A message from the President
Hello BCHL Parents,Well the playoffs have begun and I thought it was only appropriate to send an update on the rules for the playoffs and some other house keeping items.
First, I would like to congratulate Thom Foster who recently won the Brantford Sports Council Award, for Sports Volunteer of the Year. It's nice to see one of our very own volunteers get recognized for their contribution and dedication to the children in our community. Thank you for all your years of commitment.
Now for a quick playoff rule update. Each team will play each other twice during the round robin (with some additional rules for our 5 team divisions). At the end of the round robin, the team (with the exception of Tyke) with the most points will be the first team given the opportunity to represent our league in the Alliance House League Championships - it's not the team who wins the league championship game. If the first place team does not want to attend the Alliance House League tournament, it will be awarded to the next team and so on. In the case of the tie, it will be determined by leagues tie breaking formula for playoffs.
During the game the coach's are given only the last 3 minutes of close games to play the players as they choose. Up until then it will be equal ice time and we do expect that equal ice will be on a "per game" basis. If a coach is not operating under the equal ice rules, the convenor will give the offending coach a 2 minute bench minor. If you have any concerns please bring to your VP's (Jr. House League VP's are Shari Moore and Mike Tacredi, Sr. House League VP's are Dustin Collier and Rich Dawdy) to discuss.
Stop time is only in the last minute of the 3rd period if the game is within 5 goals for Tyke up to Bantam and 4 goals for Midget. We will be implementing offsides for the tykes going forward to teach the kids the rules (phasing them in over the season). This will also help better prepare those kids who are moving up to Novice next season.
I continue to be very pleased that we have not received complaints relating to abuse of officials and would expect the same for the playoffs. I appreciate that we all want to see the kids play their best and we sometimes feel that the refs miss a call, but it's important to set a good example. I would also like to remind parents that there is going to be body contact at all levels of hockey and the ref will make calls based on intent. There is no body checking at any level of house league (or Select) and the refs will be calling head shots no matter the intent. If you have any concerns with the officiating, please bring them to the attention of the VP's, as we have regular communication with the referees associate and can ensure your concerns are being shared.
Now for some house keeping. I mentioned at the beginning to the year that I would like to see the league/players get more involved in giving back to our community. As such, the league will be entering a team this year in the Hike for Hospice which supports the Stedman Hospice here in Brantford. The hospice is currently trying to raise funds to renovate the current location to be able to add more beds that are very much needed. I strongly encourage as many of our players and families to join our team for the hike and participate with the fundraising events which will help support the families in our community. We will be presenting the cheque from the fundraiser's at the Hike on May 6th.
It's on the theme of giving back that I'm proud to announce another initiative of the BCHL to give back to those players that set a great example by giving back to our league and community. A motion was recently made and carried that will now provide a bursary of $500 toward post secondary education each year for 1 player that is in their last year of High School. The successful candidate will have to apply by the end of the season and a committee will determine the successful applicant. The application and eligibility requirements will soon be posted on our site.
We will be having our banquet on Saturday, April 28th - doors open at 10:30 AM. The banquet is free for all players and is $10 per family to attend. This is always a great event and allows us to recognize the great efforts that are displayed throughout the season and share in some off ice festivities - I look forward to seeing everyone there! As we get closer to the date, we will have people around the rink selling tickets.
The Annual General Meeting is another event I hope everyone will attend. It will be held on Tuesday, May 2nd at 7 PM in the Civic Centre Auditorium. This is a great opportunity to come and provide feedback and vote for the positions that we will be filling for next years board and committee's. I hope you can make it out and get involved. I thank everyone for making this a great season to date and I wish all teams the best of luck during the play offs and I look forward to all the excitement around the rink.
Yours in hockey,
Jamie Lavalley
President, BCHL
