Grizzlies’ hockey season set for delayed start

Fans of the Revelstoke Grizzlies can begin cheering on their favourite Junior B hockey team starting mid-November, but they won’t be able to do it from the arena.

The Kootenay International Hockey League will commence its 2020/2021 regular season on Friday, November 13 with 17 teams participating in a 30-game regular season schedule.

Current provincial government guidelines state no more than 50 people can be present in an arena, including players, coaches and officials, making it impossible to have fans in the buildings. KIJHL teams have had to plan for a season that will begin without spectators.

“We’re excited to be able to confirm a start date and season format as we solidify our preparations to drop the puck in November,” said KIJHL commissioner Jeff Dubois. “The current restrictions on sport have presented a number of difficult, but necessary hurdles as we all work towards being able to provide a safe and healthy environment for our players, staff, volunteers and fans.

“There have been, and continue to be, a number of circumstances that have put significant financial pressure on our clubs, but our goal throughout this process has been to do everything within our control to ensure that KIJHL hockey can return safely this fall,” said Dubois. “Keeping on that track has required a great deal of patience, flexibility and creativity from our member clubs. I’m very appreciative of all the work that’s been put in by so many around our league to get us to this point.”

Wranglers, Nitehawks and Braves to take year off

The Grizzlies celebrate early in the third period after a powerplay goal from Ullar Wiatzka. File Photo: Aaron Orlando/Revelstoke Mountaineer

The 2019/20 KIJHL season will proceed without the 100 Mile House Wranglers, Beaver Valley Nitehawks and Spokane Braves. The Wranglers and Nitehawks have opted to take a one-year leave of absence while the Braves are unable to compete due to ongoing travel restrictions between Canada and the United States.

“The boards of the 100 Mile House Wranglers and Beaver Valley Nitehawks have made the difficult decision to go dark for the year due to the financial impact and uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, and we respect their decisions,” says Dubois. “The situation in Spokane is unfortunate because the Braves were fully committed to competing in their 50th KIJHL season, but ultimately it was determined between the club and league to suspend operations.”

No shortage of regular season changes

Grizzlies head coach Lukas Lomicky talks to the team during practice at the Forum. File Photo by Matthew Timmins

Due to provincial health regulations and sport-specific protocols put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this KIJHL season will look different from others.

Rather than competing in the league’s four traditional divisions, member clubs will play in cohorts consisting of a maximum of four teams. The teams within each cohort will change at various points over three stages, with the regular season ending Saturday, February 26th. The 2021 postseason format for the Teck Cup will be announced at a later date.

With the delayed season start date, KIJHL teams have the option of holding extended development camps to help their players prepare for the season in a structured team environment. These camps may begin immediately under Viasport’s Phase 3 “Return to Play” guidelines.

With the format and structure of the 2020/21 regular season now confirmed, the league will now begin development of its schedule, which will be released on September 25th.