Hi OCMHA Parents and Players.
 
Its been a long 5 months since most of you have been on the ice.   It felt good to watch a few NHL games this week.  I'm hoping all of you are able to get back to playing hockey this fall.

Although we are not able to offer a traditional hockey program this season, we are pleased to announce a return to hockey program that we hope will be enjoyable for everyone.
 
We are going to split the year into two ~10-week sessions, fall (Oct – Dec) and Winter (Jan – March).   We will be opening registrations for the Fall Program on August 13^th.  
 
In order to comply with the Province’s emergency orders, public health directives, City of Ottawa facilities management policies as well as Hockey Canada directives, we are required to introduce modified programming for the upcoming season and expect to take the ice in early October.  

The program is going to be focused on skill development for the younger divisions (U7, U9, U11 and U13) and scrimmages for the older divisions (U15 and U18).  

Currently the City of Ottawa is restricting the number of on ice participants to 20 with a maximum of 25 in the facility. The City of Ottawa has prohibited spectators in any arena.

As per the Emergency Order, the maximum number of individuals that can be placed in an indoor event is 50 so we will be creating bubbles of 50 which includes both players and coaches, and volunteers.

Fall Program details:
 

• Program starts in October and ends in December (~10 weeks).  
• 2x50 minute ice times a week for all levels.   U7 (IP) and U18 will have the option of choosing a 1 ice time (50 min) per week format.
• The 1st week of all programs will have 1 ice time to allow for coaches, parents, players to get accustomed to protocols and allow time to implement any changes to the protocols/processes that may be required for the 2nd week.
• Younger divisions (U13 and younger) will focus on Skill development
  • We may introduce scrimmages provided we can maintain physical distancing guidelines.
• Older divisions (U15 and U18) will scrimmage but must maintain physical distancing.
  • There will be modified rules to encourage physical distancing which may include:
    • No face offs
    • Larger crease to avoid scrums in front of the net.
    • Essentially play as if you are not wearing any equipment.

 

• No officials will be used
• Players must arrive fully dressed. Dressing rooms can be used only for tying skates.
• It is mandatory that all individuals wear a mask in public places of the facility.  A mask is not required when on the ice.
• Bench staff must wear a mask while on the bench but are not required to wear a mask on the ice. Players are not required to wear a mask on the bench.
• Jerseys and socks will not be provided for this program.  Players will be asked to have a light (white) and dark (black/blue/red) practice jersey for scrimmaging.  We are negotiating a group price for practice jerseys with a local distributor, the jerseys will not be included in your registration fee.  More info will be provided by the end of august.
• No physical contact between players; proper distances must be maintained even in scrimmage play.
• We will create pods of 18 players, each pod will be paired with a 2nd pod to create a bubble of 36 players to allow for variety in scrimmage play.  Divisions that are not scrimmaging will not be mixing pods.
• No sort outs or tryouts.
• Players are assigned to a “bubble” based on coach assessment from last year trying to keep kids in a bubble of similar skill set.
• Maximum 2 coaches and 1 trainer and 4 parent helpers will be assigned to a pod.
• Parent helpers tie skates, manage hand sanitation for those entering and exiting the rink, ensuring the 2-deep rule for coaches is respected if players require assistance, etc.
• No player affiliation.
• No player/coach/parent movement between bubbles can occur (e.g., no coaching/volunteering for two teams at different levels, no affiliation).

Health and Security Protocols

• Members must follow all the health protocols mandated by the Ontario Government, Ottawa Public Health, and the City of Ottawa.
• Players/coaches/volunteers will be required to submit to a wellness questionnaire prior to entering the facility before each session.
• Should the hockey association receive a notification of a positive test from one of our members, the entire bubble will be shut down for the time recommended by OPH. 
• If sessions are cancelled by the City, we will inform people of any refund based on our financial obligations to the City.

Registrations

If you are interested in the program, we will be opening online registration August 13.   In previous years we have been flexible with late registrations, however due to the need to ensure we have the maximum number of kids on the ice (18) and limitations of movement of kids between bubbles we will not allow registrations beyond Sept 7th.    Any requests beyond Sept 7th will be placed on a waiting list and will only be accommodated if space is available.   

NOTE:  We have modified our refund policy for this program should a child withdraw.   

If the program is shut down by the City for public health reasons, ie a positive Covid 19 test, we are still obligated to fulfill our contractual obligations to the City, and we cannot guarantee a refund.

• Withdrawals prior to Sept 15th will receive a refund 75%.
• Withdrawals prior to the start of the program, Oct 1st, will receive a 50% refund. 
• Withdrawals prior October 31 will receive a 25% refund. No refunds will be provided after November
• Should we be unable to fill a program, we reserve the right to cancel the program and provide the participants a full refund. 

 
Fees:                                                    Frequency
U7 (Initiation)             $275                1 session per week
or
U7 (initiation)              $420                2 session per week
U9 (Novice)                $420                2 sessions per week
U11 (Atom)                 $420                2 sessions per week
U13 (Peewee)            $420                2 sessions per week
U15 (Bantam)             $420                2 sessions per week
U18 (Midget)              $420                2 sessions per week
Or
U18 (Midget)              $275                1 session per week
U21 (Juvenile)           TBD                 TBD

If you are intersted in playing juvenile this year, please contact our coordinator at juvenile@ocmha.ca
 
If you are planning to be considered for Competitive hockey this year, please see the Q&A section below regarding OCMHA and Sting registration.
 
If you have any concerns or questions please contact me. 

David Loehr,
President (president@ocmha.ca).  

 

Question and Answer:

Why can’t I coach both of my kids?

Having the same person in more than one bubble increases the risk of transmission of Covid-19 to both bubbles.  Further, if a coach or volunteer is diagnosed with COVID and is working with two teams, both bubbles may be shut down for the time recommended by OPH.  We recognize that this may not be practical in some cases, if you have a concern , please contact David Loehr (OCMHA President) (president@ocmha.ca) .

Why is there no discount for U7 (IP) this year?

Traditionally, we have between 35 – 40 kids on the ice at a time for U7 and they do not play games requiring referees.  Older levels traditionally have between 24 and 30 kids on the ice at a time and incur referee costs for ½ of their games.   The combination of more kids on the ice and no referee costs allows us to reduce the cost per player for IP in a traditional year.   This year, the fixed costs + ice costs is the same for every player.  
 
How will physical distance be maintained during scrimmages?
 
Any scrimmages should be played as if the players have no equipment on.   There will be no face offs.  Teams retreat to the blue line after a goal, offside turns the puck over to the defending team, offensive team retreats to the red line.   No scrum in front of the nets.   
 
Will U18 and U15 be doing skills based drills?
 
The expectation is that U18 and possibly U15 will be playing mostly scrimmages.

if a bubble is 36 kids, are divisions limited to 36 / 72 kids?

No, we are not playing in any leagues or tournaments in this session.   Therefore, we are not limited to any specific age grouping or division restrictions.  For instance, if U7 has 42 kids, we will move 6 of the stronger kids up to play with an appropriate bubble of U9 players based on their skill level.    A similar shift to move kids down is possible for older divisions.

Will the Winter session cost the same as the fall session?

Probably not because insurance and some other fixed costs will be covered in the first half of the year, costs for the 2nd half will be driven by ice and sanitisation costs alone.   Any increase in the number of players allowed on the ice at one time will also reduce the costs.

Can i sign up for the 2nd session if I’m not signed up for this fall session?

Yes, players will have an opportunity to play in the 2nd half, but will have an additional charge to offset cover additional fixed costs that the fall session players have already paid.

What happens if the province moves back to a stage 2 opening.

If the province were to return to stage 2 and only 10 people are allowed in an indoor setting, the cost per player would increase by at least 50%, which would likely mean we would stop play and issue refunds after covering any city mandated ice costs.  We will evaluate options with less ice for those that remain, but there would likely be additional fees to cover the increased cost of ice/player.
 

What is the process for Competitive registrations