The new Yorkton Ball Hockey League, a member league of the Saskatchewan Ball Hockey League (SBHL), will be operating in Yorkton for the first time, said SBHL president Dean Crossland.
"We will be expanding into to the following four cities: North Battleford, Lloydminster, Moose Jaw and Yorkton. This will be in addition to Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert, making seven SBHL cities in total."
However, time is running out for anyone deciding whether or not they want to join. Teams are guaranteed 16 games but only have until April 1 to get applications completed and submitted, said Crossland. Costs for individual registrations are $160+GST for registrations made between March 2-April 1. After April 1 there will be a late fee of $20 applied.
To sign up a full team (guaranteed 20 games-equivalent to 16 full time players at $195); $2560 for registrations made between March 2-April 1. Registrations made after April 1 will have a late fee of $350. This year is expected to be a huge year for the sport, especially in Saskatchewan, he said, because the province will be hosting the Canadian Junior National tournament. Crossland said their purpose isn't to try and take ice hockey players away from their game but moreso to give them added conditioning during the offseason.
"Hockey players play this in the offseason. It's unreal for conditioning"
The other ideal aspect of ball hockey is that players can register together with friends as opposed to register as individuals, says Crossland. The sport of ball hockey has grown since their first year (2009). Currently there are more than 1000 members involved and over 55 teams playing.
All games are played in local hockey arenas. All SBHL cities have their own website which players can view individual and players stats at anytime. Save percentage, Points per game average etc, can all be found there. Games will be played between7-10 p.m.,Monday through Thursday (Some Sundays may occur, dependent on league size. The season will run from May to mid July (regular season and playoffs). All teams qualify for playoffs, but divisions may change from time to time.
Last year. the SBHL in Regina had each team play nine games and two divisions were created for the 10-team league. The top five played in the 'A' division and the bottom five played the 'B' division. In the first season, the focus will be to create wellbalanced teams and divisions to make for competitive games. Unlike most leagues that only offer team registrations, the SBHL offers: Individual, group and team registrations, which guarantees all registered players will play.
All free agents fill out a detailed player profile during registration and select the division they would like to play in. These two factors will determine which team you will be placed on. If you are an individual looking to play, you would register online via the site and select your division of play. You will either be picked up by a team or placed on a team of free agents that have selected the same or a similar division. For full team registrations there are many options for payments and playing types, including:full time player, half time player, spare player
The other big part of ball hockey is that anyone believing they can make the jump, could be scouted to play at the national level. "This is a scouting year for Team Canada." The Yorkton league is scheduled to begin early in May, says Crossland, who pointed to the first two days of the month as possible opening nights. More information on the league is available on www.saskballhockey.com or www.yorktonballhockey.net., or contact Crossland by phone 1 306 262 GOAL (4625). Games will consist of two 20-minute periods and will use shootouts as tie breakers.
