By Bryan Eneas

Holiday Classic Aboriginal Hockey Tournament a way to give back

Dec 15, 2016 | 10:58 AM

Through the weekend, Indigenous hockey players will travel to Prince Albert to compete and support a good cause.

“This tournament is Aboriginal, all the players have to be Métis or status to play,” tournament organizer Sheldon Cook said.

Normally, Cook organizes four or five ball hockey tournaments in Prince Albert, and one tournament in his hometown of Southend. He said this is his first year organizing the Holiday Classic.

The funds raised from team entry fees, as well as two raffles during the tournament will all be donated to a Grade 12 program Cook is looking to set up in Southend.

“I’m going to give out an award, plus money for a scholarship and then another for a sports bursary,” Cook said. “I just wanna give something back, you know?”

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Cook said he and his wife will present the awards to students on graduation day in 2017, and he hopes to turn it into an annual event.

A quality hockey stick covered with loonies will be raffled throughout the weekend and a 50-50 draw will make the rounds.

Teams from four different divisions will settle their scores on the ice; each category offers cash payouts for first, second and third place. There’s a senior recreation division, aged 16 and over, a legends division consisting of players 35 and over, masters division for those aged 45 and over, and there is a women’s division aged 14 and up.

Cook said he included a women’s division after being approached by a number of people inquiring about the possibility of being included. This year, there will be four teams competing in the category.

The senior’s recreation division will compete for a big cash pool, according to Cook. First takes home $3,500 second takes $2,500 and third takes $1,500.

“Champions take home a champ trophy and a champs banner,” Cook said. “I’ll have individual awards, I’ve got 24 individual awards, I have medals for that and then cash prizes.”

The all-stars in each division will also earn cash and an award for their hard work.

Cook said the games will take place at the Art Hauser Centre on Friday and Sunday, and the Kinsmen Arena on Saturday due to the Raider game.

One team will make the trip in to the gateway city from Manitoba. The rest of the teams are from around Saskatchewan, according to Cook.

“The rule I have in there, it’s play for your own First Nation, or community,” Cook said. “Cause I’m allowing Métis and Métis teams to have a chance to enter and play. Mostly all the other tournaments, it’s all rez, they call them all reserve.”

Each team is allowed to have two “import” players, or players from different communities to avoid creating an unfair balance. The masters division is open, while the rest of the categories must represent their communities.

Cook said he wanted to thank the Young Guns Ball Hockey club, the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations, Thakotitan Southend, SIGA, the Northern Lights Casino, and the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation for their support in making this tournament happen.

Bryan.Eneas@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @BryanEneas