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Manitouwadge minor hockey season skates into full stride

After a bit of a delay, the ice is in at the arena in Manitouwadge and the minor hockey association is dropping the puck on the season
hockey-for-all-ages-photo-by-marya-kalen
(Marya Kalen photo)

The Copper Kings are ready to skate. 

This weekend, all age levels of the Manitouwadge Minor Hockey Association were able to lace up and get out onto home ice for a bit of practice. Up until just a few days ago there were some technical difficulties causing delays at the arena, but the ice is ready to go, the lines are painted, and the puck’s ready to drop. 

Karly and Aaron Baker, who have been teaching youngsters to skate and play hockey for the past 12 years, are delighted to see so many kids taking up the sport in Manitouwadge, and want to remind parents that the deadline for registration is coming up Thursday. 

Out of the approximately 160 school-aged children, at least a third have already signed up to play on one of the three Copper Kings teams in Manitouwadge and another 50 kids have already started learning to skate or are honing their skills with the Manitouwadge Skating Club, which offers basic dance and fitness programs for all ages.

The Copper King teams, which consist of the under 7s, under 11s, and under 13s, as well as a smattering of players on the U15 AA Northern Select team or the girls’ U18 team out of Wawa, have already started to play in tournaments around Northern Ontario. There are a few under 9s, as well, but they need a couple more players to make up a team. Some of the kids should be on a U15 team, but the association applied for them to play down on the U13 team. 

“It may take some shuffling around, but we try our best to make sure that all the kids have an opportunity to play,” she said. 

There can be a lot of travelling involved. The girls’ U18 team practices in Wawa every week, and the U15AA player is part of the Marathon team, but now that the ice in Manitouwadge is ready, they’re able to practice on home ice. For those unable to travel, there’s a few tournaments coming to Manitouwadge in the new year. There’s a Jamboree for the U7s on February 18th, a tournament for the U11s on the weekend of February 10th to 12th, and a U13 tournament from March 24th to the 26th. 

“We’ll be seeing some regional teams visiting Manitouwadge,” she said. “So, keep your eyes open for last-minute exhibition games.” 

There are two newly qualified coaches in town as well. On Saturday, they completed their training, which consisted of four online courses and two on-ice training sessions. The course covered elements such as communication, strategy, and leadership skills. 

“Most of all, is that we want to show the kids how to safely enjoy the game,” ” said Edney Cabrel, one of the new coaches. 

The first official Copper Kings game of the season, which involves the U11s, took place on Monday at 6:15 p.m. The full schedule can be viewed on the Manitouwadge Minor Hockey Association’s Facebook page.



Marya Kalen

About the Author: Marya Kalen

Marya is a self-described wordsmith: a reporter, a writer of novels and short stories, and an artist, dabbling in many mediums.
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