Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, November 21, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Screams of joy echoed in the halls at Ecole Allain St.-Cyr Nov. 8 as the students were presented with a pile of new street hockey equipment thanks to the Edmonton Oilers.

Matthew Lariviere takes a shot against Philip Careen with the hockey equipment the school received thanks to the Edmonton Oilers. Sport North chose Ecole Allain St.-Cyr as one of the three recipient schools in the NWT. - Christine Grimard/NNSL photo

Sport North representatives Rob Meckling and Gail Nesbitt unloaded the new equipment.

The students took turns trying out the equipment in the school's tiny rotunda.

The school received two new hockey nets, 24 street hockey sticks, 75 pucks and balls, three hockey masks and goalie equipment.

All made by Franklin, the high-end equipment would retail for more than $4,000 according to Meckling.

The rotunda where the presentation took place was the best place for the students to play with the new equipment because Allain St.-Cyr is the only school in Yellowknife without a gymnasium.

"It helps start up their sport equipment, I'm guessing they don't have much," said Nesbitt.

Meckling said the school wasn't chosen at random.

"There's no sense in giving large schools with big budgets brand new sports equipment," he said.

Since the equipment was all for street hockey, Meckling said he thinks the students should be able to take advantage of it.

The school's principal, Eric Desaulniers said they'll likely bring it over to use at the Multiplex.

Jessica Leduc, 12, said the new equipment will save the students from playing street hockey with their hands, as they sometimes do at recess.

"We didn't really have a lot of equipment before," said Anne-Carolyne Binette, 12.

As construction continues on phase one of the school's extension, the Commission scolaire francophone de division is still waiting to hear if it will get funding for the second phase of construction that would give the students a gymnasium.

The school board is scheduled to meet with representatives from the Department of Education, Culture, and Employment at the beginning of December to discuss the funding for the expansion, according to Andre Legare, president of the school board.

For now, Desaulniers said he would like to convince the school board to clear out an area behind the school for a court for recreation.

The students often travel down the street to the Multiplex to use the sports facility.