University hockey championship cancelled

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U Sports has announced the Canadian University women's hockey championships scheduled for UPEI this weekend has been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

U Sports announced the cancellation on Twitter at 11 p.m. Thursday.

The decision was made in the wake of Hockey Canada's decision to cancel all events. The men's championship in Halifax was also cancelled.

Full refunds will be issued to ticket holders.

Despite the growing list of COVID-19-related cancellations Thursday, U Sports is going ahead with the national women's hockey championships at UPEI this weekend.

"We're just asking people to use a common sense approach," said Marilyn Barrett, director of the UPEI Health & Wellness Centre. "If you're unwell, stay home. If you're in contact with people who are unwell, you should choose to stay home."

She said the decision to hold the tournament belongs to the U Sports organization, which made the decision to proceed with the event after discussions with UPEI.

Barrett met with the organizing committee Thursday, which continues to monitor the situation on a daily basis. 

Men's championship event cancelled

U Sports announced Thursday evening that the national men's championship would proceed as scheduled in Halifax, but the event was cancelled after the first two games. 

The men's and women's volleyball championships, set to take place at the universities of Manitoba and Calgary, respectively, will proceed but fans will not be allowed to attend, according to a release.

In addition to the regular practices of social distancing, handwashing, and good respiratory etiquette, Barrett said the organizing committee has agreed on additional precautionary measures for the tournament, including doing a deep clean of the dressing rooms between teams and not shaking hands without gloves.

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic on Wednesday.

In an email, an official with UPEI said all the medical lead at each championship host site is in regular contact with local and provincial health authorities.

Barrett, who is UPEI's medical lead, said if any person shows symptoms of COVID-19, they will be isolated and provincial health authorities will be contacted. 

Pandemic causes disruptions 

Across North America, other sports leagues are cancelling or suspending their seasons due to increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases.

The decision to "pause" the NHL schedule came after the NBA announced the same measure Wednesday night following the revelation a member of the Utah Jazz had tested positive for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, all three major junior hockey leagues in Canada and the American Hockey League have suspended play because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Canadian Hockey League, the umbrella organization for the three major junior leagues, followed many pro leagues in suspending operations. The NBA, NHL, Major League Soccer and Major League Baseball announced schedule suspensions earlier Thursday.

Home ice advantage

UPEI women's hockey head coach Bruce Donaldson coach said that while the virus may be on some players' minds, it's really hockey that's front and centre. 

He said his team has been improving over the years and their program is starting to get some attention.

"We've had a great year, the best year the team has had in their history," Donaldson said.

UPEI's first game is against the University of Alberta, currently ranked first going into the tournament.

"We know we've got a hill to climb in a sense, but you know what, if we play our brand of hockey, good things could happen," said Donaldson.

UPEI plays Alberta Friday at 7:00 p.m. AT at the Bell Aliant Centre MacLauchlan Arena.

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