There's still a chance for the creation of all-girls hockey teams if communities rally together, says Hockey New Brunswick president Ray Carmichael.

"The willingness has to be in the communities to make it happen," he said in an interview with Information Morning Fredericton.

Over the weekend, a motion to end co-ed hockey in New Brunswick was rescinded before it could be voted on at Hockey New Brunswick's annual general meeting .

The proposal was brought forward in May and would have meant girls interested in hockey would have to find all-girls teams on which to play.

The controversial proposal drew criticism because it would have required girls in some rural areas to either travel longer distances to find a team or not play at all.

Carmichael said the decision to drop the motion before the vote was not planned, but after all the debate on social media after the proposal was made, Hockey New Brunswick felt it was in everyone's best interest to avoid going ahead with a vote.

It's not only a struggle for the female game, it's a struggle in all communities. - Ray Carmichael

"I think individuals reacted emotionally and didn't really recognize there were opportunities," he said.

Carmichael said a number of girls don't necessarily want to play on a co-ed hockey team and would like to have the opportunity to play with an all-girls program.

"The difficulty is evident that in the smaller communities, when you only have a few players of a particular age category … combined teams sometimes is the only way a male or a female player can have access to competitive hockey."

Girls hockey now

Carmichael said Hockey New Brunswick has never spent so much time discussing female hockey, which he saw as a positive development.

"I think there's an increased awareness that everyone in New Brunswick has to try to create and expand the opportunities for females who want to play the game," he said.

He said if girls teams are created, Hockey New Brunswick will allow those teams to play stronger female teams, mixed-gender teams and all boys teams. The organization would also organize female tournaments for girls throughout the year.

"It's not only a struggle for the female game, it's a struggle in all communities," he said.

A sign of the times

Last month, Carmichael said, the topic took on a life of its own on social media beyond anything he's ever seen in his 25 years with Hockey New Brunswick. The organization received a lot of reaction from the hockey community after news of the proposal.

"Those within our organization and those outside our organization got involved in the debate," he said. "It really spiralled way beyond what we would've expected."

But for girls not interested in playing on co-ed teams, Carmichael said he is still hopeful they will receive support from their communities, which could form an association or teams for these girls to play on.