BAKER LAKE
The community of Baker Lake came out in droves to celebrate its minor-hockey players during the annual Hockey Night in Baker Lake recently.
Jeff Seeteenak, left, presents Obid Kud'jaaq with his winnings from one of the special ticket draws held during Hockey Night in Baker Lake in February of 2017 in Baker Lake. - photo courtesy of Charmaine Kasaluak |
The evening featured hockey games in every age category from initiation to midget, as well as a number of ticket draws and other fun-filled events.
Baker Lake Minor Hockey Association (BLMHA) board member Charmaine Kasaluak said hockey night mainly showcases the development of hockey players who have been coming out to almost every practice during the entire season.
She said it's a special evening for all the hockey players, but especially those who have never played in front of a big crowd.
"It's pretty special to see the improvements in a hockey player new to the game who has practised all season," said Kasaluak.
"Some of these kids come a long, long way in developing their skills over the course of a year or two.
"It's important for us to be able to showcase their improvements on an evening like this because they don't get to play that many games throughout the season.
"Our players from atoms to midgets are the only ones who get to attend a tournament once a year."
Kasaluak said the BLMHA also holds a number of fundraising events during Hockey Night in Baker Lake.
She said one of the favourites is the chuck-a-puck contest they hold during every game played that evening.
"The fans buy a puck for $2 and they chuck it towards the target, which is the face-off dot on the centre red-line.
"Whoever's puck ends up closest to the centre dot wins all the money."
Kasaluak said the young hockey players get really excited over Hockey Night in Baker Lake and start anticipating the evening long before the date of the actual event.
She said since hockey night became an annual event, the kids ask how much longer until its held with increasing regularity as the season rolls on.
"We have to explain to the kids that hockey night doesn't just happen on its own.
"We have to get it all set up by making sure we have all the prizes and player jerseys ready to go, as well as having volunteers in place to help with the evening.
"All the behind-the-scenes stuff has to be taken care of first, but the players start getting a little impatient for the big night to arrive."
The BLMHA has 143 players registered this season, which is the highest number it's had during the past few years.
Kasaluak said she's not entirely sure why the numbers spiked this year, but it certainly has been encouraging for everyone to see the minor-hockey program start to rebound from a down period.
She said Baker's hockey program was pretty quiet for awhile and then, this year, its numbers really boosted.
"We've seen a big increase in the atoms category, in which we have 30 kids registered and about 25 of them coming out to every practice.
"We had a team at the Arctic Atoms tournament in Rankin and we'll also have a team there for the Powerful Peewees this coming week, which are pretty big deals for these age groups.
"Our peewees have been practicing roughly five teams a week this season, and all the players show up even though they're also playing other sports.
"We have coaches for every age level, but we could still use more volunteers to help out with our fundraising events."
