Good luck to Akwesasne girls heading to National Aboriginal Hockey Championships

Akwesasne will be highly represented on this years Team Ontario South Female Hockey. Officially, there are Ten (10) players from Akwesasne, which will be members of Team Ontario South who will be participating in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships that are being held in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario from April 27th to May 3, 2008. These players are Alley Bero, Katie Bero, Olivia Cook, Savannah Francis, Amanda King, Tameka Thompson, Elysia Koostachin, Rori Francis-Herne, Toni Garrow and Sky Timmons. Dwight Bero will be head coach, with Penny Peters as Assistant and Anna Thompson as trainer.

This is the seventh year that Team Ontario South will be participating in this National Event and they have had excellent success in years past capturing the gold medal five times. With the past record Team Ontario has had at this event, this year we have set the highest standards for success for our team combining talent and experience to our roster.

The tournament provides an excellent opportunity for the young female athletes to showcase their abilities and determination as well as develop their hockey skills. These hockey players will be able to meet and compete against other aboriginal athletes from across Canada, combining cultural sharing and sportsmanship. They will also be able to develop leadership skills to assist and strengthen their own community, and most importantly, be left a memorable experience that will be shared for a lifetime. The experiences these players will gain from this opportunity have helped past players gain recognition on both the college and national levels. A number of these players are playing for regional and high school teams. The experiences of the past five years have shown past players to strive to play to their highest ability, but have also given them confidence and self esteem in other areas of life such as in the academic arena and personal growth.

The girls will have the opportunity to play along side of some of the top aboriginal players in the country, as well as college level players who are currently playing for some of the top university teams in Canada and the United States. This is very encouraging for the future of Team Ontario South Hockey as well as Akwesasne because these players are gaining valuable experience and knowledge not only as hockey players, but also as students and most importantly, as strong Mohawk women. The lessons and experiences they gain from this opportunity will be carried with them for a lifetime.

The girls have had a few fundraisers and would like to thank The Sons of the American Legion for making the Chicken Barbeque a success. They had a Silent Auction last week and would like to thank all who donated and purchased items.

Good Luck Ladies

Sunday 2:30 Ontario South vs Alberta

Monday 4:30 Ontario South vs Eastern Door and the North