Joey Payeur
Time can pass so slowly at times, but rarely when one is getting ready to stage an event of this magnitude.
It’s still 14 months away but preparations already are underway for Fort Frances to host the 2017 OFSAA ‘A’/’AA’ boys’ hockey championship next March.
This will mark the fourth time the town has hosted the provincials, having done so previously in 1982, 1989 (when the Muskies won their second of three titles), and 2006.
“A lot of people wanted it to come back and that’s why we applied for it,” said Muskie Blueline Club chairman Bob Miller, who’s been a mainstay of previous OFSAA organizing committees and will be so again this time.
“We have a really good fan base that comes out for the OFSAA tournament,” he noted.
“If you get good hockey here, they want to see it.”
Fort High athletic director Bryce Coyle said the tournament’s return is a boon on several local fronts.
“It’s a chance for our boys’ hockey team to compete against high-level competition,” he remarked.
“It’s also good for the businesses in town and a positive experience for the community, for sure,” he added.
Miller said one key area that needs to be addressed ahead of time will be lining up transportation for the hundreds of players and their coaches who will be here to participate.
“We’re also looking for a treasurer since Jock Spence has done it the last few times but isn’t helping out in that way this time,” noted Miller.
He added Spence and others who have organized the event previously will be sought out for advice.
“Of course, we’ll also be looking for sponsors in terms of financial backing and the donation of goods and services,” Miller said.
“At other OFSAA tourneys, we had piles of people asking what they could [do] to help out.”
The maximum number of teams that can participate in the hockey all-Ontarios in a given year is 20.
That was down to 16 last year in Kenora, when it hosted the ‘A’/’AA’ girls’ hockey provincials, due to a number of schools from southern Ontario unwilling to make the trip up here for financial or other reasons.
“You would hope that everyone that qualifies wants to make the trip,” said Coyle.
“I get that travel makes up the majority of a school’s athletic budget and I can understand the financial part of such a trip,” he acknowledged.
“But as Fort Frances, we have always made the effort to go even when OFSAA events were being held a long way from here.
“At the end of the day, you want the best teams there,” he stressed.
Coyle said Fort High is willing to lend a hand to those teams requiring it when it comes to things like lining up flights or buses.
“If they decide they want to fly into Thunder Bay or Winnipeg, we can help set them up with transportation from there,” noted Coyle.
“That’s setting up, not paying for it,” Miller chimed in with a laugh.
The tournament has been a success each time it has been held here, with visiting teams (especially those from southern Ontario) astounded at the number of fans who come out to watch the games—even the ones not involving the Muskies.
That being said, the Muskies’ competitive viability going into next March is a crucial component to just how successful the tournament will be.
The Kenora Broncos held the OFSAA ‘AA’ boys’ volleyball championships back in November after going winless in the NorWOSSA season.
They subsequently were overmatched at the all-Ontarios—losing all four of their matches without winning a set and missing the playoffs.
Now Kenora is getting set to host the ‘AA’ girls’ provincials in March, with their Broncos’ squad on track to have the same rough ride given they currently sit last in NorWOSSA with an 0-5 mark.
The horizon is not anywhere near as bleak for the Muskie pucksters and their fans.
“Our boys’ hockey program has been strong the last few years,” Coyle said about the eight-time defending NorWOSSA champs and OFSAA quarter-finalists the past two seasons.
Fort High currently sits atop NorWOSSA with a 9-0 league record and could return as many as 13 players from this year’s squad next season.
“It’s a big thing to have a talented host team at OFSAA,” Coyle stressed.
“The local fans want to go out and cheer for a team that has a legitimate chance to win.
“They want to see these boys who they have supported through all these years do well,” he added.
“It’s not fun hosting the provincials and being in there just because you’re the host team, and not because you earned your way in on merit.”
An initial meeting for those wanting to help stage the OFSAA tournament tentatively is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 17.
For more details or to lend a hand, call Miller at 275-7125.
