How a small N.S. community recreated its minor hockey program, barrier-free

The small Nova Scotia community of Parrsboro lost its minor hockey league program in 2015.

After that, the nearest minor hockey program was nearly 45 minutes away in Amherst, N.S.

Seeing a need gone, Jill Meyers decided to do something about it.

So, rallying the community together, Meyers and her husband have started a minor hockey league program in the community for the first time in nearly a decade. The league began play late last year.

The program is made to be as barrier-free as possible. The two mustered the community to donate gear, and soon, the residents had kitted up 32 kids so they could play hockey. Sticks, skates, helmets and protective gear all came in tow.

The remaining gear that wasn’t donated was spotted through Sport NS.

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For Meyers, now a hockey mom, it’s a way for the kids in the community to have a chance to play the sport they dreamed of playing.

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“It’s great to have as many sports and opportunities to be active as possible in a small community,” she said. “We are a small community, but we want to give our children all the opportunities they would have in any other community or town.”

Taking to the ice, one by one, 32 kids skated their way onto the ice. Some of them have never played hockey before. Ranging from ages six to 12, the slips and falls from some of the players get iced over week by week.

Many of the kids playing this past Sunday have dreams of playing more and more.

“First, we started with basic drills: how to stop properly, shooting drills and a lot of other stuff,” player Greyson Hill said.

“But now I’ve learned how to stop and work with my team and it’s really fun playing, I do enjoy it.”

Many of the players say the most they’ve been able to play is in the driveway or on outdoor rinks.

Residents of the riverfront community have been feeling the need since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The excitement has spread throughout the area.

“If I see them in the grocery store or the drug store, they say, ‘Hey Jill, I can’t wait for hockey on Sunday,'” Meyers said.

“Anyone who is 10 and under, this is their first time on the ice in Parrsboro.”

The program hopes to one day expand to allow for skill development in specific age groups, but for now, organizers are just happy that hockey is back.