Third year Human Kinetics student Joel Selinger gets stopped on his shoot-out attempt at the UBC Food Exchange Ball Hockey Tournament recently.
Fitness, team-building, sportsmanship, community support, fun and drama were all featured in the 2012 UBC Food Exchange Ball Hockey Tournament held on March 10.
A total of nine teams, made up of male and female players, participated in the Campus Life event. Student organizer Michelle Noiles was impressed by the sportsmanship displayed during the six-hour long competition.
“The tournament ran very smoothly. It was a great opportunity to bring such a diverse number of students together. We would like to make this event the largest fundraiser for the Food Exchange each year. It’s a great opportunity to use friendly competition to raise school pride and create a sense of cohesiveness between students,” said Noiles.
At the on-site registration, each student player was asked to sign a waiver and donate a non-perishable food item. Ball hockey squads were fielded by Aboriginal Programs & Services, and several teams grouped by student residences (Nicola One, Simi/Random, Purcell One, Cassiar, Nicola Two, Purcell Two, Kalamalka, Val & Friends).
Following the round robin, four teams were tied with 3-1 records. To determine first place overall, Nicola One and Purcell Two advanced into the A-final by scoring the most round robin goals.
The final featured plenty of drama as the two squads ran to a 5-5 draw in regulation. In the winner-take-all shootout, Brett Saremba notched the tourney-winning marker for Nicola One.
“I was coming in on the goalie and he tried a Dominik Hasek thing with his stick and I just put it top shelf,” said Saremba after being congratulated by his teammates.
Team members of Nicola One all received ‘UBC 2012 Ball Hockey Champion’ t-shirts, courtesy of Aboriginal Programs & Services. In the race for third place, Cassiar defeated Kalamalka 3-2 in a shootout.
For student Alex Augier from Saskatchewan, the ball hockey tournament was a flashback to his youth and he appreciated the user-friendly format. “I had a great time at the UBCO Ball Hockey (tournament). I hope it’s on again next year because it helps build community for us students,” said Augier, a Woodland Cree Nation member.
Sherissa Kanten from Calgary also appreciated the competition. “This is my first year at university and I thought it was good. When you play everybody (in round robin), it gets competitive, but it was fun.”
