Above: Morinville Mavericks Team No. 1 took on Thorhild in Game 7 of an eight-game, one-day Fun Program Beginners Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 20. – Stephen Dafoe Photo
by Stephen Dafoe
The Morinville Mavericks hosted their 2024 Fun Team Beginner’s Hockey Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 21, gathering together eight teams for eight games.
Starting with a ceremonial puck drop by Morinville Mayor Simon Boersma, teams from Rivière Qui Barre, Westlock, Linaria, Thorhild, Mayerthorpe, and Barrhead joined two Morinville Maverick teams on the ice for a day of Fun Program hockey. Each team played two games at the Morinville Leisure Centre’s Landrex Arena.
The annual tournament allows the Mavericks to bring several regional FunTeams to the community while raising the needed funds to keep the program affordable for future years.
The program is run locally by Jayson and Kimberly Wood, who took the program over in 2020. Jayson is the Mavericks’ president, and Kimberley is the secretary.
Jayson Wood told MorinvilleNews.com that the purpose of the weekend tournament is to allow the Fun Program participants and players to have a tournament experience as they would in competitive.
“Tournaments were always such a great event for kids in sports, having the competition, meeting players from other teams, having the opportunity to stay in a hotel and everything that goes with it,” Wood explained. “We want to offer a similar experience to our players as the ones they would get in competitive, just without the competitive stress and price point, and in more of a fun setting.”
Saturday’s tournament saw scores on the board, but those scores were not recorded on a game sheet. Wood explained the tally on the board is secondary to the purpose of gathering the teams together.
“This tournament is more about the players having fun and building skills in this setting,” he said.
With what the Woods and their fellow volunteers see as a sustainable emphasis on providing a unique hockey experience for players and families, the Mavericks have seen continued growth again this year.
“The Mavericks program is an alternative to the competitive options in our area and community; it’s more affordable and more about our players developing skills and having fun in a not overly competitive setting,” Woods said. “We want kids in our community to have the opportunity to learn and play, so this option is great for those that aren’t ready for competitive [play], or maybe their kids want to play just to have fun and not play too competitively.”
Below is a gallery of shots from Saturday’s seventh game between Thorhild and the Morinville Mavericks Team 1
