Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Best-case scenario, the Napanee Raiders will next play on Jan. 28, some 49 days after their last game action on Dec. 10.
That’s pending approval from the Ontario government who earlier this month mandated that all indoor sports pause until at least Jan. 27 in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. The possibility remains of an extension of that order.
As it stands right now, the Raiders are scheduled to take on the Frankford Huskies in Napanee on Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
In the meantime the local Junior C hockey team is left in limbo without much as their disposal in terms of getting ready for an assumed resumption of play.
“There’s nothing really we can do,” said Raiders head coach Ben Hagerman. “We played on Dec. 10 really not knowing that this was going to happen at all. Unfortunately that weekend we just had the one game. We lost that Friday, had the Christmas get together after the game and then the focus was on having good practices the following week and going forward playing that weekend and then pausing for Christmas shortly after. When things kind of fell apart later that week from a case and outbreak perspective in our area, it didn’t make sense to play those games. We probably could have (played) given that the rules weren’t changed yet, but just being responsible to Public Health and to the health and safety of our players we felt it was pertinent to postpone those games until the new year when there wasn’t so much on the line in regards to holidays and making sure that people were able to see the family that they could instead of being in isolation.”
As of Jan. 10 it’ll have been a full month since the team was all together on the ice with still at least two weeks to go before they could return.
“That’s really not ideal at the midway point of the season, but every other team’s in basically the same boat,” said Hagerman. “We just told our guys do as much as you can at home to stay fit. If you can get out on an outdoor rink and at least touch the puck and get your skates on then do so if you get those opportunities. When we get the green light out of the Step 2 and competitive sports are allowed to resume again, we’re going to hit the ice and be ready and hopefully get two or three practices before the first game. We’re going to treat it as the three weeks is the three weeks and we’re going to pick up at that point with whatever the instruction is from the league whether it’s play out the schedule from that point on or it’s a total reconfigured scheduled, who knows. My focus is on getting through these three weeks and hopefully getting back to playing.”
At the time of the sudden hiatus, the Raiders had played 20 of their 35 scheduled games. At least nine of those will be postponed by the time the current provincial restrictions are set to expire. If one were to make the assumption the season will resume as soon as possible on Jan. 28, that would leave six games remaining before the end of the season, which is currently scheduled for Feb. 12. In a normal season the playoffs would generally begin within five days of the regular season finale.
If there are any positives to come out of the hiatus, the break does allow a battered Raiders roster to rest.
Hagerman says he’d like to get two or three practices in before games resume, which makes that Jan. 28 game even less likely to occur as currently planned, even if the provincial government sticks to its original timeline.
“I think there’s got to be a real look at delaying playoffs by a week or 10 days,” said Hagerman. “That way everyone can get in upwards to five or six games. I think that’s only fair given that the playoff structure is that every team is going to get a playoff series and the top two get a bye so you’re looking at the top two teams being off for six weeks because of the pause here, getting back going getting some games and starting to feel somewhat in the rhythm again and then sitting for two and a half weeks. I don’t know what they’re going to do but that to me seems really, really complicated and really not fair to the two teams that had the best years. I think the PJHL and the Tod Division should really look at that.”
Hagerman adds the possibility exists of the league coming together to develop a completely reconfigured schedule to close out the season as opposed to sticking with the current plan.
As it stands right now, the Raiders have 30 points to hold onto the second seed in the division, four back of first place Amherstview (34 points) and three up on the Port Hope Panthers (27). Hagerman says even if his team were to slip out of bye, he’d feel the same about the competitive integrity potentially being compromised by having the two best teams sit idle for an extended stretch.
Conversely Hagerman says the league needs to be mindful of how any further delays could create issues surrounding ice availability. If it gets too deep into February before playoffs begin, teams may be left without a rink as municipalities remove their ice in early spring.
In a post to their social media last week the PJHL outlined their intentions to do everything they can return to the ice this year and hold a complete playoffs for the first time since 2019.