Batchewana Attack take home hardware from 47th Annual LNHL

By Sam Laskaris

MISSISSAUGA – Gary Roach’s successes at the Little Native Hockey League tournament continued this year.

During his own playing days, Roach, who would go on to become a New York Rangers’ draft pick, won numerous championship at the tournament more commonly referred to as the Little NHL.

Though he can’t remember the exact number of years—he believes it was around 6-8 times—he participated in the tournament as a youth, and if memory serves him correctly, Roach thinks he was on a championship squad each time.

Roach, who enjoyed a seven-season minor pro career, is now making a bit of name for himself at the tournament via the coaching ranks.

He served as the head coach for the Batchewana Attack, which won the gold medal in the boys’ competitive Peewee category at this year’s Little NHL.

It was his third coaching title in the past four years at this event.

The Attack blanked the Six Nations Wolverines 6-0 in its championship final held Thursday at Iceland, one of the facilities utilized in this year’s tournament.

Despite the lopsided score in its final, Roach was not quite sure how his charges would fare at this year’s tournament, which attracted a record 209 clubs from across Ontario.

His team, representing the Batchewana First Nation adjacent to Sault Ste. Marie, lost its tournament opener, 2-1 versus the Moose Cree Scrappers.

“You come down here and all the teams are competitive,” Roach said of the six entrants in the boys’ Peewee category. “But that first game is always a tough one. We had kids playing for us from all across Ontario.”

Because the Batchewana First Nation did not have enough local players to form its own team, Roach said tournament organizers allowed his club to have as many as seven individuals from other communities across the province that did not have their own team to play for.

One of the stars though ended up being goaltender Jackson Alexander, who is from Batchewana. Alexander made numerous splendid saves on Thursday, en route to his shutout.

“He had a strong week,” Roach said. “And this was his first time at this tournament.”

Roach said Alexander and his parents have expressed a desire to return to the Little NHL in 2019.

Dylan Hendricks and Lincoln Moore led the Batchewana offence with a pair of goals each in Thursday’s final. Billy Biederman and Zane Macleod also scored goals for the Attack.

Roach, who played just over three and a half seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with his hometown Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, never made it to the National Hockey League after being drafted by the Rangers in 1993.

But he did suit up for six different minor pro franchises in four different leagues.

And he was pleased he was able to add another Little NHL memory from this year’s tournament.

He still looks back rather fondly of when he used to play in the event.

“I was playing AAA hockey,” he said. “But this was always my favourite tournament. I got to play with a lot of my friends that I didn’t get to play with year-round.”

 

2018 LITTLE NHL COMPETITIVE GOLD-MEDAL GAMES

GIRLS:

Novice: Curve Lake 2 CMO United 1

Atom: Curve Lake 2 Wiikwemkoong 1

Peewee: Whitefish River 6 Serpent River 2

Bantam: CMO United 2 Garden River 1

Midget: Nipissing 3 Six Nations 2

BOYS:

Novice: Moose Cree 6 Mattagami 0

Atom:  CMO United 2 Moose Factory 1

Peewee: Batchewana 6 Six Nations 0

Bantam: Six Nations 2 Aundeck Omni Kaning 1

Midget: Nipissing 3 Akwesasne 0