The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) has announced that the regular season will restart on Tuesday, February 1.
The league has been on pause since January 5, in accordance with the Ontario government’s COVID-19 measures.
The local OJHL team, the Brantford 99ers, will kick off their return with two away games. Their first game is on Friday, February 4 in Markham and then they visit Georgetown on Saturday, February 5. Their first home game is scheduled for Thursday, February 10.
The team has 34 points in 32 games this season, with 16 wins and 16 losses, two in overtime. When the team gets back on the ice, they will be without a key member. Forward Brenden Anderson announced during the pause that he will be joining the Hamilton Bulldogs, of the Ontario Hockey League, for the remainder of the season. Anderson is second in scoring for the 99ers this season, behind captain Easton Wainwright.
The league has extended the regular season to April 7, to allow the rescheduling of all of the missed games.
As of Tuesday, January 31, arenas will be able to operate at 50 percent capacity or up to 500 people. Other measures remain in place including proof of vaccination and face masks. All capacity limits on indoor spaces are scheduled to be lifted on March 14.