Still stinging from the cancellation of the 2020 Coy Cup senior men’s ‘AA’ provincial hockey championship as hosts due to COVID-19, the Quesnel Kangaroos are patiently awaiting word on what happens next.
“Right now we’re sitting, waiting, the same as everybody else,” said Quesnel Kangaroos general manager Tyler Coleman. “There are not a lot of answers, and not a lot of information about what the future holds.”
The Kangaroos, who finished the 2019/20 Central Interior Hockey League season as playoff champions for the second straight year after knocking off the Terrace River Kings in the final at the beginning of March, were slated to host the Coy Cup later that month from March 24-28 at the West Fraser Centre in Quesnel.
READ MORE: Quesnel Kangaroos crowned 2020 CIHL champions for second straight year
“We’re working with BC Hockey to see if we’ll get back the Coy Cup for this coming year,” he said. “From what I understand that will probably be the case, but that was like eight, nine months for the prep and planning and a week before we drop the puck it gets shut down. It’s like: ‘you’ve got to be kidding me.’”
That will all depend, however, on what BC Hockey and provincial health officials decide in terms of what will be acceptable for leagues like the CIHL to restart, Coleman said, on the future for the 2020/21 CIHL season.
“Right now I don’t even know if there will be a season next year, or if they’ll allow people to meet in large enough groups to have an audience for the team,” he said. “We’ve got to be able to fill seats to have a season.
“Right now, though, we’re just hopeful for another successful year and, hopefully, host the Coy Cup. It should be a good season, and we’re looking forward to getting back at it eventually.”
greg.sabatino@wltribune.com
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