L-R: Brothers, Dayne and Matthew Henry together with their Team Sask. silver medals. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

A week to remember

Team Sask take silver at National Aboriginal Hockey Championships

May 16, 2022 | 6:00 PM

The clock may have struck midnight just a minute early for Team Saskatchewan at the 2022 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Nova Scotia, though that doesn’t make the team’s story much less of a fairytale.

Down 2-0 to Team Ontario with just over a half-minute to go in regulation of the gold medal game, Saskatchewan scored two goals at quite literally the last second (the last coming with just .04 seconds to go on the clock) to knot the game and send it to overtime with the championship on the line.

And while Ontario’s Lincoln Moore would ultimately play the hero, scoring just 1:45 into the extra frame, Saskatchewan could hold their heads high knowing they had left it all on the ice.

“It was quite the battle, and to see the boys not give up in the final 30 seconds to tie it up was just incredible,” Battlefords AAA Stars forward, Treycen Wuttunee said. “It didn’t go our way, but that’s just how it goes sometimes. We played a great tournament, and it was an awesome experience to see the boys come together like they did.”

Team Saskatchewan pictured here exploring Membertou, Nova Scotia during their week at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships, May 7-14. (Submitted photo/Jenni Wuttunee)

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After all, as the dust settles on the tournament, which wrapped up over the weekend, that bond is something those on the Saskatchewan side will remember long after the pen markings on the scoresheet have faded. Seeing 24 players from various leagues and teams band together to accomplish a national silver medal.

“It was crazy to believe a team could be formed and come together so close within a week just like that,” AAA Stars defenceman and Prince Albert product, Dayne Henry said. “We really came together quickly to hit the ground running, so it was really nice just being down there and able to represent Team Saskatchewan.”

The loss in the final marked the first and only for Saskatchewan on the week, as the team put forth a dominant display going 5-0 through round robin play, topping each of Team North, Eastern Door and the North (Quebec), Ontario, and B.C., outscoring their opponents 24-10 in the process.

Following a bye in the quarterfinals as the top seed, Saskatchewan then continued their roll in the semis with a 6-0 blanking of Quebec once again, to punch their ticket to the final against Ontario.

For many on the Saskatchewan Team – Henry included – the experience also served as their first opportunity to travel to the country’s east coast.

“I had never traveled that far east, right to the edge of Canada like that and just going right down to the Atlantic Ocean and seeing it from the shore… that was a core memory from the trip.”

Adding to the uniqueness of the experience as well for the young defenceman was being able to share the journey alongside his older brother, Battlefords North Stars’ forward, Matthew Henry.

One of seven from the SJHL ranks on the team (along with Kindersley’s Ethan Hilbig, Nipawin’s Tre Fouquette, Melfort’s Zack Somers and James Venne, Weyburn’s Ty Mason and Melville’s Carter McKay), the elder Henry also called it an experience he won’t soon forget.

“You obviously want to win the tournament, but I think we played really well and in the gold medal game ran into a hot goaltender on Team Ontario; but coming in second at a National tournament was still a huge honour and something I’ll always remember,” he said. “It was a great experience.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1