by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
COBDEN — They stood proudly on the stage at the Cobden Agricultural Hall as heaps of praise rained down on them, as well as congratulations and thank yous.
Those on stage were the coaches and players of the Muskrat Minor Hockey competitive league as it was the annual awards banquet.
“It was one of the most successful years we’ve had in a very, very long time,” said Brent Gould, president of Muskrat Minor Hockey.
Not only did the Novice team win the regional Silverstick Tournament, which hasn’t been done since 2007, but competed at the International and returned home with the top award, which hasn’t been done since the early 1990s, Gould added
The novice and atom teams also had a great season, winning the regular season and going all the way through to the finals.
“Each had a great Game 3 in Cobden with the stands filled to the rafters,” Gould said, adding, “I haven’t seen it that full in years.”
There was also a midget team this past season, which was the first time in a couple of years, and they finished second in the league, he said.
The peewee and bantam teams may not have come out on the top, but they had a “great season from the beginning to the end,” Gould said, adding, “You guys developed as a team.”
After introducing the executive, he said, “Without all these people, we would not all be here. They put in a lot of time and effort to make it possible for us to run a successful program.”
Each team was then called onto the stage as coaches and managers, and for one team, a player, spoke about their accomplishments and how they felt the season was for their team.
“It was a tremendous pleasure to coach (the novice team),” Martin Dube said. “There were lots of ups and downs, but we learned a lot and we’ve grown.”
Manager Jennifer Vaillancourt gave much praise to the players and the parents.
“This was my first time being a manager and it was not an easy task,” she said with a laugh. “I definitely learned a lot and had a great bunch of kids to work with and great bench staff.”
Hockey is very demanding on parents, who must get their child to practices, tournaments and games, she added.
Atom coach Dan Cobus said, “We had a very good year and I was honoured to have coached these guys.
“I hope you had a lot of fun, because I know I did,” he said, adding, “I learned a lot, I hope they learned just as much.”
He hopes the rink fills with parents and fans, as it was for the final game, into the next season.
With no peewee coaches available, Gould said it was a tough season, but the boys finished the season with smiles on their faces as they were defeated in the final tournament by the home team in a Powassan tournament.
This team was a melting pot of kids who all got along and formed new friendships.
“I thank them for their positive attitude and sportsmanship throughout the season,” Gould said.
Jamie Mick, coach of the bantams, said he missed many games and practices due to work, but there were plenty of people who helped him out on the bench.
“I’m very fortunate to have a lot of good people who helped me out,” he said.
He noted manager Susie Campbell “did an amazing job. It’s so nice to go to the rink and just worry about normal stuff, not about ice, money, tournaments or games – that’s all taken care of. She’s absolutely amazing.”
It was a tough year for the bantams, which was a first-time experience for Mick. A parent meeting was held in January to explain what was happening and to get a feel of how everyone was feeling.
“They were tremendous,” he said. “It would have been an easy year for the kids and parents to bail, but they didn’t. They stuck with it and didn’t fire the coach. I appreciate them sticking with the tough year we had.”
Julie Hennessy, manager of the midgets, said there were no bench staff members at the banquet, but once the team was lined up on stage said, “This team is made up of five associations out of the seven in the league. They’ve done an amazing job coming together as friends.”
The parents made her job easy this year and many good memories were made and many ups and downs occurred, she said.
Player Zach Beauchamp said, “Our team is special. Everybody doubted us, including our coaches (bringing laughter from the crowd). But, we showed everybody up. We placed second in the league.”
Beauchamp chided the coaches, in a friendly manner, for not attending the banquet by saying, “We would like to thank our coaches from the bottom of our hearts, even though you guys aren’t here, but that’s because you’d be scared you’d be crying,” – bringing more laughter from the audience.
He said the team came together and became like a family. He also thanked Hennessy for taking care of their bookings; thanked Joe Mick who helped out in net; and trainer Jamie Stewart.
But, it wasn’t just players who were praised for their efforts.
Fan of the Year
Executive member Wayne Ready presented Reid Mick with the Fan of the Year Award.
“This award is presented to the person who is dedicated to coming to the rink,” he said, adding, “They have grandkids or kids of his or her own.”
It’s great to see people in the stands, and better yet when the stands are full, Ready stated.
Not only was this person at the rink during his time off, he even took time off work to attend a game or two, Ready added. And, when he wasn’t at the rink, there was a good possibility he was out cleaning the roads so the kids could get to the rink.
“This year’s Fan of the Year Award goes to Reid Mick,” – who received a standing ovation as he accepted the award.
Bench Staff award
Gould presented the Bench Staff of the Year award to the Novice team of Jeff Johnson, Martin Dube, Derek England, Dean Matheson, Jennifer Vaillancourt, Rhobie Dionne and Martin Gagnon.
“This bench staff dedicated themselves to the team and there was drastic improvement from the beginning of the year to the end of the year,” Gould said, adding, “They made all of Muskrat proud.”
Gould also thanked the 30 players from outside the league who helped ensure there were enough players for each of the teams.
“Thank you from those outside the boundaries of Muskrat, because without you guys, it would have been a tough time fielding teams for Muskrat,” he said.
He also thanked the families who made the commitment to play for Muskrat.
Also recognized was Steffan Schilkie, a midget player from Deep River who is the Home Town Hero Trick Shot Champion for all of Canada. He showcased his trick shots with a hockey stick and puck at the Hometown Hockey event in Petawawa, which he won. Then he competed at the nationals in Hamilton, which he won as well. You can check out his Youtube video Sniper Steffan.
Gould noted that throughout the competition, Steffan, 16, wore his Muskrat midget coat.
Annual General Meeting
Gould noted the annual general meeting is in the upstairs hall at the Westmeath Arena at 7 p.m. on Monday, May 8. He noted there are many positions to be filled.
He added registration is now open for next season.
“See everybody here in a few short months,” Gould said, ending the event.
