J.D. Potié

SHAWVILLE

March 28-31 , 2019

On March 28, around 60 Pontiac residents took the stands at the Shawville Arena for an on-ice battle between the Flying Elbows the and the Chainsaws from Hell alumni squads.

As the players took to the ice for pre-game warm-ups, some were visibly trying to kick off some rust while others looked like they hadn’t missed a beat, skating fast like the wind, despite some not having played a game in many years.

With the 20th annual Flying Elbows hockey tournament, taking place over the weekend, it was fit to see former players get back on the ice after many years away from the game, according to Will Armitage, the event’s main organizer.

“It was great to see a bunch of them come back out,” said Armitage. “Some of those guys probably haven’t been on skates for quite a few years and to see them all come back out was awesome.”

The game started off well for the Chainsaws as they potted the first goal of the game just over two minutes in and added another one less than ten minutes later.

The Elbows responded with one of their own with under-five minutes left in the first period, but the Chainsaws got one right back with under three minutes left, making it 3-1 going into the second frame.

The second period was all Chainsaws from Hell as they scored three unanswered goals, eventually making it a 5-2 game with one period to play.

During the second intermission, perhaps to soften the blow of their three-goal deficit, the Flying Elbows players invited the refs to their bench for a couple shots of rum before dropping the puck.

The third period was a mere image of the second, as the Chainsaws scored another three straight goals, eventually cruising to an 8-2 win over their long-time rivals.

For Conor Pearson, captain of the Flying Elbows alumni, the game was certainly exhausting as he credited the opposing team’s speed and youth for what materialized on the scoreboard.

“It was tiring,” said Pearson. “They came out a little younger and a little faster than us. But, that’s the way it goes sometimes.”

Despite the blowout loss, Pearson stated that the best part of the it was reuniting with good old friends and teammates.

“It was fun to go out there and play with some old friends I haven’t played with in a long time,” he said.

Now after 20 years of existence, Armitage spoke about the tournament’s growth since its very first iteration, noting that it’s come very far from where it once started.

“It started out as eight teams and it’s grown to 24,” said Armitage. “We’ve had people come from Calgary through to Shawville, from all over the place. We’ve had guys come flying in for the tournament, so it’s a great thing to have everybody come around and just enjoy the weekend in general.”

On Saturday, the tournament featured a game between the Ottawa Senators Alumni team and the Shawville Flying Elbows (see page eight for full story).

At the end of the tournament, the A division champs were Atko’s Army continuing their reign as top dogs in the tournament. The B Division winners were the YA Kings, while the Brew Crew won the C Division.