The Lacombe U18A Fountain Tire Rockets team recently returned from the 23rd annual Walter Gretzky Recreational House League Tournament which ran Jan. 6-8 in Brantford, ON.
“We thought it would be a great opportunity for our boys, and we also had the chance to do some other really interesting things in Toronto, including visiting the Hockey Hall of Fame, taking in a Leafs game and a Raptors game as well,” said Wanda Loades, the team’s treasurer. Her husband Mark manages the team.
And to top it all off, the team stopped by Niagara Falls as well.
“There were 51 of us in our group - so we had great support from the families of the players as well. We’d also love to say thank you to our community for supporting us, as we did some fundraisers for the trip. We had an online auction, a ‘cash survivor’ fundraiser and then we did a couple of bottle drivers, and we raised over $26,000,” she said.
“The Lacombe community is always such a fantastic supporter of our youth in minor sports - no matter which sport it is. We really want to thank them because this was an experience of a lifetime for these boys that they never would have been able to have without the donations.”
As to the tourney, Wanda said the team won their first four games which put them into the semi-finals.
But they lost out by one goal in the semi-finals on Sunday morning.
There was disappointment, but the team did themselves proud during the course of the weekend just the same, she said.
As to the trip’s other highlights, so many stand out.
“The Hockey Hall of Fame was a fantastic experience for the boys and their families,” she said. “Honestly, there is such a wealth of information in there that you could probably go there 10 times and still get a new experience from it. It was amazing.
“It was really neat to learn about the history of hockey,” she said, adding that the players had a photo taken with the Stanley Cup. It was an amazing experience,” she said.
“And with the Leafs’ game, it’s always exciting to go to a different rink - lots of these boys have been to Calgary and Edmonton, but none had been to the Scotiabank Centre in Toronto. So that was an experience in itself,” she said.
“The Raptors game was also on a whole new level,” she said, adding that to her knowledge, none of the team members had ever taken in a professional basketball game quite like this before.
“The energy and the atmosphere in that building were amazing.”
The visit to Niagara Falls was also memorable. “I don’t think that until you get up close to the falls that you realize the sheer power of them. Most of us did the tour where you can go behind the falls and take a look from the back end - it was amazing,” she said.
“We got there in the early afternoon, and we wanted to stay so we could see it lit up at night. The Canadian side does an amazing job with the lighting - everything that was around there was absolutely beautiful,” she said.
Ultimately, Wanda said the team was very appreciative of the experience they had.
“I was also very proud of them. We had to pack and unpack that bus multiple times because we were going to different rinks. They were helpful, they were courteous. Everywhere we went, bus drivers, and hotel staff would give us such great feedback about our Lacombe minor hockey boys - it made us very proud.
“People would say, ‘Wow - you have such a great group. They are so appreciative, they are thankful, and helpful. So we were very proud of our U18 boys for showing their best side,” she said.
She also noted how well-run the tournament was.
“We felt that the organizers did an amazing job. We also got to play in the Wayne Gretzky Arena, which is a beautiful facility,” she said, adding that three of the five games were played there. The tournament also included all different levels, so there were literally hundreds of teams in Brantford that weekend.
“I just wanted to give these players a memorable experience that will last a lifetime.”
