2020-21 HJBHL season

This is the 2020-21 Heritage Junior Hockey League season. This is the league's 33rd season.
The league began play October 30th.http://www.heritagejunior.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=1749&leagueID=3627&page=110411 On November 13th, along with all Junior B, Junior C and Senior leagues in the province, the league announced a two week pause in games due to a spike in COVID-19 cases after the Thanksgiving holiday.http://www.heritagejunior.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=1749&leagueID=3627&page=110470. On December 3rd the league announced that the pause would be extended into January.http://www.heritagejunior.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=1749&leagueID=3627&page=110516 The league had a virtual meeting on December 16th and decided to extend the break until at least mid-January.http://www.heritagejunior.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=1749&leagueID=3627&page=110533 On February 15th Hockey Alberta in consultation with Junior B, Junior C, and Senior leagues in the province decided to end the 2020-21 playing seasonhttp://www.heritagejunior.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=1749&leagueID=3627&byMonth=2021-02
==Membership changes==
*The Three Hills Thrashers had requested and received a one year leave of absence from the league for the 2019-20 season on June 4, 2019. On March 17, 2020 the organization announced it would be returning for the 2020-21 playing season.http://www.threehillsthrashers.net/leagues/newsletter.cfm?page=109644&clientID=5649&leagueID=22467
*Around the 2020 Canada Day holiday the High River Flyers and Medicine Hat Cubs both announced they were sitting out the 2020-21 season citing fundraising and ticket sale issues as the main reasons.https://thejuniorhockeynews.com/two-more-canadian-teams-go-dark/
*The Medicine Hat Cubs were not listed on a report indicating that they would not be sitting out the 2020-19 season was released on August 14th.https://cochranenow.com/articles/oct-28-tentative--start-date-for-heritage-junior-hockey-league?fbclid=IwAR2uH6lv_l-Forc5T1fvO-8rDZfaevy9QnXmvuPvnXuAkf8MYsL_gK4k2D0
*On June 22, 2021 the league announced the return of the High River Flyers along with the addition of the Kainai Junior Braves for the 2021-22 playing season.https://www.heritagejunior.com/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=1749&leagueID=3627&page=110809
==Teams==
Team 	Centre 	Arena 	 	
North Division 	North Division 	North Division 	North Division	North Division
Airdrie Thunder 	Airdrie 	Ron Ebbesen Arena 	 	
Mountainview Colts 	Didsbury 	Didsbury Recreation Complex 	 	
Ponoka Stampeders 	Ponoka 	Ponoka Culture & Recreation Complex	 	
Red Deer Vipers 	Red Deer 	Servus Arena 	 	
Rocky Rams 	Rocky Mountain House	Rocky Arena Complex-Bunch Arena 	 	
Stettler Lightning 	Stettler 	Stettler Recreation Centre 	 	
Sylvan Lake Wranglers 	Sylvan Lake 	Sylvan Lake NexSource Centre 	 	
Three Hills Thrashers 	Three Hills 	Three Hills Centennial Place 	 	
South Division 	South Division 	South Division 	South Division	South Division
Coaldale Copperheads 	Coaldale 	Coaldale Arena 	 	
Cochrane Generals 	Cochrane 	Cochrane Arena 	 	
High River Flyers 	High River 	Bob Snodgrass Recreation Complex 	 	
Lomond Lakers 	Lomond 	Lomond Community Centre 	 	
Medicine Hat Cubs 	Medicine Hat 	Kinplex 	 	
Okotoks Bisons 	Okotoks 	Murray Arena 	 	
Strathmore Wheatland Kings	Strathmore 	Strathmore Family Centre 	 	
==Standings==
(As of games played November 8th)
===Northern Division===
Team 	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
Stettler Lightning 	4 	4	0	0 	35	11	8
Red Deer Vipers 	4 	4	0	0 	15	5 	8
Rocky Rams 	4 	3	0	1 	17	11	7
Airdrie Thunder 	4 	3	1	0 	15	12	6
Mountainview Colts 	4 	1	2	1 	12	15	3
Three Hills Thrashers	4 	1	3	0 	11	17	2
Sylvan Lake Wranglers	4 	0	4	0 	5 	15	0
Ponoka Stampeders 	4 	0	4	0 	11	35	0
===Southern Division===
Team 	GP	W	L	OL	GF	GA	Pts
Cochrane Generals 	3 	3	0	0 	18	4 	6
Coaldale Copperheads 	2 	1	0	1 	9 	7 	3
Okotoks Bisons 	2 	1	1	0 	13	8 	2
Strathmore Wheatland Kings	2 	1	1	0 	8 	13	2
Medicine Hat Cubs 	2 	1	1	0 	7 	9 	2
Lomond Lakers 	3 	0	3	0 	4 	18	0
==Playoffs==
===Format===
The top six teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. The top two seeds earn a bye into the division semifinals. The 3rd place team plays the 6th place team and the 4th place team plays the 5th place team in a best-of-five qualifying round. The teams are re-seeded for the best-of-seven division semifinal round. The division semifinal winners meet in the best-of-seven division final round. The division winners meet in the best-of-three league championship series. For overtime play the league uses one ten minute overtime period followed by 20 minute overtime periods.
Both finalists qualify for the 2021 Russ Barnes Trophy which determines the provincial champion.
==References==
Category:2021 in hockey
Category:HJBHL seasons