Recreational "C" Division
SCMHA's Recreational “C” Hockey program, also sometimes referred to as “House” hockey, is played by the majority of the boys & girls in our association. Its focus is on three areas - fun, athletic & skill development, and a positive environment.
More specifically, the objectives are to:
- Promote a game to fit the needs of the participants
- Be open to all ages
- Allow players equal ice time
- De-emphasize the importance of winning
- Allow enjoyable participation
- Assist in an individual’s physical development
- Create a social environment
“C”/House Division Evaluation Sessions
Ice times for Recreational “C” Hockey divisions are scheduled to start the week after Labour Day.
These times will be used to assess skills and abilities for preliminary GROUP placement - these are NOT tryouts. It is important that players attend these sessions to help form balanced groups.
BALANCING IN “C” DIVISIONS
Most parents don't pay a lot of attention to this process until their child is one of the players that must make a move so this below outlines what balancing is, why it is required, and how you can help to make the process easier on the kids.
What is "Balancing"? Balancing is a term used by PCAHA to describe a process by which teams within a division are evaluated and, through player movements, start the season at even strength.
Why does SCMHA balance teams?
As a member of PCAHA (Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association) we are mandated to have balanced teams. This is a mandatory requirement of being a minor hockey association in the Pacific Coast region. We are not able to opt out of the process, and the final declaration of whether or not teams are balanced is the prerogative of PCAHA, not SCMHA. We simply facilitate the process and do our best to bring the teams into alignment before PCAHA makes any final moves.
How is balancing done?
Your child is temporarily assigned to a group of skaters at the start of the season. The first few weeks are primarily used for warm-up. Then these groupings begin to play games against each other to determine if they are of equal strength. During the next month or so, groups are evaluated, and decisions are made by SCMHA evaluators as to how to redistribute players with the intention that no single group is stronger or weaker than the others. If we discover that groups are unbalanced, we are required to redistribute players to make them more even. This continues until our groups are balanced and PCAHA gives our newly formed teams official status. PCAHA has the right to unilaterally declare these groups not balanced and, in some cases, decide which players will be moved.
