A pretty special and emotional night at the Sault Major AAA Banquet tonight. In case you don't get it from reading below, we are really proud of our AAA teams.
First I'll start with how impressed I am by the players on our 3 AAA teams - Greyhounds, Thunder and Northstars. The banquet went well - Gino Cavallo is great in his MC role. Lots of awards and some good speeches. What really impressed me is how mature, composed, and courteous these young men are. Not once did I hear anyone talking during a speech, or see anyone acting inappropriately. The players were well-dressed, well-mannered, and well behaved. Their parents and their coaches should be very proud of them. I am. And considering they are the kids who represent SSM, we all should be proud. They are proof that time spent in our rep programs builds more than great hockey players.
A very special friend of mine - Jo-Ann King was honoured tonight with the Merit Scroll award, which is Sault Major's highest and most prestigious award. Jo has been the go-to person in SMHA for the past 10 years and is truly deserving of this honour. Considering her recent health challenges and her decision to retire, it was great to have her there in person and an honour for me to present it to her. Way to go Jo. We're all proud.
And another good friend, George Parsons, announced his retirement from his role as Manager of the Soo Northstars. George is the best in the business. He has been a key driver behind the incredible reputation that the Northstars have built across Ontario. His attention to detail and keen knack for always taking the appropriate action will be missed sorely. He is a great guy who loved the players and was consistently open and honest with everyone. George opened a racing parts business this past year and is still very involved with Laird Raceway and the Parsons Racing Team. Totally understandable why he's switching gears but, nonetheless, I'm sad to see him go.
Another Northstars note - Bid Caverly was honored recently as the NOHA's Trainer of the Year. Well deserved after he took on both roles this past season following Mitch's retirement. Way to go Bid!
Lots of mentions and buzz tonight about the five Northstars who were drafted to the OHL last weekend. Jake Wright getting picked as a 16 year old was great to see and I hope it helps some folks realize that life is not over at 15 if you don't get picked. From what I've been hearing the Sting want give him a fair shake at cracking the lineup. Congrats also to Patterson, Syrette, Giommi and Boyer. Don't be surprised if you see Davis Boyer prove some people wrong.
Did you know that Grant Syrette is just one year removed from Bantam AA?
It's been great to see Sal Lamantea from the Thunder improve as a coach over the past couple years since taking over the Soo Thunder. He's always been a fantastic guy and a good role model for the kids. And now he's the Northern Ontario AAA Bantam League's Coach of the Year.
Nice to see Joe Martone FINALLY win the SMHA Trainer of the Year award. The kids love this guy so it's great to see him pick-up an award.
Great to see that the Greyhound Bantams are consistent in doling out the awards. Again this year, a three way tie for best forward. Two way tie for best D. And a two way tie for top goalie. Nice gesture to spread it around, but it costs us a fortune in plaques. Just kidding. Congrats to the award winners. If Dom, Keith and Gross can harness the talent on this team, and some of the boys fill out a bit this summer, we could be in for a pretty good ride next season when these guys are Major Bantams.
One last plug for the Northstars. Every year the Northstars use the SMHA banquet to give out their own scholarships and some individual awards for their players. They also take the time to honour their graduating players. I am glad that they do this at our banquet (a) because it is classy and these young men deserve it, and (b) because the AAA bantam kids get to see it, and get a glimpse into why they should strive to be a Northstar. This is a classy organization who seem to have perfected the recipe.
Thanks to everybody who is involved in running our AAA organizations. The Soo is a great place to play AAA hockey. I wish I was 14 again.
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