The Novice hockey season in Yorkton celebrated the end of another successful season, and the Century 21 Terriers took the trophy at the end of the day, besting the Thorsness Terriers 15-4.
The end of the season saw the six teams and 72 kids saw the teams participate in numerous tournaments and regular season games, all culminating in the championship match-up between Century 21 and Thorsness.
Mark Schendel, novice liaison, said that the season was a big success, not merely for the winning team, but for all of the kids that took part over the winter. A successful season in novice hockey is measured in the growth of the players, and Schendel is impressed by just how much growth that the kids have seen over the hockey season.
“When you look at where we started back in October when we first hit the ice and where we are now in March, it’s absolutely remarkable. That’s a big credit to the kids, the time and effort they put in, the commitment to excellent. It goes without saying that they’re surrounded by excellent coaches, these are coaches who truly care about their kids.”
The end result is a program that the kids will draw on for life, whether they continue playing hockey or not, said Schendel.
“I don’t know what any of them are going to be doing later on in life, I don’t know if any of them have aspirations to be a professional hockey players, but whatever it is they choose to do they will be calling upon these life skills that they’re learning. They’re learning about skills like commitment, working hard, teamwork and communication skills.”
He’s also proud of how hockey connects the kids together.
“Some of these kids, they go to different schools, but they’re now friends for a lifetime, they’re creating memories together.”
