It's the first sign of the beloved summer coming to a halt - hockey.
Of course, there are worse things associated with the end of the warm weather and long days.
This week, the Civic Centre played host for the SHA Skills of Gold Hockey School. Players from novice through midget had the opportunity to get back into regular season form and get a head start on the competition.
Instructors Cullen Morin, Colby Cave, Blake Tatchell, Richard Cameron, Boyd Wakelin, Zane Morin, Teegan Heintz, Ryne Keller, Jarrod Samborski and Jason L'Heureux taught players at the camps. One was also held in Meadow Lake.
Players were broken up into three groups. Each took the ice at a different time. Group one was novice and first-year atoms. Group two was second-year atoms and peewees. Group three was bantam and midget players.
Each group had two on-ice sessions, one off-ice and a lunch break each day. The novice and first-year atom group had the earliest sessions. Monday, they were put through drills to develop fundamental skills leading up to the start of hockey season.
The group of five started with a fun warm up. Divided into two teams, the players started a scrimmage by lying on their stomachs at each blue line with two tennis balls at centre ice. When play started, they jumped up and raced for the balls as fast as they could. Once two goals were scored, they started the drill over again.
After the blood was flowing and everyone was warmed up, the instructors put them through some basic drills. The first was stick handling. The players began by forming a circle and stick handling back and forth, each with their own puck. After a couple minutes, they removed their gloves and worked the puck around them. The group then worked on stick handling while skating down the ice.
When that was over, the players worked on another basic but highly important skill - passing. After receiving instruction on how to properly give and receive a pass, players broke up into pairs and put the lessons to use. They worked on passing on the forehand and backhand. The players also practised passing while skating up the ice together.
Day one of the camps wrapped up with a fun drill for the players and the instructors. Player got rid of their sticks and had to skate from one end of the ice to the other, but it wasn't quite so simple. As they skated through the neutral zone, instructors passed pucks back and forth and the players had to dodge them. Once a player was hit, he joined the instructors.
Along with developing fundamental skills, the camp helped shake some of the rust off for players who haven't skated in months. It was perfect timing with registration for the Battlefords Minor Hockey Association Wednesday and Thursday.
