Roxanna Thompson
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, November 22, 2007

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - When the Hay River Bears men's broomball team won bronze at the Western Broomball Championship two Fort Providence players helped secure the victory.

Justin Lacorne and Trevor Bonnetrouge were picked up to play with the team that already consisted of eight Hay River players and seven Yellowknife players.

The opportunity was a great way to develop broomball skills, said Bonnetrouge.

The two youth had never played with the Hay River team before but competed in the territorials last year in Hay River as part of a Fort Simpson team.

"They saw the way we played and they must have liked the way we played," Bonnetrouge said.

Given a week's notice about the upcoming championship Bonnetrouge, 16, trained by running to increase his endurance. The ice surface in the local arena hadn't been built yet, eliminating the possibility of on ice practice.

At the Western Canadian Broomball Championship, held in Yellowknife from Nov. 8 to 10, the Hay River Bears faced off against four other teams from Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the NWT.

The Fort Providence athletes saw action in the Bears' second round robin game. Facing Parkland Chaos from Manitoba, the two youth played on the third line that was centred by Tommy Lafferty with Yellowknife player Travis Jordan on wing. Bonnetrouge's first shift out set up a one timer for a goal.

The team went on to win the game 3-0, their only victory during the round robin play.

Games in the championship were different than Bonnetrouge expected. The action wasn't as fast as he thought it might be. The toughest team were the NWT Ravens because they had a lot of good players and did a lot of passing, Bonnetrouge said.

Bonnetrouge and Lacorne were the youngest players on the team but they both fit in with the other players, Bonnetrouge said.

In the semifinals the Hay River Bears battled against the hometown team, the NWT Ravens, but lost 6-0. The Ravens went on to win the gold. Coming back in the bronze medal game, the Bears beat the Edmonton Ice 3-1 for the medal.

"It was good but we were expecting second," said Bonnetrouge about the team's placing.

Both athletes contributed to the team and assisted in the third place victory, said Patrick Fowler, the team's coach.

"Both boys played very well with what they had," said Fowler in an e-mail, adding those skills will develop with more experience.

What the youth lacked in experience they made up in speed, Fowler said.

"They both could run like the wind," he said.

In Fort Providence, the boy's experiences are gathering a lot of attention for broomball, said Tina Gargan, a long time broomballer.

"It's generating a lot of interest in the school," she said.

Having played with Lacorne and Bonnetrouge since they began two years ago, Gargan said she's pleased to see them excel.

"I'm very proud of them," said Gargan.

"I kind of feel like a broomball mom."

Having two locals play at that level leaves a good feeling, she said.

This season Gargan is hoping to put together a Fort Providence team to compete in the broomball territorials in the non-competitive co-ed division.

Last year Fort Providence players joined the Fort Simpson team. The start of the season will depend on when the ice is ready, said Gargan.