By Peter Watts /

There isn’t a town in this country that doesn’t have challenges in finding, or paying for, ice for minor hockey programs.

Hockey Canada has identified that challenge as one of the major tasks that needs to be addressed so the game can continue to grow.

The City of Regina is no exception. For months, there have been rumours the city would like to close up to three of the existing eight arenas.

There are six new sheets of ice being built at IPSCO Place and they are due to open late next year. Most of the existing arenas are 30 years old and, presumably, are expensive 
to operate.

A recently commissioned Recreation Facility Strategy suggested bedroom communities adjacent to Regina are developing their own facilities and that these would be available for the needs of minor hockey in the city.

“We’ve got about 3,000 registered players in minor hockey and we’re seeing some growth in the younger age groups,” said Hockey Regina executive director Blair Watson. “Our Tier 1 bantam and AAA midget leagues have just started and we’re just about through the evaluation process for the younger age groups. They’ll have two or three weeks of practice before their seasons get underway around November First.”

Watson pointed out minor hockey coaches in Regina are being encouraged to use a number of tools developed by Hockey Canada to help with practice planning and with 
skills development.

“The plans cover a whole season,” says Watson. “They allow a coach to organize ice-time to get the most out of the practice time available.

“They also allow for the development of players over the course of the season. A drill in October can be enhanced and expanded after Christmas as the skills of the players allow.”

The big pre-Christmas minor hockey event in Regina is the bantam AA Challenge next month. It’s named in honour of long-time minor hockey supporter Graham Tuer.

“It’s been going for about 20 years,” Watson said. “We’ll have 24 teams from across the Prairies taking part in the event. It’s the first big bantam tournament of the season, so a lot of WHL scouts will be here to watch the kids that they’ll be drafting next spring.”

Cougars Rebuilding

University of Regina hockey coaches, Sarah Howald and Blaine Sautner, can commiserate about a common problem.

Both are leading very young teams into action this season in the ultra-competitive Canada West conference.

The men got off to a good start with a recent 8-1 rout of provincial rival Saskatchewan.

“That’s the largest margin of victory we’ve ever had against the Huskies,” said Regina’s sports information director Braden Kopschuh. “Second-year player Kyle Ross had a hat-trick and two assists in that game. He’s a graduate of the Regina Pats and he’s going to be a key for us this season.

“We’ll be solid in goal with Brant Hilton, who had a goals-against average of 2.26 last season. He was named to both the conference and the national all-rookie team.

“We’ll be really young on the blueline. Up front, we got a kid named Dan Bohemier, who played last season at Concordia College in Edmonton. He’s been a pleasant surprise so far.”

The women’s team turned over more than half its roster from last season.

The team picked up forward Nicole Gooding, who won a national championship at Laurier. She’s now in graduate school at Regina.

The team will be counting upon goalie Lisa Urban and forward Chelsea Tekonomy, both of whom joined the team last season from the Edmonton Thunder.

Morden, Manitoba’s Brooke Einarson, who’s in her fifth and final season of eligibility, anchors what will be a very 
young defence.