LAC LA BICHE - The Lac La Biche Clippers U11-1 and U11-2 teams not only hosted the Clippers Cup Tournament from Nov. 25-26, but they also took home gold in their respective pools.
Elisha Sturges is vice president of Lac La Biche minor hockey and has run this tournament for the past three years. She said there were four teams in tier two and four teams in tier five/six, including teams from Stony Plain, Edmonton, Calgary, Bonnyville, Cold Lake and Athabasca.
The Lac La Biche U11-1 U11-2 Clippers teams faced off against the Millwoods Bruins and the St. Paul Canadiens in the finals.
“The kids worked very hard and played four games each this weekend and we can not be more proud,” Sturges said.
Hockey and helping out
Since the tournament fell on the same weekend as the Festival of Trees, the Clippers encouraged their visiting opponents to participate in a few fun challenges. This included best dressed coach and team award as well as filling bins in their rooms with donations which they were then given to local helpers with Santa’s Anonymous.
According to Sturges, the first two teams to fill their bins received a $100 visa. Stony Plain won one of the cards and promptly donated it right back to Santa’s helpers.
Sturges said both teams are holding strong in the Northeastern Hockey League, placing in the top of their tiers in the league.
A successful event
She added that this is second consecutive Clippers Cup Tournament hosted since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first time two teams have worked together to host two tiers.
“The tournament was an amazing success. All of the teams were an absolute honour to host,” she said. “We can not be more grateful for our committee, the sponsors, the volunteers, officials, parents and players.”
