LNHL: Chippewas of the Thames wins girls Atom Division
By Sam Laskaris
MISSISSAUGA – After a pair of runner-up finishes, coach Rawleigh Grosbeck managed to guide his team to a championship at the Little Native Hockey League (Little NHL) Tournament.
Two years ago Grosbeck led a girls’ Atom team from the Chippewas of the Thames to the final of its division. The nucleus of that side also advanced to its Peewee division final last year.
Grosbeck’s charges finally got over the hump on Thursday, winning their Peewee category at the 45th annual edition of the tournament.
The Chippewas club downed the Wikwemikong Hawks 3-1 in its championship final, staged at the Hershey Centre, home of the Ontario Hockey League’s Mississauga Steelheads.
A record 195 teams participated at this year’s tournament, which wrapped up yesterday following four days of action, at various Mississauga arenas.
“I’m so happy we won,” Grosbeck said. “I started this three years ago so the girls could play in the tournament. We went looking for players to come to the team.”
Grosbeck caught the coaching bug a few years ago. Since he was driving his niece Bianca to her hockey games he also volunteered to help coach her team. Though he’s not coaching another side this season, Grosbeck was still eager to help out at this tournament. Briana Grosbeck, who plays defence, was a member of the Chippewas’ championship squad.
The club won all five of its matches at the Little NHL Tournament, outscoring its rivals 26-3.
“Our team is pretty strong,” Grosbeck said. “It’s probably the best team we’ve had so far.”
One of the biggest challenges Grosbeck has faced at this tournament is bringing together a bunch of players that do not play with each other during the season.
“You have to band together really quickly as a team,” he said.
Just three of the players on the Chippewas’ roster play together during the season. Bianca Grosbeck, Emmae Elijah and Patricia Henry-Huff are also members of the same Bluewater Hawks team based in Strathroy.
The Chippewas side scored one goal in each of the three periods in the final. Ferrah Blackbird led the team’s attack scoring a pair of goals. Blackbird opened the scoring and also netted an insurance marker in the third period.
Henry-Huff scored what proved to be the game-winner, in the second frame.
Grosbeck plans to return to the 2017 tournament and be the bench boss for the female Chippewas’ Bantam squad.
“I look forward to it every year,” he said. “I plan to keep doing this (with this group) all the way until they’re done.”
Grosbeck is also hoping to secure sufficient funding to properly outfit his team. Club members have had to borrow jerseys from other squads in each of the three years they have participated in the tourney.
For this year’s tournament they wore CMO (Chippewas Muncey Oneida) jerseys. Last year they had Riverhawks’ sweaters. And two years ago they suited up in Chippewa Attack jerseys.
“We’ve never had our own team name,” Grosbeck said. “That’s why we’re just called the Chippewas of the Thames right now.”
That could change, however, and a team name might be adopted for next year.
“I’m trying to get them some sponsorships,” Grosbeck said, adding he’s hoping to secure teams jerseys for the female Chippewas of the Thames teams at the Atom, Peewee, Bantam and Midget levels.