麻豆社区

The Midget A Mustangs will return to action in the local Rec A hockey league tonight, after missing their last three games due to insurance issues.

The rep club, sponsored by KBL鈥圗nvironmental, will attempt to tarnish the Air North Jets perfect 14-0 record tonight at the Canada Games Centre.

However, the Norcope Bantam A鈥圡ustangs' return to Rec B action remains up in the air for the time being, said Whitehorse Minor Hockey Association president Carl Burgess.

"Insurance is no fun,鈥� Burgess said this morning. "We're making sure everything is beyond reproach. We don't ever want to come back here again and be in this kind of grey zone.鈥�

The issue of individual player insurance for youth and teenage players facing off against adults was brought to the attention of the WMHA at a regular board meeting earlier this month.

"It was on our agenda to make sure everyone was comfortable with the risk management, liability and insurance,鈥� Burgess said. "We were unsatisfied that the league was appropriately covered. It's not a safety risk. We were just unsatisfied that the insurance was in place ... There are concerns. We regularly have 13-year-olds on the ice against 30-year-olds.鈥�

A recent injury sustained in a rec league game by young bantam hockey 麻豆社区Dylan Cozens "certainly exemplifies the general concern,鈥濃�圔urgess said in an interview last week.

The Midget and Bantam Mustangs currently play in the men's A and B rec leagues for extra competition.

"They are reviewing their own insurance practices,鈥� rec league president Mark Nassiopoulos said of the current challenge. "Their kids require (insurance) from the B.C. Hockey Association, which is something we don't require for our league, because it's an adult league.鈥�

While the WMHA sorts out the paperwork, the Mustangs' rec league opponents are playing friendly matches to fill the ice times in question.

"From our end of it, it's just waiting for them to sort out their (policies),鈥� Nassiopoulos said.

Meanwhile, the Mustangs program is readying for its annual Hockey Night in Whitehorse event next weekend, which will see teams from Juneau and Port Alberni come to town.