President's message

I have traditionally posted the president's message a few times each year and with the holidays fast approaching which coincide with the half way point of our season it seemed like a good time.

 
Our numbers are consistent with other years. Our young players have many other options these days with basketball, skiing etc but continue to play hockey which is undeniably Canada's game.
 
The Timbit numbers are consistent with other years and we are always looking at ways to increase our numbers in this area.This year we actually kept the rates lower for all players registered in Timbits. CCMHA places an emphasis on all age groups but the Timbits is where it starts and we want these players to be part of the association for years to come. We now have new divider boards at the Stadium which will be used more often in the second half of the year and for the 3 on 3 sessions in the spring.

Matt Richard and Grayson Ingraham and their team of volunteers do a great job in developing these players. A special thank you goes out to all volunteers in this age group because patience is a virtue and watching these youngsters develop their basic skills can be very gratifying.
 
The Novice program is running well. I was recently at a novice house game and was very impressed by the skill level of both teams. An added bonus was to see 2 quality goalies in the nets. As you are all well aware attracting goalies at a young age is very important. There are incentives in place for 1st time goalies and we do keep gear in the minor hockey room if anyone would like to give it a try. The Kent team is doing well and developing their skill set through the dedicated team of coaches including Barry Melanson. Mike Stack and Jamie Crockett.
 
I know there have been some issues with the numbers in our Atom House program but CCMHA is doing all we can to ensure that the kids are having an enjoyable hockey experience. The Atom A team are competing and having fun in the process. The Atom AA team is also competitive and doing very well in league play. We were hoping that we might be able to land the provincials for this age group especially given the success of last year's Peewee and Bantam tournaments. Unfortunately we missed out but I am sure Colin Brown and his staff still have the goal of making the provincials and doing well.
 
The Peewee numbers are high this year and we have 2 provincial teams that both play in sanctioned leagues. Both teams are performing at a high level and it would not surprise me to see both teams at the provincial tournaments. The Peewee AA team recently won the Bluenose tournament for the second year in a row. The coaches on both teams are committed volunteers with some high level of coaching experience. CCMHA is fortunate to have them in place.  The 3 Peewee house teams are playing in the Southeastern NB league.
 
The Bantam aged group has 1 provincial team this year that is doing well with a great coaching staff. They do not play in a league but still have games every weekend. Both house league teams are playing in the NB league.
 
The midget program is doing well once again and just won the Bluenose tournament in thrilling fashion over Shediac/Cap Pele in double overtime. Once again Ray Gouchie, Steve Boss and all the other volunteers have put together an excellent team. I for one know how much time and effort Ray puts into this team.

 
The female team has combined with Parrsboro this year and they are doing unbelievably well. The last time I spoke to the team manager they were undefeated. This is the last year for some of the girls and for them to come together like they have is amazing.

 

I just want to mention a couple things in closing. I know I heard some comments about the promotional sessions and how they did not work out that well. I for one tend to disagree. The players all got a significant amount of ice-time and instruction from qualified individuals and seemed to have a great deal of fun in the process. It was a learning curve for CCMHA and we will be able to adapt to ensure that the necessary changes are made for next year.
 
Development weekend was a great success and kudos to Grayson Ingraham and his team of volunteeers. Development has changed somewhat this year and with Annie Crocker and others onboard the sessions are going very well. A big thank you to Paul McCarthy and his efforts with the goalies.

 

The bluenose tournaments were both very successful and I want to thank everyone who stepped up to help out. The emails received from teams that participated indicated how impressed they were were with the organization of the tournament specifically mentioning the hospitality rooms, the way they were treated and promising they would be returning next year.

 

I am eagerly anticipating the second half of the year. We have the CCMHA House league tournament coming up in March, the Ronnie Elliott tournament in late February, just to name a couple events. I personally can't wait for 3 on 3 to start up again. After the success of the inaugural season this year promises to be bigger and better.

 

Thank you again to all volunteers. I know at times volunteeering your time is frustrating but if we all do it for the right reasons (the kids) there is nobody that should ever criticize you. I wanted to personally thank the coaches and executive members for all their hard work so far this year
 
 
Richard Allen
President CCMHA