Junior A team officially coming to Burns Lake

It’s official, a new Junior A hockey team from Burns Lake will play in the Greater Metro Hockey League West (GMHLW) starting this fall.

After months of discussion with the league about the potential expansion, council made a decision during a March 8 meeting to move forward with the contract. The new team will operate at the Lakeside Multiplex. The team will consist of players ages 16-21, and will have a total of 21 home games in Burns Lake for the season, mostly on Friday and Saturday evenings.

All players will live in billet households, which will be organized by the league. A conservative estimate for rental revenues for the arena are predicted at over $15,000 annually.

Burns Lake Mayor Dolores Funk told council during the meeting that she believes the league should be a great way to market the town for both permanent workers and tourists, and will provide a great source of night time entertainment.

Prior to the decision, village staff connected with eight B.C. and Alberta municipalities with a current GMHLW team, or an agreement in place for the upcoming season, in order to gauge the overall experience of working with the GMHLW and general reception of the team around town.

READ MORE: Burns Lake close to getting Junior A hockey team

The report stated that overall working relationships have been positive between teams and municipalities. Several communities noted the team’s efforts to reach out and volunteer around the community.

It was noted in the council meeting that the Burns Lake Minor Hockey Association (BLMHA) is not supportive of the decision.

In a meeting with Village of Burns Lake Director of Recreation Services Lewis Jones, BLMHA President Steven Baye outlined concerns over accountability due to the fact that the GMHLW is not sanctioned by Hockey Canada, and it is a for-profit league. This caused concern about insurance.

According to a report from village staff, while not sanctioned by Hockey Canada, the GMHLW does have a volunteer board in place with procedures for oversight of the teams, and accountability measures in place.

Council indicated that they intend to meet with Bayes once again to clear up any misunderstandings about the decision.