The Blyth Brussels Minor Hockey association has wrapped up it's first year! There were many changes this year and I want to thank the members for the patience and support shown throughout.
We started the year with team selections which proved to be a very difficult process, but for the most part worked reasonably well. The team members grew to be close friends very quickly and it was always great to see smiling faces on the ice. Some of the teams struggled at the beginning of the year until players found their new roles.
As the year progressed the scores got better and most teams were very competitive in the playoffs. We had teams at all levels achieve success at tournaments. Many teams did very well in the playdowns and playoffs with WOAA championships for a few of the teams. Teams competed at the OWHA and OMHA level this year and the Bantam Rep team finished as OMHA Finalists, Regional and International SilverStick Champions. It was great to have several teams in most divisions and it was especially nice to have a Juvenile team for the first time in a quite a while. While there were hiccups along the way I believe our first season was a huge success!
We owe thanks to many people who helped make this work. We had generous support from other groups towards buses. Thanks to the Door Attendants, Referee Schedulers, and Referees for all your hard work. Thankyou to Kim Reid for maintaining our web site, you have been a great help. To the Optimists of Brussels for cooking at the banquet. Special thanks to all the team staffs who worked very hard to help their teams improve and have fun. We would like to thank the parents and grandparents for supporting our players. A special thank you to the players for coming ready to play every time, and trying your hardest to help your team. The staff at both of our arena facilities have went out of their way to help us this year and it is greatly appreciated. A special thank you to the past executives of each organization for having the courage and commitment to bring this organization to a reality. Enough cannot be said for the countless hours and hard work put in by the executive this year. Every member went above and beyond anything that was asked of them and we could not have had better people to work with on a daily basis for the last two years.
We ended our 2011/12 season with a banquet and changed the format completely from anything that had previously been done. It went very smoothly and quickly and I would suggest was a success. Congratulations to all our recipients of memorial awards and team awards.
I would like to remind the membership that the annual meeting is Monday, June 4, 2012 at the Lions Building in Blyth at 7 PM. All are welcome. We will be discussing and voting on changes to the Bylaws and Rules. Please read up on how to bring a change forward. We will also be looking for members who would like to step forward and help at the executive level. There is 1 vacancy for sure, so please consider this. I will be stepping back to fill the Past President position.
Personally, I want to thank all the members who I have had the pleasure of meeting this year. I tried to attend at least some ice time for each team this year and I have met so many new people I now call friends. Lastly, I would like to thank my family, Susan, Andrew, Connor, Shannon, Kiaran and Ronan for letting me have this opportunity and for all the help at home. I have spent many hours at meetings, games, and in my office that could have been spent with you!
John van Vliet