SAINTS ON ICE 2006-2007 Season
by R. Luke Fredeman '84 Hockey captures the essence of Canadian experience in the New World. In a land so inescapably and inhospitably cold, hockey is the chance of life, and an affirmation that despite the deathly chill of winter we are alive. t a school that celebrates the arts, high academic achievement, and diverse sporting excellence, it can be difficult to appreciate the sentiment that humourist, political commentator, and educator Stephen Leacock expressed almost a century ago about our national sport. That this renowned Canadian was in 1887 the Head Boy, and subsequently a master, at our largest Eastern Canadian rival perhaps helps us realize that hockey continues to be a unifying force in this country.
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For almost 35 years, many energetic and talented members of staff have fuelled the passion of students who love their sport, love our game. At times, promoting hockey has been a challenge: huge club commitments for our students and erratic programs in other schools have meant that we have always had to be most flexible. But the school hockey scene is changing and strengthening both at St. George’s and across British Columbia. In Vancouver, we are fortunate now to have some consistent competition. At the U-16 level this season, we played a combined eight game series against Vancouver College and Prince of Wales and earned a 6-1-1 record. In the Provincial Cham-
pionship Ross Cup Tournament, the U-16s played spirited games against Francis Kelsey Secondary (Mill Bay), Brentwood College, and Prince of Wales in the preliminary round before bowing out 4–2 in the semi-final. The squad could not repeat as Provincial Champions, but their 8-3-1 overall record is a strong foundation for future success. The Varsity team competes in a Vancouver schools league with Vancouver College, Prince of Wales, Point Grey, and Kitsalano Secondary School. By far the youngest team in the league, with nine Grade 10s and two Grade 9s we, nevertheless, skated to a league-leading 5–3 record. At the Ross Cup we finished the preliminary round with excellent wins against Cowichan (Duncan), Summerland, and Point Grey Secondary School. After defeating Prince of Wales in the semi-final, we narrowly lost to a strong Vancouver College team. Our biggest highlight of the year came when the Varsity and U-16 squads came together to represent the School at the Ridley College Tiger Challenge Cup in St. Catherines, Ontario. The boys played superbly, attacking hockey in round-robin play against Gilmour Academy (Cleveland, OH), Lakefield College (Peterborough, Ont), and Shadyside Academy (Pittsburgh, PA), outscoring their opposition 18–0. In the final, they battled the
Ohio State Champions—St. Edward’s School (Cleveland, OH) and captured the title with a 5–1 win. It was our first tournament victory in Eastern Canada after several semi-final and final appearances. The strength of our current group gives us a great deal of confidence to grow the program: ten of our varsity players have received invitations to Junior A and Junior B prospect camps this spring. Also, our U-14 team has gone on two successful tours to Lower Canada College. Our intention is to provide more competitive and recreational hockey opportunities at all grade levels. While we don’t experience Leacock’s “deathly chill”, there is no doubt that Saints’ students thrive in this most “Canadian experience.” Our boys appreciate that they are part of a long, passionate tradition of love for the game. With two recently graduated students playing in the NCAA and others on the verge of lacing them up for either junior or college squads, we are beginning to understand that hockey is a perfect match for our students’ educational aspirations. "Hello Canada and hockey fans from the United States and Newfoundland." Foster Hewitt
Spring 2007 • 15