"Shrink The Rink" Set For Lloydminster

Lloydminster Minor Hockey Association (LMHA) is hosting two days of special events to demonstrate the new guidelines, goals and expectations for the Initiation Program (players aged six years and under) in Alberta.

Friday evening (October 16) features a “hot stove session” for minor hockey coaches. The panel discussion includes a number of experienced coaches, as well as representatives from Hockey Canada and Hockey Alberta. The panel will discuss Initiation Program guidelines, as well as Long Term Player Development (LTPD).

Initiation and Novice division coaches in Lloydminster will be attending. Coaches in other divisions, as well as coaches from minor hockey associations in Zone 2, are also invited. The hot stove session will be held at the Days Inn, 5411-44 Street in Lloydminster, starting at 6:30 pm. Deadline for registration is Tuesday, October 13, by contacting the LMHA office.

On Saturday (October 17), Initiation and Novice division players will be the focus of attention during “Shrink the Rink”, a day filled with cross-ice games, and other fun activities, to demonstrate the benefits of the Initiation guidelines and LTPD. The day starts with opening ceremonies, a laser light show, and player introductions. As well, there will be open question and answer sessions during the day where parents, coaches and members of the public can gather more information about the Initiation Program. The Servus Sports Centre is located at 5202-12 Street in Lloydminster.

Hockey Alberta announced new guidelines for the Initiation Program in April. The guidelines are based on Hockey Canada’s LTPD model. The goal is to make the first impression of hockey a positive one for all players and parents. The guidelines, along with information for instructors and parents, can be reviewed and downloaded from the Players section of the Hockey Alberta website.

For more details on the hot stove session and Shrink the Rink event, go to www.lloydminsterminorhockey.com.

Deadline to register is Tuesday, October 13.

For more information, contact:

Darrell Wagner, General Manager,
Lloydminster Minor Hockey Association
Phone: 780-872-0525
Cell: 780-871-3075
Email: [email protected]

After an extensive five-month selection process, Hockey Alberta has announced the roster for the Team Alberta U18 Female squad that will compete in Hockey Canada’s National Women’s Under-18 Championship in Huntsville, Ontario, November 4-8.

For the list of players named to the U18 Female roster, click here.

The roster features five returning players from the Team Alberta squad that won bronze at the 2015 Canada Winter Games in Prince George, BC.

The staff for the team includes: Scott Rivett (head coach), Dan Auchenberg and Carla MacLeod (assistant coaches), Adam Tresoor (video coach), Amanda Tapp (goalie coach), Farah Mukadam (athletic therapist), Deanna Esch (equipment manager), Heather Osgood (strength and conditioning) and Barry Medori (coach mentor).

“We’re excited about the level of talent on this year’s roster,” said Mike Kraichy, Hockey Alberta’s Manager of Team Alberta. “Narrowing down the roster to just 20 players is never easy, but we believe we’ve put together a team that can play well and compete in any situation.”

The National Championship event brings together the top U18 female players from across Canada in an eight-team tournament, featuring teams from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario (Red and Blue), Quebec and Atlantic.

Team Alberta kicks off the National U18 Championship on Wednesday, November 4 against British Columbia, followed by a tilt against Ontario Blue Thursday, November 5. The team concludes preliminary play against Team Atlantic on Friday, November 6.

Prior to the Nationals, the U18 squad will play an exhibition series in Calgary on Saturday, October 17 at 5 p.m. against the Bantam AAA Calgary Royals, and Sunday, October 18 at 11 a.m. against the Bantam AAA Calgary Bisons. Both games will be played at the Kyle Stuart Arena, located at Edge School for Athletes, 33055 Township Road 250 in Calgary.

In April, Hockey Alberta announced its intention to support non-body checking initiatives in Bantam and Midget divisions across Alberta.

Since then, 10 associations have indicated they will offer either leagues, divisions, or tiers that are non-body checking:

- Edmonton
- Strathcona
- Cochrane
- Grande Prairie
- Calgary
- Fort McMurray
- Canmore
- Sherwood Park
- Airdrie
- Okotoks

In addition, a number of associations have indicated plans to schedule non-body checking exhibition games.

Hockey Alberta is also making the necessary changes to its permits and sanctions site, where associations can now request a sanction to host a non-body checking hockey tournament.

The process to sanction a non-body checking tournament is the same as usual, however an additional drop-down menu will appear when either Bantam or Midget is selected, offering a selection of either Bantam non-body checking or Midget non-body checking.

Hockey Alberta will continue to work with participating associations throughout the 2015-2016 season to track and share the progress of this initiative, with an overall summary report to be compiled at the end of the season, including the results of a satisfaction survey.