The newly elected president of Shawville District Minor Hockey Association (SDMHA) says she is looking forward to keep growing the organization after a rise in registrations over the past few years.
Marie-Ève Lizée, who has been the organization’s ice schedule coordinator for the past two years, was elected president at SDMHA’s annual general meeting at the Quyon Legion on Apr. 28.
She said over those two years, she has been able to see the organization’s registrations grow. She said she wants to continue the positive trend, as well as support the players’ development.
“I’ve got to see a little bit of the background and see how the whole association is growing, and I really liked it. I just wanted to stay on the board and be part of it and be part of their growth,” she said in an interview last week.
Earlier this season, then-president Collin Hines told THE EQUITY that in his three years as president, registration numbers had gone up from around 150 players to around 230. Last season, he said the club saw a jump of about 25 players again.
Almost half (47.9 per cent) of registered SDMHA players now come from the Municipality of Pontiac. Lizée said one of her priorities going forward will be to integrate those new families into the organization.
“[It’s] just to keep growing our connection with Luskville and the [Municipality of] Pontiac, just being able to work together, and have better communication between all of us.”
Lizée said the organization saw an increase in the number of teams last season, and that one of their biggest challenges going forward will be to make sure all teams get the ice time they need.
This year, in addition to hosting a training camp in Masham, the association held some practices and games in Fort-Coulonge due to ice conflicts in Shawville. She said having good relationships with neighbouring organizations is paramount.
“This year we had extra teams, so we had to kind of think on the fly and try to find ice time elsewhere because we didn’t have enough in Shawville. So that part is a little bit difficult, but we have a great relationship with all the other associations for scheduling games,” she said.
Lizée is taking over from Collin Hines, who served as SDMHA president for three years prior to announcing his resignation from the role. In a post to social media on Mar. 31, Hines said the decision was made with “mixed emotions”.
“I feel it is the right moment to step aside and allow for new leadership, fresh perspectives, and continued growth within the association. I want to extend my sincere thanks to the board members past and present, our volunteers, sponsors, and especially the families who trust us with their children each season. Your commitment is what makes SDMHA thrive,” he wrote.
Lizée said after two years of not raising registration fees, the organization will possibly have a modest increase due to increasing costs for ice time. Ice costs rose to $84,522.83 from only $64,640.66 the season prior.
But she added that the organization tries to soften the financial blow by charging a volunteer fee that families can get back if they volunteer for just a handful of hours at events throughout the season.
“We try to keep it as affordable as possible for everyone,” she said, adding that families can volunteer behind the bench, at BBQs, and other events.
At the annual general meeting, the board mentioned other successes throughout the season such as the home opener and home closer events, various fundraising events, and the ESSO Fun Day, a chance for girls to try out the sport for free.
The board also recognized two teams for their accomplishments – the U15 C team for winning the Outaouais regional championships, and the U18 BB team for being runners-up, taking the eventual champion Papineau team to a fifth and deciding game in the final series.
This season was the first in many that SDMHA offered a competitive U18 BB team, but Hockey Quebec will put a stop to that next season.
New rules say that age levels above U11 will not be able to offer ‘double-letter,’ or competitive, BB teams.
SDMHA vice-president Ed Rusenstrom said these changes will affect the competitiveness of the teams that the association can offer. He said kids won’t be playing at the level they should be, and also won’t have the opportunity to play contact hockey.
“The age changes are probably a good thing for bigger associations, but will hurt smaller associations like ours,” he said.
The association’s financial statement shows that it posted $119,351.01 in revenues this year, compared to $160,216.72 in expenses. However, it was able to make $39,375.06 back in fundraising and donations, for a $1,490.65 net income over the year.
The SDMHA board for 2026-27 will also include Ed Rusenstrom (Vice 1), Holly Lalonde (Vice 2), Kayla Palmer (Treasurer) and Sheri Tremblay (Secretary).
Applications are also currently open for various positions on SDMHA’s operations committee, such as ice scheduler, registrar, officials director, equipment manager and various age group coordinators. Lizée said to visit the link on SDMHA’s Facebook page to submit applications.
