Surprise finish gives Sask men top spot

Page 18

A pair of teams think they earned the right to be called champions, but in the end, it was only one, the Saskatchewan club, that was awarded gold medals following the men's final in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.

The tournament, which featured eight men's teams, was held in Akwesasne from April 27 to May 3.

Members of Team Manitoba, which won last year's inaugural tourney, also held in Akwesasne, thought they had defended their title with a 2-1 victory over Saskatchewan in the final. But a rather unusual twist ended their premature celebrations.

As the final seconds ticked off the game clock, Manitoba players began to whoop it up when it became apparent Saskatchewan would not be able to mount a final offensive rush.

In his excitement, Manitoba's Donald Melnyk picked up the puck with his glove near his own blueline with about four seconds to go. Melnyk headed towards his own netminder Julian Guimond to celebrate.

Referee John Lortie put a quick halt to those celebrations, though, when he whistled the play dead with 2.2 seconds showing on the clock. He awarded Saskatchewan a penalty shot for Melnyk's intentional delay of the game.

Usually penalty shots are only awarded if a player picks up the puck while in his own crease. But an existing rule, which is rarely utilized, stipulates any delay of game incident in the final minute of a game is an automatic penalty shot for the opposing squad.

Saskatchewan's Travis Gardipy scored on the penalty shot, forcing overtime. And then Saskatchewan's Justin Magnuson became the OT hero when he scored at the 6:10 mark of the extra session to give his side a 3-2 victory.

"I am just so happy for my teammates," Magnuson said shortly after what was indeed the real post-game celebration. "We gave it 100 per cent for seven days here. I think it just came down to the fact that we deserved it more."

But one couldn't convince Manitoba team members of that. Manitoba's head coach Derek Fontaine was trying to persuade anyone who would listen what a great injustice had been done to his side.

"I don't mind losing," he said. "But let us lose in a proper way."

Fontaine was so upset with how the match ended that he ordered his players immediately off the ice. And he refused to allow them back on to participate in the medal presentations.

"In all my hockey coaching and playing days, I have never, ever witnessed what I've seen today," Fontaine said. "It's a total disgrace to the game."

With the manner in which this year's tournament concluded, Fontaine added Manitoba officials would have to review whether they wish to participate in future events.

Like everyone else in the building, Saskatchewan coach Charles Keshane was surprised with how the final few seconds of the third period played out.

"It was pretty close to being over," he said. "But the ref made the right call."

Keshane also said he was upset the Manitoba squad refused to participate in the medal celebrations.

"That just shows no class at all," Keshane said. "We respect them. And they should have enough respect and stay out on the ice for us."

Saskatchewan had not iced a men's team at the inaugural tourney, but Keshane was not all that surprised to see his side go all the way this year. Saskatchewan won all six of its matches.

"With an all-star team like this, you have high expectations," Keshane said. "And we just wanted them to be their best, on and off the ice."

Manitoba also sported a perfect record (5-0), until it got to the final.

Eastern Door and the North (the Quebec-based team) won the bronze-medal game, registering a 6-3 victory over Ontario South.

Other tournament participants were Ontario North, New Brunswick, British Columbia and Nova Scotia.