Taking a new direction
Rankin senior hockey league looks to move to two divisions
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
RANKIN INLET
The Rankin Inlet Senior Men's Hockey League (RISMHL) may have a whole new look when the puck drops on Nov. 1 for a new season.
The league has a new committee in place, after longtime committee head David Clark announced his resignation at the conclusion of the past hockey season.
The new committee consists of returning members Andrew Simms, Troy Aksalnik and Craig Beardsall, along with new members James Merritt and Norman Okalik.
The committee has wasted little time in launching a major initiative, as the RISMHL is looking to operate with two three-team divisions this season, with one being listed as a competitive division and the other as recreational.
The league is holding early-bird registrations from Oct. 16 to 31 at a cost of $200 per player for the season.
Those who register after Oct. 31 will pay $250.
Simms said the number of games each team will play in the regular season will depend on the number of players who register and if the A and B divisions are started for the first time.
He said both divisions will have full officiating, with the B Division made up of players who might not be as focused on winning as those in the A Division.
"The B Division will be competitive hockey, and we want to have the midgets included so they get more game practice," said Simms.
"There will be old-timers who will want to play in that division, and there will be more ice time for players who, maybe, wouldn't play on the top two lines of the A Division or see much ice time late in the games.
The B Division will guarantee them more ice time, which should make the games more fun and allow them to improve their skills quicker.
"So far, everyone I've talked to about it - guys who you would expect to play in A and guys you'd expect to play in B - have been pretty positive about it."
Simms said it's beneficial to everyone if every players who registers gets continuous shifts throughout their team's games.
He said he hopes players will see the benefits and not look at the B Division as being inferior.
"We will also look at having the league playoffs completed before the Avataq tournament but there's both pros and cons to that, as well.
"We have players who, once the Avataq is over, are done with hockey and stop showing up.
"But, you could also have the ice sitting in the arena for up to six weeks or so after the Avataq and not being used.
"Most guys prefer to have the playoffs done before the Avataq though, so we'll take a hard look at it."
Simms said the committee will miss Clark's presence this season.
He said so far, it's been a real learning experience for every committee member.
"David (Clark) was great and, for so many years, he was the glue that held everything together. He ran everything smoothly, so it's been a big learning curve for us. But it's been good to learn about all the things that go on behind the scenes, like applying for bingos, getting registrations and insurance done, working on tournaments, holding meetings and preparing notes.
"Troy (Aksalnik) and I have, kind of, taken the lead right now, and we're confident we're going to be able to keep it running well."
