2023

2023 National Aboriginal Hockey Championship Recap

RED DEER – After competing in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship (NAHC) May 8-13, Team Alberta has returned home from Winnipeg.

Team Alberta Female brought home their second-ever medal, after claiming bronze in a double overtime thriller. Berry Rosychuk chipped in a pass from Megan Tipton to seal the 3-2 victory. Team Alberta Female finished the tournament with a 4-3 record, and Phoenix Big Snake was named the team’s Most Sportsmanlike Player.

“They believed in themselves, they believed in me and they believed in each other and that’s what helped us be successful in this tournament,” said Kendra Rosychuk, head coach of Team Alberta Female. “They kept going and they kept getting better each game and each and every shift. Bringing home the second bronze medal ever, we’re a part of history now and it’s a huge accomplishment.”

Team Alberta Male closed out the NAHC in fifth place. Opening the tournament with a win, the team faced strong goaltending throughout the round robin, to finish with a 1-2 record. Opposition goaltending continued to be the story in the quarter-final, where Team Alberta Male outshot Ontario by more than 20 shots but fell 3-2. Alberta finished the tournament with a 10-7 win over Atlantic in the 5th/6th place game. The team was named the Most Sportsmanlike Team of the tournament and Jaxen Gauchier was selected as the Most Sportsmanlike Player for Team Alberta Male.

“The boys did a great job and I am super proud of them. They competed and battled in every zone on the ice,” said Darren Reid, assistant coach of Team Alberta Male. “We had a young team and we as coaches were very proud of them and how far they came over the 10 days. I was honoured that our team was named most sportsmanlike team of the tournament.”