One email sidelines potential BEC squadPublished Oct 28, 2025Last updated 10 minutes ago7 minute readBreton Education Centre does not know as of now if they will have a Division 2 hockey team represent the school, despite there being interest for a club in New Waterford this year. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentBreton Education Centre may have to wait a little bit longer to ice a high school hockey team.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentA group of community members led by Charlie Oliver tried to get a team off the ground this season at the New Waterford school, but one email to school officials from a concerned resident has put a damper on the plans.Article contentArticle contentOliver was approached by a school official at Glace Bay High School earlier this month about the potential of a BEC hockey team playing in the Glace Bay school’s annual Panther Classic, scheduled for early December at Miners Forum.Article contentArticle contentOliver approached officials at BEC with the idea of pursuing the opportunity of entering the local high school hockey tournament and was given permission to move forward with it.Article content“I created a Facebook site to get support from the community and school body,” said Oliver, noting the team would have been registered for Division 2 and not Division 1.Article content“I would not move forward until School Sport Nova Scotia gave word that we could use goalies from another school.”Article contentWhile official player numbers were not confirmed, early feedback about the team led Oliver to believe there was interest from hockey players at the school; however, the club would have to look outside of the town for goaltenders because of a lack of interest in the position for the club.Article contentArticle contentUpon request, School Sport Nova Scotia granted permission for Oliver and the team to search for goaltenders at other schools who were not already playing for their respective school teams.Article content The New Waterford and District Community Centre would have been the home venue for the Breton Education Centre Bears high school hockey team, if a club would be formed at the New Waterford school. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentArticle contentREASONS AGAINST TEAMArticle contentOn Oct. 21, in a social media post in the BEC Bears Hockey Facebook group, Oliver confirmed with group members that the New Waterford Credit Union made a commitment to buy the team uniforms, noting that a parents meeting would take place this week to discuss the team further.Article contentWith the process of forming a team well underway, and an early November deadline to register for the Panther Classic, the club hit a roadblock, the next day on Oct. 22, when BEC officials received an email under the surname Wicken Townsend citing reasons the school shouldn’t have a team.Article contentThe Cape Breton Post was told the email cited rule violations, player safety concerns and players’ ability levels, and a vast knowledge of the hockey format within the community.Article contentOliver later informed the 105 members of the Facebook page that the email had been sent to school officials at both BEC and Glace Bay High School, as well as School Sport Nova Scotia (SSNS).Article contentShortly after the email was received, school officials told Oliver that the school was open to the pursuit of having a Division 2 team to play in Division 2 tournaments but were not interested in allowing the club to pursue a spot in the Panther Classic.Article content“Considering we never officially had a team or a parent meeting or an on-ice session, I found it all very strange,” said Oliver.Article contentTENSIONS RISINGArticle contentThe news sparked confusion and frustration with many in the community, including parents of potential players on the team. Many voiced their concern and displeasure.Article contentWith tensions rising online with speculation and allegations regarding who would send the email, Scott Hillier, president of New Waterford Minor Hockey Association, contacted the school to clear his association from the rumours.Article contentArticle content“Our minor hockey players and coaches were getting involved, and I felt like I had to step in and do some investigating myself,” said Hillier who wanted a conversation he had with a coach kept ‘off the record for now.’Article contentAn email sent to members of the association by Hillier was later published on a community member’s Facebook post regarding the matter. In the letter, confirmed by Hillier to be the one he wrote, the school informed the association that BEC was never going to have a Division 1 team and was “never going to participate in the Panther Classic.”Article content“I was told that Division 1 hockey would not be happening, Division 2 was always a possibility,” said Hillier when asked about his letter to association members.Article contentHillier said he was disappointed to hear the allegations that minor hockey may have played a factor in the school’s decision.Article contentArticle content“I am disappointed, mainly because it’s the beginning of the minor hockey season. You know as well as I know how much unpaid hours go into getting associations started,” said Hillier.Article content“For me to have to put all this on hold to address minor hockey being mentioned in the BEC high school team is a bit frustrating for me, but I also want to look after my under-18 coaches and players because I take ownership in that.”Article contentHillier said he isn’t opposed to a high school team at BEC.Article content“I even offered next year to have a fresh restart, and I’ll apply to coach the BEC Division 2 team, even though my son is not interested in playing on it,” he said. “I’ll gladly coach it because I think it’s a great opportunity.”Article content Breton Education Centre does not know as of now if they will have a Division 2 hockey team represent the school, despite there being interest for a club in New Waterford this year. JEREMY FRASER/CAPE BRETON POST Jeremy FraserArticle contentSPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCESArticle contentWhen it comes to player eligibility for high school sports, there’s no rule under SSNS that states players can’t play both school sport and minor hockey in any of its divisions.Article contentYears ago, there was believed to be an unwritten rule among the Cape Breton high school teams that players who play Division 1 hockey would not be allowed to play with their minor hockey association, but that has since changed. The rule was never followed in other parts of the province.Article contentMeanwhile, as for players playing for schools that they don’t attend, SSNS allows two member schools that don’t have enough student population to ice a team to form one club, however those schools must apply annually for co-operative team approval.Article contentHowever, when it comes to a tournament or special circumstances, SSNS can grant permission for a school to seek players from other schools, if they don’t have enough players – BEC would fall under this category, given the team was being formed for the Panther Classic originally.Article contentIf BEC wanted to play in a league or playoffs and seek players from another school to complete a roster, the two schools involved would have to apply for a co-operative team. The deadline for that application is Nov. 7 for the 2025-26 hockey season.Article contentArticle contentAs for tournaments, Division 2 teams have played in events hosted by Division 1 clubs in the past. In recent years, Dalbrae Academy of Mabou, a Division 2 team, has played in the local high school tournaments.Article contentÉcole secondaire du Sommet, which plays Division 2 in the Halifax Metro High School Hockey League, is registered to compete in the Mae Kibyuk Memorial Green and Gold tournament next week in North Sydney.Article contentMeanwhile, two of the eight teams scheduled to compete in the Blue and White Challenge, hosted by Sydney Academy next month in Membertou, are Division 2 teams in the Allison Bernard Memorial Warriors of Eskasoni and Eastern Shore Coyotes of Musquodoboit Harbour.Article contentKevin Forward, manager of the New Waterford and District Community Centre, said he would like to see both high school and under-18 teams play in the venue.Article content“It would be great for the community to have both,” said Forward.Article contentArticle content“From the business side, the extra revenue would be great. The most important thing is the young adults have the chance to wear both the Sharks and Bears colours. The bottom line is we have to keep our youth playing sports in the town of New Waterford.”Article contentCENTRE RESPONSEArticle contentThe Post contacted the Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education about the BEC hockey situation. In an email, spokesperson Heather Calder confirmed that the school is “exploring the possibility of having a high school hockey team this year.”Article content“This process is being led by a community volunteer in consultation with school administration,” said Calder. “No decision has been made yet.”Article contentShe confirmed that if the school was to have a hockey team this year, it would be at the Division 2 level and “would adhere to rules/regulations set out by School Sport Nova Scotia.”Article contentCalder said the decision for the school not to enter the Panther Classic “was made with the goal of prioritizing opportunity for the potential team to play other Division 2 schools as much as possible.”Article contentThe Post asked Calder directly how the initial email was handled by school officials at BEC, which led to the decision to pull the possibility of a team playing in the Panther Classic, and if the centre for education would be investigating the email further.Article content“CBVRCE does not disclose the contents of correspondence or details of any potential follow-up(s),” said Calder. “If any member of the school community has concerns about the potential of a hockey team at BEC, they should contact the school directly.”Article contentKrista Higdon, spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Education Common Services Bureau, which provides administration and support to SSNS, said SSNS is aware that BEC is considering forming a Division 2 team.Article contentArticle content“The Panther Classic is not a SSNS event and a decision to participate lays with the school and team leadership,” said Higdon when asked about the BEC team and Panther Classic.Article contentWhile BEC did form a team in 2021 to compete in the Division 2 Highland Region playoffs, the school has not played in a full-time league since the late 1980s, early 1990s.Article contentOne of the biggest hockey memories at BEC came in 1988 when the Bears upset Sydney Academy in the best-of-five opening round of the Cape Breton High School Hockey League playoffs. The Bears finished third overall in the league standings, behind only the first-place Memorial and second-place Sydney Academy.Article contentAs for the Panther Classic, the four-day tournament schedule was not released at publication time. The event is slated for Dec. 4-7.Article content
Confusion and frustration after New Waterford hockey team stopped before it could start
