Organizational Information

Update August 2020:

Here is a note from the PIRHL and a few reminders for the start of practice on Thursday, August 20th:

From the PIRHL:

“We are closely monitoring the PIAA, WPIAL, and the Governor’s Office. They have set August 24th as the decision date. So as of now we are pushing start date till Sept 26th. Please continue to prepare your teams”.

Rules for the Bridgeville Rollerplex:

1. Only 1 parent per child is permitted in the facility, no siblings or spectators.

2. Every player needs to be masked until they enter the actual playing surface.

3. Coaches and spectators need to be masked while in the building.

4. We also need anyone entering the facility to sign our smart waiver. It is on the Bridgeville Rollerplex FB page, Bridgeville Waiver wire and our website under "about us". We can also sign people in here when they arrive.

Start of practice 8-20-20:

Middle School will practice from 6-7pm.

High School evaluations will be from 7-9pm. Please have your player bring both home and away game jerseys. We will also hold evaluations on August 27 for anyone who is unable to make it this Thursday.

Looking ahead, the PIRHL will require each Coach to take the players and coaches temperatures prior to the start of any game. BPIHBA will be implementing the same before practices.

Anyone who would like to pay their deposit may do so on Thursday night. Also, please see Larry Hultz if you need to order uniforms.

PIRHL Meeting Notes

7/25/20

Please note that all information contained is subject to change. Due to the ever-changing Covid-19 situation, the league is making decisions based on rules from the CDC, State of Pennsylvania, AAU, rinks, school districts and athletic directors, and in the best interest of the players and desire to bring normalcy to the players.

Rinks – Dan has been in contact with the rinks. The following are the rink rules that have been relayed to the league at this time.

RMU - As of yesterday, to comply with state mandates, RMU is allowing 9 skaters and 1 coach on the bench for each team. A goalie may be on the rink for a total of 10 players and 1 coach per team, or 22 people per game between the two teams. In addition, there may be 2 referees and 1 scorekeeper per game for a total of 25 people, the number allowed by the state due to Covid-19. Parents and fans are not allowed to attend. They may stand outside the rink at the wall to watch, but they may not enter the rink. There will be no locker rooms for players. Goalies may possibly be permitted in a locker room. We are aware some teams have more than 9 players and Dan has been talking to the rink to see if there is a way to allow all players to play. UPDATE: Dan has been in contact with RMU. All players will be allowed on the bench for a game. Spectators still will not be permitted. He would also like to inquire about possibly allowing a second coach to be in the stands. Coaches are required to have a mask on while on the bench.

Bridgeville – Bridgeville is allowing 13 players, one goalie, one coach, two referees and a scorekeeper. They are allowing one parent per child at this time. They will have locker rooms.

HotShots – Dan is meeting with HotShots on Tuesday. No information is available at this time.

Grove City – It is unlikely any games will be held at Grove City. There has been no response from them and teams that have practiced there are having trouble contacting them.

Schedules – The league will continue to utilize a block schedule with as little crossover between teams and age groups as possible. Divisions/tiers will be scheduled the same times each week. For example, Varsity 1 may play every Sunday from 8-11. Players on those teams would know roughly when they are playing each week on that day, between those times, and could plan accordingly.

Season – The league hopes to start the season on time. If a school district shuts down athletics, this may affect teams affiliated with their school. Would V1 be unable to play? Would other high-school teams be able to play? There are a lot of unanswered questions.

Requests – Since teams will be playing at the same time each week, games cannot be moved. Any special situations will be dealt with on a case by case basis. Perhaps, in an emergency, a team could be scheduled for a double header to allow another team to have a bye on that week. The goal is to schedule high school games on Sundays. This would eliminate any conflicts with SATs or homecomings, if they were to be held. If there are any special situations, the association should let Dan know as soon as possible. Dan would like seniors to have a senior recognition day. If each team gets 15 minutes, for 4 teams, the league is required to pay an extra hour in rink time and official’s pay. Dan feels that recognizing seniors is important. Any requests must be submitted asap.

Mouthguards – Mouthguards must be in the mouth completely at all times when a player is on the rink. For the first infraction, the player will be given a 2-minute penalty. If a second infraction occurs, the player will be removed from the game. The team will not be penalized for the removal.

Temperatures – Coaches will be required to take the temperature of all players before the game. The temperature of the coach must be taken as well. All players will line up on the rink before warmups. The scorekeeper will stand behind the coach and will record the temperature as the coach takes the temperature with a non-contact thermometer. The scorekeeper will also check the players in at this time. The thermometer will have a green, yellow and red readout that rapidly indicates if a player has a temperature. If the thermometer displays red, indicating a fever, the player will not be able to play. He will receive credit for the game if he/she is disallowed to play due to a temperature. The Mesanfit Non-Contact Forehead Infrared Thermometer for Human can be found at the following link on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Forehead-Infrared-Thermometer-Adults/dp/B08938B6VG/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=mesanfit+non+contact+thermometer&qid=1595709191&sr=8-5#customerReviews

Fees – The team fees will be the same this year as in the past 8 years-$2,500 per team. If the season is shut down due to Covid-19, the board will discuss to figure out how to adjust. Normally, RMU requires that a contract for the entire season be signed. Dan has already informed them that we will not. We would prefer one month at a time. They have indicated that if we lose a week or two, it can be credited on the back end. There was a question regarding paying the fees in 2 payments. The association should send an email with this request to be considered.

Games – Games will NOT start early. Teams should be dressed and prepared to enter the rink 5 minutes prior to game time. They will have 3 minutes to put on their skates and shin guards and should line up for temperature checks and check ins. They will then have their warm up period. After the game, there will be no handshakes. Due to the need to stay on schedule, during the regular season, there will be no overtime. If the game is a tie at the end of regulation, it will be recorded as a tie. If a player is late to a game, he will be unable to enter until the next period when his/her temperature can be taken and recorded.

Behavior – If players are pushing, shoving and getting into each other’s face, they will be removed from the floor and immediately sent to the bench to prevent the transfer of any unnecessary aerosols. This will not necessarily be a penalty. The goal is to allow the players to calm down and keep emotions in check as much as possible.

Covid-19 – There were 198 additional cases of Covid-19 in Allegheny County yesterday. If this continues, it is likely the county will go into a red phase. If the county shuts down, it is unknown if games will be made up. They could be added to the end of the season, but many players are heading to State Wars and other tournaments at this time.

Miscellaneous

Some parents are reluctant to purchase a uniform for a new player with the uncertainly that surrounds the ability to play. An exception will be allowed, provided the player has a light and dark jersey, with a player number on the back to allow for identification.
Due to Covid and the closing of Alpha to inline hockey, several organizations have not held tryouts. If the county goes to red, this can be pushed back further. If this occurs, the season could be pushed back.
If a player will miss several games due to being quarantined, the administrator should send an email to Dan immediately for consideration.
Dan believes that the league will have no problem securing rink time for games. However, several organizations are experiencing problems with obtaining practice time.
The league does anticipate a decrease in the number of teams due to Covid.
Dan was asked if he would be willing to meet with associations and their parents to discuss the information and changes due to Covid and the goals of the league. Dan agreed to do so if requested.
Dan emphasized the desire to bring some normalcy to the players. The league is making every attempt to assure this while keeping the safety of the players, staff and coaches in mind. There may be exceptions that are not normally allowed, to allow the players to play. If two teams come to the rink to play and one does not have a goalie, perhaps the goalie from the previous game would be willing to stay and play. Although a goalie could not be moved between divisions, with the block schedule, this could be accomplished more easily. There may be a change in the number of goalie callups allowed. If a team does not have enough players, Dan encouraged them to split up players and play, to allow the kids to have fun and provide some semblance of normalcy.

Organizational Information

Update August 2020:​

Update August 2020: