Island varsity teams 'cautiously optimistic' about return to play in mid-February

Holland College and UPEI sports teams are hopeful they'll get back to competing in mid-February after a long pause to their seasons due to COVID-19 restrictions. 

Most varsity teams in the region got through about half their regular season games ahead of the Christmas break, before the surge of Omicron cases prompted all four Atlantic provinces to ban sports competition. 

As it stands, only practices are permitted around the region.

But New Brunswick is lifting that rule Feb. 11.  Both the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) and Atlantic University Sport (AUS) are counting on other provinces to follow suit soon after. 

"We've run through a lot of hypotheticals, building out schedules, potential playoff formats, a lot of ifs, ands, and buts," said Jane Vessey, UPEI's athletics director and a member of the AUS return to play committee. 

"We're really just preparing for every scenario, and knowing how important it is to get all our student athletes to regular competition, and then into an AUS championship.… We're cautiously optimistic."

As it stands, said Vessey, the plan is to have New Brunswick teams play each other next weekend, with UPEI and other league teams tentatively scheduled to resume Feb. 18. 

The ACAA is taking a similar approach. 

"New Brunswick based competition will start [Feb. 12], and scheduled games for N.S. and P.E.I. will be announced when public health and institutional directives permit," the league said in a news release Thursday. 

'Hard on the athletes'

Bruce Donaldson, UPEI's women's hockey coach, said the pause on play since Christmas has been challenging. 

His team and other varsity squads around the region had just returned to play in the fall, after losing the entire 2020-21 season due to COVID-19 restrictions. 

"It's hard on the athletes. They spend an incredible amount of time, putting an incredible amount of effort into this," Donaldson said.

"We just really tell the players and coaching staff, 'Let's just focus on what we know.' Right now, we know we can get on the ice and practise."

Even if UPEI does continue its season in a couple weeks, Donaldson said they won't make up the six games they've missed out on since early January.  

The aim is to finish the season in time for the Atlantic championship, and then nationals, which UPEI is hosting in late March. 

Donaldson said the uncertainty around pandemic restrictions is making planning and budgeting for that tough as well. 

"It's a challenge, there's no question about that because the nationals is an expense to put on," he said. "And right now, we don't know if we'll be allowed to have anyone in attendance."

'We're working through all the contingencies'

UPEI's athletics director said teams are also preparing for the possibility of COVID-19 outbreaks among players and staff, particularly given how easily Omicron spreads. 

"We're working through all the contingencies right now — everything from minimum roster sizes to when games get cancelled, and how we're going to move forward in those situations," said Vessey. 

"I'm not sure if any of it's going to be easy. But is it worth going through to get the opportunity to play? Absolutely."