The WOAA Senior Hockey season will officially start Friday, October 1.
This season, there are 13 teams that will play a 20 game unbalanced schedule.
There is a new team in the loop, the Creemore Coyotes. And they will join the 12 returning teams; Clinton Radars, Durham Thundercats, Lucknow Lancers, Milverton Four Wheel Drive, Minto 81’s, Petrolia Squires, Ripley Wolves, Saugeen Shores Winterhawks, Seaforth Centenaires, Shallow Lake Crushers, Shelburne Muskies and Tavistock Royals.
A couple of exhibition games have been scheduled, including a Sunday, September 12 game between Shallow Lake and Creemore to be played in Mount Forest at 5 p.m. There are also games on Sunday, September 19 at 5 p.m. with Shelburne playing Creemore in Mount Forest and on Saturday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. featuring Milverton in Tavistock.
The league will also enforce a Return To Play Policy.
The document lists a number of requirements due to COVID-19.
The policy states:
This Return To Play Policy will be enforced to promote the return of hockey programming for the entire 2021-2022 season with the focus on safety for our W.O.A.A. Senior Hockey League Members.
It is the responsibility of team management to confirm with your facilities, municipalities and regional Public Health Units to ensure compliance with any additional protocols or restrictions that may be in place at the local level; to include but not limited to:
contact tracing at the door screening (if applicable in your PHU) mandatory wearing of face covering cleaning and sanitizing social distancing (6 feet) following Public Health Unit (PHU) and local facility directives
VACCINATIONS: The WESTERN ONTARIO ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (W.O.A.A.) will require that all W.O.A.A. Senior Hockey League Members be double-vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to the commencement of team activities associated with the beginning of the 2021/2022 season.
The policy applies to all players, coaches, trainers, team and league staff, game officials, executives and volunteers. The policy is fully intended to protect the health and safety of ALL W.O.A.A. Senior Hockey League players and members and to protect against the potential transmission of the virus.
The W.O.A.A. Senior Hockey League will comply with the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) and local Public Health Units (PHU) to offer support to any league member who is unable to be vaccinated for substantiated medical reasons and/or on grounds protected under the OHRC. The league will collectively work together with independent medical and legal advisors appointed by the league Senior Hockey Chairman to assist with all issues.