Blizzard Battle Champions

For the first time in over two years, Ballhockey.com was happy to host a one of our own tournaments and welcome back some familiar faces we hadn’t seen in a while. The Blizzard Battle was also the first Ballhockey.com event under the Knapper brand, and it was a blast. Thank you for all teams for joining us this past weekend. 2024 has a lot in store with more events than your fingers can count. Stay tuned for the 2024 calendar release.

Thank you to all participants for coming out to the Blizzard Battle and congratulations to our champions.

men’s b champions - toronto monsters

men’s d champions - barrie wolfpack

coed rec champions - niagara nuts & knockers

Knapper Acquires Ballhockey.com

Knapper, a ball hockey equipment manufacturer from Montreal, is proud to announce that it has acquired Ballhockey.com, one of the largest ball hockey leagues in Ontario, through its division Knapper Sports&Events.

Ballhockey.com has been a pioneering force in the sport's development, not only in Ontario but across North America, for nearly 30 years. It has organized numerous Signature events that have drawn teams from across Canada and the Northern United States, becoming iconic fixtures over the years.

With seven surfaces spanning four locations, Ballhockey.com serves over 4,000 players in St. Catharines (Canal Rink, Welland, Haig Bowl), and Orillia.

"Our intention is to build upon this strong player base and provide these passionate ball hockey players with a modern playing environment," says Louis-Martin Beausejour, President of Knapper. New dek flooring will be installed, and boards will gradually be upgraded to meet ice hockey standards (aluminum structure + HDPE panels).

"We believe that ball hockey is a sport of the future," Beausejour continues. "It's fun, affordable, accessible, and easy to learn. When you think about it, ball hockey is essentially our national sport. Not everyone has played on ice, but almost every kid in the country has picked up a stick and a ball at least once."

Ball hockey, also known as dek hockey, has seen rapid growth in recent years in Quebec, surpassing other popular sports like soccer in many communities. Dek surfaces have sprung up across the province, and multi-pad indoor facilities are now common in many towns. "There is tremendous potential for ball hockey in Ontario, and we aim to lead the way by offering state-of-the-art facilities wherever we go."

Knapper also has plans to develop additional locations across Canada and invites interested parties to submit projects at https://knapper.com/pages/development

Their next goal is to reopen a Ballhockey.com venue in Barrie, where it all began in 1994. They are actively searching for a suitable location.

Ballhockey.com became available following the passing of its founder, Brian Broley, in November 2021. His father, Mr. Frank Broley, now 92 years old, admirably continued operations until the sale. "Frank literally saved ball hockey for 4,000 players in the Niagara region, and many jobs as well," said Beausejour. All jobs will be maintained following the acquisition.

The owners of Knapper will be on location today, September 26th from 2:30pm, at the Canal Rink in St. Catharines to meet with players and the community, and they will be in Orillia tomorrow from 4pm.

For more information, please contact Mr. Patrick Bazinet, VP of Development, at pbazinet@knapper.com / 514-835-2299.

Ballhockey.com Future Plans in Niagara

BALLHOCKEY.COM ATHLETIC CENTRE CLOSING

As most of you are aware, February will be the final month at the Ballhockey.com Athletic Centre as the property was sold to developers last year. Ballhockey.com has been operating under a lease agreement with the new owners, which ends at the end of February. 16 Melbourne Avenue has been the hub of ball hockey since it opened in 2013 and it is unfortunate that our operation in this building will end quietly without celebration as Government closures prevented us from giving this location the send-off it deserved. You will begin to notice construction as we remove the rink assets and move them into storage for the time being until we are ready to put them to use. That beautiful indoor rink will once again be showcased soon.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

While our hub will no longer be at the usual location, rest assured we still have plenty of opportunity to continue to grow the sport of ball hockey. There are some major plans in the near future for Ballhockey.com to continue to provide the best experience:

  1. Revitalizing Canal Rinks

    • Over the next few months, you will notice some revitalization projects on the go at our Canal location. The tent it being fixed, and the outdoor surface floor will be taken up, while we eliminate the moss growth underneath to prevent that slippery surface. There are also plans to replace the existing building with an updated space.

  2. Replace Flooring on Mike McGowan Rink

    • You may have noticed several spots on the covered rink floor this winter that have started separating. The current flooring system does not handle the cold weather well, making the connections brittle and easy to break apart. Before next winter season, you will see the entire floor replaced with the same surface we currently use on the BAC outdoor rink & Canal Open rink.

  3. Move current indoor tile at BAC to Haig Bowl

    • While we are still doing some planning and trying to ensure our current user groups can still use Haig Bowl, our plan is to purchase an additional 4000 square feet of indoor flooring, and lay that tile down at the Haig Bowl Arena to eliminate playing direct on a concrete surface. This will ensure we maintain a year-round indoor facility for ball hockey.

  4. Expansion at Canal location

    • Our plan and ultimate goal is to expand upon the Canal site we currently have with the implementation of a third 5-on-5 size rink. When Brian Broley decided to sell the Melbourne location, his vision was to develop a central location for the sport, and to construct new 3-on-3 sized rinks in addition to the existing 5-on-5 rinks. Ballhockey.com plans to continue this vision, and conversations are underway to make this happen

  5. Use of Ballhockey.com Welland location

    • As a reminder, we also currently have two additional rinks at Youngs Sportsplex in Welland. While we are not planning on pre-scheduling any games at this location, we do have access to it for youth practices and will still provide us flexibility to accommodate needed rescheduled games as we have in the past. For teams wanting to play some scheduled games in Welland, we can accommodate that as well - please let us know.

 

Tiny Tots & Rising Stars
Ages 3-5
Registration Deadline: March 11

Click for details & registration

Youth Houseleague
Ages 6-17
Registration Deadline: March 11

Click for details & registration

Adult Leagues
Team Registration Deadline: March 4

Click for details & registration

Ballhockey.com President Brian Broley passes away at 62

Brian Franklin Broley, 62, of St. Catharines, Ontario, formerly of Barrie, passed away on November 11th, 2021 after a brief and sudden illness.

Brian was born on December 3, 1958 to H Franklin Broley & M Flora Broley (Peacock) in Barrie, Ontario. He graduated with a degree in Business from York University which sparked his love of entrepreneurship.

After graduation, he spent many years working in the printing industry helping to build Kempenfelt Graphics into one of the top printing companies in North America. During this time, he discovered his love for the sport of ball hockey and launched the Barrie Ball Hockey Club in 1994.

Brian has been called “Mr. Ball Hockey” by many people. He was a titan in the sport and wanted nothing more than to push it forward towards Olympic levels. Growing from a single rink location in Barrie to what ballhockey.com has become today, what was most important to him was the relationships he formed because of the game. Brian was a passionate ambassador for the sport, and he will be sorely missed by players around the globe.

Brian was a major contributor to several charities including Hockey Night in Barrie supporting the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), Hockey Night in St. Catharines supporting United Way & the Barrie Public Library, Painswick Branch. In addition, he was able to help introduce ball hockey to thousands of children through his own foundation, Growing Up Through Sports.

His family meant more to him than anything else in the world, something he would often mention to players at the club. He was endlessly proud of his daughter, Laura and son, Michael and always tried his best to support them in any way he could.

Brian was predeceased by his mother Flora. He is survived by his father Frank (Patricia), wife Lu, son Michael (Katelyn), daughter Laura (Mitchell), sister Brenda & brother Bruce (Maureen). He is also loved by many nieces and nephews as well as several great nieces and nephews.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers that donations are made to the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) ICU Unit for “Wellness & Education” or to a charity of your choosing. At Brian’s request there will be no formal funeral at this time, but a celebration of life will be announced at a future date and time to be determined by current provincial health guidelines.

 

Throwback Thursday: September 28, 2014

Throwback to one of the most amazing games in Ball Hockey history.

Many of the top players in the game in Canada competed for the Ballhockey.com World Outdoor Championships on September 28, 2014 with the five time Champion Toronto Leaf’s (2005, 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015) overcoming a late 2-1 deficit with a goal in the last 90 seconds to send the game to Overtime.  They went on to win their 4th Title by scoring the game winner with 4.24 left in the eighth period to defeat the up and coming Niagara War Pigs (2016, 2019) by a final score of 3-2.  Overtime was end to end with many scoring chances in each of the five extra periods.  The exhaustion at the end was immense and these two teams earned their place In history during this grueling match.  Two quality groups of players and great ambassadors of the sport.

The War Pigs would go on to win their first Championship in 2016 and are currently the defending Champions of the Bauer Outdoor World Championship held in September 2019.

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Ball Hockey: The Exciting and Affordable Hockey Experience

An article written by Audrey Miatello in The Varsity yesterday (Nov 15, 2020) highlights the struggle many families across the province of Ontario and across the country face when entering the scene of Ice Hockey, even at a very young age. With the average cost of registration for one year being at $1,200 with the possibility of being as high as $8,000 annually. These price tags are hefty for the majority of Canadian families, especially currently during a global pandemic when finances may be tight. Engaging in team sports should be about building relationships, developing new skills, finding new skills, working together as a team, it shouldn’t be about the price tag that comes with it.

Ballhockey.com provides players in our sport the opportunity to participate in year round league activity, camps, and tournament activities from recreational to international levels of play.  This is an exciting and affordable way to experience Canada’s game and introduce your family, children, or friends to the hockey experience, simply without the blades on a sheet of ice.

We are always looking for equipment donations to pass along to the younger people who struggle to afford the cost of playing, and welcome any contributions at any of our facilities in Ontario.

Audrey Miatello’s article can be found here.

Ballhockey Community Mourns Loss of Eric Spiece

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On August 27, 2020, the Ballhockey.com community unfortunately lost long-time member and passionate player Eric Spiece. Eric was well known to the majority of players around the rink from playing on multiple teams each season (most notably the Wolverines and One Timers), as well as having previously refereed for the Niagara Ball Hockey Club. Eric was a very competitive player on the rink, but never let that get the better of him, always playing with a smile on his face and enjoying the social aspect of the game more than the game itself. There is not one opponent of Eric’s that will miss having to chase him around the rink, but every single one will miss the energy and comradery he brought to the rink at each and every game. In honour of Eric, the Originals division at the Niagara Ball Hockey Club will now be known as Division 22 (For those unfamiliar, Eric wore jersey number 22). Eric was the one player who most exemplified what this division is all about, and will truly be missed.

Donations can be made to OGUTS (Ontario Growing Up Through Sports) and will provide economically disadvantaged youth the opportunity to play the game that Eric loved. To donate, please etransfer ericspiece@oguts.net

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Eric’s Obituary: Obituary on Tallman Funeral Homes Website

Spiece, Eric - It is with broken hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved Eric Richard Spiece on August 27, 2020.  Eric leaves an aching hole in his family and friends.  Eric is the eldest son of Rick and Sharon, loving brother to Curtis (Tiffany) and Cameron.  Funny uncle to Aubrey and Quinten.   Lovingly remembered by Gillian.   Eric was the beloved grandson of Arnold and Kathy Spiece of Vineland, and Ernie and Charlotte Chiola of Fonthill.  He will forever be remembered by his many aunts, uncles, cousins and large extended family. His best buddy Forest will always be waiting for Eric to take him for his walk.  Eric’s true calling was being an Arborist and he would talk of trees to anyone that would listen.   The same is true of hockey and his beloved Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Family and friends will be received at Tallman’s Funeral Home, 3277 King Street, Vineland, ON, on Sunday September 27, 2020 at 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Due to Covid restrictions, masks will be required to enter the funeral home and all physical distancing rules will apply. As well, a private family memorial will be held at a later date.

Donations may be made to OGUTS (Ontario Growing Up Through Sports), a charity near and dear to Eric’s heart.

Please visit https://www.oguts.net/ for information about this organization and to donate www.oguts.net/eric.

Covid-19 Update: June 22, 2020

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The Niagara Ball Hockey Club is now open for rental groups of less than 10!

Following our announcement last week that our return to play planning had been approved for use of our outdoor facility in Barrie, we have now been approved to allow these same rentals of 10 or less people at our outdoor facilities in St. Catharines. Our Orillia & Welland facilities are still awaiting City approval.

Below is our June 15th notice for reopening.

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2020 Growing the Game Tournament Recap

Over the Feb 14-16 weekend, Ballhockey.com hosted the 2020 Growing the Game Tournament at the Niagara Ball Hockey Club. Congratulations to the three winners in their respective divisions, the Kitchener Fury in the Men’s B/C Division, the Niagara Warriors in Men’s D, and the Niagara Most Hated in the Co-Ed Competitive Division.

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Thank you to everyone that played, watched, or followed at home… this was a great start to our 2020 events and to the new decade! We look forward to seeing you throughout the year.