Anishinabek hockey players seeking a pair of national titles
By Sam Laskaris
SUDBURY—It has already been a rather successful hockey season for three Anishinabek teenage hockey players.
But now, teammates Brett Shawana (Nipissing First Nation), Mathieu Dokis-Dupuis (Dokis First Nation) and Hunter Chiblow (Sagamok Anishnawbek) can make the season even better as they have a chance to win not one, but two national championships.
The teens, who are all 17, are members of the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves. That team is hosting the TELUS Cup, the National Midget boys’ hockey tournament.
As hosts, the Wolves are guaranteed an automatic berth into the event, which begins this coming Monday and continues until Apr. 29.
A week after that event concludes, Shawana, Dokis-Dupuis and Chiblow will all find themselves competing for one of the Ontario squads at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC). They’ll be suiting up for the Ontario North team.
An Ontario South club will also take part.
Nova Scotia’s Membertou First Nation will host the NAHC, which runs from May 6-12.
Shawana believes the Wolves will benefit from home-ice advantage at the TELUS Cup.
“I think it is going to help us since it is in Sudbury,” Shawana, a left winger, said of the six-team tournament.
In addition to the host squad, the national Midget event will also include the Toronto Young Nationals, Moncton Flyers, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Saskatchewan’s Notre Dame Hounds and Quebec’s Cantonniers de Magog.
Despite their 1-4 record at the TELUS Cup qualifying tournament earlier this month in Rockland, ON, as hosts, the Wolves advanced to the Canadian championship.
“Obviously it was disappointing to get there and finish last since we are hosting the nationals,” said Dokis-Dupuis, a right winger who plays on the same line as Shawana.
But Dokis-Dupuis said his side experienced its share of positive things in Rockland and that it is hoping to continue moving forward.
“There were some good things that happened there and we’re just trying to build from that,” said Dokis-Dupuis.
For example, the Sudbury club has devoted some of its recent practice time to working on its man-advantage situations.
“We’re just working on our powerplay and making sure we are working on all of the little details of our game,” Dokis-Dupuis said.
Chiblow believes his team is capable of registering some solid results at the TELUS Cup.
“If we work hard, I think we should do pretty well,” he said.
Chiblow, a left winger, added his club will need to avoid some of the things it experienced in Rockland.
“I think we need to be more consistent with our play and don’t stop playing the game for two minutes here and there,” Chiblow said.
The Wolves have had their share of success this season. They posted 31-4-0-1 regular season record and went on to capture the playoff title in their nine-squad Great North Midget League.
Shawana, Dokis-Dupuis and Chiblow were also members of the Nipissing First Nation squad that captured the gold medal in the boys’ Midget category at the Little Native Hockey League tournament held in Mississauga in March.