With all the minor provincials officially behind us we can happily announce that the Spring 2022 season is officially over.

It was a tough year coming off a two year break due to the COVID restrictions but together we all made it work. We understand that there were a few hiccups along the way, We tried to resolve as many as we could with the little time we had but unfortunately there were some left behind.

We acknowledge that a major concern this season was the team evaluation but unfortunately our registration numbers were significantly lower than pre-pandemic. We hope to bounce back from this as we enter the 2023 season and thank everyone for their continued support.

Big thanks to all our coaches:

Mike Capisciolto, David, Matthews, Steve Saunders, Terry Jackson, Azzez Nana, Darin Smeets, Mike Calicchia, Sam Vacchiano, Derek Kelk, Matt Gillis, Ray Lavigne, Derek Resendes, Jason Black, Trevor Strickland, Justin Shave, Peter Cureatz, Joe Johnson, Jason Shave and Shean Wadham

without these individuals and their team staff volunteers none of this would have been possible.

I'd like to give a special thanks to coach Darin Smeets. Early in the season with a lack of officials the league was very close to cancelling games. Darin called the league almost immediately and told us there was no way he wanted to see children sad and hurt. He requested to have him enrolled in the OBHF referee certification clinic as earliest as possible. He took extra time away from his personal responsibilities, attended a referee certification clinic and officiated almost 50 games most of them on his own all while coaching the U10 Penguins team.

As small as our league was this past season, I can proudly say we've had the best success at this year's provincial tournaments since our inaugural season.

U8 – 4^th place AAA
U10 – 1^st place AA
U12 – 2^nd place BB
U14 – 2^nd place BB
U16 – 1^st place AA (with possible spot at the 2023 Jr. Nationals in Newfoundland)

Congratulations to the coaching staff, players and parents for making it a successful weekend.

Team pictures from our championship weekend may be downloaded here however we did notice that two teams did not have pictures taken.

Fall Ball Hockey registration is now available on our website. The season will begin in mid-October and run to late January. (No games during the Christmas school break). All games to be played on Tuesday evenings at the Bradford District Community Centre with possible games on a Wednesday if required. For more information you may contact me by phone or text at 416-671-3893.

I'd like to wish everyone a safe and happy 2022 year and I hope to see you all back in future seasons.

Every year the South Simcoe Ball Hockey League thrives to meet previous season registration numbers with always the hope for growth.

After being away for two years with COVID restrictions our league along with many others find themselves in a decline. The reason for this remains unknown but after discussing with several nearby sports its seems that this expands outside of ball hockey as well.

The season is set to begin on May 1^st and some of our divisions may begin with smaller rosters than where we would like to see them. Please note that every team will have enough uniforms to have a full roster therefore if you have a friend that would like to join the team after we get started, they can do so by registering online and notifying the league on which team they would like to join.

Because of the decline in less registered players the league had no choice but to change its schedule format from 80% home games to 70%

Innisfil will continue to play Sunday’s, Bradford on Tuesday’s and Barrie on Thursday’s

Schedules are posted online and will be accessible from the TeamLinkt app once your child is place on a team.

Most children have been placed on teams for the exception of Innisfil players registered in the U8, U10 & U12 divisions.

We hope to have this done later this week.

We were told that our uniforms would arrive for opening day however after discussing with our supplier overseas they believe that there could be a delay with shipping due to the ongoing war happening in the Ukraine.

The league does have a backup plan if these problems should arise to get us through the first couple of games.

Provincial try-outs this year will begin in late May however due to the lack of available floor time it could be possible that these would take place in Innisfil on a Wednesday or Friday evening. We should have information regarding this once the season gets going.

Please ensure that all players are equipped with proper equipment. This includes a hockey helmet with full facial cage, hockey gloves, soccer style shin guards, running shoes and a hockey stick with no plastic blade. A failure to have any of the above-mentioned items will have the player sidelined until he/she can provide all mandatory equipment.

Lastly and most importantly

The South Simcoe Ball Hockey Leagues still requires coaches in the following areas:

• U10 – Bradford
• U12 – Innisfil
• U14 – Barrie
• U17 – Innisfil

Until these voluntary positions are taken, we cannot proceed to move forward. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

As the league continues to accept player and team registrations, we now begin to seek volunteers to help us get through the 2022 season.

Most help is voluntary and tends to cater towards high school students looking to fulfill community hours however we do offer paid positions as division convenors and league referees.

Anyone interested in becoming a referee must attend an OBHF Referee Certification Clinic. The SSBHL will reimburse 50% of your certification fees (minors only) once you have completed the course and successfully worked a total of 15 hours. (15 games) Based on how our divisions are structured all referees must be 12 years or older to officiate in our league. For more information please click here.

If you are interested in any of our other voluntary positions please click here