Voodoos’ star leads AOK Chiefs to championship at Little NHL
By Sam Laskaris
MISSISSAUGA – Powassan Voodoos’ star rookie Gabinien Kioki certainly had a rather busy week.
Kioki attended morning practices from Monday through Thursday for the Voodoos, the Junior A squad that competes in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
The 18-year-old forward would then drive to Mississauga, a three-hour trek, to suit up daily for the Aundeck Omni Kaning (AOK) Chiefs at the Little Native Hockey League (LNHL) tournament.
Kioki didn’t display any fatigue from his hectic week on Thursday. He scored two goals and added an assist as the Chiefs defeated a club representing Aamjiwnaang First Nation 3-1 in the championship final of the Midget boys’ division at the tourney.
Kioki, who is a draftee of the North Bay Battalion that is hoping to play in the Ontario Hockey League season next year, is actually from the Attawapiskat First Nation.
Players, however, do not necessarily have to represent their own First Nation at the Little NHL.
Attawapiskat did enter a squad in the Midget boys’ recreational category at this year’s tournament, which wrapped up on Thursday in Mississauga, but Kioki was looking for more of a challenge so he joined the AOK squad.
“I wanted to go in the competitive division,” he said.
The Midget boys’ competitive grouping featured six entrants. The Chiefs went undefeated at the tournament, earning victories in all four of their matches.
For starters, they won both of their round-robin outings, 3-0 over the Batchewana Attack and then 2-1 against the Akwesasne Wild.
The AOK club then earned a spot in the championship final with a 3-1 triumph over a squad representing Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory.
That set the stage for Kioki’s dominating performance in Thursday’s final.
“Gaby came up big for us,” Chiefs’ coach Craig Abotossaway said of Kioki. “It was his best game of the tournament.”
After assisting on the game’s opening goal in the first period, Kioki scored twice himself in the second period.
Kioki also displayed his offensive flair in his rookie season with the Voodoos. He finished third in team scoring by racking up 46 points (24 goals and 22 assists) in 53 regular season matches.
Kioki and his Powassan teammates were practicing this week in anticipation of their playoff season, which begins Friday.
The Voodoos will square off against the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners in the league’s best-of-seven East Division semi-final series. The Gold Miners are hosting Game 1 Friday night.
Kioki said his efforts at the Little NHL tournament have given him an additional boost heading into the Voodoos’ post-season.
“It gives me a lot of confidence,” he said.
Abotossaway wasn’t surprised to see his club win the Midget boys’ crown.
“We put in a strong enough team to compete,” he said. “And we did well.”
This year’s LNHL tourney featured a record 227 clubs from across Ontario this year. The event, which was celebrating its 48th anniversary, has become the largest Indigenous youth hockey tournament in the province.
Abotossaway was able to celebrate Thursday’s championship victory with several members of his family. His brother Jason served as the Chiefs’ assistant coach.
The AOK roster included Craig’s son Lukas Abotossaway and his nephew Carter Abotossaway (Jason’s son).
Craig Abotossaway’s other son Brett was the team’s trainer.
2019 Little NHL champions
GIRLS
Novice A – CMO United 7 Moose Cree 0
Atom A – CMO 3 Akwesasne 0
Peewee A – Delaware Fury 2 Atikameksheng 1
Bantam A – CMO Hawks 3 Serpent River 0
Midget A – CMO United 1 Six Nations Wild 0
COMPETITIVE BOYS
Novice A – Walpole Island 4 Six Nations Blackhawks 1
Atom A – Moose Cree 7 CMO United 0
Peewee A – Akwesasne Wild 3 Curve Lake 1
Bantam A – Akwesasne 7 Curve Lake 0
Midget A – AOK Chiefs 3 Aamjiwnaang 1
RECREATIONAL BOYS
Novice A – Wiikwemkoong Jr. T-Birds 8 Dokis 5
Atom A – Moose Cree Scrappers 7 Akwesasne 2
Peewee A – Kettle Point 4 Wiky Selects 2
Bantam A – Shoal Lake 39 Eagles 4 Constance Lake 2
Midget A – Nawash Warriors 4 Pic River Sharks 3