The hockey season is in full swing and Clipper Ice Sports (CIS) has seen some early success.
The home tournaments are right around the corner, and Peewee kicked things off with the first one, running from November 30 to December 2. Atom will host their home tournament December 7–9, while Novice will wrap up the home tourneys in the new year, January 25–27. All tournaments feature free admission, so the community can come out to support the local teams.
This year’s Initiation teams attended a festival hosted in Ste. Anne by Hockey Manitoba on Saturday, November 24. The festival is a fun event where kids get to play games while parents sit in on a session put on by Hockey Manitoba. The Blue and White teams got a surprise visit from Todd Woodcroft and Troy Stevens from the Winnipeg Jets’ coaching staff, who attended and ran their practice.
The Novice Blue team is currently tied for first place with a 5–1 record. They also played an exhibition game against Mitchell Blue, who had been undefeated going into the game. Niverville played their toughest game of the year, coming out with a 4–3 win and handing Mitchell their first loss of the year. The first star of the game was awarded to Colton Case for his overall effort.
On November 23–25, the Novice Black team attended a four-game tournament in Portage la Prairie. The team played their first game on Friday afternoon against Selkirk A. Despite a lopsided affair in favour of Selkirk, the team played a great game. The player of the game was goalie Isaac Chamberlain, who faced numerous shots on goal.
On Saturday, Novice Black faced off against St. Claude and Stonewall. Despite losing both games, the team played well. The first game of the day saw Brayden Boone score two goals; he added a few assists, earning him player of the game honours. The evening game saw Nicholas Lauzon score his first goal of the season, and he was also named player of the game.
On the final game of the tournament, against Portage la Prairie 2 on Sunday, the Clippers pulled off a 14–9 victory. All players had an exceptional game, and the player of the game award went to the female duo of Dominique Grondin and Bailey Cuccaro. Cuccaro scored her first goal of the year and Grondin made several key defensive plays.
The Atom teams this year are all off to hot starts. Atom A is tied for first in their division and carry an undefeated record. Atom B is tied with Pineview for first place. Atom C White is currently on a five-game winning streak. Atom Blue C has only one loss and a 3–1–1 season record.
Atom C White came home from the Steinbach Atom tournament with a gold model, having beaten MacDonald in the final 5–1. The win saw big performances from Trae Worrell, who scored four goals, and goaltender Ethan Bowyer, who allowed just one score.
The Clipper Peewee teams are also off to great starts. Peewee A team has a 3–2–1 record, and Peewee B team has moved up into the A1 division following the league’s realignment for the second half of the season. Peewee C team sits in first place with a 4–1–1 record.
The Peewee A team made it all the way to the final at their tournament last weekend, but fell to Carman in a hard-fought match.
“It’s great to see the early success from our teams this year,” says Travis Mason of CIS. “I believe that the investment we made this year with our coaching development and player development programs is a huge part of the results we’re seeing.”
The organization’s cash calendar fundraisers are now up and running. This is the only fundraiser CIS holds.
“We do have some exciting news for the community, as Eastman was awarded the Bantam AAA Provincials, which will be held March 1–3, 2019, here at the Niverville Arena,” adds Mason. “This will be some of the best hockey played in Manitoba, as there will be an arena full of future hockey stars playing in this tournament. This is a great opportunity for our community to show why we are the best in Manitoba. It’s very exhilarating that we’re hosting such an event and we will be given more opportunities to host such significant events when the Community Resource Centre building is completed.”
