The Estevan Minor Hockey Association (EMHA) announced changes to their fee structure, and a new home for two of their A teams, during their annual general meeting August 23.

Fees have gone up by $20 for each of their six divisions. Initiation and novice will cost $250 per player; atom will be $310; peewee will be $325; and bantam and midget will cost $355. The Learn-to-Skate program will cost $90.

“The City upped all of their ice user fees by five per cent,” said EMHA president Kelly Kjersem. “To keep up, so that we’re still viable, we had to increase our registration fees.”

The referee fees for the A and AA teams also increased, Kjersem said. He hopes that more local officials will stay in Estevan to work games, as opposed to travelling to games in other communities.

An EMHA child or parent who registers as a referee, takes the clinic and completes eight EMHA games will get $100 refunded from their registration fees, Kjersem said.

Estevan’s peewee A and bantam A teams will skate in Hockey Regina’s league this year. Moose Jaw and Weyburn decided a couple of months ago that they would move from the South Central Minor Hockey League (SCMHL) to Hockey Regina.

“We had to scramble to find a league for them to play in, and Hockey Regina was nice enough to let us in,” said Kjersem.

Kjersem predicted it will be better hockey, and that there would be more competition, with seven or eight teams instead of four.

The Midget A Bruins will remain in the SCMHL. Kjersem said he expects there will be enough teams for that division to remain viable.