Lucas Punkari
With the ice already put in at the ’52 Canadians Arena, and the same process set to get underway inside the adjacent Ice for Kids Arena, the Fort Frances Girls’ Women’s Hockey Association is ready to get another season started.
First up on the agenda is registration, which will take place tonight and tomorrow (Aug. 29-30) from 6-8 p.m. at the Memorial Sports Centre.
“The registration form is available on the league website, so parents can fill that out before they come to the arena,” noted FFGWHA president Ron MacKinnon.
“Also, we want to let the parents know that they need to bring a copy of their child’s health card and their birth certificate to the registration as it helps speed up the registration process, especially with any new players,” he added.
While exact ice times are still to be determined, the ‘AA’ competitive teams are set to hold their tryouts in early September, with regular league action slated to get underway on the final weekend of the month.
Something new for the FFGWHA this season will be a Midget competitive team, which will be made up of 15- to 17-year-olds and be coached by Dan Jean.
“There was some interest last year about having a team at that level,” MacKinnon noted.
“For those girls who don’t end up making the Muskie team, this will give them an opportunity to play some extra hockey,” he reasoned.
Other than that, though, MacKinnon said it’s pretty much status quo for the FFGWHA for the 2012-13 season, although there are a couple of age groups he’ll be keeping an eye on this winter.
“The IP league for the four- to six-year-olds is one that we have a lot of interest in,” he noted.
“It started last year with nine kids and this year we are anticipating close to 20, and that is something that we think can help to feed into all of our leagues as the girls get involved at an early age.
“Also last year, there were a group of women who got together to play on Sunday nights,” MacKinnon added.
“And while we don’t have an official contact for that yet, anyone who is interested can come and put their name down to be contacted for that.
“The only requirement is that you have to be 18 years of age or older,” he said.
Off the ice, the FFGWHA still is looking to fill a couple of roles behind the scenes, including a treasurer and conveners for each of the leagues.
“We need someone right away to fill in the spot of treasurer, especially before our next meeting on Sept. 4,” MacKinnon stressed.
Anyone interested in that role, or in being a convener, can contact MacKinnon at 274-2619.
Any questions regarding the registration nights can be directed to Wendy DeGagne at 274-1121.
