COVID-19 cases in four teams have led to six games being postponed, according to the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
The Beaver Valley Nitehawks, Castlegar Rebels, Fernie Ghostriders and Kelowna Chiefs all have positive cases, according to a league announcement Thursday.
The Kelowna Chiefs told Black Press Media nine of their players have tested positive and more are expected later in the week. Kelowna’s game at home to the North Okanagan Knights on Friday has been postponed.
Castlegar Rebels president Mike Johnstone said eight to 10 players are showing symptoms. He added that not all of them have been tested for COVID-19 because current Interior Health guidelines do not allow testing of double-vaccinated individuals without other risk factors.
“It spread through our space pretty quickly and we wanted to cut it down and limit exposure to our players, staff, volunteers and opponents, so the decision was made to cancel the games,” Johnstone said.
Nitehawks President Stephen Piccolo said six players have tested positive and are currently in isolation.
“Omicron is hitting everyone hard by the looks of it,” Piccolo said. “And I mean everyone – our fanbase, the games we can’t have and we hope it doesn’t carry over into another season.”
Other games to be postponed include:
• Friday, January 7: Beaver Valley Nitehawks at Castlegar Rebels; Grand Forks Border Bruins at Fernie Ghostriders
• Saturday 8 January: Castlegar Rebels at Nelson Leafs; Fernie Ghostriders in the Columbia Valley Rockies
• Sunday, January 9: Golden Rockets at Beaver Valley Nitehawks
The infections come despite the KIJHL’s COVID-19 policy, which mandated that every player and staff had received two doses of the vaccine before the season began in October.
The Nitehawks were fined $2,500 and their head coach suspended for eight games in December after it was discovered that two of their players had not started the season fully vaccinated.
With files from Jen Zielinski in Kelowna, Betsy Kline in Castlegar and Jim Bailey in Trail.
CoronavirusKIJHL
