Pucks and controversy drop in Cree hockey and broomball tourney

Over $70,000 in prize money was up for grabs as the 33rd annual CREE Senior Hockey and Broomball Tournament got underway December 5 at the Air Creebec Centre in Val d’Or. Once again, the four-day event attracted thousands of Crees who travelled by car, bus and plane to take in the action.

As in past years, games were not only held in Val d’Or but also at Centre sportif André-Dubé (CSAD) in nearby Senneterre. The tourney featured 76 teams competing in seven categories, including four Men’s hockey categories: Class A, Class B1, Class B2 and Old Timers; and three Women’s categories: Women’s Broomball and Recreational Broomball, and Women’s Hockey.

Grand Chief Matthew Coon-Come welcomed players and fans at the tourney’s opening ceremonies, where he was joined by Val d’Or mayor Pierre Corbeil and former NHL enforcer Gino Odjick, who joined the Cree chiefs on the ice for the tournament’s official opening prayer.

The highlights of the tournament were Men’s Class A and Class B1 Hockey.

Twelve teams participated in Men’s Class A Hockey, aligned in two divisions. Division CRA was dominated by two Amos-based teams: Amos Beaucoq and Amos Bar Chez Frid. Both clubs compiled perfect 3-0 records in the opening round, but Amos Beaucoq secured the top seed in the playoff round after scoring 16 goals and notching a +11 differential in the opening round.

The Waskaganish Renegades were tops in the Town of Val d’Or Division during the opening round, posting a 2-0-1 record, while allowing just two goals. The Waswanipi Chiefs finished 2-1, good for the fourth seed, while the Algonquin Raging Bulls, Mistissini Trappers, Eastmain Snipers and Chisasibi Hunters rounded out the playoff seeds.

The seventh-seed Mistissini Trappers started slow in the opening round, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Waskaganish Wings. But the Trappers got better as the tourney progressed, skating to a scoreless tie with the Wemindji Wolves before dominating Val d’Or KL in a 4-1 victory, earning them a quarter-final match-up against the undefeated Renegades. The Trappers were unfazed by the Renegades, who had won their division with a 10-0 rout of the Ouje Thunder Wolves, knocking off Waskaganish, 3-1. The Trappers rode that momentum into the semi-final, upsetting top-seeded Amos Beaucoq, again by a 3-1 score, earning a spot in the Class A final.

Amos Bar Chez Frid, 2011 Class A Champions, arrived at this year’s tournament looking to redeem themselves after being eliminated in the quarter-finals a year ago. They got off to a hot start, dominating Val d’Or KL in the opening game, shutting out the locals 5-0. Chez Frid allowed only three goals against in the opening round, all of them in their second opening round game versus the Waskaganish Wings, eking out a slim 4-3 victory, before skating to a 5-0 romp over the Wolves to close out the opening round and lock up the third seed.

Things were not so easy for Amos in their quarter-final game against Eastmain, as they hung on for a 2-1 win before shutting down the Raging Bulls 5-0, setting the stage for a final against Mistissini, with $15,000 in prize money on the line.

Chez Frid were just too much for the Trappers to handle in the final as Amos posted their fourth shutout of the tourney, 4-0, to take home their second championship banner in three years.

The win created controversy, as many fans in attendance voiced their displeasure with what they felt was poor officiating that favoured Amos. While many of the concerns about officiating may be valid, it is difficult to deny that Amos Bar Chez Frid iced an outstanding hockey team at this year’s tournament, as they do every year, and demonstrated a level of sportsmanship that matches their level of play.

The win has also sparked fierce debate among Cree hockey fans as to the role of imports in general, and the participation of teams from the Val d’Or and Amos communities in future tournaments. The online discussion was animated, with many fans urging tournament organizers to return to an all-First Nations format. Others emphasized the importance of having local teams participate as a way to build bridges between the Cree Nation and southern communities.

Following the tournament, Waskaganish Recreation Director Charles J. Hester invited Cree hockey fans to express their opinion on the import issue via an online survey on Facebook. Results of the survey were not available at press time, but this issue promises to be a hot topic in the months leading up to the 2014 event.

Men’s Class B1 Hockey proved to be extremely popular at this year’s tournament, as 14 First Nations teams battled for bragging rights. The end of the opening round saw the top two seeds held by a pair of Waswanipi squads, the Drummers and the Under Dogs, both of whom posted 3-0 records. The Drummers earned top seed with a goal differential of 13, one better than the Under Dogs. The Lac Simon Beavers and Whapmagoostui Tomahawks were both 2-0-1 in the first round, earning them third and fourth seedings, respectively.

The Drummers continued their dominance in the quarter-final, thumping the Kitcisakik Hawks 11-1, before squeaking by the Nemaska Axeman in the semi by a score of 2-1. Meanwhile, the Tomahawks were getting great goaltending from guy who once played for a team you may have heard of – the Detroit Red Wings. Norm Maracle, who also tended net for the Atlanta Thrashers, shut the door on the Chisasibi Juniors in the quarter-final, leading the Tomahawks to a 2-0 win. Whapmagoostui followed that up with a 4-1 win over Lac Simon in the semis, vaulting the Tomahawks into a showdown with the Drummers for the championship banner.

Many felt that the Class B1 final was the highlight of the tournament. Nothing was decided in regulation as the Drummers and Tomahawks skated to a 2-2 tie after three periods. This final was going to be settled in overtime. Fittingly, a young man who has already shown community leadership ended up leading his team to victory. Jordan Masty, a 20-year-old from Whapmagoostui, netted a highlight reel goal in OT to win it for the Tomahawks. Earlier this year, Masty joined the original seven young Cree activists on their incredible Journey of Nishiyuu, carrying the staff on their months long walk to Parliament Hill in Ottawa, inspiring young people across Canada in the process.

In other tournament action, the Val d’Or Old Timers dominated the Men’s Class B2 category, going undefeated in the opening round, scoring an incredible 28 goals in three games. They then cruised to the category championship, knocking off the Lac Simon Penguins 5-1 in the final. It was an impressive tournament by Val d’Or, who outscored their opponents 17-2 in three playoff games.

Twelve teams participated in Women’s Broomball, as the Waskaganish Starlites again lived up to their reputation as one of Eeyou Istchee’s elite teams, going undefeated in six games in the tourney, outscoring opponents by a combined 22-3.

In Women’s Recreational Broomball, the Lac Simon Lakers ran the table, winning each of their five games, the first three by shutout, to lead the way. But it was a pair of Kitcisakik Ladies players who led the way in scoring, as Charlene Pien scored five times and Kathleen Penosaway led the tourney with four assists.

The final in Women’s Hockey came down to a battle between a pair of undefeated teams as the Val d’Or V Power defeated the Kitigan Zibi Wheels by a score of 4-2 to claim the championship banner for the second straight year.