Ryan Kelber, commissioner of the Greater Cleveland High School Hockey League, distributed a memo to coaches of the league’s 34 member teams Wednesday announcing changes to the 2020-21 regular season and Baron Cup formats in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Teams are being encouraged to play as many of their scheduled leagues games as possible, but no league standings will be kept, and every team will qualify for the three 2021 Baron Cup tournaments.
It has become clear that crossing your fingers and hoping not many games get cancelled is not a viable option for commissioners around the state. Leagues must plan for more positive COVID tests and the game cancellations they will bring.
“What we are trying to avoid is having an imbalanced schedule in January when it comes time to do the seeding for the Baron Cup,” he said. “Some of these games are just not going to get made up.”
Kelber said he also did not want to put teams in a position where they had to cancel non-league games and try to re-schedule league contests.
"I think this year honestly is going to be very fluid," said Mentor head coach Paul McKito. "The GCHSHL is making the correct move."