They cheered, they scored and they celebrated during today’s East-West game highlighting school spirit and hockey at Memorial Gardens today.
The game returned for the 48th version of the hockey phenomenon.
Greg Richardson coached the Chippewa Raiders hockey team. The North Bay native remembers back in the late 1980’s when he was showing his school spirit as a player.
“I have very vivid memories, I grew up playing AAA hockey and I ended up finishing playing my last two years of high school with high school hockey and it was a phenomenal time,” recalls Richardson.
“I mean the Gardens here was jam-packed and I think you will see an environment much the same today.”
The event has been taking place once every two years of late, with the last games taking place in December of 2015. Returning grade 12 student Will Petrie was not sure he would see East-West again as a member of the Raiders hockey team.
“It is really special as it is a really big event,” said Petrie.
“It is just awesome seeing every school supporting each of their teams and their schools, it’s kind of like seeing a bit of college hockey where all their fans get out there and are all banging on the glass and going nuts and cheering and I think all the guys are appreciative that we have it.”
For Petrie's teammate Riley Wesley, the event is a bit overwhelming.
“It’s pretty amazing, I know they do stuff like this down south but we don’t do this type of stuff up north,” said Wesley, who moved to North Bay this summer from Kashechewan.
Organizers are thrilled with the turnout which included spirit and hockey teams from Chippewa, West Ferris, Widdifield, Algonquin, Franco-Cite, Almaguin, St. Joseph-Scollard Hall, Ecole Sainte Anne, Ecole Secondaire Elizabeth Bruyere, Odyssee, and Northern.
Results
In the end, it was the East edging out the West in a shootout.
Algonquin’s Jon Morency scored the game-winner in the simultaneous shootout as the game was tied after 6 periods of action.
