Team photo: Muskrat Voyageur Novice Rep Team won the Upper Ottawa Valley Minor Hockey Association Novice championship, also winning the league championship. Bench staff members are, from left, Assistant Coach Jeff Johnson, Assistant Coach Derek England, Head Coach Martin Dube, Manager Jen Vaillancourt and Trainer, Martin Gagnon. Team players are, back row from left, Max Gagnon, Travis Robinson, Andrew Enright, Colton Lemay and Kale Davidson. Middle row from left, Alaina Matheson, Cedric Dion, Colton Verekyn, Will Johnson, Hailey Brenner, Max Dube, Daniel Enright and Ryan Yuke. In front are Connor England, left, and Gavin Legree. Photo submitted
Muskrat Voyageur Novice Rep Team are the Upper Ottawa Valley Novice champs.
“We won the league play and the regular season,” said coach Martin Dube.
This is the same team that won the International Silver Stick tournament earlier this year in Huron, Michigan.
In regular season play, the team was 21 to 3 in games. In the playoffs, they were 4 and one in games.
Coach Dube noted the Voyageurs earned a bye in the first round of playoffs and then shutdown Pembroke in two games in the next round of playoffs.
In the championship round, they met up with Renfrew and won game 1, lost game 2 and won game 3.
This is the first year for this novice team, he said, noting there were only two returning players from last year.
“We were supposed to be a 500 team, but they started the year off strong and stayed strong,” he said. “It’s the dynamics of the kids working together.
“The kids enjoy winning and working hard together,” Coach Dube said, adding, “They bonded really fast as a team.”
The team has come together like a big family, including the parents, he said, noting, “The parents were disappointed the season is over.”
Four of the team members will be playing spring hockey and many will return to try out for the team at training camp in September, Coach Dube said.
