The Estevan Minor Hockey Association has been awarded a male midget AAA hockey team for the 2020-21 season that will represent all of southeast Saskatchewan.
Chad Farr, who is the vice-president of the Estevan Minor Hockey Association (EMHA) and chairperson of the committee trying to bring midget AAA hockey to Estevan, made the announcement Tuesday evening in a letter posted on the EMHA's Facebook page.
The team will be known as the Estevan Bears and will play in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL).
“It is my pleasure to notify our association, the City of Estevan and the entire Zone 1 region that the Estevan Midget AAA Bears Hockey Club has received a successful bid and will be entering a team into the SMAAAHL for the upcoming 2020-/2021 season,” Farr wrote in the letter.
“The support our committee has received has been overwhelming and we thank everyone for that.”
The EMHA announced earlier this fall that it had submitted a bid to bring male midget AAA hockey to Estevan. The team would ice players from throughout the southeast region.
Top young male hockey players from Estevan, Weyburn and other southeast communities have been forced to leave home at the age of 15-17 and head elsewhere to play midget AAA hockey.
Warman was also awarded a team for next season. The Beardy's Blackhawks and the Notre Dame Argos will not be returning next season; the Notre Dame Hounds will still be in the league.
The Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins will continue to play in the Saskatchewan Minor AA Hockey League.
This week’s edition of Southeast Lifestyles will have more on this story.
