Recorder & Times Staff
They’re hoping there won’t be any interruptions this year.
The Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League (EOJHL) announced on Tuesday that the 2021-2022 regular season is slated to start on Sept. 30. The Jr. B opener has the Ottawa West Golden Knights hosting the Ottawa Jr. Canadians. A full schedule is expected next week.
“Can’t wait to be there opening night,” commissioner Marc Franche posted on Twitter Tuesday.
There was no regular season or playoffs in 2020-2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jr. B teams were limited to developmental scrimmages in pairings with nearby teams.
The last “meaningful” game in the EOJHL (formerly CCHL2) was a playoff tilt between Carleton Place and Perth on March 11, 2020. The remainder of the post-season ended up being cancelled because of the pandemic.
The Westport Rideaus won their division and were leading their second playoff series when hockey got shut down 17 months ago. The Brockville Tikis and Athens Aeros did not advance beyond the regular season.
Former Westport head coach Mike “Bundy” Seed was recently hired to be the bench boss in Athens.
The CCHL is planning to open its 2021-2022 regular season a week earlier, on Sept. 23. The Jr. A league schedule (55 games per team, down from 62) runs to March 20, with playoffs to follow.
The 2019-2020 Jr. B regular season consisted of 44 games.
The CCHL announced on Tuesday that it will require all players, coaches and team staff to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 this coming season, although target dates have not been disclosed. There has been no official word from the EOJHL on its vaccination policy.
Original Story at Recorder.ca
