WESTLOCK – Although nothing has been officially announced, it appears the North Central Hockey League will resume operations this fall, ushering in the return of the Westlock Senior ‘AA’ Warriors.
Warriors player/coach Mike Ivey said they’re optimistic the league will return to play as last October member teams voted 8-1 to pull the pin on the 2020/21 season due to COVID-19. Ivey noted that the club will also be included in an ice-user meeting with the town later this month to confirm when they’ll be taking ice.
“I don’t want to say ‘official’ because I don’t think the league wants to say that yet. We had a (league) meeting about a month ago and things were looking pretty good. They’re going at it like we are going to have a season, but they couldn’t give an official confirmation yet,” said Ivey.
“We also have a scheduling meeting with the league coming up right away so I think we’ll have a better idea after that. But based on where the province is at currently, I’m thinking it will probably be a go and we’re excited for sure.”
Ivey said when they do take to the ice in September for conditioning they’ll have a strong group of vets returning. And as always they’re looking for fresh recruits to help round out the roster — interested players can contact the club via their social media channels on Facebook and Twitter, while Ivey is available at 780-349-1977.
“We have a really good core coming back, but it’s always nice to bring in new guys as well. Our character and our dressing room atmosphere is great. But we want to keep getting better as we’ve had some OK seasons and that’s something we want to improve on,” he continued. “The league is pretty tough so we want to have a good try-out and get some fresh blood in.”
The year off due to COVID has many, including Ivey, chomping at the bit to get back on the ice. When September rolls around they’ll be hitting the ice every weekend in preparation for the season, which if it goes forward, will start in October.
“I know we have a lot of guys who have been dying to play hockey again and are rarin’ to go,” he added.
