Local pair help team win gold in Japan

They didn’t just beat their opposition to claim gold in Japan, they dominated.
Michael McCaig of Fort Frances and Jordan Davis of Devlin were members of the Manitoba Polar Ice ‘AAA’ Bantam hockey team that captured top spot at the Sapporo International Ice Hockey Meet in Japan on Sunday.
“It was amazing. I would give the tournament and everything a 10,” Davis said from his home in Devlin on Wednesday when asked how he would rate the experience.
“Playing other countries and staying with the Japanese family was a lot of fun, and winning the tournament was . . . I can’t even explain that,” added Davis, 14, who is a forward.
Davis, McCaig, and the rest of the Polar Ice flew from Winnipeg to Sapporo, via Chicago and Tokyo, on Aug. 3 to compete in a tournament the team previously had won in 1999 and 2001.
They opened with a 7-1 win over the Calgary Junior Flames, crushed Sapporo B 29-1, blanked Sapporo C 5-0, and then dumped Novosibirsk (Russia) 11-4 in the gold-medal game.
“Russia was a pretty good team, but I consider Canada a lot tougher,” said McCaig, 13, who plays on trying out for the Muskie hockey team as a defenceman when he enters high school this fall.
“Japan are faster than us and they are really quick. They’re more disciplined than us because that’s the kind of life they lead,” he added.
McCaig and Davis made the Polar Ice through a tryout last Christmas in Winnipeg and had appeared in a couple of tournaments for the team before going over to Sapporo.
Davis, who is moving to Thunder Bay on Monday to play for the Bantam ‘AAA’ Kings this coming season, said that he didn’t learn much because of their lopsided victories, but found the tournament to be a great experience nonetheless.
“It was sad, in a way, because we were expecting more of a challenge,” he remarked. “But I thought it was a great experience playing against Russia and Japan.
“It was just an amazing trip.”
“The whole experience was wonderful,” echoed McCaig. “The hockey was good and it was just normal average games, but it was fun playing against different people and different countries.”
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)