Senior Rebels capture Spencer Mattson Memorial Trophy

The second annual Spencer Mattson memorial hockey game brought together the whole community in Assiniboia on December 23.

The event included a hockey game at the Civic Centre that saw the Southern Junior B Rebels take on the Senior Rebels, a number of draws and raffles took place and a Cabaret followed the game.

The event first began in 2016 as a memorial to the late Spencer Mattson. His family describes Mattson, who was 21 when he passed, as an avid hockey fan who loved going to Rebels games. The event is organized to raise awareness about the importance of mental health. Also, proceeds raised from the 50/50 draw were donated to the Five Hill Health Region for mental health. The Mattson family also donated a basket of items for a draw and those proceeds also went to support mental health.

The highlight of the event was the hockey game between Assiniboia’s two hockey teams teams, the Senior Rebels and Junior Rebels. The Senior Rebels won the game 7-4 in a closely-played entertaining contest. The game was sponsored by 121 Steakhouse and Nelson GM.

The Junior Rebels opened the scoring just two minutes into the contest. Dakota Helland scored off a Tristan Rousseau assist. But less than two minutes later Kevin Powell of the Senior Rebels evened the score. The Senior Rebels went on to snag three more goals before the first period was over, taking the momentum with them to the locker room.

The Junior Rebels ended the first period matching the Seniors in shots on goal, but they were unable to capitalize on these scoring chances. The Junior Rebels opened the scoring early in the second with a quick goal and another goal halfway through the period to begin a comeback. The younger team took charge of the period with better puck handling and they took advantage of some sloppy plays by the Senior Rebels. Although the Junior team dominated the play, it was the Senior team that scored late in the second period.

The third period opened with much more intensity from both teams, as they each scored another goal within the first five minutes. Halfway through the third period Zach Evans of the Senior Rebels scored the last goal of the game to bring the back-and-forth action to 7-4. The Junior Rebels applied some late pressure and Trey Tendler even had a final chance in a two on one breakaway in the dying minutes of the game. The game proved to be highly entertaining and tense. After the game, the Mattson family presented Senior Rebels’ captain Al Sinclair with the trophy.

There were several draws associated with the Memorial Game event. The 29th annual Smiles Per Mile Lotto was a lottery presented by the Southern Rebels Junior Hockey Club. It is a major fundraiser for the Junior Rebels club that helps to cover such expenses as ice rental, meals, some equipment, coaches and other expenses. The grand prize of $50,000 or a choice of three other major prizes will be drawn on February 1. There are also 13 additional subsidiary prizes.

The Early Bird Draw took place during the second intermission of the hockey game on December 23. Andre Cayer of Willow Bunch took home the $5,000 prize. The lottery has an illustrious history. When it first began, it was called the Bred Cow Raffle, where the top prize was cash or a bred cow. Today, the lottery is called Smiles Per Mile Lotto with a variety of winnings. The Senior Rebels also fundraised during the event, as did the other minor hockey teams.

The event concluded with the Rebel Yell Cabaret organized by both teams at the Prince of Wales Centre. The Milkman’s Sons provided the entertainment.