The Moose Jaw Minor Hockey Association will be getting their season going soon.

Ice will be coming into the buildings in Moose Jaw and area soon, and with that, comes the joys of being at the rink. Local minor hockey president Chris Flanagan said registration numbers were high this year.

“Everybody missed it last year,” said Flanagan. “Baseball, lacrosse and soccer did a great job this summer of getting the kids back and active again, and we’re just hoping we can take this, and run it in the facilities here and everybody will be safe.”

The sports world, as with all public gatherings, came to a screeching halt in mid-March when the pandemic’s effects started to hit North America. Most of the seasons were over or close to over but there was a distinct lack of spring and late summer camps offered.

Even today, there are still some restrictions on indoor public gatherings, but Flanagan said there will be a minor hockey season this year in some form.

“We’ll be able to have… an internal bubble of 50 people,” he said. “We’ll be able to have our own mini-leagues within our bubble, within minor hockey. We are going to be able to have a season. We just don’t know exactly when it’s going to start. The most important thing is getting the kids back on the ice here in September and October. Time is on our side here.”

Given that no one knows exactly how the early part of the season will be shaped given the restrictions of indoor gatherings still in place, Flanagan said it’s out of their hands.

“We’re all working together as a province on this one,” he said. “We’re talking closely with the Saskatchewan Hockey Association and our cities to make sure we’re able to go. There will be some tweaks to how we run our ice times. There’s limits to how many kids can be on the ice and in the facilities at one time. We’re learning as we go. Information is changing daily almost, it seems like.”

Hockey Canada has said that all registered team officials on minor hockey teams will need to take part in an online Safe Return to Hockey Course.

The tier tryouts will be starting at Barkman Arena in Caronport in the upcoming few weekends. The U15s and U18s will be Sept. 12-13 in Caronport, and the U13s are Sept. 19-20. The U11 A tryouts will be Sept. 26-27. Evaluations start promptly at 9 a.m.

Dressing rooms are closed and spectators aren’t allowed, so players will need to be dressed with their own water bottles before they enter the building.