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President's end of year message!
2014-03-31Another great year for CCMHA
Once again it is that time of year. The 2013-2014 minor hockey season has traditionally ended the last couple of years with the onset of 3 on 3 and the SEDMHA tournament in the Halifax Regional Municipality. I am so impressed on how the season went and want to thank the executive members first and foremost for volunteering, at times at the expense of work and family commitments. It is never easy to volunteer but I always tell every executive member if they are doing it for the right reasons (all of the kids) it will make it that more gratifying.
I want to personally thank Paul Williams for the time he spent on making sure the house league program was looked after. The time and work that Paul puts into to the house league program is unbelievable. I know he wouldn't want me to say this but he actually took vacation time to look after the house league tournament which has grown into one of the best tournaments in the Maritimes. Just ask the teams that come year after year. It speaks volumes to how successful it is when you have 20 midget teams on a waiting list. The tournament was well run once again with many close games and deserving champions. The CCMHA teams were very competitive and deserve special recognition.
I want to thank all of the volunteers for the Timbit's program. The Timbits are the foundation for any association and this is where young Sidney Crosby's start to develop their skills. The efforts from Matt Richard and Grayson Ingraham certainly made it an enjoyable experience for the players and hopefully they both return next year. I had the chance to attend the "winter classic" at the stadium and to see the smiles on these youngsters faces was worth its weight in gold. We as an association have a responsibility to do our utmost to ensure that as many players as possible are enrolled in the Timbit program and we have actually implemented incentives for these players from a cost perspective to ensure this can happen.
The novice program was well run with some loyal and dedicated coaches. I attended a couple novice house games and the teams were close and the development and fun the players were having was very evident. I wanted to on a personal note thank the coaches of the Kent Ramblers. My youngest son had a great experience this year and I really hope as he continues to play this great game that he is exposed to coaches like Barry Melanson, Mike Stack and Jamie Crockett. This team developed immensely during the year, although we don't keep score (sure ask the kids if they know the score) we were losing decisively to Truro in the beginning of the year, not so near the end. Most importantly they all had a blast.
The NB league is once gain where the majority of our house league teams played. Our teams were competitive and given the numbers the greater Moncton area has to draw from it is quite amazing. The season is winding down and the last time I spoke to some of the coaches our teams were performing well in the playoffs. I know there is always discussion about all of our teams playing in NB. Obviously given the logistics of where we are located there is merit behind this argument. At the end of the day we do live in N.S. and striving to make the provincials does mean something to the players; consideration has to be given to both scenarios. It is brought up each year at HNS meetings and I am sure it will be again. Stay tuned.
Our provincial teams were very competitive this year. Three of our teams (Peewee A, Peewee AA and Midget A) were 1 game away from representing CCMHA at the provincials. The Atom AA team deserves to be recognized. Colin Brown and his staff went into the provincial tournament on a roll after beating a team that had not lost all year (Yarmouth) in the qualifiers. All of the games at the provincials in Halifax were exciting and close. Unfortunately our team came up short by 1 goal in the final to the host team. Colin your players represented CCMHA well and kudos to the players and the coaching staff.
The female midget team "the Nova Ice" just wrapped up winning the Midget female championship yesterday beating Yarmouth in the final. This team came together with girls from both associations (Parrsboro and Cumberland) and formed a bond that was amazing. A special thanks to Bliss Walton, Bonnie Moore and their team. The majority of the girls are done playing competitive hockey and as I mentioned to Bliss, this is something they will always remember.
The 3 on 3 program started on the weekend and what a great start. We have increased our numbers and the new dividers make it easier for the kids to have fun and develop their skills. I wanted to personally thank Michelle McEachern, Michelle Meekins and Billyjo Oulton for their efforts on getting this off the ground.
Finally, I wanted to let everyone know that the AGM meetings will be coming up soon and I encourage everyone to attend. We need to have active and committed volunteers moving forward. Although this will be my last year as President, I will ensure the board next year has the right people in place. I have enjoyed my 2 years and with the development weekend/sessions, 3 on 3, competiveness of our provincial teams, the NB league for house league etc, we have a great foundation. We need to be creative in thinking of ways to increase our numbers, attract more goalies etc but working together this will happen.
Good luck to all teams attending SEDMHA and for those who are involved in 3 on 3 and spring hockey, see you at the rink!
cheers,
Richard Allen
President of Minor Hockey