For the first time in the 33-year history of the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League, the championship trophy and banner will not be awarded.

The HTJHL executive and six teams announced the cancellation of the 2019-2020 season this weekend due to growing concerns of COVID - 19.

The Springfield Xtreme defeated the Lorette Comets 6-3 Thursday night in Oakbank in game one of the final.

The following day Hockey Manitoba cancelled all sanctioned games and programs for the remainder of this hockey season.

HTJHL President Ray Laing says they tried to complete season 33 and crown a champion.

“We had decided we were going to make it into a three-game series as we wanted to shorten up the time frame and hopefully get it in because we kind of knew the cancellation of the season was probably coming down. It came down a lot quicker.”

The Xtreme eliminated the Steinbach Huskies in five games in the semifinals while the Comets needed overtime in the deciding seventh game of their series with Red River to knock off the two-time defending champion Mudbugs.

“Especially for the teams in the final, it’s an extreme disappointment,” Laing said. “You don’t get to the finals every year. We were just getting going and so we discussed our options and we decided to shorten it up and as it turned out we basically got one game in. Disappointment all the way around but we’re also part of the bigger picture so there it is.”

Laing noted the cancellation of season 33, had it been at the beginning, middle or as it was with just one or two games left, was irrelevant.

“I don’t think the timing is ever good for something like this especially for the people that are actually suffering from this virus. It’s growing so we have to reflect the bigger picture and put our disappointment aside.”