This update covers the following points:

1. URGENT: Cancellations due to Hurricane Fiona
   1. Pre-Season Camps
   2. U13AAA & U15AA Phase 2 Tryouts
2. Competitive Tryouts Schedules
3. Reminder: SMHA Player Assistance Fund Application Deadline
4. Volunteers Needed: Hockey Pool Coordinator & Recreation Division Coordinators (U13, U15) 

URGENT: Cancellations due to Hurricane Fiona

As of 6:30pm, Friday Sept 23, we have decided to cancel all SMHA activities until at least 3:00pm tomorrow, Saturday Sept 24th.

An update will be posted on Facebook and as a News Item on www.FlyersHockey.ca with updates at noon, tomorrow Saturday Sept 24th. Please check back then if your player is in one of the affected groups.

• Pre-Season Camps
  • U9 Pre-Season Camp, Group 1, Session 5: CANCELLED
  • U9 Pre-Season Camp, Group 2, Session 5: CANCELLED
  • U9 Pre-Season Camp, Group 3, Session 5: CANCELLED
  • U11 Pre-Season Camp, Group 2, Session 4: CANCELLED
  • U11 Pre-Season Camp, Group 3, Session 3: CANCELLED 
  • U13 Pre-Season Camp, Group 2, Session 4: CANCELLED
  • U15 Pre-Season Camp, Group 1, Session 4: CANCELLED
  • U18 Pre-Season Camp, Group 1, Session 4: PENDING (CANCELLED as of 12:00pm Sat. Sept 24)
• U13AAA & U15AA Phase 2 Tryouts
  • U13AAA Phase 2
    • Practice: CANCELLED
    • Intersquad Scrimmage: PENDING  (CANCELLED as of 12:00pm Sat. Sept 24)
  • U15AA Phase 2
    • Practice: CANCELLED

Competitive Tryouts Schedule

Now that U13AAA and U15AA is entering "Phase 2", lots of planning is still underway for our U11, U13, U15, and U18 Competitive Tryouts, set to start on October 1st.

Schedules are now posted on the following pages:

• U11 Tryouts & Evals
  • Player Groups for Session 1 are posted
• U13 Tryouts & Evals
  • Player Groups for Session 1 are TBA (Check back Saturday)
• U15 Tryouts & Evals
  • Player Groups for Session 1 are TBA (Check back Saturday)
• U18 Tryouts & Evals
  • Waiting on the High School tryouts process - TBA

SMHA Player Assistance Fund 

Application Deadline: 11:59pm, Friday, September 30th, 2022

SMHA has funds from outside donations and expired 50/50 credits to assist families with the cost of hockey, who may not otherwise be able to afford it. These funds can be used in addition to awards received from other sources such as KidSport, Jumpstart and the Hockey Canada Assist Fund to reduce the fees incurred for the year.

The full policy document and a link to the online application are posted here on our website, or by going to www.FlyersHockey.ca and looking under Registration for Financial Aid.

Questions can be directed to Tara at Treasurer@FlyersHockey.ca.

Volunteers Needed

1. Hockey Pool Coordinator
2. Recreation Division Coordinator

Hockey Pool Coordinator - 2nd Post

The SMHA Board is still seeking a SMHA Hockey Pool Coordinator for this season. The SMHA Hockey Pool has been a successful low-cost fundraiser, helping to make Minor Hockey more affordable for many SMHA Families. The coordinator is responsible for liaising with the SMHA Board of Directors, with the 50/50 Coordinator (who maintains the Lottery License), and 30+ Team-level Hockey Pool Representatives. The Coordinator follows up with the team-level representatives to ensure the Hockey Pool Entries have been entered. The busiest time for this role is late October into early November with the Hockey Pool Entry deadline.

The SMHA Hockey Pool Coordinator should be very comfortable with technology and be an excellent communicator.

The following is a non-exhaustive list of the responsibilities of the SMHA Hockey Pool Coordinator:

• Responsible for managing the position's FlyersHockey.ca email inbox, which is a Google Account; Respond to emails in a timely manner
• Liaise with SMHA Board of Directors; Attend 1-2 SMHA Board Meetings in person or virtually  
• Be familiar with Google Workspace; The incoming Coordinator should be comfortable setting up Google Forms and editing Google Sheets to help with communication
• Be familiar with OfficePools, and support the team-level Hockey Pool reps with OfficePools questions. 
• Work with 30+ team-level Hockey Pool reps to ensure they have access to the platform so that they can enter the 1500-2000 Hockey Pool entries
• Ensure the rules of the Hockey Pool are followed as per our SMHA Lottery License

Please reach out to Melissa Berkvens (Secretary@FlyersHockey.ca) if you are comfortable with the skills outlined above and are interested in taking on this role. 

Recreation Division Coordinator

VP Recreation Todd House is looking for two additional volunteers to fill in the U13 and U15 Recreation Division Coordinator positions. Anyone is welcome to step up for this role, and volunteering to help with recreation in no way impacts a player's chances with their competitive tryout process. They sit on the Coaching Selection Committee, and attend the eval Sessions for their respective division. Being comfortable with technology and Google Workspace is a definite asset. 

Division Coordinators act as a liaison between the following stakeholders:

• SMHA Families
• Team Management (Coaches & Managers)
• SMHA Executive 
• Director of MMHL or CMHL administrators

If you are interested in this role, please reach out to Melissa Berkvens at Secretary@FlyersHockey.ca to put your name forward. Please let us know in a few sentences what experiences you'd bring to the position and why you want to help out.

• U11: Morgan Spicer (Covering both Competitive and Recreation)
• U13: Vacant
• U15: Vacant
• U18: Michael Kennedy (Covering both Competitive and Recreation)

Following today's U13AAA and U15AA Competitive Tryout session, there will be players released from the U13AAA or U15AA competitive tryout process.

Those remaining in the U13AAA and U1AA Competitive Tryout process will have ice times tomorrow and on either Saturday or Sunday.

The times shown below will be reassessed as needed based on the Weather / Hurricaine Fiona. Please stay tuned to FlyersHockey.ca and Social Media for storm-related updates.

U13AAA

• Friday September 23, 7:30pm-9:00pm - Sackville Arena
• Saturday, September 24, 9:00pm-10:30pm - Sackville Arena

U15AA

• Friday, September 23, 9:00pm-10:30pm - Sackville Arena
• Sunday, September 25, 9:00pm-10:30pm - Sackville Arena [Updated: Typo on the date]

Attention Families of U13AAA, U15AA, and U18AA age players:

If your player is released from the U13AAA, the U15AA, or the U18AA tryout process, he or she has the opportunity for a Secondary Tryout at another Minor Hockey Association. This process is governed by Hockey Nova Scotia, through our Regional Director, Jason Hale (JHale@HockeyNovaScotia.ca). Jason will work with Sackville Flyers families directly. Note: There may be an additional tryout fee associated with participating in another area's tryout process. 

Please review the following two documents that were provided to SMHA:

• Second Tryout Process Map
• HockeyNS Tryout Release Form

What is the next step? Read both documents, then fill in the Tryout Release Form and sent it to JHale@HockeyNovaScotia.ca. 

This message is for the families of players trying out for U13AAA and U15AA. The first session Goalies was yesterday, and the first session for Players starts tomorrow, Sept 17th, 2022.

When the SMHA Competitive Tryout Policy was drafted and approved by the SMHA Executive, the "early" U13AAA and U15AA tryouts for this season were not yet announced by Hockey Nova Scotia.

VP Competitive Aaron Hiscock (VPComp@FlyersHockey.ca) then drafted an Amendment for U13AAA and U15AA. The amendment only applies to the U13AAA and U15AA tryouts. The amendment lays it out clearly, so please check it out in full. If you have any further questions, please reach out to your Division Coordinator or to Aaron. 

The following two links are posted on both the U13 Tryouts & Evals page and the U15 Tryouts & Evals page... which are found on www.FlyersHockey.ca under the "Clinics, Camps, & Tryouts" heading on the main menu:

• SMHA Competitive Tryout Policy
• UPDATE: Sept 2022 - Competitive Tryout Policy: Amendment for U13AAA and U15AA

Attn: Families with Players signed up for U13AAA and U15AA Tryouts

Schedule information is posted for the first four sessions of the U13AAA and U15AA Tryouts.

• Jersey Pickup: Wednesday, September 14th - 7:00pm-9:00pm - Sackville Arena Mezz
• Goaltenders: Skill Session on Thursday September 15, 2022 - 5:30pm-6:30pm - Sackville Arena
• Forwards & Defence: Skill Sessions on Saturday, September 17, 2022 - 11:00am-2:00pm - Sackville Arena
  • See the links below for your player's specific group for Session 1.
    • U13AAA Session 1 Groups: posted now
    • U15AA Session 1 Groups: posted later today

• U13AAA details and specific group times are on the U13 Tryouts & Evaluations Page
• U15AA details and specific group are on the U15 Tryouts & Evaluations Page

Questions about Competitive Tryouts can be directed to Aaron Hiscock VPCompetitive@FlyersHockey.ca and/or to your player's Divisional Coordinator.

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Tryout Jersey Issue moved to Wednesday, Sept 14th @ 7pm-9pm - Sackville Arena Mezz.

All participants attending U13AAA & U15AA tryouts will need to drop in and register and grab their jerseys that will be their jersey for the full tryout process.