DMHA Executive Update:

President Steps Down

DMHA President, Kristina Dodd, has stepped down from her position effective immediately.  The DMHA will continue to operate for this season,  with a vacant President position.  Current DMHA board members will assume the responsibilities of the vacant position to ensure the best for all of our players throughout the season.  Please direct all necessary communication to DMHAinfo@gmail.com, and your emails will be filtered to the appropriate board member.

DMHA continues to operate with open positions on the executive.  We are looking for support to help out with various tasks and initiatives.  Please contact DMHAinfo@gmail.com if you are available to volunteer.

DMHA Executive

In DMHA action the IP 4,5 and 6 hit the ice Saturday morning at Olympic Arena.  With lots of returning players and several new ones the players had a blast and loved being back on the ice.  Registration numbers are up significantly from last year which is great.  Under the direction of Head Coach Dan Pletch, its going to be a fun and exciting year for these young DMHA players!!

A two-year open-boundary pilot project between Dundas and Flamborough minor hockey associations will hopefully maintain small-town identity while securing long-term viability, the Dundas minor hockey association president said.

Kristina Dodd said the pilot project — one of three separate open-boundary pilots moving ahead for the 2018-19 hockey season — will have wrinkles that will take time to iron out.

“But it’s a step in the right direction,” Dodd said. “I am hopeful it will pave the way for open boundaries for all players, not just girls hockey, within the City of Hamilton. That’s the long-term goal that our small group has been working toward all the time. It still remains the endgame for all four of our associations.”

The Hamilton Huskies, Stoney Creek, Flamborough and Dundas minor hockey associations worked for two years with the City of Hamilton, Ontario Minor Hockey Association and Alliance minor hockey to propose an open-boundary pilot among the four organizations.

“The proposal was received and reviewed by both the OMHA and the Alliance,” a city staff report states. “As the proposals would create precedence in the provincial hockey environment, a counterproposal was disseminated by the OMHA … .”

The counterproposal opens boundaries for players between three sets of paired associations in Hamilton — between Stoney Creek and the Huskies, Glanbrook minor hockey and Ancaster minor hockey, as well as Dundas and Flamborough.

Dodd said a positive turnaround from the three individual partnerships during their pilot projects could pave the way for further improvements to minor hockey boundaries in the future.

Front row: Tanner Witmer, Phillip Ferris, Tommy Stevens, Matthew Persadie, Kyle Young and Matt Czum. Back row: Richard Persadie (trainer), Terry Young (coach), Mike Czum (coach), Clayton Lawlor, Christian Kovacevic, Taiden Witmer, Connor Gibala, Grant Shewchyk, Ben Denomy, James MacNeil, Dave Ferris (head coach) and Dale Stevens, (manager). 

The Dundas midget Bruins finished up a successful house league season with a great run in the Hamilton Minor Hockey Council Championships.

The Bruins finished the Dundas Minor Hockey Association regular season in first place, and captured the league title on Champ Day.

After a three-week absence, the Bruins hit the ice in the city championships. Their first game was a thrilling, tight checking affair with the Chedoke Stars. Christian Kovacevic scored in regulation, and Tommy Stevens and Grant Shewchyk found the back of the net in a nail-biting shootout.

In the quarter-finals, the Bruins faced off with the tournament favourites, Dofasco. Another great game electrified the crowd at Lawfield Arena. Tanner Witmer scored, but a late empty netter allowed Dofasco to escape with a 3-1 victory. Both games saw great performances in net from Matthew Persadie.

Two Dundas Minor Hockey Association teams capped off their seasons on March 23 by winning their respective Tri-County playoff championships, in dramatic fashion.

The minor midget Blues defeated the Caledon Hawks 2-1 in overtime to complete a three-game sweep and earn the Tri-County minor midget AE title.

The minor peewee Blues beat the Oakville Rangers 5-4, also in overtime, to complete a two-game comeback effort and earn the Tri-County minor peewee A championship.

The minor midgets appeared to have little trouble despite three close games with Caledon, winning Game 1 at Westoby Ice Surface 4-3 and taking Game 2, again by a 4-3 score, in Caledon before the 2-1 overtime win at Beverly Community Centre.

The minor peewee reps won Game 1 over Oakville 3-1 at Coronation Arena, and then dropped back-to-back 3-1 games in Oakville and Harry Howell Arena in Waterdown. Down two games to one, the peewee squad bounced back with a 4-1 win in Oakville and the 5-4 overtime clincher at Hamilton’s Eastwood Arena.

The two Dundas minor hockey teams achieved their championship titles with the added pressure of not having a true home ice surface all season. Both teams had to play and practice at a variety of Hamilton-area arenas while J.L. Grightmire Arena was closed for ongoing renovations.