Manitoulin Minor Spotlight!
The Manitowaning Wolves Peewee team is off to a great start this year. They have played almost all the teams in the division and are thrilled with how close the competition is amongst all the teams! Currently on a winning streak, they know that things are going to get tough as the winter progresses. It is going to be a great season of hockey!
It’s pretty neat that the majority of the bench staff are not parents, but amazing community volunteers! With a bench staff of Jeff Pitawanakwat, Ray Moreau, Teina Pitawanakwat, Zeke Peltier, Brock McKenzie and Dawn Roque, the players are well guided in their quest to play amazing hockey!
As for the players, it is a pretty hard working group of kids! Chloe Otosquaiob recognized that the team was short of a goalie and jumped into the new position and is blowing everyone away with her amazing saves and willingness to constantly work at stopping that puck!
Forward lines consist of Emily Roque, who always knows exactly where she is supposed to be and constantly drilling that puck to the net! Formidable players and great goal scorers are Nikolai Assiniwe, Ethan Dey, Jon Mende, Jordan Ominika-Cooper and Joel Mailloux. What is pretty incredible is that the team has a new player Peter Kanasawe who is quickly turning out to be their secret weapon in the opponent’s end!
The defence line is one to be watched for sure! When Kordell Elijah gets that puck you don’t want to be in the way! Brooke Gibeault might as well leave scorch marks on the ice. When she gets that puck, no one can catch her! Steven White and Alex Peltier complete the defence lines by constantly taking the puck out of their end.
Players, parents and bench staff are looking forward to the fun competition hockey brings on Manitoulin Island! Keep up the good work, Wolves.
Volleyball stars rising
Two Island girls playing for the same volleyball squad combined with their teammates to shine in a SDSSA contest this week. Wiikwemkoong’s Caydence Webkamigad (mother Colleen) and M’Chigeeng’s Hali Debassige (mother Tanya) helped power their St. Charles College Cardinals to a victory over Chelmsford Valley District Composite School. Both young ladies are multi-sport athletes competing at a high level will be competing in next level at the Northern Ontario, NOSSA championship.
Off their Rock, hockey!
Two weekends ago saw Island alumni Sam Assinewai, Liam Bridgeman and Carson Shawana and their Nickel City Sons Minor Bantam “AAA” hockey team travel to Whitby for the International Silverstick tournament. Drawing the top teams from across Canada and the US, this promised to be the tournament of the year for the N.C.S. side. Starting out tough against the provincially ranked #5 Quinte Red Devils team, the #21 N.C.S. carried a 2 – 1 advantage into the 3rd period. The Red Devils relentless onslaught in the 3rd earned them the tying goal, and N.C.S. had weathered the storm to salvage a tie. Match #2 was against the #25 Toronto Red Wings. Again taking the lead, the Sons gave up the tying goal and consequently could not solve the Wings’ keeper, and again settled for a tie. That set them up for a must win against the formidable #4 Hamilton Huskies. Battling scoreless into the third, N.C.S. ran into penalty trouble while trying to match Hamilton’s physicality. The Huskies took advantage of a 5 on 3 to net their first, and followed with another on the subsequent 5 on 4. The game finished a hard fought but disappointing 3 – 0. While elimination games may be the most nerve wracking for fans and players alike, a final game after you have been eliminated may be the most challenging to get up for. This proved the case for the N.C.S. side, who came out flat and gave up 6 in the final 2 periods in a 6 – 0 loss to Chicago Mission (#18 USA). On the upside Liam and Sam, still together as linemates, combined for 66% of the scoring, with Sam netting 2 of the NCS 3 goals, both assisted on by Liam. Carson was at his usual defensive best, helping keep the sometimes relentless attack from exploiting his side, or extracting a high cost from those who ventured there.
The trio were off to Hamilton this past weekend to take part in the Hamilton Bulldogs Backspin Classic. Starting against the home Bulldog side, NCS fought through a parade to the penalty box to earn a 1 – 1 tie. In game 2 they handily defeated the Syracuse Nationals 4 – 1, then tied the Markham Majors 4 – 4 in game 3. This left the Sons in second place, and set up a game against the Winnipeg Warriors in the qualifying round, a game the Sons lead 3 – 1 before a last minute goal by the Warriors made it a 3 – 2 final.
The quarter finals found NCS in tough against the St Louis AIC Prospects, as a 1 – 1 tie held through regulation’s end. 5 minutes of 4 on 4, and another 5 minutes of 3 on 3 didn’t settle it, so tournament rules dictated the dreaded shoot out. After teammate Cameron Shanks lead off by narrowly missing the net, former line-mates Sam, Liam and Sudbury’s Scooter Rienguette all found the back of the net, while outstanding saves by backstop Noah Beaulne lead the NCS side through to the semis, where a re-match with the Syracuse Nationals awaited.
In the semis, the Sons scored early to set the tone and lead by 2 for most of the game. A final score of 4 – 3, a result of a late Nats goal that made it an interesting final half minute, left the Sons victorious. Fans were in for a fast paced, hard fought final against the Winnipeg Monarchs. Scoreless through one, the NCS side pushed and pushed but just could not solve the Monarch’s goaltender. Despite extended periods of pressure, two posts and numerous near misses, especially late in the 3rd, the Sons gave up power play and empty net goals to fall 3 – 0. Though that was undeniably disappointing, the NCS should hold their heads high as finishing second of the 16 international sides is an outstanding result.
Greyson Brewer-Case of the Nickle city Jr sons minor “AA” is off to Newmarket for the International Silver – Stick tournament from January 11-14th.
Aurora Ominika-Enosse had a great road game in Niagara versus the Badgers in the battle for first place. The game ended in a 1-1 tie with lots of excitement on the ice, in the penalty box and even in the stands. In fact, the refs called the game with 2:04 left to go in the 3rd! Thanks to Aurora’s beauty goal for the North York Storm on a mesmerizing, spin-a-rama, the Storm held their position in the standings.
Eagles’ Basketball
The C.M.P.S. Jr. Basketball team travelled to Sudbury on November 22nd to participate in the LaSalle Lancers 4 on 4 Fast Break Tournament. Despite the group missing out on collecting any wins the boys did exceptionally well, displaying excellent sportsmanship and facing each game with renewed spirits and positive attitudes! Coach Christa King is very proud of her Jr. Boys, and is looking forward to coaching them for years to come! The basketball stars are: Rylan Carrick, Tieren Noble-Stone, Seth Verboom, Ethan Horula, Noah Thorpe, Liam Lariviere, Zach Cooper and Aiden Case.
A good sport is good for sports. chipstoquips@gmail.com
