By KEVIN BERGER
Local Journalism Initiative
Around 40 ringette players born in 2014 and 2015 participated in the three-team Saskatoon Ice Breakers Tournament hosted at the Warman Home Centre Communiplex from Friday to Sunday, May 29-31.
According to Tyler Dagenais of Saskatoon/Warman Ringette, each player registered individually for the tournament and were slotted on to teams based on their ages, years spent playing ringette and the last level they played with the goal of creating even teams for parity and competitiveness (though friend requests were honoured where possible).
Each of the three teams had 11 skaters, one goalie and a junior coach. These coaches were all U19 Ringette players who ran warm-ups/cool-downs before and after each game and managed their bench under the direction of experienced adult coaches. “Since this was a developmental event, the organizers thought it would be a good opportunity to develop both athletes and future ringette coaches,” he said.
Ultimately, the championship was won by the Blue Freeze team, which defeated the Red Zone squad in a very exciting 9-8 overtime finale. Bronze went to the Whiteout.
“The event saw many close games and feedback from the rink was resoundingly positive,” Dagenais noted.
In addition to serving as a developmental event, the proceeds from the tournament will also help support a Ringette Travel Team attending the Lions Cup — Europe’s premier ringette tournament — in the summer of 2027.
Dagenais said the 12 and 13-year-old members of this team will play exhibition games and compete in tournaments throughout Finland, Sweden and possibly other nearby countries.