After being voted out of the Southeast Manitoba Hockey League, the Ste. Anne Sr. Aces filed a complaint with Hockey Manitoba in hopes of overturning the decision and be allowed to play in the 2025-26 season.
Back on May the 4th, Aces President and Head Coach Kevin Lansard was informed while at a league meeting that the original six teams of the SEMHL held a vote and ousted the Aces on the heels of St. Anne claiming their third straight league championship.
Lansard vowed that he would keep fighting on behalf of his team as well as the community and that led to a complaint being filed with Hockey Manitoba, to which they have responded.
In an email to SEMHL Commissioner Tom Vatrt from Hockey Manitoba, which was provided by Lansard, it states that "Hockey Manitoba has learned that Ste. Anne, Springfield, Ile Des Chenes and Red River were all asked to leave the meeting while the motion to remove Ste. Anne was discuss(ed) and voted upon, which ultimately led to the removal of the Ste. Anne team from the league. This action appears to be inconsistent with the SEMHL Articles and By-Laws."
As for the next steps, as detailed in the email, "Hockey Manitoba has consulted with the Chair and the Director at Large, specific to the issue and collectively we are instructing you (Vatrt) on behalf of the SEMHL to defend these accusations. Hockey Manitoba would appreciate if you could provide the full details on how the decision was reached, the process you followed along with the respective sections of the SEMHL constitution that supports the league's actions."
A request for information to be sent no later than June 4th.