ICE TIMES: Edition 20:04

RED DEER - Spots are still available for 2002-2006 born male and female athletes to participate in selection camps for the 2020 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

Selection camps for both the male and female team will be held at the Servus Sports Centre in Lloydminster on April 10-12.

Hockey Alberta, in partnership with the Indigenous Sport Council of Alberta, is overseeing and coordinating the selection process for the players and coaches representing the province at the championships. That process includes recruiting and selecting the Indigenous coaching staff, registration and selection camps for players, team training, and designing the uniforms.

The Aboriginal Sport Circle established the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC) in 2002 to serve as the premiere competition for young Aboriginal hockey players in Canada.

The annual event provides a forum for elite Bantam/Midget aged Aboriginal male and female youth and attracts participation from First Nation, Inuit and Metis across the 13 provinces and territories. This annual event helps foster cultural unity and pride to celebrate the athletic abilities of Aboriginal athletes from across the country. The NAHC also serves as a focal point for grassroots and regional Aboriginal hockey development.

The 2020 edition of the NAHC is being held in Regina, at the Co-operators Centre, May 9-16. More than 500 elite bantam and midget Indigenous hockey players from across Canada will compete in male and female divisions in the tournament.

FEMALE REGISTRATION >

MALE REGISTRATION >

RED DEER - The Hockey Alberta Foundation has been accepted as a participating charity in the 2020 Birdies for Kids program. This fundraising program is designed so that the Hockey Alberta Foundation will receive 100% of every donation accepted on its behalf and allows for additional funding of up to 50% of the original donations made.

The Hockey Alberta Foundation’s goal is to provide every child in Alberta the opportunity to play hockey, have fun and, in many cases, experience the sport for the first time through programs like Every Kid Every Community and Future Leaders. Hockey is a great way for kids to be active, healthy and surrounded by positive leaders in their community. Keeping kids active in sport helps reduce childhood obesity, creates a safe and fun environment and forms friendships.

Donating is easy and open now!
Visit shawcharityclassic.com/donatenow/ and select ‘Hockey Alberta Foundation’ to donate online.

If you’d like to donate by cheque, make your cheque payable to ‘Calgary Shaw Charity Classic Foundation” and using the memo section to indicate ‘Hockey Alberta Foundation’ and mail to:

Calgary Shaw Charity Classic Foundation

Suite 1700, Bow Valley Square III
255 5th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB T2P 3G6

Help us improve the quality of life of Albertans through hockey and donate now >

Shaw Birdies for Kids presented by AltaLink is a non-profit program run under the Calgary Shaw Charity Classic Foundation.

AIRDRIE - It was a thrilling finish at the 2020 Alberta Winter Games in Airdrie on Monday, with Zones 4 and 7 winning gold in Female and Male hockey, respectively.

The female gold medal game went back and forth for the entire 60 minutes where Zone 3 and Zone 4 would need extra time to find a winner. Zone 4 scored the gold medal clinching goal just 1:41 into the extra frame, making the final score 2-1. Zone 7 claimed bronze with a 2-1 victory over Zone 5.

AIRDRIE - The Gold and Bronze medal matchups are set after Day Two of the 2020 Alberta Winter Games came to a close on Sunday.

After a tightly fought round robin draw, Zones 3, 4, 5 and 7 each earned a spot in the Semi-Finals. The goalies stole the show in each of the evening games, as Zone 3 posted a 3-0 shutout win over Zone 7, and Zone 4 did the same in their game against Zone 5.

Day Three will begin with the 5th Place game featuring Zone 2 and Zone 6 at Rob Ebbeson Arena at 7:30am. Zone 5 will take on Zone 7 in the bronze medal game at 8:00am, and Zone 3 will play Zone 4 for gold at 10:15am, both at Genesis Place.

AIRDRIE - The Zone 5 Male hockey team learned a valuable off-ice lesson during the 2020 Alberta Winter Games, after a visit from the Kindness Ninjas Sunday afternoon.

The ’Kindness Ninjas’ are Kindergarten students at Windsong Heights Elementary School in Airdrie, part of a program to help teach the impact of kindness in the classroom, school, community and beyond.

The Ninjas stopped by the Ron Ebbesen Arena after Zone 5’s final round-robin game, as part of an initiative put forth by the team’s Director of Operations, Kim Buchan.

The parents of the Zone 5 players presented the Kindness Ninjas with blankets to donate to the homeless, as part of their "Blankets of Hope" initiative.

According to Buchan, the parents were challenged to perform a good deed as a group, following a good deeds challenge put out to the team in December.

She said she got the idea to work with the Kindness Ninjas after seeing a news story involving former Calgary Flame Lanny McDonald.

"One of our discussions with the boys was that it all starts with being a good person, and it starts with character," said Buchan. "It shows them that even the little things can mean a lot."

Buchan said she was put into contact with the two Kindergarten teachers involved with the Kindness Ninjas, and arranged for the students to come to the arena on Sunday.

"Sport is such an important part of childhood, I feel," said Allie Apels, Kindergarten teacher at Windsong Heights. "I think it’s great to see that you can be on a team, and you can work together to spread kindness and have common values beyond the rink."

Home Ice Feature stories will focus on interesting stories about the individuals and groups who make a difference within the hockey community in Alberta. If you have a suggestion for a Home Ice Feature story, email [email protected].

AIRDRIE - A busy first day at the 2020 Alberta Winter Games went off without a hitch in Airdrie, with 14 games in the books.

Day one of the Female competition was full of close games and exciting action. Zone 5 leads the way as the only 2-0 team and sits at the top of Pool B, while Zone 3 and Zone 4 each picked up a win and sit tied atop Pool A with two points.

Female Rosters > | Female Schedule/Results >

The Male competition remains wide open after the first day of competition, with all eight teams still in contention. Zone 3 remains the lone undefeated team with a 2-0 record, and sits atop Pool A. It’s a four-way tie in Pool B, with all four zones holding an identical 1-1 record.

Male Rosters > | Male Schedule/Results >

Round-robin play wraps up on Sunday on both sides, starting at 8am, with the semi-finals and consolation games taking place later in the day.

AIRDRIE - After months of preparation, the battle for provincial hockey supremacy heats up as the 2020 Alberta Winter Games take place in Airdrie this weekend.

The opening ceremonies are set for today (Friday) from 7-8 p.m. at Airdrie City Hall, with hockey running from February 15-17. Global News will live-stream the opening ceremonies on globalnews.ca, beginning at 6:45 p.m.

Eight teams will compete on the male side, comprised of 2007-born players from across the province, while six teams will compete on the female side, comprised of 2005 and 2006-born players.

Male Rosters > | Female Rosters >

A full schedule for both the male and female competition can be found on the Alberta Winter Games section of the Hockey Alberta website:

Male Schedule & Results > | Female Schedule & Results >

For period-by-period updates, follow Team Alberta on Twitter.

Hockey Alberta coordinates the ice hockey portion of the Winter Games, as a core segment of its Development Program. The Winter Games provide players, coaches, trainers and referees an opportunity to discover the great qualities of competitive hockey starting with the zone camp and selection process, through to competing in the Games.

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CANMORE - The Hockey Alberta Foundation, in conjunction with Canmore Minor Hockey and the Canmore Eagles, is bringing the Every Kid Every Community (EKEC) Speaker Series to Canmore on Friday, February 21.

The evening will feature 2020 Alberta Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Jamie Macoun, honoured member Mike Rogers and former Calgary Flame Colin Patterson in a candid Hockey Hot Stove.

Tickets for the event are $40 for individuals, $100 for a family of four (two adults, two children), or $300 for a table of 8, which includes one beverage, appetizers, and admission to the Canmore Eagles game against the Olds Grizzlys.

• DATE: Friday, February 21
• LOCATION: Canmore Recreation Centre - 1900 8th Ave
• TIME: Doors open 5:00 pm, Hot Stove at 5:45, puck drop at 7:00.

Tickets >

All proceeds from the event will go towards Canmore Minor Hockey and the Every Kid Every Community program.

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is now accepting applications for the NCCP High Performance 1 Seminar being held in Red Deer July 21-26.

This seminar includes professional speakers focusing on the delivery of sessions including special teams, planning to perform, offensive/defensive team play, goaltending, game and bench management, ethics in coaching, teambuilding and many more.

In addition to classroom sessions, coaches will be provided practical learning and development by running on-ice session and coach on the bench with our AJHL Player Development camp which is run the same week. Coaches selected to attend this Seminar will be guided by some of the best leaders and mentors in Canada.

The requirement set nationally is that “All Head Coaches coaching Bantam, Midget and Junior A teams that compete in Inter-provincial or National Championships or the highest level as determined by the branch, must be High Performance 1 Certified. It is recommended that all Assistant Coaches be at minimum Development 1 trained.”

Please refer to Coach Requirements for those who would require this course for coaching within Alberta.

Coaches looking to apply should meet the following criteria:

• Currently coach elite athletes in a competitive stream
• Currently or will be coaching in one of the 5 required leagues
• Certified at the Development 1 Level

APPLY NOW >

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce Serge Lajoie as Head Coach of the Team Alberta U16 Male squad that will compete in the 2020 WHL Cup.

This will be Lajoie’s second time at the helm of Team Alberta, having guided the U16 team to gold at the 2013 WHL Cup.

"We are excited to bring Serge back into the fold again this year," said Mike Kriachy, Manager, Team Alberta. "He’s been an integral part of the Team Alberta program in previous years, and will bring a lot to the program again this time around."

Lajoie is currently the Head Coach of the OHA Edmonton Midget Prep team, and previously served as Head Coach of the University of Alberta Men’s Hockey Team, winning a U SPORTS National Championship in 2018.

Hockey Alberta is also now accepting applications for two Assistant Coach positions, and one Video Coach position for Team Alberta U16 Male.

U16 Coach Application >

Key dates for the U16 Male program include the Alberta Cup (April 29 - May 3, Red Deer), Team Alberta Summer Camp (July 6-12, Red Deer), and the WHL Cup (TBD).

The deadline for all coaching applications is March 4 at 4pm.

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is now accepting coach applications for the Team Alberta U18 Female team that will be competing in National Women’s U18 Championship.

Team Alberta U18 Female is seeking one Head Coach, two Assistant Coaches, one Video Coach, and one Goaltender Coach.

U18 Coach Application >

Key dates for the U18 Female program include Team Alberta Summer Camp (July 13-19, Red Deer), Fall Camp (September 25-27, Edmonton), and the U18 Nationals (November 1-7, BC).

The deadline for all coaching applications is March 4 at 4pm.

The Team Alberta U18 program is the final stage of identification and evaluation towards Team Alberta and one of the stages of identification for Canada’s national programs. Through on and off-ice evaluation, the high performance U18 program works towards the final goal of taking Team Alberta to the National Women’s U18 Hockey Championship or the Canada Winter Games.

ST. JOHN’S, NL - Two of Alberta’s Bantam Female players got a once in a lifetime experience while participating in the Global Girls’ Game this past weekend.

Bryn Weinkauf (Daysland) and Emily Harty (St. Albert) arrived in St. John’s on Friday to take in the Global Girls’ Game activities. They got the opportunity to spend the weekend participating in activities focusing on empowerment and team-building in order to foster greater self-confidence, learn from one another, and form friendships, before taking part in the Global Girls’ Game.

The game was neck and neck until the final period when Team Blue (in red, since it’s Canada) pulled ahead for the 7-5 win.

The Global Game embodies the spirit of enjoyment, teamwork, and collaborating with those from diverse backgrounds. The unique game began on February 8 and was played in 28 different countries across the globe before being handed off to Canada to play the final segment. The goal of the game is to unite all females currently playing hockey as one global family. A cumulative score was kept across all 28 countries with Team Blue defeating Team White by a score of 127-111.