Sturgeon Initiation 2 Timbits (photo front page)
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As second year hockey players, these 5- and 6-year-old players are always out there to have fun! They are full of passion and energy. Giving a 110%, they are having a blast developing skills and learning to play the game they all love. Team ability and competency expands with every skate. They aren’t just a bunch of kids — they are a group of friends. Giggles and laughs, fill the arena while learning c-cuts and stopping. Coach Matt yells his signature “ONE, TWO!” and “Good Job, Buddy!” as parents watch their little all stars flourish and make new friendships of their own. Practices, games and – soon – tournaments fill their weekends. Travelling from Westlock to Spruce Grove, Gibons to Onoway – the boys are carving up ice all over! Coaches Matt, Gerald, Randy, Matt and Glenn are teaching the boys sportsmanship, and respect as well as on ice skills. Team manager Megan and treasurer Jamie keep the games coming in, the ice time plenty, and everything running smoothly. Our team is a proud group of players, and parents. Win or loose Team Two is always number one!
The Rendez-Vous Centre hosted their first game of pickleball Jan. 8. Linda Mondor, Julaine Hamer Ann Chapotelle and Bob Moquin were the first to try out the game. Moquin said pickle ball combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong. The game can be played with singles or doubles, and will be played at the Rendez-Vous Centre on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 11 am for the month of January. Rendez-Vous Club members pay a $2 facility fee to play, and non-members pay $4.
Above: Linda Mondor served up the ball to Bob Moquin at the first Ppickleball game held at the Rendez-Vous Centre Jan. 8.
Morinville Kings
The Morinville Kings took to the ice for a rare Sunday afternoon game in Morinville Jan. 11. The Senior AA club emerged with a 7-4 win over the visiting Devon Barons. Sunday’s win brings the Kings’ record to 11-4-0 this season and three games away from hitting the ice for playoffs.
The Kings will play two of their remaining games over the next weekend, taking on Whitecourt on the road Friday and Slave Lake at home Saturday night.
The North Central Hockey League agreed to extend their regular season by a weekend to fit in a couple of postponed games. An earlier scheduled game between Rocky Mountain House and the Morinville Kings takes place Jan. 24 in Morinville, the Kings final game of the regular season. Time of the game is not yet know.
What is clear is that when playoffs commence the following weekend, the first-place Westlock Warriors will get a bye and sit out the first round. Although the Kings had hoped for a first-place finish in the regular season, there is no way for them to surpass the Warriors at this point. Similarly, there is no way for any of the other clubs to knock the Kings out of second place. The Kings will take on the 7th-ranked team, likely to be the Slave Lake Winter Hawks or Rocky Rams in the first-round best-of-five series.
Morinville Jets
The Morinville Jets suffered a 9-4 defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Royals Jan. 7, the club’s first loss in four outings. Wednesday night’s loss brought the Jets to an 18-9-1 record this season and a third-place standing in the CJHL’s West Division. At that time, the Jets were five points behind the North Edmonton Red Wings and eight points behind the St. Albert Merchants.
The midweek game saw the Royals grab a power play goal a minute-and-a-half into the first period.
Though the Jets answered back 13 minutes later, the Royals grabbed another before the buzzer to lead the frame 2-1.
The Jets remained mostly scoreless in the second period, unable to respond to any of the Royals’ six goals until Travis Geislinger picked up an unassisted short-handed goal with 1:11 left on the clock.
Though the club sprung back in the final frame with two goals, it was too little to counter the number piled on by the Royals.
The Jets hosted the Beaumont Chiefs Sunday night at the Ray McDonald Sports Center. Game results were not available by our press deadline.
The club has nine games remaining on the road to playoffs.
The Jets play the Beverly Warriors Wednesday at 8 p.m. on the road and the Leduc Riggers on the road Friday night at 7:45 p.m. They play host to the Edmonton Mustangs Sunday night at 6:45 p.m.
