Staff writer
At the midway point of the 3-on-3 Spring Hockey League at the Memorial Sports Centre, the inaugural effort already is going better than organizers could have hoped.
“The response was far greater than we thought it would be,” said Brent Tookenay, a member of the league committee.
The 20-team spring league—comprised of five divisions ranging from IP2 to Midget—is the brain-child of local minor hockey coaches Scott Clendenning and Tookenay, along with Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association vice-president and coach Milt Strachan.
“There is definitely a demand for it,” remarked Tookenay. “Usually the season shuts down with March Break, but this has given a chance for kids to get out on the ice and stay on the blades for a few extra weeks.”
The set-up for the games is remarkably simple; each team is made up of nine skaters and one goalie, who play “pond hockey” style over a 50-minute game.
As a team scores, they must retreat beyond the red line before attacking again.
There is no body checking and penalties are served by way of penalty shots rather than time in the “sin bin.” Meanwhile, line changes are fast and furious, requiring both teams to keep on their toes at all times.
The league philosophy is equally simple: “The continuous development of all players and ages, by using fast, aggressive skating, fast puck movement, individual player creativity, and great goaltending showdowns.
“The goal is to target individual skill and confidence by playing at a high pace.”
Given the wide-open format, each goalie sees an impressive amount of action over the course of the game.
Even with only four teams per division, there still is a lot of opportunity to play over the three-week long league. Teams will take to the ice six times each, facing each team twice.
“We wanted to start with four teams in each division,” noted Tookenay.
“We didn’t want to set up six teams and then only have enough players come out to fill five-and-a-half teams.
“That just puts too many players on each team,” he reasoned. “Plus, four teams is easy to schedule.”
But it turns out the league likely could have been much bigger, based on interest from players and parents.
“There are kids from International Falls and from Emo,” said Tookenay. “There was a lot of support.”
League play will continue through April 4, when it will shut down for the season. No league champions will be crowned and no awards will be given out, but that just falls into line with the design of the 3-on-3 format.
“We didn’t want to put too much emphasis on winning or losing in the first season,” remarked Tookenay. “We just wanted to give kids the chance to stay out on the ice for an extra three weeks.
“It’s basically about having fun.”
But the committee already is giving thought to what they will be doing for a follow-up next year.
“There is a demand for it, and when we talked to the arena, we found that there is a need to keep both ice surfaces up,” Tookenay said. “With the Muskies and Sabres doing well, the ice has been up longer than normal.
“So 3-on-3 has been beneficial for the arena, too.
“I think it will happen right around the same time next year,” he added.
With the initial success of the league, Tookenay was quick to pass the honours on to Clendenning. “Scotty has done a wonderful job and he deserves a lot of credit for this.”
The league is doing great—and the support has been even better.
“I think it speaks volumes about the kids and the parents around here,” said Tookenay. “And it should be even bigger next year.”
