SUCCESSFUL TOURNAMENT
Membertou-hosted National Aboriginal Hockey Championships a resounding success
National Aboriginal Hockey Championships wrap up in Membertou.
Exciting games, cultural exchange and community spirit highlighted the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships that wrapped up over the weekend in Membertou.
And while both Team Atlantic’s male or female squads failed to make the playoffs, the co-chair of national competition said the event — that featured 20 teams from across Canada — was a huge success.
“We’ve heard from a lot of people that it has raised the bar and that it was the best one yet, so that was really encouraging to hear,” said Gerard McPhee, following the conclusion of the eight-day tournament that was held at the Membertou Sport and Wellness Centre.
“There wasn’t a lot of issues or complaints – the facility is great, it sells itself, the two rinks let people watch different games and there are lots of amenities nearby, including the hotel, so it’s a great place to host an event like this.”
McPhee said the competition, which featured bantam and midget aged players from as far away as British Columbia and northern Canada, wouldn’t have run as smooth as it did were it not for the army of volunteers.
“The volunteers came together to put on a Cape Breton event, a first-class Cape Breton event - we had different groups of different people, but we had all the key people in place for things like transportation and accreditation, so it feels good to put on a real great event, especially at the national level.”
On the ice, the Team Atlantic boys went 1-3 in the preliminary round before winning their relegation match 8-3 over the North. The North roster featured a Cape Breton connection in that alternate captain Qaritaq Kusuqak is the grandson of Donald Clark of Sydney Mines and Simone Cantwell Clark of Bras d’Or, who have lived and taught in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, for almost four decades.
The final game featured big performances by the host community’s Ashton Paul and Sonny Kabatay. Paul notched four goals and finished the
tournament with seven goals and four assists, while Kabatay had four assists and ended the competition with two goals and six assists.
The boys’ championship game was a case of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat as British Columbia rallied from a 5-2 deficit to score three third period goals, including Dylan Devers’ equalizer with just one second left on the clock. Devers would play the hero a second time when he scored the tournament winning goal in the first overtime period.
In female play, Team Atlantic
went 0-4 in the preliminary round before winning its relegation game 8-2 over New Brunswick. Eskasoni’s Erin Denny had a goal and five assists in that match, while Jolena Gillard of Corner Brook, N.L., scored seven goals and one assist. Overall, Denny scored one goal and added nine assists in the tournament, while Gillard had 12 goals and one assist.
Manitoba defeated Ontario South 5-3 in the girls’ championship game.