Nelson Minor Hockey caps off amazing season with Awards Banquet
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Hats off to the Nelson Leafs for winning the West Kootenay Minor Hockey Atom B Championship.
However, this night was for all of the players as Nelson Minor Hockey culminated another successful campaign on the ice with its annual awards banquet Wednesday at the Selkirk College Tenth Street Campus.
Once again the evening was led by former NHLer and Nelson Minor Hockey Association grad Mike Laughton.
The Nelson native saluted the award winners along with giving the banquet goers a history lesson on the greats from Nelson Minor Hockey past.
Laughton and Nelson Minor Hockey even went out of their way to invite a head table of guest that included past family representatives of the night’s major awards.
The presenters took the players, parents and coaches on a trip down memory lane with many great stories from Nelson Minor Hockey history books.
Some of the award winners included Grady Groenhuysen winning the Barry Pearce Memorial and Mitchell Erickson taking home the John Reichardt Memorial, both awards for Atom Player who displays team dedication, good sportsmanship, desire and love of the game.
Other awards included, Nathan Bernhardtwinning the Todd Matheson Memorial; Arjun Bhabra the Walter Clarkson memorial, Simon Forrester the Scotia Bank Achievement award; Jack Centrone the Alf Baker award; Nick Jenner the Marc Severyn memorial; Bantam Rep Ryan Kooznetsoff the Mike Laughton Sr. Award, Casey Harrison the R.C. Wright memorial; Kyle Patton the Barry Geist trophy; Midget Rep Hayden Klashinsky taking home the Brian Naka memorial; Taylor Harrison the Baker Street Esso Award and Liam Ingram and Andrew Falcone the Sarge Sammartino award for the top junior and senior officials, respectively.
Leif Luttmer won the Ted Hargreaves coaching award while Sue Lakeman took the Robert Jeffs participation and dedication in advancing minor hockey in Nelson honour.
Cash Nay (Atom), Rhett Hamilton (Peewee), Joe Davidson (Bantam) and Max Spielman ( Midget) were recipients of the Jackson Hole Three “A” award.
Esso Medal of Achievement awards for most improve, most dedicated and most sportsmanlike went to Sawan Bhabra, Xavier Tinholt, Ryder Nash, Dane Jones, Nathan Jackman and Sebastien “Seabass” Conne-Corrent in the Atom Division.
In Peewee House, winners included Wyatt Groenhuysen, Ryan Durocher and Jack Steer.
In Peewee Rep, winners were Nathan Medeiros, Dakoda Fizzard, Reid Gerrand, Joe Laren, Karim Nephin and Matthew Lehr.
Bantam House were Ethan Grill, Pax Arrowsmith and Jackson Cousins.
Bantam Rep were Carson Pottle, Logan Smart and William McLeod.
Midget House winners were TJ Winters, Charles Curiston, Noah Marsh, Ben Price, Kyle Patton and Mike Zarikoff.
Midget Rep were Jake Laplante, Adam Volansky and Matthew Zwick.
