Heritage Junior Hockey League, Ranchland Hockey Leagues cancelled

With other hockey leagues across the province shutting down for the season in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Heritage Junior Hockey League and Ranchland Hockey League followed suit on Wednesday.

That will spell the end of the season for the Coaldale Copperheads of the HJHL as well as the Lethbridge Lightning of the RHL.

Hockey Alberta and its Senior and Junior leagues unanimously decided to conclude all regular league play for the remainder of the 2020-21 season during a meeting Monday.

The decision applies to five Senior Leagues (the RHL, North Peace Hockey League, North Central Hockey League, Sask-Alta Hockey League and East Central Alberta Senior Hockey League) as well as eight Junior Leagues (the HJHL, North West Junior Hockey League, North Eastern Alberta Junior B Hockey League, Capital Junior Hockey League, Heritage Junior Hockey League, Hockey Calgary Junior B and C, Noralta Junior Hockey League and the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League).

The HJHL and the Copperheads began the season in late-October, but didn’t get too far into November before the pandemic sent the league into lockdown.

The last league game was played Nov. 8 as the Stettler Lightning defeated the Ponoka Stampeders 6-4 in Ponoka.

The Copperheads managed two games, a 5-2 win over the Medicine Hat Cubs Oct. 31 at the Coaldale Sportsplex before dropping a 5-4 shootout decision in the rematch against the Cubs Nov. 1 in Medicine Hat.

League play is concluded for this season, but the opportunity for teams to return to on-ice activity at some point remains a possibility.

In the Government of Alberta’s “A Path Forward”, Step 3 outlines the potential return of ‘adult team sports’ which could potentially occur in mid to lateMarch.

Hockey Alberta will continue to work closely with government representatives to explore all options that could allow players to return to on-ice activity.