CANORA - The two U9 Canora Cobras teams hosted an eight-team tournament on Dec. 7, and performed at a high level with a combined record of four wins, two losses and a tie.
In lieu of a door admission, the Cobras asked for either a non-perishable food item or money to donate to the Canora Filling the Gap Food Bank. A number of items were donated along with a total of $347.
The teams were divided into two pools for round robin play; Canora Cobras (white), Norquay Northstars, Hudson Bay Hunters and Moosomin Rangers in Pool A, and Canora Cobras (black), Kamsack Flyers, Melville Millionaires and Foam Lake Flyers in Pool B, with the top two teams in each pool advancing to the playoffs.
Moosomin led the way in Pool A with three straight wins, qualifying for the A Final. Canora (white) defeated Hudson Bay 9-4, tied Norquay 5-5, and lost to Moosomin 13-3. That left Canora and Norquay tied for the second playoff spot and a berth in the B Final. Norquay was awarded the playoff berth due to a slightly better goals for-and-against differential.
The manager for Canora (white) is Amy Nordin. The head coach is Brendon Skibinsky, assisted by Kayden Harder, who was unavailable for the tournament.
Skibinsky said he thoroughly enjoys coaching this team.
“They all played great in the tournament, they have come so far since the first day!”
At this young age, he has them focused on the basics of the game, especially skating, puck and passing
“I like watching these kids grow, they are so dedicated when it comes to hockey and try so hard to become better.”
In Pool B, Canora (black) managed to avoid any tiebreakers, winning three straight round robin games: 7-6 over Melville, 14-1 over Foam Lake and 18-2 over Kamsack. Melville went on to the B Final, and defeated Norquay, 9-6.
Canora (black) was the outright first-place winner in the pool, qualifying for the A Final against Moosomin Rangers. Moosomin built an early lead, but Canora (black) showed all kinds of team spirit and kept battling back. The Rangers held on at the end for a hard-fought 7-6 victory.
The manager for Canora (black) is Jodie Kowalyshyn. The team is coached by Kelly McTavish, along with assistant coach Parker Rice.
Kelly said, overall, the tournament “was a big success.”
Having one of the Canora teams make it to the A Final was an added bonus.
“The kids were very excited to make it to the A final,” he said. “We’ve never made it to an A final in any other tournaments in the past, so it was something new and exciting for sure.”
Coach McTavish said his team’s success was well-earned.
“We played very well defensively as a team, and our goaltender, Atlin Godhe was very focused and made some really big saves for us throughout the day.
“Our game against Melville in the round robin was a great game and could have gone either way. Both teams battled hard in that one, and we ended up winning by one goal.”
In addition to hockey skills, McTavish said there is a non-hockey aspect that is important as well in the U9 age group.
“We also talk about sportsmanship, work ethic, and being a good teammate when the time is appropriate.”
McTavish concluded, “Thanks to everyone for making this tournament a success!”
Don't count on social media to deliver your local news to you. Keep your news a touch away by bookmarking Canora Courier's homepage at this link.
Bookmark SASKTODAY.ca, Saskatchewan's home page, at this link.
