Another season is underway in the North Central Minor Hockey League in northern Saskatchewan.
There’s 24 teams throughout four divisions this season. Teams come from various communities, including La Ronge and Pinehouse.
New this year for the league is a bantam contact division, but officials say they are emphasizing safety in that division.
“Our biggest concern right now is the safety of players with head contact,” said Devin Bernatchez, the president of the league. “With females playing in that division as well, we want to set a code out there that — we want people to feel that they are safe.”
Over 300 kids are playing in the North Central Minor Hockey League across northern Saskatchewan. Officials say they are expecting to have over 70 female players this season.
“Our hope someday is to have an all-female division, where girls in peewee and bantam perhaps, and even midget, play against each other, like they do in the cities,” said Bernatchez. “I think there’s some great female hockey players here in the north that are leading their teams.”
For more information, you can find the North Central Minor Hockey League on Facebook.
(PHOTO: Action from a North Central Minor Hockey League game. Photo courtesy of Kevin Roberts, Facebook.)