The province is now on notice – the Mission Minor Hockey Association has arrived.
After a year that saw four Mission rep teams advance to the B.C. championships and the Mission Stars bantam rep team win it all, the MMHA was awarded with the Frank Spring Award as the B.C. Minor Hockey Association of the Year.
The award is given to the minor hockey association judged to have made an outstanding contribution to its community by providing a properly organized hockey program where a youngster can learn the basic skills and fundamentals of hockey.
MMHA president John Kapty said years of hard work helped make the award possible.
“This is big for us,” he said. “We’ve come a long way in the last few years in a lot of different areas.”
Kapty, who has been president the past two years and was vice-president for the two years prior, said it’s been a team effort to turn the MMHA around.
“We’ve never been the most successful or well-thought-of organization,” he said. “Oftentimes we were thought of as rough or unsportsmanlike. We’ve also become much more organized on and off the ice, and you can see the results.”
He said that the strong play on the ice helped MMHA win the award, but a combination of factors helped put them over the top.
“When I became president, my goals were to up the professionalism, sportsmanship and leadership,” he said. “We also wanted to become more involved in the community and build better relationships. We also made big strides in the last few years in player and coach development. I think we put good people in place, and this award is a reflection of a lot of hard work from a lot of different people.”
B.C. Hockey stated that the MMHA has worked hard to establish itself as an excellent place to play hockey, and the association’s on-ice development has shown immediate results. They also pointed to the MMHA’s community work, including the group’s donations to local food banks and participation in the Coldest Night of the Year walk.
Kapty said local parent Erin Parkes was instrumental in spearheading the MMHA’s community work.
The MMHA boasts around 350 players, and Kapty said he expects the success to continue.
“I think the future is really bright for us,” he said.