Cubs await city’s go-ahead
By JAMES TUBB on September 23, 2021.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb This isn’t how the Medicine Hat Cubs expected their season to start. They won their first game of the season Saturday, 5-1 against the Lomond Lakers on the road. Now, three days before their home opener against Sylvan Lake, the Cubs are locked out of their arena. According to Cubs president Troy Sandau, the team is not allowed inside the Kinplex due to the City of Medicine Hat having not yet established a restrictions exemption program for the arena. Sandau says 85 per cent of the municipalities that have a team in the Heritage Junior Hockey League have gotten their programs in place for their teams to play. He says it’s frustrating watching other teams get their seasons going while the Cubs have to wait for the city to establish their exemption program. “Our league has given us the go-ahead. Both teams, us and Sylvan Lake, are complying with REP and we are doing our due diligence so the kids can play. But ultimately if we don’t play Sunday, it’s held up by the city,” Sandau said. The province’s restrictions exemption program gives recreational facilities two options, to apply the restrictions or implement an REP. The restrictions that are in place would not allow the Cubs to play as it currently does not allow adult sports to be played. Medicine Hat has players that are classified as adults. Brian Mastel, the managing director of public services for the City of Medicine Hat, says the city has not implemented a exemption plan for the Kinplex, “We’re digesting the provincial requirements for all of our facilities, the Kinplex included, and are definitely aware of how it would impact them and trying to make sure that we are fast tracking and thinking about options to a degree that we can identify them,” Mastel said. “We are aware that they were intending to have a game on Sunday, their home opener, and the provincial restrictions impact them. So we’re continuing to work the problem.” Mastel says the city is still trying to get an explanation from the province about the restrictions order in regards to non-youth sports. “We’re trying to get clarification in terms of whether they would be deemed youth sports, and if so that takes a different approach for them. If they’re deemed adults, the facility does not have a restriction exemption program in place. We aren’t able to accommodate adult sports in there,” he said. The Medicine Hat Tigers and their home, Co-op Place, currently fall under the same restrictions as the Kinplex and Mastel says they are trying to clarify with the province whether the Tigers are categorized as a youth, semi-professional, or adult team because that would decide if they needed a restriction plan or not. “We are working away at it, I can assure you of that… The moment we have (clarification), we’re working with the Cubs to try and make sure they can have the game they want to play on Sunday,” he said. For the Cubs, Sandau says they are afraid of players losing interest as they’ve witnessed one team in the HJHL have to shut down for the season. The Settler Lightning announced Monday they would be cancelling their 2021-22 season because of the new COVID restrictions putting them in a depleted player situation. It is something Sandau is worried about happening to his team if their season is delayed. “We’re trying to not let that happen or even get a thought of that happening,” he said. The Cubs have booked an ice time in Redcliff to run a practice on Friday, something they can’t do in their home at the Kinplex. He says Redcliff got their programs in place quicker and more efficient than Medicine Hat, which has allowed them to practice there. He says the Cubs would explore any option for ice before shutting down their season. But finding ice time in a rink that isn’t theirs makes it difficult. As for now, Sandau says their home opener and the charity BBQ planned for before the game is something they want figured out sooner than later, in order to be fair to Sylvan Lake having to travel to Medicine Hat for the game. “We’re scratching and clawing and putting our fate in the city’s hands and hopefully they come through for us is pretty much what we’re doing,” he said. “We’ll find ice somewhere. If it’s available, we’ll find it.” 21-20
