In the end, it was a numbers game.
The officials behind the Bay Roberts entry into the Avalon East Senior Hockey League have decided to halt efforts to ice a team after it was apparent there was not enough player interest to get it off of the ground.
“We talked to a number of players last year, and there was some interest, but it just didn’t work out,” said spokesman Brian Hurley.
On the first open skate for the team, less than a dozen players came out and last night (Oct. 9) saw the ice-time be turned over to the Jr. Stars for practice time.
“Some players we looked at, chose to play over-19,” said Hurley. “Some, who were recent Junior grads, moved away.”
The well-known hockey booster said the team could’ve sought players from outside the Conception Bay North region, but was reluctant to do so.
“We wanted 12 good local players to get some fans out to the games,” he said. “We gave it a shot.”
When Hurley notified the league of the team’s intentions not to ice a team, he said it “fully understood and was supportive.”
The failure to ice a team this season has not deterred Hurley and the other members of the executive from thinking about icing a team next season.
“We’re going to see how it goes,” he said. “We might have a skate at the end of the year.”
Hurley had yet to approach any sponsors about the team. Instead, he wanted to wait for the players to show up.
nmercer@cbncompass.ca
