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Mr. Graham, the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville’s director of Unfortunately, when a new brine pump that was installed last summer, malfunctioned at the Stouffville Arena’s Pad A Saturday, ice conditions deteriorated badly. Ten hours of playing time was lost during aWhitchurch-Stouffville Minor Hockey Association annual rep tournament. menty-six teams from across Ontario were taking part. BY MIKE HAYAKAWA Staff Writer The way Tom Graham sees it, mechanical malfunctions can take place at hockey arenas any time. Kyle Broadbent (left) and Sergio Pincivero watch their dogs Blitzen (left) and Bandit play in the snow in Stouffville Memorial Park on Tuesday. Some finals were delayed and moved. STOUFFVILLE ARENA MALFUNCTION CANCELS 10 HOURS OF GAMES FOR TEAMS FROM ACROSS ONTARIO Bad ice has tourney playing catch-up Stouffville Family Footcare We Carry: ' Rx Compression Stockings - Support Wear: Athletic Dress 0 Simcan Socks ° Medical Supplies SUNâ€"TRIBUNE PEOPLE leisure services, said the incident was a case of bad luck. It could have happened any- where. “It was really nothing,” Mr. Gra- ham said. “Every arena crew has mechanical issues at some time. Even an office building could have problems with their heating or air conditioning. We had our company (Cimco Refrigeration) come in and they fixed the problem in five to six To prevent such mishaps, Mr. Graham said upgrading and main- tenance work is carried out each summer at the rink. > Stouffville teams win two of four tourney titles. See story on page 19. 0N BLITZEN, 0N ECCO, Etonic, Dr. Comfort Portofino Shoes Boots hours. This could have happened at any time. Unfortunately, this hap- pened during the tournament. It was a blip in our system.” One month ago, the arena expe- rienced ice-making difficulties and some games were played in pudâ€" dles of water. Fortunately, no contests were lost during that period, minor hockey administrator Charlene Mason said. The town incidents were unre- lated, Mr. Graham said. Above-normal early fall temperâ€" atures affected ice-making condi- tions in the first incident. The town will compensate the association, Mr. Graham said. “Every year we have something ° Custom-Casted Orthotics 0 Thick Nails 0 Callous - Warts ° Nails 0 Nail Surgeries 0 All Foot Disorders happen like the glass breaking or a power failure in the arena. We will sort something out with the asso- ciation,” Mr. Graham said. “They called us right away and we worked out a fair ice time settlement. They went above and beyond," he said. “That's all we can ask for. They advised us of what was going on. Unfortunately with machines you can't get a part as quickly as you would like. We did some changes here and there with our tournament schedule. Fortu- nately, it was done and everyone was happy with the result." Minor hockey president Mike Humphreys ,said the town acted in an expedient and professional manner. STAFF PHOTO/SJOERD WITTEVEEN Dom Mn. TWMaAtéM/Bsm non. « W~w._._ . cmtbbbdisis - n5; Im StouflR/ille Sun-Tribune I Thursday, Nov. 20. 2008 Video game help from cops Missing Ballantrae cyclist safe in Richmond Hill A Whitchurchâ€"Stouffville man who went missing Sat- urday moming was found safe and sound Monday morning in Richmond Hill. Joshua Christensen, 20, left his home in the Ballantrae area at 7 a.m., saying he was biking into Stouffville to take his pay Cheque to the bank. He cashed the cheque in Aurora. York Regional Police were concerned because Mr. Chris- tensen was not dressed for winâ€" ter weather. Just in time for Christmas, York Regional Police are unveil- ing a new program for anyone who is considering buying video games for the children or teenâ€" agers on their shopping list. The It's Not Just a Game Pro- gram is designed to educate children, parents, relatives and caregivers about responsible gaming. It explains the dangers of playing violent video games at an inappropriate age and sets out the ratings system to ensure age~appropriate gaming. The program also details the harmful effects these games can have on children who may not be old enough for the material being presented and the risks to younger children who may not be playing the games them- selves. but watching older sib- lings as they play. The It's Not Just a Game Pro- gram will be a core component of the York Regional Police Values. Influences and Peers Program (VIP). This program is delivered throughout the region by police officers to children in grades 6. 7 and 8. In addition, officers are avail- able to present the program to community groups on request. The program consists of an educational video and pamphlet children can take home with them to share with their famiâ€" lies. These components are also available at www.yrp.ca Whitchurch-Stouffville News Digest Visit yorkregion.com for more on these and other stories