The Shawville and District Minor Hockey Association hosted a home opener for all of its teams on Saturday, an event which brought in a total of 20 teams from across Western Quebec.
The Shawville arena was brimming with excitement as Pontiac Lions teams from U7 to U18 played their first home games of the season. The action on the ice was complemented with a number of off-ice activities, including a BBQ, a vendor market, and a visit from the Ottawa Senators’ Street Team.
Association president Collin Hines said this year is the first time the association has hosted a big opening day for all of its teams.
“We just wanted something different, and to make it exciting for the kids,” he said, adding that all age levels were represented.
Hines said registration for minor hockey in Shawville has grown by around 70 players in the last two years, mostly at the U7 and U9 levels, and added that the association has five teams at the U9 level this year.
“We’ve had some real growth in minor hockey in Shawville over the last two years,” he said, noting that this has made it more challenging to get ice time for all the teams.
“Ice time can be a challenge when we’ve only got the one arena, and it’s an older arena so we don’t always have the arena open at the times that we would like.”
Amy Taylor, who was in charge of bringing in the Senators’ Street Team, said the association started developing a relationship with the team last season, taking all of Shawville’s teams to a Senators game and even arranging for the Lions to meet some of the pro players.
“We took advantage of their program for minor hockey teams, and our whole association went and we had two full sections at the game,” she said, adding that they are planning on having at least two and a half or three sections full at a game this season.
Holly Lalonde, who is one of three vice-presidents with the association, helped to organize the BBQ, the 50/50 draw, and a vendor market on the top floor of the arena with 11 local sellers.
She said the goal was to bring more people in to watch the games. “It entices people to come in and then they see everything else here,” she said, adding that she will hold another vendor market in the arena in December.
She said as always, there was a team of volunteers behind the day that helped make it possible.
“It’s a group effort, we’re a board of people who are more than capable of doing it.”
The scores
U11C
Ft Coulonge Comets 3
Lions 3
U11A
Maniwaki Mustangs 6
Lions 1
U13C
Hull Festivals 4
Lions 0
U13A
Lions 2
Aylmer Icebergs 0
U18B
Lions 1
Petite-Nation Seigneurs 0
U15C
Gatineau Chevaliers 6
Lions 1
U15B
Lions 6
Petite-Nation Seigneurs 3
U18A
Gatineau Guerriers 5
Lions 0
