Teams from Black Bear dominate hockey tournaments

Hockey players from across western Canada gathered in Meadow Lake for two recent tournaments, one a Metis Local 31 event held April 7 to 9 and the other a western regional tournament held April 14 to 16.

It was the 17th year for both tournaments, said Dwayne King, one of the tournament organizers.
This year, five teams played in the Local 31 event, vying for cash prizes of $12,000, $6,000, $4,000 and $3,000. The regional tournament, which featured nine teams, had a $15,000 prize.
"For the first one they're just local and the second one, they come from all over," he said.

Both events were competitive because they feature "really high calibre hockey" with players at the Junior A level and higher, said King.

Both tournaments are usually held at the same time but this year they took place a week apart. Because one of them occurred on the Easter weekend, attendance was down, but, said Dwayne King, "Lots of fans came out."

He said organizers received compliments about how well-run the tournaments were and about the high the calibre of play.

In the Local 31 tournament, the team from Black Bear placed first, the Ministikwan Islanders claimed second place, Prince George came third and the Horse Lake team took fourth spot. In the Western Region tournament, the team from Black Bear/Island Lake took home the win and the $12,000 that went with it.

The tournaments were begun through the Northwest Friendship Centre "And we just went from there," King said.

The events have spawned success not only for organizers but also for Meadow Lake itself.
"The town looks forward to it. The town does fairly well," said King.