Busy, successful month for Sioux Lookout Minor Hockey teams
Mike Lawrence - Staff Writer
Busy weekends for both the Sioux Lookout Minor Hockey Under 11 (U11) and Under 7 (U7) teams in February.
The Sioux Storm dominated the U11 Lake of the Woods Hockey Tournament (Feb. 18-20).
Head Coach Karla Madsen stated, “We played three round robin games and won all of them. Actually, our goalie only let one goal in, so he almost had a shut-out all weekend. We got into the semi-finals Sunday morning, and we won that, and then played the gold medal game Sunday afternoon, and we won that 5-0.”
Madsen attributes the wins to both the team as well as the support staff, stating, “They played really hard, worked really hard, and had a great weekend and lots of fun. They ended up great. I think our goalie had less than 20 shots on him all weekend long, so they did really well. Adam Kelly is one of the assistant coaches, and Ryan Runge, and then Grant Power is our trainer”
Looking back on the weekend tournament, Power spoke with obvious pride, saying, “Great group of kids. They were the first Sioux Lookout team since 1991 to win it… just a good group of kids. I was impressed, when, at the end, the coach’s (son, Brooks) went over and hugged the goalie, then went back and hugged the coach, his mom.”
High scorers for the weekend were #55 Brooks Atwood (Defense) and #10 Aiden Kelly (Centre), while Goaltender Ira Maud (#11) allowed just one goal in net over five games played.
Madsen seemed quite impressed by the work ethic of the young team, stating, “The kids worked really hard. Despite the pandemic and despite coming off of a month’s break in January, they came back out and played really well as a team. They took all the skills and drills that we put them through all year, and when it came down to it, they worked really hard.”
Madsen summed up the weekend, stating, “It was a fun, well run tournament and all of the coaches are very proud of the Sioux Storm U11 players and their accomplishments so far this season. This is the second tournament this season that Sioux Storm U11’s have won gold and been undefeated in tournament play. They also were the tournament Champs in Dryden’s U11 tournament in December.”
For the Under 7 (U7) teams, it was off to Dryden on Feb. 19 for the Dryden Minor Hockey Association’s U7 Jamboree. Two teams from Sioux Lookout, the Green Machine, and the Sioux Blues, participated against U7 teams from Dryden’s Minor Hockey League in that event.
Three Sioux Lookout teams, The Green Machine, Sioux Blues and the Sioux Sparks had hosted Dryden in Sioux Lookout on Feb. 5 when the Sioux Lookout Minor Hockey Association (SLMHA) held its own Jamboree at the Sioux Lookout Memorial Arena.
Sioux Lookout Minor Hockey U7 Convenor Michelle Turner had this to say about the Feb. 5 Jamboree. “It went really well! We had three teams from Dryden come. I think it was the biggest event the Sioux Lookout Memorial Arena had held since restrictions changed, and everyone was able to still wear their masks, and keep their distance. And we were still able to do all those things we normally do like have the canteen open, so we are very grateful that the (Sioux Lookout) Bombers did that for us.”
Turner thought the turnout for the event was good, explaining, “Lots of people came out, and lots of happy kids. I’d say about 50 or 60 kids came out. Each team played three games. Then we had some raffles that we did, presented some medals, and that was that!”
“We are the little guys, so everyone received participation medals,” Turner continued. “Everyone that came thought it was really great, we had some really great community sponsors that helped us with our raffles prizes.”
In the end Turner felt the Sioux Lookout event was a great success, adding, “The jamboree was very successful given how unsure we were that it would be happening because of the COVID restrictions. All our players played great and had fun. Many thanks to everyone who helped make this possible: our amazing SLMHA coaches, trainers, and parent volunteers who always ensure the kids have a great time, the arena for their assistance and support, the Dryden players, and all the parents who made the trek regardless of the weather, the Sioux Lookout Bombers for running the canteen, and our local business sponsors who continue to pledge their support to minor hockey despite the difficulties caused by COVID. We’re very grateful to be able to return to tournament play after restrictions and it definitely showed in the faces of the kids at the jamboree.”
