spacer
SSI
Search NNSL

  CLASSIFIEDSADVERTISINGSPECIAL ISSUESONLINE SPORTSOBITUARIESNORTHERN JOBSTENDERS

NNSL Photo/Graphic


Subscriber pages

buttonspacer News Desk
buttonspacer Columnists
buttonspacer Editorial
buttonspacer Readers comment
buttonspacer Tenders


Court News and Legal Links
Home page text size buttonsbigger textsmall textText size
Atoms defend their crown
Rankin A dumps Thompson 6-3 to become two-time Munn Cup champions

Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, March 1, 2017

RANKIN INLET
Rankin Rock A defeated the Thompson A squad 6-3 to successfully defend the A Division Crockett Cup at the 47th annual Munn Cup atoms tournament in Thompson, Man., this past month.

The Rankin Rock B team also put in a strong showing at the event, just missing the podium by finishing fourth in the B Division at the event.

The Thompson victory came just two weeks after Rankin Rock A had captured the Arctic Atoms crown in Rankin Inlet.

Head coach Katie Bell said the atmosphere at the Thompson tournament was charged with high energy from the opening face-off.

She said it was a totally positive experience for players on both Rankin teams, who thoroughly enjoyed their time at the event.

"There was a ton of interest in where we were from in Nunavut at the tournament, with people always asking us questions about Rankin," said Bell.

"Everyone got compliments on their parkas and people there just couldn't believe the parents had made them for their kids.

"I had to laugh when I was asked where to order one online, and I told some very disappointed people that the parkas were all one-of-a-

kind.

"It was really cool to see that many people being so interested in where we were from."

Bell said the level of play in Thompson was comparable to the Arctic Atoms event in Rankin.

She said the only difference was having so many more people and teams in Thompson, and the fact the tournament is played on two ice surfaces.

"The kids were just totally focused on hockey when we were at the arena.

"They were so happy to be able to go swimming, bowling and, you know, just be able to do a lot of the things kids get to do in the south all the time.

"Even playing mini-sticks in the hotel was a huge highlight for our kids, who will probably never forget this trip.

"The parents who were with us were so into it - their kids are their whole lives - that I found it very interesting to watch the different dynamic of parents versus parents from all the teams because it was almost a competition for the parents, too."

The players on the Rankin B team were at the tournament to learn, work hard and see the level of play they aspire to reach.

And, although they were blown out of a few games, the B players competed hard, gave the southern teams a run for their money and were proud of their fourth-place finish.

Bell said Rankin Rock A dominated at the Arctic Atoms and their play was just as strong in Thompson.

She said it was great to see Rankin A play so well at a southern event and show, once again, how important the game of hockey is to Rankin kids and how hard they work to excel at the game.

"It was so cool to be able to take a team to Thompson from Rankin and have people come out to watch our games because they wanted to see our kids skate.

"The rink was always full when we played and I had a number of people comment to me how impressed they were with the skating ability of a number of our kids.

"It was quite the compliment to hear that about our kids.

"I am so proud and thankful that I got to be called their coach."

Bell said even though Rankin Rock A were the defending champs, a number of the players still felt they had something to prove playing in the south.

She said some of the players were so nervous before their game they would be in tears.

"This was the first Munn Cup for some of our players and, for others, they moved up to the A team this year after playing in B this past year.

"So they had never experienced this level of hockey and its intensity before.

"It was actually quite humbling to see the kids so nervous, because that showed how much the tournament meant to them.

"It was also great to see our B team win its first game at this tournament and, as a coach, it was awesome to see kids who struggled a bit at the start of the year finally start to figure it out and come together as a team."

Bell said the success of the Rankin Rock truly results from the efforts of the entire community.

She said all she wanted to do was help the program when she got involved with coaching in Rankin, and it's become a real honour to coach a group of kids who love sports, especially the game of hockey, more than anything else.

"David Clark (Rankin rec co-ordinator) believed in me right from the start, was constantly there for me whenever I needed anything, and has become a real role model for me as somebody I want to be like as I mature as a coach.

"This team would never have gone where it did if it wasn't for the parents' support and fundraising efforts.

"The help of our other coaches, too, Dave Wiseman and Wayne Kusugak, was everything in our becoming two-time champions, so, as an individual, I don't want to take the credit for our success.

"The whole thing put together - the community, the parents, the coaching staff and David Clark - created a successful team that I would take anywhere in the south to compete, and they make me hungry to keep coaching."

E-mailWe welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.