Walpole Island captures All Ontario title

Page R4

For the first time in the province's history, a Native midget hockey team has taken the All Ontario cup.

A jubilant Walpole Island team carried their coach Stacey Kicknosway around the Walpole Community Centre after winning game four against the Zurich Thunder Team 5-3 in a best of seven series.

And that with a rookie coach and three valuable members playing with injuries.

Jeremy Blackbird, who scored the first goal of the winning game, injured his leg in the semi finals, but pressed on to continue leading the team to the finals. Scoring the second goal of the evening, Forward Bruce Sands, proved doctors wrong by playing this year on a recently-healed broken leg, after being warned he might not be able to. And John Wrightman, who scored the final two goals, one unassisted, came back after missing game two and cracking his knee.

"This was a lot more than discipline hockey - it was dedication," said Kicknosway.

The 27-year-old played midget hockey in Wallaceburg, but this was the first season Kicknosway spent ice time coaching.