Star File Photo
Four years ago, Hawco wanted to have a men’s ball hockey league in operation in the Bay St. George area so he wouldn’t have to drive to Corner Brook for a game.
It was a scramble to get players and there were nights that teams just had enough to play in the inaugural season, but he’s happy that players stayed committed to the game and filling out the rosters for the four teams in the Bay St. George Men’s Ball Hockey League hasn’t been a struggle since the setup got off the ground.
Season 4 gets underway Tuesday night and early indications show interest is still strong. There are lots of familiar faces eager to hit the floor at the Siki Bennett Memorial Stadium and there’s sure to be some new blood with high school students eligible to put their name in the draft with 18 the age limit for participation.
“Every year we kind of get a handful of younger guys who join so we maintain it that way,” Hawco said of the league’s ability to stay strong when numbers have been a struggle for a number of local sports groups over the past few years.
Luckily, there has been some entertaining ball hockey and there’s never been a forfeit since the league began. There were times when it looked like there wouldn’t be a game, but a familiar face just happened to show up to save the day.
“If you start getting forfeits then it snowballs from there sometimes and it starts dying off, but we’ve been good so far on that front,” he said.
Hawco has already talked to a lot of players who intend on playing again and some have even registered, which is good news since the norm has been players paying their fees at the last moment.
The league will hold its player draft Sunday night to comprise the four teams for play twice a week — with games being played Sunday and Tuesday in St. George’s.
It’s the draft format that has turned it into an entertaining league, he figures. The parity is really good, he said, with a lot of close games and only a few points separating teams in the standings from start to finish.
“On any given night if both teams got their full roster there anybody could win,” he said. “The teams have been really fair so far so hopefully that continues.”
Players interested in playing can register at The Source in Stephenville and if anybody has any questions about the league setup they can contact Hawco at 649-8536.
