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Sr. AA hockey update

Eagles, Pirates relocate for upcoming NCHL season

Sep 9, 2019 | 12:11 PM

A pair of local Senior AA hockey teams are on the move.

The Eckville Eagles made it official Monday morning by announcing they are relocating to Lacombe for the 2019-20 North Central Hockey League season.

The Eagles first applied to relocate when the NCHL held its annual general meeting earlier this year, but were denied. They applied again at the league’s fall meeting where they received approval to relocate from the NCHL and Hockey Alberta.

The team will continue as the “Eckville Eagles” until they can have a name change approved by the NCHL and Hockey Alberta.

Meantime, the Sylvan Lake Pirates announced they will be known moving forward as the “Blackfalds Sr. Wranglers.”

The Pirates played their home games during their inaugural season in 2018-19 in Bentley due to a lack of available ice time in Sylvan Lake. The team says they will play home games in Bentley again this season before moving them to Blackfalds for 2020-21.

“With the Jr. B Blackfalds Wranglers moving to Sylvan Lake, there again would be no ice time available for a senior team,” Pirates team officials noted in a statement explaining their decision.

The 2019-20 NCHL season opens on Oct. 4.