Island AAA skaters ice early season victory!
A sure sign school is just around the corner, preseason hockey is underway for the elite hockey players of the nation, the AAA Minor Bantam Nickel City Sons included a team with Manitoulin Minor Hockey products Carson Shawanda of the Wiikwemkoong Thunderbirds, Sam Assinewai of the Little Current Flyers and the Mindemoya Thunder’s Liam Bridgeman, former Manitoulin Panthers all. Using their pre-season nom de guerre Black Attack, the N.C. Sons participated in an early bird tournament this past weekend, the Coffey Cup, at the Toronto Maple Leafs/Marlies practice facility, the Mastercard Centre in Toronto. A 2 – 0 – 1 round robin record lead the Sons to first overall, and a semi-final date against a sturdy Mississauga Rebels side. The round robin also saw Liam notch his first AAA goal in his second game, slotting home a beautiful 2 on 1 feed from Sam.
In the semi, the Nickel City “Attack” handled Mississauga with a 4 – 2 victory, setting up a final against the upstate (N.Y.) Monarchs. The teams were very evenly matched, and the fans were treated to a fast paced, hard hitting, well refereed display of AAA hockey at its finest. As the 1 – 1 game wound down to what seemed an inevitable overtime session, Carson let a low drive fly from the point that was deftly tipped in by Sam, with a mere 16 seconds remaining, notching the AOK star a team leading 4th, goal and the tournament winner. The AAA minor bantam, Sons are just one of three such teams in the north (along with North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie). The Sons will now settle into a routine of exhibition games and tournaments for their unusual yet exciting season. Way to go boys, keep up the hard and good luck on your season!
Karate invitations!
Steven Fox–Radulovich has returned to his calling, teaching people the ways of karate. Hi classes will be held at the Kagawong Park Centre starting on September 6. The youngest set goes from 6-7 pm while the adults get to try it out from 7- 8:30 pm.
The Manitoulin School of Martial Arts is also ready to start their new season. The school consists of several multi-discipline karate programs. The majority of their focus is the Goju Ryu style but also teaches Judo, Escrima (stick fighting), weapons and self-defence.
The school is branching out to a new location this fall and will host its registration as well as first class on Wednesday, September 13 at the Four Directions Complex in Aundek Omni Kaning from 6 to 6:45 for the Little Dragons, 6:45 – 8 pm for the youth class, the adults get to join the action at 8 pm and they go till 9:15 pm. Everyone is encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and be prepared for: fun, exercise and discipline. Contact Dan Fletcher and the school at renshidanf@gmail.com.
Special weekend!
Congratulations to the Manitoulin Special Olympics who once again hosted the Regional Softball Tournament in Mindemoya. Teams from North Bay, Timmins, Sudbury, Sault Ste. Marie and of course our Manitoulin squads showed the true, definition of playing to the best of their ability and sportsmanship. The fields looked great thanks to Lew Lanktree among others who had them in tip top shape. This weekend could not happened without a vast arsenal of volunteers. Manitoulin thanks all of you for your efforts,
Fastball finery!
Lyle Baibomcowai just continues on his list of accomplishments. Just this past week, Lyle racked up his fourth straight all-Ontario Indigenous title. Playing on the Nawash Sin squad, the expert catcher anchored his side for the four-peat!
A good sport is good for sports.
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