The first four games of the Whitehorse Huskies season have been scratched from the schedule.

That’s because their main rival – the Fort Nelson Yeti – has announced their team will take this year off from senior hockey.

The Huskies were set to kick off their season in Fort Nelson, B.C., on Nov. 13 and 14, with return dates at Takhini Arena Dec. 11 and 12.

“It sucks,” Huskies head coach Mike Tuton told the Star this morning. “It stings us. Our year just got more expensive and we’re right back to square one.

“They’re in the same boat as us. It’s tough to find people to play. Sure, you can travel everywhere, but if you don’t get some other teams coming to your home games, you’re not going to bring in any money.”

In a post on the club’s Facebook page yesterday, Yeti officials said the team would not continue for the current season and would review their options next year.

The Yeti have made repeated attempts to join the six-team North Peace Hockey League (NPHL), to no avail.

“The model of being an independent team when most other teams all play in leagues has been a challenge,” the team said in its post. “Playing only a handful of games against two cities that are much larger than ours has not been sustainable.”

The club also noted the difficulty of having players commit to competitive practices for only a handful of games per season.

The club had a good fan base, and the Yeti’s home rink was sold out for all home games.

The Yeti even hosted the Coy Cup senior AA B.C. hockey championship last season, won by the Fort St. John Flyers, members of the NPHL.

A call to Yeti captain Ryan Carter was not returned by press time early this afternoon.

With their early schedule in shambles, the Huskies will continue to work the phones to find opponents. The team has been practising regularly on Saturday nights.

The Huskies need to play six sanctioned games in order to be considered for the Coy Cup playdowns.

The club still hopes to play a home-and-home with the Powell River Regals, but will now have to find at least one more club willing to take them on in an independent series.

Tuton also noted the Huskies attempted to sign former NHL draft pick Bobby House to play this year, but logistics just didn’t work out.

Born in Whitehorse, the 42-year-old was drafted in the third round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 1991.

The high-scoring winger played several years of professional hockey, including three years with the now-defunct St. John’s Maple Leafs, where he scored 96 goals.

House now lives in Denver.