Windspeaker Sports Briefs - October 2014

Defenceman accepts university scholarship

Though he will have to cross the Canada/U.S. border, Owen Headrick will not be travelling that far to continue his hockey career. Headrick, who is from the Garden River First Nation near Sault Ste. Marie in northern Ontario, recently accepted a scholarship offer from Lake Superior State University.

Headrick, a highly-touted 17-year-old defenceman, is currently in his sophomore season with the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds, members of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League. Headrick will continue to play for the Thunderbirds this season before heading off to join the Lake Superior State squad, located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, starting with the 2015-16 season. He is 5-foot-11 and weighs 190 pounds and had an immediate impact with the Thunderbirds during his rookie season. 

He appeared in 53 regular season matches and collected 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists). His efforts resulted in him winning the NOJHL’s rookie-of-the-year award. Headrick was also a force in the post-season, averaging close to a point per game, with 13 points in 15 contests.

The Lake Superior State Lakers are an NCAA Division 1 squad. They compete in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Headrick had also been chosen by the Pennsylvania-based Erie Otters in the 2013 Ontario Hockey League’s Priority Selections draft.

He opted not to sign with the Otters in order to retain his NCAA eligibility. Those that play in the OHL, or any other Major Junior league, are not eligible for scholarships from American schools afterwards.

Goaltender Rylan Parenteau has made the jump to the Western Hockey League this season. The 17-year-old, who has Metis ancestry, is one of two netminders that cracked the opening day roster for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders.

Parenteau will battle Nick McBride for some playing time with the Raiders. McBride, who is also 17, also suited up for the Prince Albert squad last season, appearing in 27 matches.

Parenteau had spent the past season in the Junior A ranks toiling with the Weyburn Red Wings, who compete in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, a step below the WHL.

Despite being a rookie with the Red Wings, Parenteau became the team’s Number 1 puckstopper. He appeared in 41 games last season and had an impressive 2.72 goals-against average and a somewhat respectable 16-22-2 record.

Parenteau, who is from Saskatoon, also competed at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC), held this past spring in Kahnawake, Que. He backstopped Saskatchewan to the gold medal in the eight-team boys’ division at the national event. Parenteau was selected as the top goaltender at the NAHC. Parenteau, who turns 18 on Nov. 16, is eligible to be selected in the 2015 National Hockey League Entry Draft.

A new series for youth about Aboriginal sports is now airing on the Aboriginal People’s Television Network (APTN). The 13-episode series, which began airing on Sept. 6, is called Warrior Games. The 30-minute episodes are broadcast on Saturday afternoons. The series follows host and producer Steve Sxwithul’txw, who travels to various parts of Canada and the United States to explore how Aboriginal youth embrace both traditional and modern sports.

During the episodes Sxwithul’txw trains with local athletes. He also talks to Elders about the cultural and historical significance of the sport. The host also plays the sport with local athletes. Viewers also learn about various young Aboriginal athletes who are training for local and international competitions in their sport. And they also get to learn about some sporting activities that their ancestors participated in but are no longer widely recognized. Sxwithul’txw currently lives in Victoria, B.C., but he is a member of the Penelakut tribe of the Coast Salish Nation.

He is a former tribal police officer and liquor inspector. Later on he worked as both a reporter and producer for various television networks. In 2009 he founded his own company, Kwassen Productions. Sxwithul’txw also works as an Aboriginal employment co-ordinator for the Vancouver Island Health Authority.

Halifax will be hosting next year’s National Aboriginal Hockey Championships (NAHC). The 2015 tournament will begin on April 27 and continue until May 2.

The NAHC, which has been held annually since 2001, features elite Aboriginal Bantam and Midget players from across the country. The tournament features both girls’ and boys’ divisions. The NAHC was held in Kahnawake, Que. in each of the past two years.

Saskatchewan won both the girls’ and boys’ categories at this year’s nationals.