Surrey Eagles update
Last Saturday, a member of the Surrey Eagles tested positive for COVID-19, which resulted in the cancellation of the team’s scheduled game against the Langley Rivermen on Saturday, as well as a game between the Chilliwack Chiefs and Coquitlam Express that same night.
The Eagles had previously played the Chiefs on Friday night at the Chilliwack Coliseum, where the Riverman and Express also happened to play the day before.
Although the player in question was not in the building on Friday and was not with the team in the week leading up to their game, in an effort to be as cautious as possible, the two games were cancelled.
Once the positive test came to light, the team and the league immediately contacted the Provincial Health Office (PHO) as instructed in their accepted COVID-19 Plan.
After the games were cancelled on Saturday, all members of the Surrey Eagles were tested for COVID-19 and all came back negative.
The player in question was in contact with a person outside of his hockey circle who showed symptoms early in the week and ended up testing positive. The player in question had been in contact with this person and was tested on Friday once he started to experience symptoms. The player isolated, as instructed, until the results came back.
The Eagles have no games scheduled for this weekend, but will resume play on Nov. 7 when they host the Langley Rivermen. All three other teams involved will play their scheduled games this weekend.
Screening
The BCHL continues to work with PRIVIT online medical database for players to perform daily COVID-19 screening tests to monitor potential symptoms should they arise. So far, there has been just the one isolated positive test, but the league and its teams will continue to monitor the situation closely with daily screening as we move through the 2020-21 season.
Roster rules
The BCHL and its Competition Committee have been in discussions for weeks around how to handle the potential influx of other junior-aged players to the league, if their respective league doesn’t operate during the 2020-21 season. In an effort to protect roster spots for current BCHL players, the league has implemented roster rules that will only allow a limited amount of Major Junior players to be permitted on a given roster, on top of restrictions already in place.
