Congratulations to 11 year old Steven Oliver from Reserve Mines for being Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association's Player of the Week. For information on Steven's player profile click on our POW link above.

Special Thanks to Scottie's Pizza for sponsoring our weekly selection

With North Sydney hosting this year’s Atom AAA Nova Scotia Provincial Championship March 26, there was a requirement to have a three team regional qualifier showdown in order to determine the second Cape Breton representative spot. The three remaining teams competing included the Cape Breton County Islanders, the Sydney Steelers and our Glace Bay Miners.  In today’s cross-over action the Islanders were eliminated by North Sydney Vikings. That set the stage for a dramatic one-game sudden death match-up between the league’s top-seeded Steelers and our Miners who seeded 4^th entering play on the weekend. The winner of this game would advance to the 2009-10 Atom AAA Provincials later this month.

The final match-up played in Dominion saw the Steelers light the lamp first as Sydney’s Shaw Cameron found the back of the Miner’s net just 38 seconds after the puck was dropped. Following this early set-back the Miners rebounded quickly as Cameron Yates converted the tying goal at the 2:39 mark on nice play with team-mates Brandon MacLean and Chad O’Neill. This goal seemed to spear-head the Miner’s offensive attack as they out-chanced their rival Steelers for the balance of the period.

Following the opening face-off in the middle frame, the Miner’s drove their attack deep into the Sydney zone until a goal-mouth scramble infraction resulted in a Miners penalty shot at the 23 second mark.. Glace Bay’s Cameron Yates was the chosen as the shooter.  As seen in the above action photo Yates made no mistake on his attempt, using a lateral deke to his shooting side and then slid the puck past the out-stretched Steeler goalie Connor MacKinnon giving the Miners a 2-1 lead. The Miners enjoyed the slim lead for much of the period until Steeler Dustin Sudds wristed a high shot with 5:49 remaining to lock the score 2-2.

The third period started out being a bit cautious for both teams, as they were now realizing that not only were they in a sudden death game but more importantly they were now facing their provincial hopes on one period of hockey. After a couple of shifts the game was about ready to open up as Steeler centre-man Derek Gentile broke in on the Miner’s cage and stretched the twine on a high back-hander giving his team a 3-2 lead. Then in a fine display of game breaking offense, the speedy Gentile notched two more tallies giving him a “natural hat-trick” in the final stanza all within a 6:48 time span. Steeler player Sudds would later score an empty netter to seal a 7-2 provincial qualifying victory.

Despite the disappointing loss the Miner’s players and coaching staff should be congratulated not just for the great effort in the final game but moreover the tremendous improvement that the team has made in the second half of the season. Although it would be extra nice to be able to play at the NS Provincial Tournament, the team has huge hockey expperience facing them next weekend when they travel to Washington DC for a busy agenda including a couple of exhibition hockey games and plans to attend at least one NHL game.   

Miner’s players include: Kaine Drake, Cody Smith, Logan Struthers, James Hayes, Will Gouthro, Chase Fraser, Hunter Bettens, Parker Spencer, Robbie Harroun, Dylon Turnbull, Trenton Grove, Mathew Parsons, Dylan Burke, MacAulay MacDougall, Brandon MacLean and Chad O’Neill.

Congratulations to Jean Covey from Sydney for  winning $19,941.50 in our latest weekly 50/50 draw for Sunday March 7th, 2010. This popular even split draw is Glace Bay Minor Hockey's main fundraiser used to support our players's development and participation in the great recreational sport of hockey. Supporters of this weekly contest are reminded that you can obtain a ticket at the many local outlets throughout the area or from any player or parent member of our association. 

Once again on behalf of our association we want to Thank You for your generous support. Good Luck!

In the photo Sydney Ice-Dog goaltender Noah Burns stretches out to make a late game save off the stick of Glace Bay Wolverine forward Steven Oliver #17 , while Chad Pond #6 is well positioned for a rebound opportunity.

Hockey fans in Glace Bay were treated to an exciting Atom Metro Championship hockey game this evening at the BAYplex as the two top ranked teams in Division One faced-off in a sudden death final game.

Glace Bay Wolverines were all business as the home squad opened the game’s scoring just 1:18 into the game as forward Chad Pond pounced on a goal-mouth rebound to take a 1-0 lead. In the second stanza both teams played back and forth offense exchanging two goals each, leaving the score 3-2 heading into the final frame. Just 15 seconds after the puck was dropped the visiting Ice-Dogs drew even and then at the 3:20 mark took a 4-3 lead.

With the championship title on the line both teams went all out as they exchanged solid two-way hockey as each traded exciting scoring chances and solid goaltending. With home team trailing by a single goal Wolverine right winger Steven Oliver broke in on goal and as he skated in front of the visiting cage he made a slick move to notch his team’s tying goal at the 8:32 mark.  Sydney’s top scorer Landon Gould donned the hero cap for his team as the forward drilled a high slapshot off the Wolverine crossbar and then banged home his own game winner with 3:25 remaining. Glace Bay goaltender Justin Routledge played outstanding between the pipes as he made numerous key saves to keep his team close while his team-mates tried to mount some late game offense.

Other goal scorers for the Wolverines were Christan Murphy and Brandon White. White led his team in the assist department as he recorded two helpers while Oliver also chipped in with one. Other Glace Bay players are: Riley Smith, Jordan MacNeil, Tyler O’Leary,  Allister MacNeil, Nicole MacNeil, Kali Hynes, Dawson Jessome and Kegan Comer.

Scoring for the Ice-Dogs was Landon Gould with a hat-trick while team-mate Dylan MacKinnon and Logan Oakley each notched single tallies.

Our Glace Bay Wolverines competed in the 17 team Cape Breton Atom Metro Hockey League. Based on their performance this season they earned a spot in Division One among the top seven teams. We want to extend our Congatulations for placing 2^nd overall !.  

Pictured above are members of our Glace Bay Miners Midget AAA hockey team.

Front row (L to R) Nathan MacNeil, Tyler Mullins, Brett McLanders, Rocky Ford – Head Coach, Chad Butts, Paul McLean, Jordan Slade. Middle row: Garrett Perry, Justin MacDonald, Kris Somerton, Kenny Routledge – Trainer, Travis Turner – Assistant Coach, Michael Ford – Assistant Coach, Glenn McLanders – Manager, Heather Somerton – Treasurer, Kyle McPhee, Justin Brann, Jordan Dauphinee, Daniel Ferguson. Back Row: Tyler Ross, Kieran McKinnon, Garrett MacInnis, Aaron Gouthro and Devin Simms. Missing from photo: Aaron Boudreau.

The Miners earned their berth in the provincials by virtue of their Regional Playoff performance during the weekend of February 19-21 hosted by Inverness. Glace Bay finished the round robin portion with a record of 2 -1 -1. The locals defeated Cape Breton West 5-1, Northside Vikings 9-4 before drawing even 2-2 with the Cape Breton County Islanders. Their only set-back in the regional playdown was at the hands of the New Waterford Jets who skated to a 3-0 win.    

The winners of the two crossover games would advance to Provincial Playoffs in Antigonish, March 4 – 7. Glace Bay defeated CB County 3-0 and CB West defeated New Waterford 3-0. Both Glace Bay and CB West advance to Provincials. Glace Bay is seeded # 2 heading into Provincials out of the 7 teams competing.

The Glace Bay Midget AAA Miners finished in first place in the Cape Breton Midget AAA League with a record of 15 wins 4 losses and 1 tie. The team scored 102 goals and allowed 56 goals against. The offence was led by league scoring champion Justin Brann who tallied 19 goals and 15 assists for 34 points followed by Brett McLanders with totals of 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points and a second place finish in the scoring race. Solid goaltending has come from the duo of first year player Nathan MacNeil and veteran puck stopper Jordan Slade. The goaltender tandem made timely saves all year and has been a key to the team’s success.

In addition to Glace Bay icing a skilled team this season the other reason for their success on the year can be attributed to their experienced and dedicated coaching staff. Behind the bench the team is guided by veteran coach Rocky Ford who has been synonymous with the Miners uniform in Glace Bay for decades, entertaining fans as a skilled defensive player and in later years as a coach.  Alongside Rocky, is his youngest son Michael Ford and friend Travis Turner who both spent solid years playing in the Maritime Junior ‘A’ Hockey League. It’s great to see both Michael and Travis giving back to minor hockey after completing their years in the MJAHL. The players also enjoyed having Kenny Routledge on board this season as their Team Trainer.

We want to extend Best Wishes to our Glace Bay Miners during their weekend, as they compete for the Nova Scotia Midget AAA Championship title in Antigonish.  

The community of Glace Bay Nova Scotia joins all Canadians in congratulating both our women's and men's hockey teams for winning Gold Medals @ the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

We Believed...33 million strong! 

 Oh CANADA  !!! 

The reigning national champion V-Reds, who won their first 26 games of the Atlantic University Sport Men's Hockey Conference regular season, are on the verge of being swept from the AUS semifinals as the X-Men lead the series 2-0 with the third game slated for Tuesday.

Donovan is a 4th year defenseman for St FX who has been selected co-captain for the AUAA team this season.   

In our game action photo Glace Bay Rocket goaltender Sheldon Stubbard stretches out his left pad to make a spectacular save in leading his team to a convincing 6-2 victory.

The visiting Sydney Red Storm ran into a harder-working Glace Bay Rocket Red team tonight in a Metro Atom Hockey League game played at the BAYplex. Rocket’s forward Josh Eagles showed his scoring touch as the youngster notched a “hat-trick” to lead the way for the home-town team. Other Rocket scorers in the game were Brett Strong, Braydon Chaput and Darcy O’Brien. 

Strong’s second period goal proved not only to be an eventual game winner but also stood out as a highlight reel play. The speedy forward broke through the Storm defense at their own blueline and then as he drove towards the visiting cage in one move he made a nifty deke to his backhand that drew out the goalie, and slid the frozen puck into an open net to finish the play.

Leading the Rocket in the playmaking department was Nick Bigley who tallied a pair of assists while Spencer Billard, Tyler Murphy and O’Brien recorded one helper apiece.   

Other Rocket players are:Brett Roper, Derek Roach, Sarah Jean Lonnes, Jade Murphy, Josiah Gill, Nathan Billard, Ryan Gass and Robyn MacIsaac.

Given that it was a final 6-2 score, the game was closer than the scoreboard showed, as the Red Storm had plenty of scoring chances despite having a short-staffed bench. Scoring for the Storm were Bryan O’Callaghan and Aaron MacEachern while Nathan Martinello picked up one assist in the game.

After months of planning and organizing, our Atom AAA Miners are much closer to meeting their goal of raising enough money to make a "trip of a life-time" to Washington DC next month. The Miners would like to extend a sincere THANK YOU to everyone who supported their auction & dance event. 

To offset some of the costs for the trip the team will be hosted a dance and silent auction this past Saturday February 20^th at the Bayplex. Some of the items in the auction are being shown above which include; a team signed Chicago Blackhawks Toews jersey, a signed Martin St. Louis Tampa Bay jersey , a team signed Boston Bruins 2010 Winter Classic jersey and a signed Alexander Ovechkin jersey.  These are only a few of the jerseys as well as many other auction items that are hockey and non hockey related. The Glace Bay Miners team would like to thank all those that have helped with items for the auction.

The Atom AAA players seen above displaying the auctions which will be auctioned off are from L-R: Chad ONeill, Logan Struthers, Brandon MacLean, MacAulay McDougall and Hunter Bettens.

THANK YOU !.....GLACE BAY ATOM AAA MINERS HOCKEY TEAM

In the above photo a Glace Bay Miner Colin Jenkins "digs in" outside his defensive zone to intercept an intended Raven pass and create a third period neutral zone turnover. Also seen in the background is Miner player Mike McLean (white jersey).   

Glace Bay Miners were on home ice this evening at the Dominion Rink and needed a must-win in game two, to force a third and deciding game against their cross island midget B rivals, the Inverness Ravens.

In the first period the visiting Ravens leaped into an early 3-1 lead and then in the second period the Miners re-gained some scoring punch as the local squad’s scorers drew even 3-3 with 6:21 remaining. The sea-saw contest tilted back in favor of the Ravens once again, as the visitors notched took a 4-3 lead before the final middle stanza buzzer sounded. In the final chapter of the Miner’s playoff run, the Inverness team outscored our locals 3-2 in the closing period, to earn a 7-5 win and to advance to the next round of provincial play-downs.  

Leading the way for our Miners was Jonny McLean who notched a brace of tallies, while team-mates Colin Jenkins, Ryan Orr and Derek MacDonald each scored single markers. In the assist department Mike McLean chipped in a pair of helpers, while Carter Currie, Anthony Boudreau, Jonny McLean and MacDonald each recorded one assist apiece.  Other players for the Miners were: JV MacAdam, Devon Fraser, Nate McPhee, Evan McPhee, Jordan Bolton, Matt McVicar, Jeremy Locke, Brandon Osbourne, Jordan Butts and Brad Burke.

We can’t go without recognizing the scoring effort of Ravens sniper Brad Kennedy who pulled the trigger on five goals to lead his team to victory while Nathan Wyras and Dean MacLean added singles.

Following the game head coach Joey Wilson praised his players for a great hard fought series against Inverness and especially liked the spirited effort they showed in tonight's game. The team will now shift their focus to enjoy the balance of the season playing hockey within the local circut where they have enjoyed a winning record.      

Pictured above Glace Bay’s forward #91 Ernie Jewells drives through the Steeler defense and releases a wrist shot to score Glace Bay’s third goal with 1:09 remaining in the second period.

In Bantam “A” playoff action Saturday afternoon, the Glace Bay Miners started the game facing elimination in the best of three series after losing to their rival Sydney Steelers earlier in the week. Things really looked bleak early in the second period when the visiting Steelers jumped into a commanding 4-1 lead.

To mount a comeback the Miner’s realized that they would need a combination of shutout goaltending and scoring grit for the balance of the contest. Miner’s goalie, Murray Wadden would stand tall the rest of the way as he made some spectacular saves which appeared to spark his team-mate’s offense. At 10:39 of the middle frame Glace Bay’s Kenneth MacIntyre broke from his check in behind the Sydney cage and surprised their goalie with a quick wrap-around shot to close the score 4-2 and to ignite his team’s offense. Miner’s forward Ernie Jewells added his team’s third goal (as shown above) late in the period to get the Bay within one goal.

In the third period the Miner’s came out of the dressing room with lots of hustle which paid off, with 2:47 into the final stanza Mitch Dowe pounced on a goalmouth rebound and slid the puck to the back of the Sydney net making the score 4-4. With both teams now even the fans in attendance were treated with some entertaining playoff hockey as they exchanged scoring chances and good defensive plays at both ends of the rink. Glace Bay’s power forward, Ernie Jewells who at this point in the game had already recorded one goal and three helpers would finish his work in the game as truly the Miner’s scoring hero. With 5:42 showing on the clock Jewells broke around the Steeler defense on his opposite wing and drilled a low shot just inside the far post to score the game winner.

Glace Bay’s other goal scorer, the first in the game was from Michael MacIntyre who also chipped in with one assist in the game. Other Miner’s earning assists were: Emma Brown with two, while Brandon Porter, Kale Turner and Andy Hung added single helpers.

Other players on the Miner’s roster are: Nathan MacDonald, Jeff Parsons, Maurice Bourgeois, Anthony Wadden and Kenzie Cathcart.

Steelers’ goal scorers in the game were: Tyler Worthington, Devon Marks, Eric Greer and Patrick Erickson. 

With the win and both teams are now tied 1-1 apiece with the deciding game to be slated in Sydney next week.  Good Luck Miners !

Pictured above Glace Bay Miner’s forward Ryan McMullin makes a nifty move as he leaps to get around a Steeler defenseman and then went in on goal to create a scoring chance for his team.  

The Miner’s were facing the Sydney Steelers at the BAYplex on Friday evening in their second game in the best of three Bantam “B” playoff series. The home team was able to hold the Steelers within a one goal reach for the first two periods, but then the visiting Steelers exploded for five unanswered goals in the final frame to skate away with the series win.

Scoring for the Miners were Jarret MacNeil and Dana Cathcart while Cody Oliver and Travis MacDonald drew assists on the goals.    

Pictured above are members of our Glace Bay Team #2 Pee Wee team which currently competes in the local Metro Pee Wee Hockey League. 

Front Row (L-R): Colton Chaisson, Marcus Villa, Ian MacQueen, Dylan Burchell, Justin Bert, Logan Clements, Sean Murphy. Back Row (L-R) Roland Hardy (Coach), Anthony Byrne, Johnathan Smith, Chris MacPherson, Kyle Ellsworth, Jordan Neville, Liam MacPherson, Brianna MacLean, Jessica Hardy, Josh Stubbard, Connor MacIntosh, John Ellsworth (Assistant Coach)

Missing from the photo was: David Corbett, Gary Smith (Assistant Coach) and Ron MacIntosh (Manager)  

It’s been a few years since local hockey fans last saw Wayne Bedecki in a Glace Bay Miners or Panthers sweater, but we are glad to report that he continues to enjoy plenty of success along his journey.

Wayne’s hockey story beyond GBMHA is rather unique. Like plenty of our GBMHA graduates, initially he opted to jump to High School Hockey where he starred for the Glace Bay Panthers while attending grade 10 and 11. This was a special time for Wayne as had the unique opportunity of playing along-side his older brother Brett. Then instead of finishing his grade 12 year playing high school hockey, the youngster shifted gears and embraced a new hockey challenge by suiting up with the Cape Breton Tradesmen of the Nova Scotia Major Midget League. That season with the Tradesmen Wayne enjoyed a banner year by contributing plenty of offense to their team’s success. It also proved to be an impact season for Bedecki as the speedster drew plenty of attention in the Nova Scotia circuit. Evidence of his improvement and success was demonstrated during the 2008 Maritime Junior A Hockey League Entry Draft, when the former Miner was picked as the League’s first selection overall by the Halifax Lions.

Since joining the Lions, Wayne’s style of play appears to have made an immediate and positive impression on his coach, Troy Ryan. The Lion’s head coach states that ”Wayne instinctively does the right things during a game situation while often being unable to explain why he does what he does and I’m sure that stems back to his minor hockey existence”. Those of us who witnessed Wayne’s years of minor hockey tend to agree with Coach Ryan, as local fans and previous coaches can recall many times where he used his superior skating and creative playmaking skills to earn plenty of accolades.  Coach Ryan states “I can honestly say that I have been very pleased with Bedecki’s play and his approach to the game as he has been a key part of our team’s power play that has been producing around 25% all season. As far as his plans for Wayne, coach Ryan states “I expect him to be a leader on this team, he is a lot of fun to coach and always has a positive outlook on things”.

So far this season Wayne is sitting 5^th in the Lion’s team scoring. In 42 games he has accumulated 29 points with 12 goals and 17 assists as of the date of this article.   

 Quick Hits with Wayne…

Best Memories of Minor Hockey - Everyday playing in Glace Bay was a great memory ranging from our Atom AA team dying our hair pink for provincials in Bridgewater, to winning the CB Island Bantam AAA League Title.

High School Hockey –  It was always a great feeling every Sunday night playing for the Panthers in front of the large BAYplex crowds,  especially being able to share the experience by playing on the same line as my brother. As a young athlete there was nothing better than walking into school Monday morning after a Panther win...

Cape Breton Tradesmen Hockey –  It was a tough decision to leave a lot of my good friends in High School hockey but now that I look back I wouldn’t change it for the world. I could write a book on my choice in grade 12 to play Tradesmen instead of for the Panthers but looking back I have no regrets. However that season with the Tradesmen was special as I got to enjoy a winning season and as well it was fun leading the team in scoring. As I look back there are many guys on my team today (Halifax Lions), who played against me when we suffered a dramatic game seven loss in the League playoffs. Today some of those same players are some of my best friends.

Breaking Into Maritime Junior A In Halifax - It was a great honor being drafted first overall in the MJAHL by Halifax. Last season was a bit of a struggle as the team was rebuilding but it was a great year for me to gain some experience. This season changed around big time as we are above five-hundred and for me personally I am getting an opportunity of playing a key role for the team on a regular shift and on the power-play. Getting to play in the old Halifax Forum adds lots of nostalgic atmosphere in our home games.  As for the Lions organization, they treat their players terrific. Our team’s atmosphere makes it fun to go to the rink knowing that the coaching staff will do anything to help me and my team-mates advance to the next level.

Wayne’s Final Thoughts On His GBMHA Years - "Overall I can’t thank all my coaches enough who supported me along the way. I truly appreciated all the instruction and advice that they gave me and to avoid leaving someone out I probably should not start naming anyone – they were all great!.  Although I received lots of solid advice from my coaches sometimes we under-estimate the support that we get from our parents. For me personally my parents have been my biggest life coach. They always encouraged me to play hard and told me that I can be as good as I want to. They never pushed me too hard, and knew where to draw the line with me so that I would never lose interest. My parents were my biggest fans as they constantly built up my confidence while balancing fun along the way".

Wayne Future Plans – Currently I am attending Saint Mary’s University taking first year commerce courses. Being able to combine my hockey background with a university education would be a nice goal. Playing university hockey would be terrific especially if I can further my education by acquiring my Commerce Degree.

We wish Wayne all the best for the balance of this hockey season with the Halifax Lions and continued success in his future education and hockey endeavors. Fans can follow Wayne’s progress with the Halifax Lions by visiting their website: http://www.halifaxlions.com  

Wayne is the son of Kim and Jerry Bedecki from Glace Bay. Wayne’s brother Brett, is attending St FX University in Antigonish and remains active in recreational ice hockey.

Pictured above Lauren Pasher (AP) of the Glace Bay Miners gets an excellent scoring chance against the visiting the Parrsboro Predator’s goaltender Victoria McCrindle during a regular schedule Female Midget League game played at the BAYplex Sunday morning.

The Glace Bay Miner’s Female Midget team enjoyed a winning weekend on home ice as they blanked the visiting Antigonish Bulldogs 3-0 yesterday then earlier today skated to a convincing 4-1 win over the Parrsboro.  Miner’s forward Candea Wadden led the charge for the home team as she notched two goals and chipped in with one assist. Other scorers for Glace Bay were Corrine Heffernan (AP) and Mikayla Courtney (AP).

Scoring for Parrsboro Predators was Sheby Leopold.

After the latest two wins this weekend our Glace Bay Miners currently sit in third place among the eight teams and are ranked 1^st in their division. Other teams in the Midget League are: Pictou, Colchester, Antigonish, Parrsborro, Cumberland, Sydney and Cape Breton West.

Glace Bay Miner player Chad O’Neill (white jersey) is shown above trying to maintain puck control with one hand on his stick, while breaking in on a couple of Sydney Steeler defenders. The game was a regular league game which was played at the BAYplex in Glace Bay on Friday evening.

Pictured above Glace Bay Miner’s sniper Devon Morrison is seen breaking in on the Sydney Steeler’s goaltender with a nifty forehand goal after taking a nice lead pass from team-mate Adam Marshall late in the third period. The Miners were trailing 4-1 against their rival Sydney Steelers with 43 seconds remaining when Morrison broke on goal to light the lamp and cut the Sydney lead in half. For the balance of game and despite having the extra man advantage, the Miners were unable to capitalize on their final scoring attempts to even up the score. Glace Bay’s earlier goal in the game came off the stick of Brent Haung with assists on the play awarded to Andrew O’Brien and Fraser Bennet.

As a result of back-to-back wins Sydney takes the best of three series 2-0 and now advances to the next playoff round for the Cape Breton Midget A Championship.

Glace Bay Miners’s forward Ryan MacKenzie #16 drills a slap shot goal to the back of the Cheticamp net after taking a tape-to-tape cross ice feed from team-mate Brandon Tutty. The marker helped Glace Bay tie the game which lasted until very late in the third period, when Cheticamp scored with 2:20 remaining to claim the 2-1 victory.  In addition to scoring Glace Bay’s only goal Ryan MacKenzie also earned "Player of the Game" honors for his team.

The Pee Wee A contest played at the Canada Games Complex, was part of the annual MacDonald/Gallagher Pee Wee AAA & A Tournament being hosted by the Cape Breton County Hockey Association between Jan 22-24^th

Our Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association executive, members & players  would like to extend an important word of Appreciation & Thanks to all coaches & volunteers for their devotion and providing a fun & safe learning environment for our children. 

JOB WELL DONE...THANK YOU! 

Hello Parent(s)/Guardian(s):                                                  

 Hopefully you have settled into the New Year and are enjoying those early Saturday and Sunday practices! Here are a few items of interest so that you are aware of what is coming up for Tots hockey.

 First of all, a big Thank You extended to Robin Barrett and all the volunteers who helped make our Christmas party a huge success.  Treat bags, toques and signed Eagles pictures were but a few of the treats to be enjoyed in December.  Thanks Everyone!!  Oh, and to all the on ice volunteers, great job in maintaining order with a large number of five and six year olds.  Well done!!

 Our next scheduled event is the Tim Horton’s Jamboree, which will be held on February 27 and 28 at Center 200.  As many of you know, it’s a great opportunity for the kids to play games, meet people, see the Eagles and have lots of fun.  Like in years past, the kids will meet at the Bayplex on Saturday evening at 6pm., where they will be bussed to Center 200, walk across the ice as their teams are announced, enjoy the game from the stands and then be bussed back to the Bayplex afterwards (between 9-9:30pm).  Parents are encouraged to purchase tickets and join the children in the stands.  Treats are provided for every Timbit player and the coach volunteers do a great job organizing their walk across the ice.  It’s a wonderful weekend.  If you have any questions, please ask those parents or coaches who have gone before, or Bill O’Brien, or Jim Ellsworth.  A schedule for your child will be provided later, so that you will know what time their games are on Sunday.

This year we have been offered the opportunity for our young players to take part in what has been deemed, “the largest IP Jamboree in Eastern Canada”.  Here is the information I have received so far:

 T-Time is host to the 4th annual IP & Novice Jamboree; the largest in Eastern Canada.  This Jamboree features 3 guaranteed games, more than $25,000 in give-a-ways and the most fun kids born from 2001-2004 can have.  All information and applications are online at www.ttime.ca  The Jamboree is at the St Margaret's Centre, just past Timberlea; 10 minutes outside Halifax on Hwy 103.  We are expecting 110+ teams.  The event is sanctioned by Hockey Nova Scotia and all normal regulations that apply to IP and Novice are followed.  IP will play March 15-16.   Traveling teams will play over 2
consecutive days to minimize hotel costs.

Check out the website!  If you are interested in having your child attend, drop an email (as soon as possible please), to this address: (Let me know if they are Tots 1 (skate on Sundays), or Tots 2 (skate on Saturdays), as there are 3 levels in the tournament.

susanneobrien22@gmail.com

All tournament costs would have to be split by the parents.  Also, accommodations and travel costs would be the sole responsibility of the parents.  If we get enough interest, we’ll schedule a meeting to discuss all the details. 

That’s it for now – drop me an email if you have any questions or concerns about anything! 

See you at the rink – SusanneJ

During the 2006-07 hockey season Mitchell O’Neill last suited up for our Glace Bay Miners which competed in the Cape Breton Island Hockey League. That final season, he not only captured an All-Star selection but more importantly he captured the League’s Sportsman & Dedication Award. Anyone who has followed this youngster knows that his trademark of commitment to the game is synomous with his name. For example, last year when he attended Appleby Prep School in Ontario, O’Neill drew routine media attention for his outstanding physical play and game speed, as a key player in their hockey program. 

This season Mitchell is playing in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League with the Amherst Ramblers, a community which he really enjoys living. His head coach and general manager Corey Crocker, tells us that “Mitch is a very valuable player for the present and future of our hockey club. His development from the start of the season has been rapid mainly because he is getting important ice time, centering the 2^nd line and killing penalties. Mitch acts professional everyday in school, community and representing our team on the ice. O’Neill is a pleasure to coach and based on his work ethic that he has shown to me, he will have a lot of success here”.

During this school year Mitchell is once again balancing his grade 12 education with his busy hockey schedule but he seems to be handling this important responsibility in fine style, sporting an impressive 90 percent average. He claims that given the geography of the league, Amherst is well situated in the league for travel so he rarely misses school for hockey.

As far as the jump to Junior hockey from Prep School, O’Neill comments “the brand of hockey is definitely a couple of steps up from last year’s experience in Ontario with the biggest difference being the speed, size of the players and a higher skill level”.  He continues “the league has been nothing short of what I expected as the teams are high competitive, which is a lot of fun in not knowing what each game outcome will be”. Having just turned 18 earlier this month, the youngster states that “I’m starting to hit the game sheet for points, with most coming since the Christmas break”. O’Neill credits his great coaching staff as being a big factor in his improvement to-date this season. As far as his expectations, his primary focus is for his team to make the playoffs which will help extend his rookie season experience to the fullest.

In closing, we would like to extend Best Wishes to Mitchell for continued success. It certainly appears that this young athlete is showing that he has all the essential ingredients that are necessary to support a bright future in both his hockey and education aspirations.     

For local fans wishing to follow Mitchell’s team progress visit: http://www.amherstramblers.com/index.php

Mitchell is the son of Annette and Greg O’Neill of Glace Bay. His younger sister Megan also plays hockey with Glace Bay’s Female Bantam Miners.

 -  In the above picture Glace Bay goaltender Liam Gillis stretches out his left pad to kick aside a third period scoring attempt from Calgary Stamps forward Jackson Oldale.  

Several hundred Glace Bay hockey fans were treated to an excellent level of exhibition Bantam hockey Saturday afternoon, as the visiting Calgary Stampeders took to the BAYplex ice to compete against our own Miners squad.

The visiting Stampeders led 1-0 after the first period, 3-1 after two and then took a commanding 4-1 lead in the third before our Glace Bay Miners were able to ignite a comeback bid. With 5:19 remaining in regulation Miner’s forward Shane Desrosiers took a feed from Jordan McKinnon to cut the visitor’s lead in half 4-2. The home team continued to turn up their offense and then with 1:53 showing on the clock Glace Bay’s Allan McKinlay took advantage of a Calgary turnover, broke in on goal and took back-hand shot to the far corner to make it a 4-3 count. The Miners pressured the westerners for the equalizer by adding the extra skater in the final minute but with 23 seconds remaining, Calgary’s Konner Haas pounced on a neutral zone loose puck and made no mistake finding the back of the Glace Bay cage to stretch the final score 5-3.

Glace Bay’s other goal was scored by Matthew Lewis with help from Patrick Byrne.  The Stampeder’s marksmen were Jesse Wood Henderson, Matt Houston, Mathew Krystofiak and Aaron Hickie.

Following the game, the players, coaches and parents from both teams enjoyed some Glace Bay hospitality with some food & beverage while  viewing some recorded game video highlights. Before the Stampeders deparated our the visitors were presented with some souvenir Glace Bay Minor Hockey pins & togues.

Pictured above are members of our 2009-10 Glace Bay Atom "A" Miners hockey team.

Front row L-R:  Logan Burke, Luke MacDonald, Leah Byrne, Sandy Burke, Dhane Morrison, Nicholas Truckair, Christian Jackson.

Middle Row: Mitchell Hoffman, Kallie MacKinnon, Cameron McNeil, Jack O'Brien, Austin MacInnis, Alisha MacDonald, Hannah MacIntyre, Anthony Bradbury, Colin MacLeod.

Back row: Keith Jackson – Trainer; Bill O'Brien – Head Coach; Jim Bradbury – Assistant Coach and Charlene Bradbury – Team Manager.

Above - Glace Bay player Justin Bert makes a nice deke to score the game's winning goal

Sydney opened the scoring putting the visitors up 1-0 in the first period as Liam Stapleton scored on a play with David Turner. Sydney played solid defense keeping the Bay away from their cage and off the board for remainder of the opening stanza.

Early in the second period Glace Bay’s Dylan Burchell wasted little time in putting his team even at 1-1 at the 2:00 minute mark. Then late in the frame team-mate Justin Bert scored what proved later to be the eventual game winner on a nice individual effort. The highlight reel goal saw Bert jump on a loose puck deep in Sydney’s zone, and as he drove to the net he made a slick lateral move to cut across the goal and then finished the play, by tucking the puck inside the far corner.

In the final period Glace Bay’s offense exploded scoring five unanswered goals. Leading the way for the home squad was Burchell scoring his second tally on the night, while Connor MacIntosh also notched a brace of tallies. Scoring single goals were Liam MacPherson and Logan Clements. Back on the blue-line the player-maker in the game was Ian McQueen as he recorded three assists. Glace Bay’s goaltending duo of Colton Chaisson and Sean Murphy played a strong game to share the victory.

Both teams showed good hockey and sportsmanship as only two minor penalties were called in the contest.

Other skaters for the Glace Bay #2 team are: Jordan Neville, Johnathan Smith, Josh Stubbard, Chris MacPherson, Jessica Hardy, Anthony Bryne, Brianna MacLean, David Corbett, Marcus Villa and Kyle Ellsworth.     

The minor hockey parent will play a pivotal role in the hockey experience for both their sons and daughters. The minor hockey parent will wear many different hats throughout the course of their child's minor hockey career including cheerleader, fundraiser, transporting child to and from rink, and role model.

It is however important that as parents, you do not become focused on winning and losing and gold medals and rich contracts. The reality is that less than 1% of children who start out playing hockey will go onto make a living playing hockey. To this end, it is important that parents emphasize the child’s enjoyment when playing the game. Focus on what the child wants- having fun, meeting new friends, being active and all the social and life skills that your child will develop as a result of their involvement in the game. As parents, you make a lot of sacrifices in order for your child to play the hockey, however it is important that your child know that their are no strings attached. You are there to support them and to help provide opportunities for them.

Ten ways to be a great minor hockey parent:

1) Get involved with your child's team in a positive manner.
2) Let your child know you enjoy having them involved in the game.
3) Don't lose perspective: emphasize the values learned from being involved in the game.
4) Be supportive.
5) Model respective behavior for your child.
6) Support your child in both victory and defeat.
7) Make safety, respect, and fair play priorities.
8) Provide emotional support to your child.
9) Encourage your child to participate, but do not pressure them into playing.
10) Communicate with your child's coach in a professional manner

The executive of the Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association would like to extend their Warmest Wishes to our players, coaches, officials, parents and the general public for a Joyous and Happy Holidays.

May your families Enjoy Peace & Happiness during the Christmas Season and we hope that you have a Very Healthy & Happy New Year in 2010.

 Members of the executive pictured in the above photo are: Front row (L-R) James Edwards (President); Tracey Hanrahan (Office Manager); Greg O’Neill (Vice President); Back Row L-R  Derrick Hayes (Coaching Co-ordinator); Darren MacEachern (Female Hockey Co-ordinator); Aubrey Cameron (Fundraising Co-ordinator); Gary Gracie (Equipment Co-ordinator); Phillip O’Neill (Ice Allocator) and Sonny MacDougall (Finance & Administration). Missing from the photo: Mike Binder (Risk Management Co-ordinator); Shelly Simms (Special Events Co-ordinator) and Ken Tracey (Development Co-ordinator).

Above photo: Front -Jake MacPherson, Middle (L-R) Nick Canova, Anthony Osborne, Jamie Petite, Ty Higgins, Tristan Talbot, Tanner Pickup Back (L-R) Daniel Macintyre, Travis Christie, Jordon Smith, Matt Rowe, Scott Clarke, Noah MacPherson

 Fans in Glace Bay were treated to an outstanding game of hockey at the Peewee Metro Christmas Tournament. The two teams that made it into the Championship game were the Glace Bay Blades, coached by Wade Gilbert and the Glace Bay Storm, coached by Joe Higgins.
The Blades took the early lead at 10:27 of the 1st period with a goal scored by Brandon Breswar. The Storm battled back and tied it up at 1-1 with goal from Travis Christie scored at 6:16 of the 2^nd period. The Blades starting goaltender, Bryce Pilling made a lot of outstanding saves to keep the game very tight. 

The Storm then took the lead with a goal by Anthony Osborne at 3:02 of the second frame. The lead was short lived with the Blades Cameron Bigley tying the game up at 1:39 of the 2^nd period. The 3^rd period saw end to end action with no scoring. 

The teams went to a sudden death playoff with Logan Morgan Guarding the net for the Blades and Jake MacPherson Manning the Storms net.  

After 3  shooters for each side, Jordan MacNeil notched one goal for the Blades with Jamie Petite matching him for the Storm. It then moved to sudden death and after some spectacular saves made by both Jake and Logan, Noah MacPherson of the Storm shot the game winner that gave the Glace Bay Storm the Peewee Metro Christmas Tournament in a dramatic exciting game.

Photo & Story Submitted

With two out-of-town teams eliminated from round-robin play, the stage was set for an exciting Glace Bay hockey showdown between the Female Bantam Miners (white jerseys) and the Midget Miners (red jerseys).

Both teams exchanged goals in the opening period as Bantam Lauren Pasher put her team on the board first after receiving help from Corrine Heffernan and Mikayla Courtney.  With 22 seconds remaining Taylor MacMullin replied for the Midget team on a nice play with Victoria Higgins to even the score 1-1. In the second frame the Bantams scored two unanswered tallies as Pasher once again combined with Heffernan and Courtney. Kelsey Gilmet struck for her team’s third marker and eventual game winner with assists coming from her team mate's sticks of Megan MacArthur and Megan O’Neill. The Midgets pressed hard in the final period as Candea Wadden wristed a shot to the back of the net closing the score 3-2 with 8:25 showing on the clock.  The younger Bantams played a patient defensive game in the final minutes as the Midgets had several good scoring attempts after going with the extra attacker. Finally with 13 seconds remaining the Bantam player Heffernan took a combination feed from Rachael McKinnon and MacArthur to break in over the opposition blue line and made no mistake finding the empty cage to add a late 4-2 insurance marker.

Other players on the Midget Miners are: Emily McKinnon, Bobbi MacCormack, Katlyn Eagles, Christine Billard, Jessica MacDonald, Katherine Shaw, Miranda McIssac, Jenna Pembroke and Hillary MacEachern.

Other players for the Bantam Miners are: Jocelyn Sampson, Rebecca Harris, Allison MacDonald, Maggie Gouthro, Jill Doucette, Kendra Fraser, Margaret MacPherson, Kelsey McLean and Hannah Kaiser.   

A spokesman for the tournament stated that the all female tournament was a great opportunity for the girls to enjoy some fun but competitive hockey during their Christmas Break.

Glace Bay Minor Hockey Association is hosting a four team Female Hockey Tournament for some local Bantam and Midget teams. In the above game action photo our Glace Bay Female Midget Miners (white jerseys) are focusing on a shot from the point as they compete against the Cape Breton County Female Bantam Islanders. Other teams competing in the Christmas Break event are the Glace Bay Bantam Miners and the Sydney Steeler Female Midget team.

All teams are competing for the chance to get to the Tournament Championship Game which is slated for 3:00pm on Tuesday at the BAYplex.

Four evenly matched Glace Bay Pee Wee Metro hockey teams are competing for a Christmas Break Tournament title. All games are being played at the Dominion Rink with the Championship Game slated for Monday evening at 8:00pm.

In an afternoon match-up between Glace Bay #2 and Glace Bay Blades fans were treated to an exciting tilt. Both teams played scoreless hockey through the first two periods despite numerous scoring chances at both ends. In the final stanza, Glace Bay # 2 took an early lead as goals came off the sticks of Dylan Burchill and Ian MacQueen. Several minutes later Blades player Brandon Bresowar was awarded a penalty shot and made no mistake to get his team on the board trailing 2-1 . With 2:33 remaining in the game Glace Bay #2 found themselves shorthanded only to have Tyler MacIntosh scoop up a loose puck and notch what appeared to be an insurance marker for his squad. However the Blades appeared determined to turn up their offense as Logan MacLeod scored a goal to close the gap with only 1:20 remaining. Finally, with 40 seconds showing on the clock Blades player Jordan MacNeil dawned the hero’s cap by scoring the tying goal locking a 3-3 tie.

A spokesman for the tournament mentioned that both sets of goaltenders played outstanding which added to the excitement of the game.  Playing nets for Glace Bay #2 were Colton Chiasson & Shawn Murphy while at the opposite end of the rink Logan Morgan & Shawn Murphy shared the game.    

The Glace Bay Tots were all set to have a two hour fun skate prior to their Christmas Party when four Cape Breton Screaming Eagles and their team mascot appeared and joined in on their practice.  Former Glace Bay Miners and now Cape Breton Eagles (middle back row L-R) – Brad Cuzner, Marc Bourgeois, Screech,  Logan Shaw & Stephen Horyl spent the practice time joining in on skating drills, relay races, talking to the youngsters and posing for photographs. The Screaming Eagles have hosted our tots during several of their home games giving them a chance to play a short game during the game intermission. In the above group photo the tots, their coaches, the Screaming Eagle Players and Screech took a few moments to capture this unique moment that the youngsters will cherish for years to come. Perhaps 10 years from now one or more of the tots in this picture will live their dream and get the chance as a Q-League player to pay a visit to a future tots practice.   

Co-coordinator for the Glace Bay Tots Program Suzanne O’Brien stated that this year 90 children both boys & girls, ages 5-6 registered for the program. Starting at the beginning of the year a number of the children were unable to skate so the volunteer coaching staff placed a lot of emphasis on skating drills similar to a “Learn-to-Skate Program”.  O’Brien says “it’s amazing how quick they are learning and they all appear to be having plenty of fun going through the drills”. After the Christmas Break the tots will continue their development practices and everything will lead up to a special “Tots Night” when they will showcase their new skills in front of a big audience of family and friends.

Following the on-ice session the youngsters were treated to a meal, given treat bags and each player received a picture of a Cape Breton Screaming Eagle. Before the Eagles departed they took some time to sign all autograph requests from their many young admirers.

Pictured above Corrinne Heffernan (white jersey) of the Glace Bay Miners Female Midget team carries the puck through center ice just beyond the reach of Alex MacLeod (red jersey) of the Glace Bay Bantam Metro Miners during an exhibition tilt which was played in Dominion. The female Miners had to cancel their regular league game against Antigonish due to bad weather.  Fans of female hockey can catch the Glace Bay Miners most Sundays at the Dominion Rink when they play their home games @ 3:10pm.

In Glace Bay hockey circles, Mike’s Lunch Restaurant has been associated as the sponsor of the Glace Bay Pee Wee AAA Miners for an amazing 25 years. In the above photo, owner Steve Nannos (middle) is seen surrounded by Miners as he was presented with a commemorative Plaque of Recognition and a Glace Bay Miners leather sleeve hockey jacket for his dedicated sponsorship.  Players of this year’s 2009-10 team decided to take the initiative to show Steve their appreciation not only for sponsoring their team again this season, but also on behalf of all past Pee Wee AAA Miner teams that he supported for the previous 24 years.  Also seen in the above photo are players: (L-R) Travis Lynk, Aiden Graham, Steve Nannos (Mike’s Lunch owner), Jordan MacInnis, Matt Obrien and Aaron Brewer.

Other players for the Pee Wee AAA Miners include: Logan Cooke, Darien Ferguson, Victoria MacIntyre, Liam Smith, Tristan White, Logan Cable, Austin Bigley, Zack Politte, Branden Daughinee, Nathan Livingston, Nolan Jewels and Michael Doucet.   

The team is coached by Dwayne Doucet, Greg Bigley and Mitch Cuzner with Gary Obrien as manager.

On December 6^th our female Tots and Novice players joined together to enjoy a unique hockey practice. During the hour long session coach Curtis Billard helped run them through some basic hockey drills on such things as holding their sticks, stick-handling, passing and tips on how to play in a real game situation. With female hockey participation on the rise it was nice to see the large turnout of an all-female practice at this young age group.

As an extra treat the girls received a visit of several older hockey players from our Glace Bay High School Girls Hockey Team. The younger players really enjoyed having the players help out by skating at their practice. As the youngsters filed off the ice you could see the sense of pride in their faces after meeting the older girls and knowing they too can have a bright future of playing hockey and may even get to play for High School team.

Photo Submitted

Jordan Kennedy a 16 year old rookie goaltender formerly from Reserve Mines Cape Breton was faced with the awkward task of starting his return home game in Cape Breton against a tandem of local team-mates. Kennedy who was drafted by the Lewiston Maineiacs has been openly recognized as Cape Breton’s first goalie to be drafted and secure a regular roster spot with a QMJHL team. 

In the above action photo Kennedy is seen feeling a little offensive heat from two former Glace Bay Minor Hockey team-mates #18 Brad Cuzner and #11 Logan Shaw as they pursue a loose puck within scoring range of his cage

Pictured above Cape Breton Eagles Marc Bourgeois gets sandwiched as he screens goaltender and Glace Bay former graduate Jordan Kennedy during a regular QMJHL action game at Centre 200 which saw local fans welcome home Kennedy during his return home debut.  Bourgeois despite being traded from Lewiston last season scored a big insurance goal against his former team-mates to help Cape Breton skate to a 5-2 victory.

Thursday evening at Centre 200 Glace Bay native Jordan Kennedy will get re-acquainted to Centre 200 this time as a member of the Lewiston Maineiacs. The 16 year goaltender has had quite a journey since being drafted last summer by his Q-League team. Picked up in the draft’s 2^nd round, 27^th overall, the 6’ 2” rookie showed well at training camp and earned himself a position on the team. To-date Jordan has understandably played a back-up role to fellow team-mate and mentor Adrien Lemay, a 20 year old veteran in the QMJHL. He has appeared in six games turning aside 156 drives sent his way.

In addition to Kennedy’s busy schedule with Lewiston it looks like the youngster won’t be getting much of a break to spend home over the Christmas Holidays. Just recently he was chosen for Team Atlantic to compete in the 2010 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Ontario from December 29-Jan 4^th.  We wish him all the best as he competes in this world class event.

We’re certain that Jordan will enjoy his new experience of coming home to play hockey on a visiting team despite looking down the ice to see some former team-mates as his playing opposition. Having formerly lived in Reserve Mines we are sure that there will be plenty of local friends, family and Glace Bay Minor Hockey supporters on hand to welcome Jordan home and show their support.

Pictured above is goaltender Gabe Hines (white jersey) and forward Blake Dean (red jersey). The two players played key roles in an exciting Atom Metro match-up played at Dominion Rink.

To set the stage for excitement both teams traded goals in the opening period. Scoring for the Hound Dogs was Blake Dean who took a feed from Gabriel Poloni to open the scoring while Glace Bay’s #2 marker came off the stick of Riley Murrant. In the second period the Hound Dogs scored early and often as they pounced into a 4-1 lead by scoring three quick goals by the 5:00 minute mark. Scoring for the Dogs were Jeff Breen, Emily MacNeil and Dean with his second of the game. Before the middle frame ended Murrant scored his second of the game on a nice unassisted play to close the gap to 4-2 and set the stage for an exciting final period.

In the opening minutes of the third the Hound Dogs mounted several good scoring chances only to have their shots kicked aside by Glace Bay #2 goalie Gabe Hines giving his team some time to score. Then with 3:09 remaining team-mate Nathan Doucet took a pass from Stephen Ferguson to spark a comeback attempt closing the score to 4-3.  Fans were treated to a nail-biter finish as both teams exchanged scoring chances until the final buzzer sounded.

Both goalies in the game played great between the pipes for their teams, Hines for Glace Bay #2 and Sheldon Stubbard for the Hound Dogs who earned the victory.

Other Hound Dog players are: Will Campbell, Michael Aucoin, Joey Stubbard, Zackery Stubbard, Sam Wong, Karlie MacNeil, Tyler Strong and Logan Boutilier.

Other Glace Bay #2 players are: Noah MacAulay, John Michael Burns, Devon Gouthro, Mitch MacDonald, Ricky MacKenzie, Jillian Brown, Tyler MacNeil, DH Shaw, Katie Parsons and Ronnie Copan.

Glace Bay Blades took advantage of a short staffed Northside Blues team to earn a convincing 5-2 victory in Metro Pee Wee hockey action played at Dominion Rink. Blades forward Brandon Bresowar spear-headed the win for the home-town team as the youngster potted a hat-trick. Also leading the way offensively for Glace Bay was Garrett Syms as he netted a pair of tallies on the night. Logan MacLeod, Michael Gouthro and Jordan MacNeil chipped in with helpers on the goals.

Pictured above Blues forward Michael MacGillvary is poised to direct a shot to the open corner of the net only to have Blades goalie Logan Morgan stretch across just in time to make a spectacular save.  Goaltenders Morgan and Bryson Pilling teamed up to earn the victory.

Other Glace Bay Blades players are: Noah McIntosh, Jason MacQueen, Nathan Saccary, Tyler MacDonald, Aidan Phalen, Kyle Kelland, Cameron Bigley and Bret Gilbert.    

Pictured above are two Miners, Dylan Buchanan (left) and Brandon Carabin (right) who played key roles in their victory over the Sydney Steelers.

Glace Bay opened the scoring in the first period as Brandon Tutty lit the lamp for the Miners on a nice play with Bret MacDonald and Carabin. Both teams played a scorless middle frame and then at the 2:17 mark of the third period Connor Harroun notched a tally which would eventually prove to be the game winner on a play with Mitchell MacMullin and Jared MacIsaac. With the Miners leading 2-0 Sydney’s speedster Cameron Langlois lifted a well placed backhander over the Buchanan’s shoulder to narrow the margin 2-1 with 1:21 remaining. The Steelers comeback thoughts were dashed only 17 seconds later when Miner’s Bret MacDonald pounced on a goalmouth rebound to score the insurance marker and seal the victory. Team-mates MacMullin and MacIsaac earned assists on the goal.

Other members of the Pee Wee A Miners are: Jack Summerell, Breton Talbot, Tyler Murphy, Jeff MacLean, Brady Buchanan, Sean McPhee, Mason MacLeod and Ryan MacKenzie.

The Miners play most of the home games on Thursday evenings at the BAYplex with the opening faceoff set for 6:00pm.   

Pictured above are members of the 2009-10 Bantam AAA Hockey Team.

Front Row L-R: Justin Lynk, Patrick Byrne (Ass't Capt.), Ken Tracey (Head Coach), Allan McKinlay (Captain), Ryan Joe MacKenzie (Ass't Coach), Chad Cullen (Ass't Capt.), Liam Gillis
Back Row L-R: Liam Morrison(Ass't Coach), Jordan Breen (Ass't Capt.), Trevor Dauphinee, Erik Campbell, Jordan MacKinnon, Matt Feener, Shane Desrosiers, Evan Routledge, Matthew Lewis, Kelly Yates, Tyler Vaninetti, Brett MacDonald, Kenzie McIntyre

Missing from Photo - Kelly Yates Sr. (Trainer), Denice Breen (Manager)

Glace Bay competes in the Cape Breton Island Bantam AAA Hockey League which also includes teams from Sydney, Cape Breton County, Northside and Strait Richmond. Fans can follow their progress by visiting the league's website: http://www.cbhl.goalline.ca/standings.php?league_id=3852

Best of Good Luck This Season !

 When it comes to hockey practices, for many years it was common for coaches to only concentrate their drills on breakout plays, stick-handling etc. Now that we look back, it was not uncommon for the goaltender on a team to be left on his own, as most coaches did not have the luxury of the extra help for goalie drills.

Our Glace Bay Minor Hockey identified this need back in 2000 when they started-up a unique goaltending clinic with the help of Brad McCharles (now goaltending coach Halifax Mooseheads) which would see about 8-12 participants. Since that inaugural start the program has increased in popularity and has now grown into a weekly school with anywhere between 18-24 goalies attending.  

As you can imagine such an initiative, just does not happen, it requires commitment from skilled leadership and volunteers. The Director for this program is Ryan Boutilier, who by the way played nets all through his minor hockey years and is also currently the head coach for the Glace Bay Panthers High School Boys hockey team. Being a former standout between the pipes for both the Miners and Panthers, Boutilier certainly has plenty of skills of the trade to pass onto the many willing youngsters. To help run the program he is very appreciative of the extra help he receives from an arrangement started in 2007, which includes help from the High School Panthers hockey team.  Under this arrangement the Panthers use a six player rotation with everyone chipping in their volunteer hours. Special thanks should be extended to Brett McKinnon, Brett Simmons and Charlie Murphy who have showed up each week for the past two years.

Boutilier states “this GBMH goalie school is something that I am very proud of. Each week we can see an improvement in their styles and overall development”.  As director he gets to see first-hand the younger players in Novice and Atom make daily strides in their improvement as they continue to take advantage of the opportunity. As director he reminds us that “the Novice and Atom goalies are the future of minor hockey so by supporting initiatives such as goalie development, we will help our association head in the right direction”.  

This past year saw one of Ryan’s goalie school graduates by the name of Jordan Kennedy become the 1^st Glace Bay Miner goaltender to be drafted and make the QMJHL playing with the Lewiston Maineiacs of the QMJHL. Boutilier is proud to tell us that “Jordan participated in our clinics every week and truly enjoyed working hard and did whatever he could to be at the top of his game”. Kennedy is now a great role-model for our younger net-minders and it opens the door for their dreams “if Jordan can do so could they”. Ryan wants to remind all his goaltender students that Jordan and the Maineiacs will be in Sydney on Thursday December 3^rd to face the Screaming Eagles.

In closing we want to extend a Thank You to Ryan Boutilier for his great leadership among our goaltending community and also many Thanks to his dedicated volunteers who by the way played with our association. As a special note, it is especially nice to see Ryan’s dad Edison Boutilier join in with the school as a volunteer. Many parents who know Edison have fond memories of watching him star between the pipes for the Junior Miners, so it’s nice to see generations of experience being passed along.

Above are some of the new players registered in our Tots 2 Program: L-R Anna Gillis, Carter MacNeil, Jake Ogley, Ryan Ellsworth, Makenna Reid and Brandon Royal.

Once again our Glace Bay Minor Hockey Program has seen a new crop of youngsters hit the ice this season, which should be the first of many more to come. These players will experience that playing hockey can be a lot of fun and is a great recreational sport. The TOTS 2 Program has 41 new players registered this season with on-ice practice sessions scheduled twice a week on Wednesdays @ 5:00pm at the Bayplex and bright and early on Sunday mornings @ 8:00am.

In above photo, Glace Bay Miner’s player Mitchell MacMullin (white jersey) drives through the Viking’s defensive coverage to earn a second period scoring chance.

In a Pee Wee A game played at the BAYplex, our Glace Bay Miners opened the game’s scoring at the 9:01 mark of the first period as Brandon Tutty hit the back of the Viking cage after being fed a pass from Jared MacIssac to take a 1-0 lead.  Then in the middle frame the visiting Northside Vikings tallied two unanswered goals by Justin Evans and Glenn McInnis. The Vikings lit the lamp once again early in the third on a scoring effort from Kale Andrea. With the Miners trailing 3-1 the stage was set for comeback attempt on home ice. The Miners had several good scoring chances throughout the period and then with 41 seconds showing on the clock Miner’s player Brett MacDonald closed the gap 3-2 after receiving help from Brandon Carabin. The Miners pressed hard in the dying seconds of the contest but fell short of getting the game equalizer despite a great effort.

Other players with the Miners are: Dylan Buchanan, Jack Summerell, Breton Talbot, Tyler Murphy, Jeff MacLean, Sean McPhee, Ryan MacKenzie, Mitchell MacMullin, Brady Buchanan, Mason MacLeod and Kyle Moss. The team is coached by Stephen MacGillivary.

Fans can catch our Pee Wee A Miners home games most Thursday evenings at the BAYplex with game times set for 6:00pm. 

Glace Bay Minor Hockey has recently seen a positive growth in the current participation rate involving the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. With the addition this season of two more prospects a goaltender Jordan Kennedy and forward Brad Cuzner this brings Glace Bay’s total to five active players competing at the Major Junior level.

In the past, during the 1980s & 1990s it would be a rare occasion for a local player to be invited to a Major Junior hockey tryout camp. If so, it would usually involve a team based in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League) by-passing the Q-League. In fact many of our bright midget or high school player prospects during this era opted to play at the university hockey level either in the NCAA or AUAA. Despite this trend, one of Glace Bay’s Minor Hockey players by the name of Kirk Furey was the last from that era, who took advantage of an OHL invite and when the smooth skating defenseman laced up with the Owen Sound Platers during the 1993-94 hockey season.

The following year (1995-96), the CHL announced that their QMJHL League would expand to the Maritimes thereby awarding a franchise to Halifax and therefore re-directed any potential recruits of Major Junior away from the OHL and towards the geographical control now covered by the QMJHL. Following this action and in just a few years, the Maritime’s would see a more rapid expansion of the league which currently includes five competitive teams within the Atlantic Division. As a result, many of our local players now have a great opportunity to showcase their hockey skills to scouts and are now being drafted or invited to major junior tryout camps. 

In 2002 Glace Bay's Jared Vokey was drafted and played with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles, before moving to Halifax and Victoriaville of the Q-League. However the big impact of the QMJHL expansion really didn’t show in the recruitment influx of our Glace Bay Minor Hockey organization until the 2006-07 season. That season, proved to be a “break-through year” resulting in multiple entries. That year two more of skilled forwards, by the name of Jarrad Struthers and Marc Bourgeois who “made the cut” with their respective Q-League teams namely the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies and the Lewiston Maineiaces respectively. Today both Struthers (PEI) and Bourgeois (CB) are still active in the League, with Bourgeois having returned to Cape Breton in a post-season trade. Additionally last season 2008-09, Glace Bay was able to add one more prospect to the league, when the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles drafted and signed Logan Shaw. Finally, early this season two more GBMHA grads, Jordan Kennedy signed with the Lewiston Maineiacs and Brad Cuzner inked a deal with our Cape Breton Screaming Eagles making the current count to "five" active players in the league.

This recent success is a great example of “opportunity” combining with the efforts of our minor hockey association increasing “pro-active coach recruitment” at the key levels and also placing a higher emphasis in “player development initiatives”, for example: weekly goaltending clinics.

Pictured in the above photo are four Novice aged players who are enjoying a well-deserved water break during one of their practice sessions at the BAYplex. Pictured are (L-R) James MacNeil, Michael Aucoin, Sam Wong and Karlie MacNeil.

With the start of hockey every year parents are well aware of the risk of their sons and daughters catching colds or flu bugs as a result of sharing water bottles. Over the past number of years local minor hockey coaches have been encouraging the parents to have their children take extra precaution to minimize the spread of germs. Sports teams in particular, may be tempted to share water bottles. This poses a risk of serious illnesses that are spread through direct contact with saliva. Sports teams should ensure that each athlete brings a water bottle with his or her name clearly marked. To keep your water bottle safe, follow these guidelines: Use a sturdy reusable water bottle; Add ice to keep the water cool; Never share your water bottle; Wash your hands after using the washroom; Wash the bottle well using a bottle brush and warm, soapy water; rinse and dry thoroughly each day.

When you're on the go, a personal water bottle makes good sense. Consider the benefits of a reusable water bottle, keep it clean and you can enjoy a refreshing, healthy beverage wherever you go!

Play is expected to get underway later this week in the Cape Breton Metro Midget Hockey League. Now that the local teams have been picked, teams from Glace Bay, Sydney, New Waterford, County and the Northside are anxious to get play underway.

Pictured in the above photo are two players Steve Gouthro (red jersey) and Jeremy Ludyka (white jersey) who competed in a pre-season exhibition game which was played at the Dominion Rink.

A spokesman for the Glace Bay teams stated that the Bay teams have finalized their rosters and each squad is in the final stage of selecting a team name for the season.

Jordan Kennedy (right insert photo) was thrilled to learn that he had landed a roster spot with the Lewiston Maineiacs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. 

Kennedy 16 years old was drafted in the 2^nd round, 27^th overall by Lewiston in this year’s Q-League entry draft. Last season the skilled goaltender played for the Cape Breton Tradesmen of the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League.

When learning the news about Jordan signing a rookie contract with Lewiston we contacted the former Glace Bay Minor Hockey graduate to get his reaction. Since Jordan will be living away from home, not surprisingly, his first comment was to thank all his Glace Bay coaches “for the best years of my life”. He singled out one special coach Ryan Boutilier who worked him since Atom hockey. Kennedy shares that “Boutilier is one of the main reasons why reached this level of hockey today. As a goaltending coach he provided me with plenty of goalie schools and 7:00am practices before school pushing me to the limit”.

Kennedy, can now be recognized as Glace Bay’s first goaltender to make the jump into Quebec Major Junior. Jordan states that ”I really enjoyed my 1^st training camp in Lewiston,  I suppose the nerves helped me out in a way as it made me get more mentally focused before games and practices which is huge. Perhaps the biggest difference was in the speed of play, I noticed very early that the shots were much faster and heavier. The players can break out of their end, and be on top of you in seconds. I plan on getting adjusted to the speed of the league, and working on fitness more and more”.

Lewiston’s head coach Don MacAdam shared with us that “Jordan as a 16 year old rookie will have an excellent opportunity to be mentored by Lewiston’s 20 year old veteran, Adrien Lemay this season”. MacAdam continued by saying that “Jordan is going to learn a lot from this arrangement, just by watching Adrien and sees how he does things.” The head coach states”Jordan is a very good competitive goalie with excellent skills and is a position to become a top player in the league if he continues to practice daily on his physical and mental aspect of the game”.

Jordan reflected back when he played goal for the Miners especially the year when his atom team went to the Provincials. He said “ I have so many great memories from the past playing for Glace Bay. I have a great group of friends that I am still close friends with today”.  Speaking of support, Jordan would like to extend a Special Thank You to his father Derek and mother Ellie, as well as his sisters Ashley and Kendra for their continuous support which means a great deal to him.

Local fans can get to see Jordan and his Lewiston team @ Centre 200 when he pays a visit to the Screaming Eagles on Thursday December 3^rd as he will be sporting jersey # 41.

17 year old Brad Cuzner was also selected early in this year’s QMJHL entry draft in the 4^th round, 66^th overall (right insert photo). Cuzner, who plays centre made an early impression not just at training camp but continues to turn heads among Cape Breton fans after signing with the Cape Breton Screaming’s this season. His fast start has earned the rookie two goals already in this early stage of the season and he has seen extra shifts on the penalty kill specialty team.

Local Glace Bay hockey fans recall Cuzner’s last season wearing the Miner’s jersey in 2006-07 when he captured the Cape Breton Island Bantam AAA League’s Most Valuable Player Award. After spending the following season in Rothsay NB playing High School Hockey, last year he secured a roster spot with the reputable Notre Dame Prep School in Regina, as their hockey team competed in the Saskatchewan provincial Midget AAA league.

This sacrifice of living away from home proved to be very rewarding for Brad, as he was able to balance  his academic studies @ Notre Dame with a very busy and extended Major Midget hockey season. Brad played a key role to not only help his team not only capture the Western Canada Midget title but moreover was a an impact player leading  the ND Hounds to the national Telus Cup Midget AAA Hockey Championship. Being Glace Bay’s first and only player to have ever won this Canadian Championship Major Midget fete, he now sports an attractive piece of ring jewelry as a well-earned hockey souvenir.

Last month when we learned that Brad officially signed on as a team member of the Screaming Eagles, we contacted Eagle’s head coach Mario Durocher. Durocher commented that “Brad is a real Cape Breton Screaming Eagle as he does everything with intensity, which our fans will enjoy”.  Durocher adds “Brad a small player with a lot of speed and he's not afraid to be first at the puck. He knows the game pretty well and does a lot of small details that a coach appreciates”.

Like Jordan, Brad would like to extend a Special Thank You to all of his previous coaching staff and team-mates as he cherishes both memories and friendships. In closing he would like to also send message of Thanks to his parents Lynn and Rodger and as well to his older brothers Mitch & Scott who have supported him in all his endeavors.

Glace Bay Miner’s goaltender Justin Lynk, recorded a shutout on home ice to lead his team to a convincing 3-0  win over their Bantam League Steeler rivals.  The Miners opened the scoring with 1:16 remaining in the first period as defenseman Allan McKinlay notched a tally after receiving some help from Trevor Dauphinee. In the 2^nd stanza Jordan Breen connected on a play with Chad Cullen to push the lead 2-0 and then less than a minute later McKinlay recorded his second of the game on an unassisted effort to seal the game ending score 3-0.

In the above game action photo Miner’s defenseman Patrick Byrne fends off a Sydney Steeler fore-checker as he takes puck control and skates out of his zone. Meanwhile Miners goal keeper Justin Lynk watches the play closely to guard his cage and preserve his shutout bid.

The Miners are competing in the Cape Breton Island Bantam AAA Hockey League with other teams from Sydney, County, Northside and Cape Breton West. Fans can catch exciting league action most Monday nights @ the BAYplex starting @ 7:30pm. Check out their league website cbhl.goalline.ca for season scores and schedule up-dates.

This season the Miners are coached by Ken Tracey, Ryan Joe MacKenzie and Liam Morrison while Denise Breen is the team’s manager. Players include Liam Gillis, Justin Lynk, Tyler Vaninetti, Matt Feener, Allan McKinlay, Patrick Byrne, Shane Desrosiers, Kenzie McIntyre, Trevor Dauphinee, Jordan Breen, Jordan MacKinnon, Erik Campbell, Evan Routledge, Kelly Yates, Matthew Lewis, Brett MacDonald and Chad Cullen.

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