Why does the schedule feel uneven or inconsistent?
SMHA does not control game scheduling. All league games — home and away — are assigned by LCMHL. Practice schedules must be built around those league‑assigned games.
Who schedules our games?
LCMHL schedules 100% of league games. SMHA provides the ice, but the league determines when games occur and how often teams play.
Why are practices scheduled in blocks instead of the whole season?
LCMHL schedules all games first. Teams then book tournaments. If SMHA scheduled practices for the entire season, managers would constantly need to move practices, games, and tournaments. Scheduling in blocks minimizes disruption.
Why does SMHA need to provide weekday ice for games?
LCMHL requires every association to supply 20% of its game ice on weekdays. This means some weekday ice that could be used for practices must instead be reserved for league games.
Why does the schedule feel “front‑loaded” early in the season?
Early in the season, most teams are in tournaments and league games haven’t fully ramped up. This makes weekend ice more available, so practices naturally cluster earlier in the year.
Why can’t we use more weekend ice for practices?
SMHA has a lot of weekend ice, but teams are often away at tournaments or playing league games. Even though the ice exists, teams aren’t always available to use it.
Why do some weeks have more practices than others?
Practice availability depends on LCMHL game assignments, tournament weekends, blackout dates, and ice availability at each facility. When game volume is high, practice ice is tighter; when game volume is low, more practice ice opens up.