Chinooks and Hurricanes rock MCC

Chinooks and Hurricanes.  Welcome to Alberta!!
C. Davis photos and video

"I think there's a good chance one of these two teams might win this game," I thought to myself as I walked gingerly out to centre ice.

Trapped in greenscreen: Enmax's Tanis Brown, Nicole Bonneau, and Jen Hamilton

Enmax emissaries were on hand to organize the occasion, an evening of Enmax Pond Hockey.   Nicole Bonneau handled the MC duties admirably.  Jen Hamilton's been here enough times to be an honourary local.   Tanis Brown rocked the photobooth.

According to Enmax's dynamic community investment and sponsorship co-ordinator Jennifer Hamilton,  this is the 14th year of the Enmax Energy Pond Hockey program.

Before the game, Devin Swain ran the Atoms through some drills, assisted by Coach Jeremy "Amiable" Ames.

Then the Chinooks divided into blue and white. Friends now foes, facing off. 3 of the Lethbridge Hurricanes' finest joined.  #11 Taylor Cooper,  #23 Kade Jensen , and #26 Reid Nemeth.  Coach  Ames (a digger if I ever saw one)  made it four big men, two per team. The clock was set for one loooong run-time period.

Down comes the puck, and they look at it, knowing it's a photo op. Click click,  and the rest of us get out of the way, and then it's on for real,  it's Hockey Time.

Tristen Blood manned the blue team's net.  He was on.

Tristen Blood in blue net

Kipper in white net

Koltyn "Kipper" Kipling was in the other net, sharpened from some tough games in that position recently, and ready to go.  

Blood and Kipper stopped a lot of shots.

No, the Hurricanes weren't playing up to full speed, but they were tricky and accurate.   They gave a few keepaway demonstrations worth paying attention to.

I had trouble remembering which Hurricanes played for what team. I totally lost track of the score.  If there were penalties they happened when I wasn't lookin,  and I forgot to ask.  I was having a bad game.

One side had a stronger offence, one side had a stronger defence, then it would sometimes switch.  Both sides had solid goalies.  That's the Chinooks' secret weapon, they've got goalies hidden all over the ice.

My tip of the day: For hockey tips listen to your coaches, not to me.

At the end every player piled onto the ice, two numerically significant hockey sides vying for the puck.

Throughout the young ladies from Enmax kept things humming, including bringing all and sundry a new attraction: big passes with a personalized photo on the front, taken at their photobooth in the lobby, easy peasy.  Free.  A great souvenir.  I used mine to sneak onto the ice.   Also extant in great quantities were the red Enmax cowbells.  They've becoming iconic. I get one every year.  You can never have enough cowbells.

Tanis rocking the photobooth

Nicole and Jen keeping the athletes and press in line

In stripes: Nic Jordan and Chaz Vance

Southwest Rockies athletes Chaz Vance and Nic Jordan were light on their whistles while reffing the game. They've put in a lot of hours in the arenas again this season, on both sides of the stripes.

Afterwards the Hurricanes signed autographs on miniature hockey sticks.

Wily Bob Westrop

Bob Westrop auctioned off what turned out to be $2360 in prizes.   Hold onto your wallets boys, he's a real fast talker.  "Remember, it's all for the kids," he says while fleecing you  fundraising for Pincher Creek Minor Hockey.   See also  Bob Westrop awarded Diamond Jubilee Medal .  This guy is a community hero because you can count on him.

Some of those big auction items come with future stories.  That's a hint.

Rocket Rylan Bruns spent $125 on a signed Hurricanes jersey, "Every penny he has left" according to his mom.  It came with a free photo with three Hurricanes.  Happily, we had three Hurricanes on hand and the Enmax photobooth.

Long in the sleeves, but it almost fits him.

Rylan was smart and kind enough to decline launching his feared slapshot at his own regular season teammate in net.

More brisk trade at the photobooth, and then it was time to go.  Someone else got the scoop on the french fries, but I got the french fries.  They were excellent, as always.

These guys make good fries

Thanks for coming Cooper, Nemeth, Jensen.  The kids had an incredible time. Way to pass the puck!

Oh right, the video:

Note: the hockey bits are silenced for copyright reasons. Hum The Hockey Song: "Oh The good old hockey game..."

Enmax, we loved loved loved the photobooth.  Well done, and thank you for everything.  I guess we should plan something big for your 15th year of

Hey Hurricanes, rematch same time same place next year?

The Atom Chinooks have a very busy Hockey Day planned.  On Saturday February 8 (Hockey Day in Pincher Creek) they're scheduled to host Magrath at home starting at 11:00 am, and then away to Okotoks for  the second of two playdown games against the Oilers. The Chinooks need to win that game by 2. Then on Sunday February 9 they host Foremost, starting at 11:30 in the morning.  They'll need us then, hometown fans.  That's a lot of hockey and a lot of travel for one weekend.