Manitoba’s male and female teams both earned bronze medals at the 2016 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Mississauga, Ont. May 2-7.
The female team won two of three games in the round robin, opening with a 9-2 win over the North team on the tournament’s first day, beating British Columbia 3-0 on May 3 and falling 6-1 to Ontario on May 4, the final day of round-robin play. The Manitoba squad then beat Eastern Door and the North 7-2 in the playoff quarterfinals before losing to Ontario 3-2 in overtime in the semifinals to end up in the bronze medal game against B.C., where Manitoba registered a 2-1 overtime win to capture the medal.
Manitoba’s male team followed a similar path to its medal, opening the tournament with a 6-5 win over Eastern Door and the North May 2, beating Saskatchewan 6-3 May 3 and falling 7-3 to Ontario in the final game of the round robin. They knocked off Alberta 6-1 in the playoff quarterfinals, fell 3-2 in overtime to B.C. in the semifinals and won the bronze with a 6-1 victory over Ontario.
The female team roster included Julie Albert of Norway House Cree Nation, Kennesha Miswagon of Cross Lake First Nation and Thompson’s Shayna Moore, a Cross Lake First Nation member, as well as assistant coach Christina Keeper of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation. Northern Manitobans on the male team roster included Michael Markus of Thompson, Tony Apetagon of Norway House Cree Nation and also Cross Lake First Nation members Vince Gill Scott, Keith Monias, Justin Nachbaur and Allan Kohli, who was named the tournament’s most valuable goaltender. The male North roster included Stephane Nukapiak and Jaden Sigudson of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, as well as Austin Caza of Iqaluit, Nunavut, who each played a handful of games with the midget AAA Norman Northstars this past season. The North won the silver medal, losing 3-0 to B.C. in the final and Caza was named the championships MVP.
