Annual Report, New Executive Elected at 2023 AGM, News (Muskrat Minor Hockey)

Acting President Brent Gould expressed his thanks to all the coaches, managers, trainers, game officials, and those who jumped in as needed throughout the past season.  He shared that Hockey Canada has completed their Pathways for U13 and U15, and they are now in the approval stages for a fall 2023 start.  One change is that all playoffs (competitive and house league) will be a round-robin format, with everyone playing until mid-March and then finals in late March, instead of teams potentially being eliminated from playoffs by mid-February.  The U18 Pathway will then be completed for Fall 2024.  

Executive members also shared some highlights on the year.  These include:

·       * Registration numbers for our youngest players were their highest in several years, with 48 U7 skaters!  We also had 41 in U9, 31 in U11, 32 in U13, 30 in U15 plus 8 joined us from another association, and we had 16 U18 players to make up our competitive team.  We did not have enough interest in a U18 House League team, so players were welcomed to join a team in Eganville. 

·       * The $8000 donation from employee crowdfunding at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, after a Muskrat parent nominated us, was an exciting way to wrap up the season.  This donation was put towards proper half-ice boards for cross-ice play for our U7 and U9 teams, and the boards were delivered to the Cobden arena last week.

·       * We have been offered a larger storage space at the Cobden arena, as another user-group is moving to the Renfrew arena.  It is in the process of being cleaned up, and then we will be purchasing supplies for shelving and proper hanging space for the team jerseys.

·       * Our biggest fundraising venture each season is to supply volunteers to work a two-hour shift at Delta Bingo & Gaming in Pembroke.  On one Sunday afternoon a month, volunteers act as greeters and assist in checking winning cards.  Unfortunately, we had to decline quite a few shifts this year, which resulted in lost revenue.  We will continue to work on volunteer recruitment over the summer, as Bingo shifts run year-round.

·       * Only one Disciplinary Committee Hearing was required.

·       * Last summer, MMHA (and every association in District 5) moved to a new website, hosted by Sportsheadz, a Kingston-based company.  This change also affected our scheduling processes and reporting procedures for our team managers.  While there have been some growing pains, it has some great features and now that we have learned how to use most functions, we are looking forward to the second year with it.  This also means that we will be able to write a new team  managers handbook this summer.

·       *We were successful in recruiting new, young game officials for this past season, but are now seeking more adults to consider becoming a game official, even on a very casual basis. 

Brian Summers led the review of our MMHA Constitution and Policies & Procedures this season.  The Executive assisted with some updates, and the draft was shared with membership on our website in early April.  During the AGM, a motion was made, and carried, to approve the merger of the Policies & Procedures into the Constitution document, which removes duplication, conflicting information in some areas, and makes finding information easier for the membership.  Additional motions were made for each change.  Details will be in the minutes and in the final Constitution, posted on our website once edits are complete.

Thank you to outgoing volunteers Brent Gould and Amy Saar for your time and efforts over the past several years!

We are pleased to welcome our incoming MMHA Volunteer Executive for 2023-2024, who were elected on Monday or are returning this year to complete the second year of their term:

Amy MacKenzie, President

Stefanie Coughlin, Vice President

Derrick England, Competitive Convenor

Katie St.Pierre, House League Convenor

Brian Summers, Treasurer

Kristine Burchat, Registrar

Brett Coughlin, Risk Management Coordinator

Emily Hoelke, U7 Program Coordinator

Tim Lynch, Development Coordinator/Coach Mentor

Brandon Burchat, Ice Allocator

Josh Sutcliffe, Equipment Manager

Angela Brownlee, Tournament Coordinator

The position of Secretary (which includes webmaster responsibilities) has not been filled.  If you are interested or have questions about this role, please email Amy at [email protected] to inquire.

The District 5 AGM will be held on Wednesday, May 31^st at 630 pm, venue TBA but likely in Cobden.  We will share details on our website and Facebook page once that is confirmed.  Also watch for our Early-Bird Registration opening for players in June, for the 2023-2024 season.

Thank you all for your support!