Maritime Junior Hockey League postpones 14 games in N.S. and N.B.

The Maritime Junior Hockey League is postponing regular season games in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick between Dec. 17 and Jan. 2 due to new public health rules.

Fourteen games will be affected. A game in Summerside, P.E.I., on Dec. 18 is scheduled to go ahead.

The league said it is working with public health officials from the three Maritime provinces and decisions about games scheduled after Jan. 2 will be made at a later date.

Earlier this week, the Nova Scotia government announced new restrictions that take effect Friday. They limit sports practices, games and regular league play to 60 participants indoors and outdoors. Audiences for sports events will be limited to 50 per cent of the facility or venue's capacity, with a maximum of 150 people indoors and 250 outdoors.

Nova Scotia has had six consecutive days of more than 100 new COVID-19 infections.

New Brunswick has also announced new measures to try to slow the spread of the Omicron variant starting Friday. Capacity at sporting events will be reduced to 50 per cent with physical distancing required between groups.

The province announced 160 new cases on Wednesday.

The league had already announced the postponement of four games in the last week involving the Pictou County Weeks Crushers after a player on the team tested positive last Friday. The entire team was tested and staff and players were isolating as required.

At the end of November, a player with the Miramichi Timberwolves and another with the Fredericton Red Wings tested positive a few days later, which prompted the postponement of other games.

The league said all the cases were detected after rapid tests and that players were taking them every time they went to the rink for a game or practice.

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