EDBMHA holds annual banquet

The Emo-Devlin-Barwick Minor Hockey Association ended its 2007-08 hockey season on Friday with its annual banquet and awards night.
Most of the 141 players, along with their parents and siblings, attended the celebration, which was held upstairs at the Emo-La Vallee Community Centre.
The evening began with emcee Shane MacDonald welcoming everyone and announcing they would be pulling numbers to determine which tables would be first in line for the buffet.
The fantastic array of dishes covered two long tables down the middle of the room. Each team was asked to bring a specific type of dish to add to the meal.
In addition, the EDBMHA purchased several turkeys and hams, which were cooked by parent volunteers.
The number of dishes and the variety of salads, etc. were more than enough to satisfy a hungry hockey crowd.
There even was enough food to invite the eager players back for seconds.
MacDonald thanked Debbie Zimmerman and her crew for organizing the meal.
Following dinner, MacDonald began the awards portion of the evening by thanking all the volunteers and coaches who helped make the past season such a great success.
He especially thanked those on the EDBMHA executive who spent so many hours organizing, preparing for the banquet, and raising funds for the league.
MacDonald stressed they can always use more help and encouraged other parents to get involved.
The annual general meeting of the EDBMHA will be held Tuesday, April 22 upstairs at the arena. The executive would like to see new members attend that meeting in order to begin the preparations for next season.
Finally came the part of the evening the players were waiting for—the presentation of certificates, medals, and trophies.
The first group to be honoured were the “Timbits.”
This year’s group included 27 young, eager players. They swarmed the stage and waited patiently to receive their certificate and medal.
The coaches thanked them for their participation in the program, pointing out this was one group of kids who really knew how to enjoy the game of hockey.
Each team then was called up to the stage according to their division. All players received a participation certificate presented by David Kaemingh of Esso Petroleum.
Plaques also were awarded to individual players for “most improved,” “most dedicated,” and “most sortsmanlike.”
Winning these awards were:
•IP2 Rockets—Lane Hyatt, Sullivan Shortreed, and Tianna Veldhuisen;
•IP2 Loggers —Leah Arch Kelly, Cole Allan, and Giselle Smith;
•Atom Hawks—Tyler Hamm, Cameron Croswell, and Nick Veldhuisen;
•Atom Rockets—Kirk Johnson, Connor Pocock, and Brandon Pelepetz;
•Pewee Esso—Kelvin Croswell, Brody Strachan, and Ian Friesen;
•Bantam Fury—John Clink, Cody Bodnar, and Tyler Friesen; and
•Midget Cowboys—Cameron Yerxa, Charlie Debungee, and Johnny French.
The Peewee Esso team also was congratulated for its efforts in winning the Emo tournament and the one in Thunder Bay.
Special memorial trophies were presented to two players who were recognized for their exceptional play during the 2007-08 season.
The Bob Steele Memorial Trophy was presented to Chris Mutz as the most versatile player (Midget divison).
Meanwhile, Dirk Friesen, from the Bantam division, was awarded the Doug Wilson Memorial Trophy for his sportsmanship and dedication to the game of hockey.
The final event of the evening was the draw for the Team Canada hockey jersey, autographed by the Staal brothers from Thunder Bay, who play in the NHL and also have played for Team Canada.
The Shortreeds, who are friends of the Staals, arranged for the jersey to be signed by these NHL stars. Nearly all of the 2,000 tickets that were printed were sold across the district.
The lucky winner of the Team Canada jersey was Mike Graham of Fort Frances.
And so ended another successful hockey season for the EDBMHA.
Although spring weather hopefully is just around the corner, preparation will soon begin for next season.
If you are interested in helping, attend the general meeting on April 22. If you can’t attend but would like to let your name stand for the upcoming season, contact McDonald at 482-2785.
Next year at this time, the players and parents no doubt will thank you for your efforts in promoting minor hockey in our district.