NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA ICE DOGS
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The Orillia Ice Dogs Hockey program kicked off its spring tournament season earlier this month sending five teams to Toronto area events.
The program, now in its fifth season, has expanded in 2019 with many area kids participating this year.
"We had great interest in adding teams in younger age groups," said program manager Tim McConaghy. "Prior to this season we only had teams in the 2004 and 2005 age groups, but this year we added teams for 2007, 2008 and 2009's."
In one season "we went from around 30 kids and now have over 80 registered and playing spring/summer hockey. The key to our success is to put quality coaches in place for the various teams... we were able to do just that this season and I see continued growth for the program moving forward."
Ice Dogs Hockey is based out of Orillia; however, player participation comes from a wide range of associations including Oro, Midland, Penetang, Elmvale, Muskoka, Stayner, Coldwater and Barrie to name a few.
A typical season will see teams play three to four tournaments with five to six games in each tournament. This leaves lots of time to allow kids to participate in other sports such as soccer, baseball and lacrosse.
Brian Worsley, who coaches the 2005 group, is a fan of the program.
"It is kind of funny. After a month off the ice, kids start to really miss the game. That said, we think it is very important to play other sports and most of the kids that are playing Ice Dogs do just that," said Worsley.
"Our coaches do a great job scheduling the events around other sports and two tournaments are completed before the kids are even out of school in late June. This allows families lots of free time to schedule other sports, activities and vacations throughout the spring and summer break," Worsley said.
Ice Dogs Hockey teams play at the A/AA level for the most part but look at each tournament and the divisions to slot their teams in the level of play best for the individual team.
Spring/Summer hockey is big business with eigh age groups, multiple divisions in each and as many as 150 teams participating in a tournament any given weekend.
"The great thing about spring/summer hockey is it's not governed by the the Ontario Minor Hockey Associaiton," said McConaghy. "This allows kids from different associations to play together, meet different kids and develop new friendships. At the end of the day, it is about fun and being able to work on your game without the pressure of your winter hockey seasons."
In addition to tournament play, the teams participate in one or two practices prior to a tournament. Some may do a couple of team-bonding events and for those players interested in more specific training, the program draws on local experts in fitness to design programs for the kids.
For additional on-ice skills sessions, McConaghy notes "we have many great resources in the area such as STP Hockey, The Science of Skating, Next Level Sports Performance and Orillia Hockey Academy to name a few."
Results on the ice so far have been impressive for the Ice Dogs.
They sent four teams to North York to participate in May Madness (May 3-5) and one team to play the week following at Quest for the Cup in Toronto. The teams put together an impressive 16-5-4 record. All teams advanced to the Platinum semi-final, with four teams advancing to the final.
Here is a summary of the results:
- 2004 team finished 3rd in the 6-team division, won semi-final game (3-1). Lost in final (5-4) after a 16-player shootout;
- 2005 team finished 1st in the 4-team division, won semi-final game (6-1), but lost in final in overtime (3-2);
- 2007 team finished 1st in the 7-team division, won semi-final game (2-1), but lost in final in overtime (4-3);
- 2008 team finished 2nd in the 8-team division, won semi-final game (4-2), but lost in final (5-2);
- 2009 team finished 4th in the 9-team division, Lost in Semi-Final (4-1)
Looking ahead, the 2004, 2005 and 2009 teams will be heading back to Toronto this weekend to compete in the Bring your Best Tournament, while the 2007 and 2008 teams will next skate in the Champions Cup of Canada in Etobicoke June 21-23.
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