Male Team BC Wins 2013 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships

by lmussell@hotmail.com on May 7, 20134384 Views

Monday, May 6, 2013 – Team BC made history at the 2013 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (2013 NAHC) by winning the Province’s first national title in the event’s 12 year history. Hosted in Kahnawake, Quebec, April 29 to May 4, Team BC defeated Team Ontario by a score of 5-3 in the gold medal game held Saturday evening.

“We are so proud to bring the gold medal home to BC,” said Head Coach Joe Quewezance. “It was a great week in Kahnawake. The coaching staff couldn’t be more proud of the players and everyone involved with Team BC. The hard work and dedication was unprecedented and the team dynamics were incredible. When we held the selection camp back in April we were blown away by the amount of young talented Aboriginal hockey players in BC. Once the team was selected, we were confident the group chosen was going to be a strong contender.”

Heading into the tournament seeded 5th in the male division, Team BC gradually climbed the rankings through the week and landed themselves in the semi-finals against Team Manitoba. The result was an exciting 4-3 overtime win, which advanced Team BC into its first ever appearance in the NAHC’s gold-medal game facing Team Ontario.

In the championship game, Team BC held a comfortable 4-2 lead until Ontario scored in the latter half of the third period to put them within one goal of tying the game. With just one minute left on the clock, Team Ontario pulled their goaltender, which made for an exciting finish. With one second left in the game, Team BC sealed the victory with an empty net goal.

The Team BC program for the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships is managed by the Aboriginal Sport, Recreation & Physical Activity Partners Council (Partners Council) and sanctioned by BC Hockey. The program provides an opportunity for the Province’s top Aboriginal hockey players to compete at the National Championships, which celebrates sport excellence as well as cultural unity and pride.

“This program is not just about elite hockey, it also about building leaders – both on and off the ice,” notes Assistant Coach Chief Shane Gottfriedson. “Through this program, we’ve shown that a long term investment in Aboriginal sport not only results in gold medals, it has influenced the way our communities see sport as preventative health and a primary tool for wellness.”

Additional highlights of the 2013 NAHC include Team BC forward Donovan Law awarded player of the game for the gold medal match; Team BC defenseman Joshua Poitras and Team BC goaltender Devon Pearson, named as 2013 NAHC Tournament All-Stars; and Joshua Poitras also named as 2013 NAHC Tournament MVP.

The Partners Council and its Provincial Hockey Committee congratulates Team BC on their outstanding performance at 2013 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

Team BC (Male) Roster

#	First	Last	City	YOB	HT	WT	Position	Community/Nation	School	2012/13 Season Team
14	Adam	Beatty	Kelowna	1995	6’0″	170	Centre	Métis	Immaculata Regional High	Kelowna Jr Rockets Midget Tier 1
9	Riley	Brandt	Trail	1996	5’8″	175	Forward	Métis Kootenay Region	J.L. Crowe Secondary	Beaver Valley Nitehawks (KIJHL)
30	Matthew	Brenner	Williams Lake	1995	6’2″	190	Goaltender	Tobacco Plains Band	Columneetza Secondary	Williams Lake Timberwolves
10	Shae	Bruyere	Kamloops	1999	5’11”	145	Defense	Couchiching First Nation	Valleyview Secondary	Kamloops Players Bench Predators
17	Lindan	Calliou	Kelly Lake	1995	6’2″	200	Forward	Métis	Beaverlodge Regional High	Beaverlodge Blades (NWJHL)
3	Bradley	Colter	Merritt	1996	6’4″	220	Forward	Métis	Merritt Secondary	Merritt Midget Rep
8	Lynden	Eddy	Duncan	1995	6’1″	205	Centre	Métis	Cowichan Secondary	Nanaimo Buccaneers (VIJHL)
11	Hayden	Guilderson	Chilliwack	1997	5’6″	140	Forward	Tzeachten First Nation	Yale Secondary	Chilliwack Jr Bruins Midget AAA Tier 1
6	Darien	Head	Salmon Arm	1996	6’1.5″	175	Defense	Métis; Cree Nation	Salmon Arm Secondary	North Okanagan Knights (KIJHL)
19	Lakota	Joe	Sechelt	1996	5’11”	175	Defense	Sechelt First Nation	Chatelech Secondary	Sunshine Coast Blues
7	Donovan	Law	Prince George	1996	5’8″	160	Forward	Nechako Fraser Métis	Prince George Secondary	Cariboo Cougars Major Midget
18	Jordan	Low	Prince George	1996	6’4″	175	Defense	Métis North Central Region	Prince George Secondary	Cariboo Cougars Major Midget
16	Gary	Martin	Tofino	1996	6’2″	206	Defense	Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations	Ucluelet Secondary	Alberni Valley Midget Bulldogs
15	Brennen	Mayers	Sechelt	1996	5’11”	163	Forward	Sechelt First Nation	Chatelech Secondary	Sunshine Coast Blues
4	Brandon	McReynolds	North Vancouver	1996	6’0″	170	Centre	Squamish Nation	Sentinel Secondary	North Vancouver Storm; Delta Ice Hawks (PIJHL)
1	Devon	Pearson	Kamloops	1995	5’10”	157	Goaltender	Little Shuswap Lake Band	Chase Secondary	Chase Heat (KIJHL)
21	Joshua	Poitras	Surrey	1996	5’11”	195	Defense	Nova Métis	Guildford Park Secondary	Surrey Midget AAA Tier 1
5	Tre	Potskin	Prince George	1995	5’10”	185	Forward	Driftpile First Nation	Prince George Secondary	Cariboo Cougars Major Midget
12	Brett	Watkinson	Kamloops	1995	5’10”	160	Centre	Xaxli’p First Nation	Valleyview Secondary	Kamloops Storm (KIJHL)
13	Austin	Willier	Clearwater	1997	6’0″	190	Defense	Driftpile First Nation	Chase Secondary	Chase Heat (KIJHL)

Head Coach – Joe Quewezance, Merritt, BC

Asst. Coach – Shane Gottfriedson, Kamloops, BC

Asst. Coach – Josh Hepditch, Creston, BC

Manager – Randy Potskin, Prince George, BC

Trainer – James Martin, Tofino, BC

GM – Lara Mussell Savage, Chilliwack, BC

National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC)

The NAHC provides a forum for elite Bantam/Midget age Aboriginal hockey players from across Canada. The event aids in fostering cultural unity and pride and celebrates the athletic abilities of Aboriginal hockey players from across the country. Team BC is represented by two teams, one male and one female, which are both composed of the top players from across the Province.

Aboriginal Sport, Recreation & Physical Activity Partners Council

The Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council is a consortium of the First Nations Health Council, BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres and the Metis Nation BC. The overarching mission of the Partners Council is to improve the health outcomes of Aboriginal people across British Columbia by supporting and encouraging physically active communities and by expanding access to sports and recreation opportunities. The Partners Council has established six regions across BC inclusive of the Northwest, Northeast, Interior, Fraser, Vancouver Coastal, and Vancouver Island. This structure brings together community sport, recreation, physical activity and health leaders from within each Region to establish committees, set priorities and create annual plans for advancing sport, recreation and physical activity in their area.

For more information about Team BC, 2013 NAHC, and the Aboriginal Sport, Recreation and Physical Activity Partners Council, visit www.teambcnahc.com or facebook.com/ASRPAPartnersCouncil, or contact:

Aboriginal Sport, Recreation & Physical Activity Partners Council

Lara Mussell Savage

Manager, Sport Development & Competitions

teambc@bcaafc.com

1.800.990.2432 or 250.388.5522 ext. 233