would be less because some additional seats would not be sold to accommodate for social distancing.
In the case of Affinity Place, it can accommodate 2,662 fans, so 50 per cent would be 1,331. Even if the Bruins were to have 600 or 700 fans in the arena, it would be one of the largest gatherings for an event in Saskatchewan since mid-March.
The club has been holding an extended training camp since Sept. 9. Estevan had 16 forwards, 10 defencemen and two goaltenders in camp as of Saturday afternoon. Tatarnic noted they had a great practice Friday, but they’re ready to face some competition.
“It was intense, which was good, but I believe that once we get the exhibition games going, that intensity will be raised even more,” said Tatarnic.
The Bruins announced Thursday they had acquired 18-year-old defenceman Aleksa Babic from the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL for future considerations. Babic had three goals and 21 assists in 49 games last season with the Chatham Maroons of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
