PAHL Weather Statement

From PAHL:

WEATHER POSTPONEMENTS:

It is not technically winter yet, but the winter weather has already arrived.  The PAHL policy on weather postponements has changed this season and needs immediate compliance from all teams.  The full policy is outlined in Section 3.2.D on page 13 of the PAHL Game Manual.

First, teams are annually reminded that we play a winter sport in the northeast, so it is going to snow on days we play games.  Therefore, we inherently accept that we will have to travel when it is snowing.  Snowfall itself is not grounds to postpone a game, and there are going to be situations where the best solution is for the away team to simply leave early to allow more travel time.

Specific to the policy, teams/associations no longer have the authority to postpone a game due to weather conditions; only the League Office can make those decisions.  The League Office will often interact with the teams/associations in the process of doing so.  If a rink chooses to close early or the referees/medic say they are not coming, that notice must be sent to the League Office first for review and distribution, as it still does not give any other entity the authority to postpone a PAHL game.

The League Office will use multiple resources to make informed decisions, and no one will be put in unreasonable situations.  The League Office does not need to receive a request from a team or association to initiate the process for a possible Weather Postponement, but if a request is desired, it must come only through the association president, who are asked to filter out the unnecessary requests.  The opponent is not to be contacted for any reason.  In situations where a postponement is in consideration, each affected team is to designate one (and only one) person as the point of contact. 

If a team chooses not to play a game that has not been postponed, a forfeit will be issued.  If a game is postponed, it must be rescheduled, as teams must play their full league schedule to be eligible for PAHL Playoffs.  Our membership opted not to reserve a "make-up weekend" this season, so teams must individually manage any make-up requirements.