Huge road trip for local net-minder!
Aundeck Omni Kaning’s Gabby Corbiere, a goaltender for her Sault College Cougars, will have started her campaign to help win the ACHA (American Collegiate Hockey Association) National Championships in St. Louis, Missouri! Good luck, Gabby!
Manitoulin Minor Hockey catch-up!
Manitowaning’s Jackie White, a tireless volunteer from swimming through quilting, also spends her valuable free time on the Manitoulin Minor Hockey Association (MMHA) executive and thankfully had time for an update. The MMHA came up with two new awards that they hopefully will get nominations for this year still. Although the NOHA has awards, the MMHA felt it was time that we recognized those amazing volunteers we have on Manitoulin. The awards are called the Randy Thibeault Memorial Award that will go to a person, other than a player, that has made an outstanding contribution to hockey on the Island. The Jack Clark Most Deserving Official Award is a welcome and self-explanatory! Nomination forms can be emailed to mswhite@amtelecom.net.
Due to COVID-19 they (aka Greg Lockeyer) made up three hockey schedules this season so that each team got to play 12 games and even going through this March Break. With next week’s playoffs, they had to try a different format. Necessity is the mother of invention, so they had to go with one-gam, playoff rounds instead of the usual best 3 of 5 so it can all happen in one week! Therefore, team 1 vs. 4 one game, 2 vs. 3 one game, and Winner 1 vs. Winner 2 and that is the A division. The runner-ups from the 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 will play for the B trophy, again one game, so teams better bring your A game!
The MMHA is pleased with some awesome things with hockey this year! They breathed a sigh of relief that parents and players totally adapted. “We opened, we closed, we played, we stopped, and no one complained. Everyone just wanted the kids out there playing and having fun.” House league on Manitoulin is always fun and challenging, and this year they were super short on referees and those they had worked a ton of games. Ms. White reveals that she is “sure often, not by choice, but because it was the right thing to do, so kids can play. For example, one referee was scheduled for five games in one day and another referee worked 18 games in nine days straight!”
Some other great things some teams are doing, for example, is one team has a Positivity Bucket. The way it works is that for each game, the team decides who gets the bucket, and then that person takes it home and puts something positive on a note for the bucket and then brings it back. At the end of the season the coach will read all the notes. There are some teams that are on a winning streaks, but when the opposing team scores, the whole crowd cheered, it doesn’t matter what side your child was on, all the parents cheer.
Finally, the U7 jamboree is this weekend in Little Current. It is a big job so, kudos to them. The undertaking includes finding sponsors, organizing, treats for the kids etc. U7 is under 7 years of age, if there was ever a reason to watch hockey, this is it. The kids are there because they love it. They are so adorable that Jackie put a video (on the Assiginack township FB page) of their team of four players! Check it out.
Central Manitoulin activities
The full slate of March Break activities continues today until Sunday the 20th! For example, today (Wednesday the 16th) there is public skating in Providence Bay from 1 to 3 pm, followed by sponge puck until 4 pm. The Family Dance with Candice Irwin of Body Stories Dance Instruction at 6 to 7:30 pm. This session is geared towards kids aged 10 and younger as well as their parents, guardians and grandparents to get moving.
On Thursday and Friday there will once again be public skating from 1 to 3 pm and then sponge puck until 4 pm. On Saturday public skating is pushed back to 6 pm and then ‘pond hockey’ rounding out the evening (7:30 to 9 pm).
Ongoing for the rest of the break is the Central Manitoulin fish derby for CMPS. kids. There are lots of prizes and mystery length prizes, so even a tiny fish could win big!
Finally, a reminder of the Island-wide Photo Contest. Pictures must be taken on Manitoulin between the challenge final day, of March 20. Submit your pics to info@assiginack.ca, where you just need to state the name and entrant’s age.
A good sport is good for sports
chipstoquips@gmail.com
