Local girls hockey organization struggles to secure ice time as demand grows

The Grand River Mustangs say they may be forced to cap registration if they can’t secure more ice time to keep up with the growing demand for girls hockey.

“We have probably grown over 50% in the last two to three years. We’re pushing 400 skaters at this point,” said Dan Gillies, Grand River Mustangs president.

The Township of Centre Wellington has three ice surfaces, one at the Elora Community Centre, and two at the CW Community Sportsplex. The Elora Community Centre has been closed since March to complete major renovations. The township said “this has created an unprecedented impact on ice allocation until December 31, 2023.”

The Grand River Mustangs said the struggle to secure ice time is made worse by the township’s ice allocation policy, which they said is flawed. They said the township calculates ice time based on the amount of teams in the league the previous year.

The Mustangs said while they may not have as many teams as some of the boys leagues, they have more players per team. They would like to see the ice time allocation reflect that.

“We have to put more girls on the same amount of ice, relative to the boys. That makes it much more difficult for the girls to get their fair share,” said Gillies.

According to the township’s indoor facility allocation policy, the township develops an ice distribution matrix on an annual basis,. This matrix outlines the ice allocation hours for each group, calculated using registration numbers from the previous year.

A spokesperson for the township told CTV News “the intent of this policy is to ensure that residents and non-profit organizations are treated fairly.”

The Grand River Mustangs have had to seek ice times in towns further away to accommodate the growing demand.

“At one point in the process, we were asked to drive three times the distance of the boys programming,” said Gillies. “That’s time in the car and time away from school.”

Gillies said the Mustangs met with the townhip Tuesday to discuss their concerns. CTV News has reached out to the township for a comment regarding the meeting but has not heard back.