CALEB NICKERSON
SHAWVILLE
June 13, 2019
On June 13, a group looking to start a junior hockey team in Shawville held a public meeting at the Community Lodge on Main St.
The meeting had a much smaller turnout of locals than Head Coach François Dugas had hoped for, with only Shawville councillor Bill McCleary, arena manager Wes Tubman and resident Barrie Murray in attendance, along with The Equity.
Dugas was joined by Maniwaki Mustangs President Eric Gauthier and several other Mustangs staff. Gauthier has been looking to add more teams from the region to Canadian Premier Junior Hockey League (CPJHL), as many of the teams in the league – which was created in 2016 – are from southern Ontario. They planned on calling the local team Shawville Express, a reference to famed local NHL player, Frank “The Shawville Express” Finnigan.
The Mustangs played several exhibition games at the Shawville Arena this past winter as a promo for the league, but the local turnout was minimal.
McCleary pointed out that without any local players to cheer on, it would be difficult for any team to attract spectators.
Dugas said that they were having difficulty attracting talent from the area and also had only one offer for billeting. The group agreed that in order for the team to survive and attract local audiences, there had to be at least some local players willing to commit.
Much of the meeting was spent brainstorming a list of eligible players who might have an interest and Dugas vowed to invite them all to the final tryout, which will be held at 6 p.m. on July 14 at the Masham Arena. He also floated the idea of promoting the team at the Shawville Fair.
“We have work to do,” he concluded.
