Petawawa Stags win Ontario Region Men’s Ice Hockey Championships

By Patricia Leboeuf | January 25, 2018
The Petawawa Stags reigned supreme at the 2018 Ontario Region Men’s Ice Hockey Championships, held last week at Garrison Petawawa’s Silver Dart Arena. The team will be moving on to the next level of competition at the National level. (Photo by Patricia Leboeuf, Petawawa Post)

The Petawawa Stags are the 2018 Ontario Region Men’s Ice Hockey champions.

With a final score of 8 to 1 against Kingston, the team dominated on the ice and will be moving on to the national level in March.

Though the Stags accepted the trophy with pride, it was a hard-earned victory as many of the other teams were just as talented. Throughout the week, from Jan. 16 to 19, teams from Petawawa, Trenton, Kingston, North Bay and Borden competed at Garison Petawawa’s Silver Dart Arena to see who would be crowned champion.

“It is great that the base has allowed these gentlemen to come and participate,” said Garrison Petawawa Personnel Support Programs (PSP) Military Sports Coordinator Rebecca Olstad.

“I was really excited to see the calibre of athleticism being hosted here in Petawawa,” she added. Olstad was exceedingly proud of how the event played out as the participants greatly enjoyed their time in the area. All feedback positively highlighted the facilities, officiating, services, set up, cleanliness, friendliness and professionalism from start to finish, and was beyond expectation.

“We have officials here and volunteers that really bring the community together,” said Olstad. “We have retired men and women volunteering and helping out to make it run well. It is great because people might leave the military but they can always come back to support.”

The puck drop signalled the opening of the 2018 Ontario Region Men’s Ice Hockey Championships on Jan. 16. 2 Combat Engineer Regiment (2 CER) Commander Lieutenant Colonel Jim Smith and Chief Warrant Officer Stacy Merriam were given the honour. They were assisted by Petawawa team Captain Warrant Officer Jesse Laprade, Kingston Captain Corporal Kevin Cardinal, Borden Captain Sergeant Derek Desbiens, Trenton Captain Corporal Dylan Squires and North Bay Captain Sergeant Jamie Fitzpatrick. (Photo by Patricia Leboeuf, Petawawa Post)

As part of the opening ceremonies, representatives from Garrison Petawawa dropped the puck, and medals were also handed out to the first and second place teams once the tournament drew to a close on Friday morning.

Having hockey played by military members is important not only to promote fitness and esprit de corps but because of the nature of the sport itself, said Olstad.

“It is one of those sports that is tough but these guys are conditioned and have been training for a long time,” said Olstad.

“These soldiers are everything you think about when you think about the Army.

“It is a team camaraderie,” she added. “They are together so their individual skills ... come together in their plays out there on the ice.”

The National Championships will be held from March 3 to 8, 2018 at CFB Borden.