St. Paul and District Minor Hockey held its second annual Timbits Future All-Star Game at the Clancy Richard Arena on Friday night, offering a night of big league thrills to the organization’s youngest group of skaters.
Fans populated the stands with noise makers for the event, which saw every player receive a special introduction, complete with dimmed lights and a spotlight before the puck dropped.
“These kids have a blast, they were looking forward to this all year,” said the red team’s coach Gilles Jean. “They were pumped up and ready for this . . . Some of them played in it last year so they knew what to expect and they were waiting for this all year.”
The night was also a celebration of the accomplishments made by the graduating midget players Shayden Cardinal, Andrew Ganser, Brandon Gamache, Brett Ockerman, Stephen Snyder, Matthew Lysy, and Kristopher Trach, who were honoured prior to the game.
Midget coach Rick Trach and board members Ken Miller and Dave Thomson were also honoured for their years of service to St. Paul and District Minor Hockey. Trach spent 10 years as a coach, while Thomson spent 14 years on the board and Miller served 13 years.
The little all-stars took to the ice to start the game and the crowd jumped right in, cheering on the play at both sides of the ice. While the white team jumped to an early 5-0 lead, it did not take long for the boys and girls in red to climb right back into the game with four quick goals.
Goal scorers were announced through the arena sound system and loud horns met every red light, giving the pint-sized skaters a chance to celebrate and showboat for the crowd.
The night saw a number of impressive moves from the young players, and was concluded with every single Timbits players jumping on the ice and scrumming for the loose puck in a chaotic, yet adorable fashion.
“They were all excited before the game and they all just had a blast,” said the white team’s coach Richard Jean. “They were laughing on the bench and really enjoyed all the bells and whistles and people cheering and the music.”
While the white team won the game 10-8, everyone on the ice was a winner. All players received a medal and joined together at centre ice for the RCMP presentation of a miniature Stanley Cup.
“They all had smiles on their faces so that’s what matters most,” Richard said.
Keep an eye on the Journal’s website for special video coverage of the Timbits Future All-Star Game.
