Panther Pre-playoff roundup
Although this has been somewhat of a rebuilding year for our Manitoulin Rep teams, much progress has been made.The most heartening results have come from the Atom Panthers.They have played the heaviest schedule of all and have the best results. Those who know head Coach, Kevin Eshkawkogan are well aware of the time, energy and thought he puts into his coaching.There are no less than 16 Atom squads in the Nickel District Hockey League. That’s a “bunch “ and our Panthers are in 3rd place and in the A division! Hard work and attention to detail obviously does pay off. The Bantam Panthers started off slow but gradually they turned their game around to the point that they now have a winning record in the last 10 games. Stunningly enough they have compiled a 7-3-0 run. It’s a great time to do this with playoffs coming on. Coaches for this team are Steve Campbell, Bryan Bonsall, Gregg Langlois and Tim Lockeyer.
We have a Novice team this year which is a wonderful thing. None of these little people had played Rep hockey before so they are trying to add wins to their record however they are just enjoying being on the “travelling team “ and the many new experiences. Coaches are Jeremiah Corbiere, Nelson Deschenes, James Panamick and Scott Stephens. Congrats on helping these new ones, coaches. “Stay the course”!
The Pee Wee Panthers have struggled also but have also greatly improved over the last 10 contests as they have garnered 7 points. The team is coached by Jason Hughson, Jon Balfe and Jay Toope. Good luck to all Rep teams in the upcoming playoffs. Pull off a few upsets guys and gals! Keep your eyes open for the AGM and team tryouts in the spring. I notice a good number of highly skilled players in the House league (MMHA) come out and give it a shot; you have nothing to lose.
Olympics shout-out
I’m sure most out there are watching the Olympics from South Korea so we’d like to send best wishes to our Northern Ontario athletes on the Canadian contingent. Among those competing are Sudbury and North Bay hopefuls. Rebecca Johnson of Sudbury has been a high-scoring power forward for the National Team since 2007. She has competed in 8 IIHF World Championships for Canada. Most of you are aware of figure-skater Meagan Duhamel of Lively. Along with partner Eric Radford she has World Gold in both 2015 and 2016. In South Korea they took the Bronze in the Pairs Free Skate and won gold as part of Canada’s team figure skating ensemble. North Bay’s 22 year-old Tyler Nicholson competed in the Snowboard and had an outstanding run. Finally Sudbury’s Devon Kershaw will compete in Cross-country skiing in a few days. If I have missed anyone please let me know.
Speaking of Olympics, once again Manitoulin residents have recently been named to the 2018 Ontario Summer Special Olympics team. Janet Anning will continue as a long-time coach in Athletics while three athletes are on the athletics roster.They are: Kelsey Mellan, Mark Dokum and Matthew Bedard. Good luck competitors!
February 14th was more than just Valentine’s day for some District Elementary Hockey teams. Six teams met at the Massey Arena for a Grade seven/eighth grade battle. No Valentine’s were exchanged! Schools competing at the Biidaaban Classic included Sagamok, St.Mary’s,A.B. Ellis of Espanola, St.Joseph’s and two Manitoulin representatives.The happy news as reported by Wiky coach Deanna Debassige is that the Manitoulin squads met in the Championship final. In the end, Wiky’s Pontiac School topped M’Chigeeng’s Lakeview School to capture the Gold. Kudos to all who competed as well as chi-miigwech to the organizers.
Tournament option coming!
Here is some information for adult hockey players. The Dillon Peltier Memorial Hockey Tourney will take place on March 2 – 4 at the Wiikwemkoong Thunderdome. Organizers are looking for six Sportsman teams and four Women entries. The entry cost is $500.There will also be a family dance on the Friday. Prize money is $2000 for men and $1250 for ladies. Runnersup collect $1000 and $750 respectively.
Fitness opportunity!
People looking to start a spring fitness schedule should talk to Patrick Peltier of Wiikwemkoong. Patrick runs a weekly (Wednesday) fitness class at The Active Living Centre in Wiky. His specialty is the P90X program but he can also give you nutrition advice and info on how to avoid training injuries.
Laidley mended!
A story in this paper recently acknowledged the return of Little Current’s Michael Laidley to the Ecac Division 1 hockey with the St.Lawrence Saints. The story outlined almost two years of serious injuries. The good news is that Michael recently potted his first goal of the season against Union College. Michael, an assistant captain with the Saints, hopes to lead his struggling team to higher places in the league.He has 2 more years of eligibility. Go, go #25!
Maxwell on track!
Another Manitoulin, Elite athlete, shot put star, Joseph Maxwell has started 2018 with excellent results having competed in five meets already.On an athletics scholarship at the University of Tennessee, Joseph set a personal best of 17.87 metres in a Tennessee-Indiana dual meet. Maxwell’s goal is to make Canada’s National team for the next Olympics and other International meets. His second best toss was a 17.73 metre heave at the Clemson Bob Pollock Invitational. He finished 2nd at the UAB (Alabama) Vulcan Invitational with a 17.34 effort.Finally on February 9th at the Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational, Joseph had a 17.38m result.Joseph is the son of Mary Mendes de Franca and Steve Maxwell of Evansville. Make that Olympic team, Joseph!
A good sport is good for sports!
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