March 22, 2007
Final Weekend
As the league enters the final weekend of playoffs, the Executive are continuing the work of getting the Final Weekend together.  Elsewhere on this page we will post a link to the draft schedule when all the playoffs are finished we will fill in the opponents.

We will also be posting the playoff brackets on the Team Stats pages between March 23 and 27th. Please check the brackets for times and arena. It was a very competitive season for most teams in the League. There were a number of upsets in the playoff rounds indicating just how close competition has been all season.

The Executive want to thank all the clubs, their players and coaches for the participation over the past season. To those that are finished league play, good luck in any tournaments you have yet to play. For those going to the Provincials we trust that the competitive nature of the league will be reflected in your success. Remember though that good sportsmanship has its rewards regardless of the outcome of the games. For those of you coming to final weekend we will see you there.

To the Clubs and particularly the General Managers of teams in the league, the Executive needs to know your Club's plans for next season by the end of this month. Also remember that we are counting on your help to make the final weekend a success. Please be sure to come and watch your Club's teams in the final games on Sunday April 1st and be there to hand out the awards after their games.

February 14, 2007
2007 PLAYOFFS - Update
As the Regular season drew to a close this past weekend most teams will be informed about their 1st round of playoffs in the next few days. Teams finishing at the top of the standings may get a bye to the 2nd round, or even the final weekend, so NMGHL hockey is not over yet.

It was an exceptional season. A total of 333 teams were registered in NMGHL this season and over 3,360 home games were played by these teams. Due to the use of regional divisions, only 10 teams in the entire league will not be involved in some form of playoff in NMGHL this year. Good luck to those that have made the playoffs, and to those that did not, the league wishes you well for the rest of your hockey season.

Coaches and teams are reminded that the 1st round of playoffs are to be scheduled by February 15th.

For Atom 1 there is only one round of playoffs and these must be completed by March 26, 2007.

For Peewee 1 and 2, Bantam 2, and Midget 3 there will be three rounds of playoffs. The final date is the same as above, so working back, the 2nd round must be finished by March 14th thus allowing 2 weekends for 3rd round games; and the 1st round must be finished by March 1st allowing 2 weekends for the 2nd round games.

For Intermediate 1 the Provincials limit the start of the first round until after February 26th so the 1st round should be completed by March 13th.

For the balance of the divisions there are 2 rounds and the first round must be finished by March 7th allowing 3 weeks for the 2nd round.

These dates split the period evenly given the number of series that must be run. Teams are encouraged to get games completed early to avoid everything bunching at the end.

Playoffs must be completed in their entirety by March 26, 2007. All series are best of 3 and the third game is subject to overtime and a shoot out should it be necessary to Clubs must provide extra ice for the third game. A best of three series is the first team to get 4 points out of the 6 available points: 2 for a win; 1 for a tie; 0 for a loss.

Clubs are reminded that as of the final weekend, the league would like some indication of your plans for next season. While we are still working on playoff alignments, and the final weekend, March 30 to April 1, 2007, we must start thinking about next season soon so divisions can be set up and approved at the AGM in June.

January 5, 2007
HAPPY NEW YEAR
It is the hope of the Executive that all teams will be able to provide their players with a safe, enjoyable environment in 2007.

For everyone except our Novice 2 Teddy Bear and our Senior divisions teams are entering their last 6 weeks of regular season play. This is the time to play smart hockey, showing the things you have learned this year and having success. Playoff positions will be determined by the outcome of the remaining games on the schedule. Of course, many teams have tournaments coming up too, so there will be lots of hockey to play before playoffs begin.

Playoff information has been distributed to all teams so your coach will know what to expect for playoff scheduling. Clubs need to ensure that scheduling will happen quickly as soon as opponents can be identified.

Teams are reminded that the NMGHL Discipline Policy is in place. Teams that get high numbers of penalty minutes will receive warnings and possibly have their coach suspended for one or more games. Even though everyone gets more anxious as the season starts to draw to a close, we all need to recognize that whatever the call we as coaches and players need to accept it and concentrate on the game.

For Clubs, the new year brings with it the responsibilities of starting to think about next season. The Executive would remind Clubs that the league needs to plan too. We have requested that Clubs provide us with an indication of their expectations for next season by the end of March. Team lists for next season can be confirmed up until May 1st, 2007.

November 29
Playoffs Notes for 2007
As the calendar is moving towards December, the Executive in conjunction with the General Managers have prepared the playoff format for this year. Download here (in PDF).

All teams are advised to review how playoffs will be handled and make appropriate arrangements to ensure they can compete.

To date the season has progressed very well. Penalty minutes are up, due to the new rule emphasis, but we are sure that in the long run it will make the game better for all. For players interested in how these rules are being called we suggest you review the information on the OWHA web site. Videos of the various infractions are provided with clips to show what cannot be done.

Our Novice Teddy Bear division will have its organizational meeting on December 7th so they can be up and playing later in the month. For those involved see the announcement elsewhere on this site.

As the Holiday Season approaches we will all be getting busier, so the Executive wish to extend at this time, to all the players, staff, officials and parents involved our wishes for a safe, and Happy Holiday.

September 12
Meetings Posted
It is the second weekend of September, the weather has turned cool, and I anticipate most teams are going to get tryouts or pre-season practices finished in the next week so they can start exhibition games. The good news is that with a big turnout last Thursday nearly all the teams that said they were entering the league last spring have completed the initiation meeting. Every team that has been represented at a meeting has been given access to the web site to register, enter rosters and officially start the season. Do it soon if it is not done yet.

Please confirm with your General Manager that you are assigned to the correct Tier and get the General Manager to tell the League if changes need to be made. Atom teams are reminded that the league would like to see the exhibition/tournament game sheets so the Tier Placement committee can guide teams into the appropriate tier to allow equitable play.

As you can see from the sidebar, scheduling meetings have been arranged. Sept 26th for the Bantam Midget and Intermediate Tier 1 groups and all Senior teams and October 1st for the balance of the teams. We trust that clubs are working with those teams to ensure they have a variety of ice times to enable scheduling to go smoothly. Remember, you can always swap your practice and game ice to make it easier for an opponent to schedule their game with you. To help you in defining how much ice you will need, the number of games that will be played in each tier is listed on the web.

August 22, 2006
A New Season
September 7th marks the last Initiation Meeting for the new season. All teams will by then have had a chance to go through the rules for the coming season and hopefully have a better understanding of what they must do as part of the league. Since most of the teams in the league had this training in June, they will be skating with the new teams for the coming year looking forward to the new season.

As some of you know, Kathy Tyers has retired and Lindsay Oliver will be taking over as Head Convenor. Lindsay helped Kathy with the Tiers last year so once we get it up and running it should not be a major issue. The next month is going to be very busy for Lindsay and the Executive.

General Managers who have not given us the name and coordinates of their Head Referee should do so as soon as possible because those people need to be notified about an officiating meeting the second week of September. Moreover, GMs should be checking that their teams are entered into the database, and that we have the OWHA number for each team.