Hub Staff
Hype and anticipation is rising for the Saugeen Shores Girls Silver Stick Caitlyn Cobean Memorial Tournament taking place February 5 to 7. The tournament, now in its 15th year, coincides with Scotiabank’s Hockey Day in Canada and will see Sportsnet filming on site at the Plex in Port Elgin with tournament games also taking place in Southampton, Paisley and Tiverton.
Organizer Kerri Hardman said all the attention is getting the girls (ages 7 to 17) excited. “It’s great to see so much attention centred on female hockey. The sport has been growing in popularity every year, and the filming that will be happening helps promote it that much more,” Hardman said January 27.
Scotiabank will hosting the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL) game Saturday, February 6 at 4 p.m. at the Plex that will see the Toronto Fury take on the Boston Blades. Toronto Fury player and three time Olympic Gold Medalist, Jennifer Botterill will be on-air covering the tournament for Sportsnet as well.
See also: Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada events coming to Saugeen Shores
Admission for the CWHL game is free for children, $10 for adults, and spectators will have a chance to meet the players after the game. For tickets visit Toronto’s CWHL tickets page.
“I hope the media will portray how wonderful a community Saugeen Shores is and how we come together to support each other, and the children in our community,” Hardman said.
The Memorial Tournament is in honour of former Saugeen Shores Storm and Silver Sticks athlete, Caitlyn Cobean, a Saugeen Shores resident who passed away in the summer of 2008, at the age of 15, after losing a battle with brain cancer.
Caitlyn’s mother, Rona Cobean has stayed involved with the weekend tournament and, along with the Caitlyn Cobean Community Crusaders, will be hosting a pancake breakfast on Saturday, February 6 at 7 a.m. in the Rotary Hall at the Plex with all proceeds going to the Tara “Boom” Houston Children's Foundation.
Rona was a girl’s hockey trainer for ten years, and helped Caitlyn and younger daughter Bryanna’s teams, and said that the Silver Stick Tournament is one that her girls got pumped for, and it is now a big honour to have it be in Caitlyn’s memory.
“It’s really neat for us because the community was so behind us when Caitlyn was sick. Because we were involved with hockey, we found that the hockey family is a close family, and it’s just an honour to have this tournament and have it in her name,” Rona said January 24 at The Plex.
She added that Caitlyn loved the sport. “She loved hockey. She was not the best player by any means, in fact she never knew what the score was when she were done the game because she didn't really care. She loved it… because it was a team thing. It was about who she was playing with.”
Caitlyn’s former teammates, Jordaine Leeder and Katrina Voisin, now in their early twenties, were invited back to play in the 2015 Memorial Tournament in honour of their friend.
“I was so grateful to be asked by Rona,” said Leeder.
She continued, “It was emotional but an amazing feeling to be able to do that again. Bryanna (Caitlyn’s sister) was our goalie as well, she is like another sibling to me, and it was just like old times.”
Even though the team lost every game it didn't matter to Leeder. “I was there playing for her. I always play in honour of Caitlyn, it's a special bond I still can have with her, even when she's not there. I'm always thinking of her, and her cackle.”
“She was hilarious,” said teammate Katrina Voisin. “Both on and off the ice Caitlyn always had the best sense of humour, and never took anything too seriously.”
Voisin said that there was always lots of emotions for Storm players during the Silver Stick Tournament. “It was an emotional rollercoaster after she passed away. I always felt like I was playing in memory of her. And every time I did something stupid, or got a penalty I could hear her laughing. She was a one of a kind girl - as a friend, and team member. One of the best you could ever ask for.”
The Saugeen Shores Girls Silver Stick Caitlyn Cobean Memorial Tournament will be begin early, on February 5, which has been dubbed “Jersey Day” in Saugeen Shores, where everyone is invited to wear their favourite sport team jersey.
The Town of Saugeen Shores, together with PLAY, will be drawing names of students who have their teacher or parents post a photo of them or their class in their jersey(s) to their Community Services Facebook page, for a chance to win.
Opening ceremonies will take place at 6 p.m. on February 5, and will feature a piper, the singing of the National anthem in Ojibway, English and French by Steenika Gilbert of Wiarton; followed by a Saugeen Shores Winterhawks game, set to begin at 8 p.m.
