Saskatchewan teams come home empty handed

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Saskatchewan's entries in this year's National Aboriginal Hockey Championship did not enjoy as much success as they have in previous years.

The 2004 tournament was held in April 18 to 24 in Prince George, B.C. This marked the third year the national tournament has been held, and the first year it has been held away from Akwesasne, Ont. This year's national tournament featured eight boys' and seven girls' teams.

Saskatchewan was represented by both boys' and girls' teams at the tournament, but neither side managed to capture a medal.

The Saskatchewan boys' team, which won all six of its games and took home the gold medal at last year's tournament, had some disappointing efforts this time around. It managed just one tie in its three round-robin games. The team got off to a rough start, downed 7-3 by Eastern Door and The North in its opener. The Saskatchewan boys then settled for a 4-4 tie against Ontario North before losing 4-2 to Alberta in the final round-robin match, then were downed 8-6 by the Ontario South club in a quarter-final game. The boys' team then managed to register its only victory at the tournament, defeating the host British Columbia club 7-4 in a relegation game.

"They had a bit of a weaker team than they've had in the past," Ray Gerow, the president of this year's National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, said of the Saskatchewan boys' team.

Manitoba, silver medallists in the boys' division a year ago, also failed to return home with any hardware this time around. Manitoba was edged 4-3 by the Quebec-based Eastern Door and The North in the bronze-medal game.

"It's a tough competition," Gerow said, when asked to comment on the fact both the gold and silver medallists from a year ago were not among the top finishers this year. "It's not easy to get a medal."

The Saskatchewan girls' club, which had won a bronze medal at the 2002 championships, did at least have a chance to garner a medal, but lost their bronze medal match.

Gerow said he was impressed with the efforts put forth by the girls' club.

"They were one of the three or four better teams in the bunch," he said.

The team won its first two games, 4-2 over Alberta and 9-1 over a squad representing the Atlantic provinces. The girls then managed a 4-4 tie against Ontario North before suffering their first loss, a 10-3 decision against Eastern Door and The North.

In its final two round-robin games Saskatchewan was downed 7-2 by Ontario South but managed a convincing 7-1 victory against British Columbia.

In its semi-final game Saskatchewan was defeated 8-3 by Eastern Door and The North, then lost to Ontario North 9-7 in the bronze medal match-up.

After it was all over, Ontario South went home with the gold medal on the girls' side, beating Eastern Door and The North 5-2 in the final. On the boys' side, Ontario North defeated Ontario South 5-3 in the gold medal game.

Though an official announcement has yet to be made, it is expected that the 2005 national tournament will be held in New Brunwick.