Minor hockey in Fort St. James has provided generations of kids with a fun way to learn about teamwork, keep physically active and develop coordination.
The awards night for the 2010-11 minor hockey season was last Tuesday night, and while all the players are winners, some were given extra recognition.
About 100 people came out to watch and receive awards at the Nak’albun gym for the evening, and special awards were given out to players from Midgets to Novice.
Midget coach Blair Leidl spoke about this year’s team as one of the best.
“We had our ups and downs,” he said, “but we won more than we lost.”
While the Bantam team suffered from “lots of challenges” according to coach Jeff Holland, due to injuries and other setbacks, the team still did well.
The Pee Wee coach Mike Goodwin said, “the whole team had a great year.” The Pee Wee team lost to Burns Lake in the zones final, but can feel good knowing Burns Lake then went on to win the provincial title.
The Atoms team had an equally impressive year, according to coach Dennis Saharchuk, who said the team lost one game all year.
There were also some great accomplishments by players beyond the local minor hockey league.
Three local players were selected to play for the boys under 16 team, Team North: Justin Sanghera, Mathew Deveau, and Colin Robin.
Three others were also selected to play for the Aboriginal B.C. hockey team, and will be heading to Saskatoon to play in the national competition: Cole Prince, Jeremy Julian, and Byron Sam.
Two other players were invited to try out for the under 17 team: Jack Burgart and Matty Saharchuk.