The St. Paul Canadiens Novice #1 hockey squad claimed the bronze medal after hosting a seven-team tournament in town from Jan. 3 to 4.
The Canadiens’ first game of the weekend had them pitted against the Camrose Vikings. It was an exciting game of Novice hockey that saw the Canadiens pull away with an eventual 7-6 win.
“It was good. Everybody was skating hard,” Canadiens player Dalin Fejzullai said after the game.
“We all worked hard together,” added goalie Jedd Stybel. “I just looked at the puck a lot.”
Coach Richard Jean was happy with his team’s performance in the opening game of the tournament.
“It was a great game, back and forth,” he said. “The kids were having fun. That’s the best part about this level of hockey, is just kids having fun and trying their best out there.”
The Novice #1 team doesn’t have a league to play in this year, but they’ve been getting plenty of ice time through exhibition matches and tournaments.
“It’s an awesome group of kids,” Jean said. “They come out and try hard every night, and they do what we ask them to do. They seem to be having fun, and they like each other’s company.”
Jean hopes that his players, who range from ages seven to eight, are able to develop their skills while at the same time developing a love for the game.
“Hopefully they’re better at the end of the year than they are at the start of the year,” he said. “Hopefully they always have smiles on their faces – that’s what we try to get out of them.”
The host team Canadiens ended up with the bronze medal after the two-day tournament was complete. The Sturgeon Mustangs won gold, and the Sherwood Park Ice Breakers took home the silver.
“The feedback received from many of the teams was that they had a lot of fun at the tournament,” said event organizer Maryse Culham. “I attribute that to all the volunteer hours put in by our parents, and the many donations from local businesses. We also need to acknowledge the great work of the coaches and of the players. It was a successful weekend.”
