Parent volunteer Dylan Skubel wore several hats last weekend as Niagara-on-the-Lake minor hockey hosted its annual Winter Classic U9 Tournament.
When the NOTL Wolves U9 head coach wasn’t busy leading the team, he was working the barbecue, raising money to help keep the tournament running smoothly.
The work of parents and volunteers behind the scenes is essential for keeping the tourney on track.
“Having great parents on the team makes the coach’s job a lot easier and you’re not having to deal with any issues with the parents and the parents trust the process and trust your judgment on the ice,” said Skubel.
For the U9 age group, this is a developmental season, focused on skills and learning the game’s fundamentals.
The kids start the year playing on only half the ice but in January — and last weekend’s tournament — they move to full ice, which adds new rules (including offside, icing and penalties) plus a lot more room to skate and move around.
In their first taste of competition, the Wolves opened Pool A play last Friday with a 2-2 tie against the Pelham Panthers at Centennial Arena.
“They fought back hard and didn’t stop,” said Skubel.
Later that day, at the Meridian Credit Union Arena, they faced a strong team from Woolwich and lost 7-0.
“They didn’t give up. They fought right to the end of the game,” Skubel noted.
The Wolves finished their round-robin schedule with a 2-0 win over the Lucan Irish on Saturday morning. Goaltender Colton Ferguson recorded the shutout and also was named the Wolves’ MVP.
With their 1-1-1 round-robin record the Wolves performed well overall but weren’t able to advance to the tourney’s playoff round.
Tournament organizer James Cadeau said parents and board volunteers filled key roles, from coaching to timekeeping to running the barbecue.
That’s all important to create a great experience for the kids, who at this stage in their development are just learning the game.
“You just never know if it’s going to be somebody’s going to be on a breakaway and fall down, or if the goalie’s going to make an unbelievable save,” he said.
For the players, Skubel said tournaments also create time together that regular practices do not, even when the event is held at home.
“The tournament kind of gives them an opportunity to be together, have some fun off the rink as well, and helps them build those friendships, not only on the ice but off the ice then, that are honestly going to last them a lifetime,” he said.
The team includes players from Niagara-on-the-Lake’s three elementary schools, which helps the kids build friendships outside their own classrooms, he added.
He feels that keeping local minor hockey strong matters in small communities where some families travel long distances for ice time.
“If we can keep that here in Niagara-on-the-Lake and make sure that our kids have somewhere to play, I think that’s a huge thing,” said Skubel.
