Both the Algonquin College Pembroke campus men’s and women’s teachers teams lost to the students on Feb. 28 at the Pembroke Memorial Arena.
“One sub and we just worked as a team,” said Erin Morley, bachelor of science and nursing student, in describing the reasons for the women’s win. “All that matters is that we beat the teachers.”
It was the annual Winterfest competition between teachers/alumni and students. The only prerequisite for joining a team is that you’ve skated before.
Some of the women teachers, in fact, had never played hockey and were still trying to figure out if they shot left or right as they got on the ice.
“Fully expect to get our butts kicked,” said Erin Whyte, business program teacher, as she headed for the ice to warm up.
Jamie Bramburger, manager of community and student affairs, was coaching the teachers at the Pembroke Memorial Arena, located directly across the street from Algonquin’s Pembroke campus.
“Gals I’ve got a plan,” said Bramburger. “Don’t know if it will work but I have a plan.”
There were eight players for the teachers and seven for the students. The shifts were long and the breaks short. The students had more skill than the teachers but the teachers held their own.
The students scored the first goal very quickly but the teachers answered three minutes later to even the score.
Laura Gonu, alumni, scored the first goal for the teachers. She played hard and showed off her impressive stick handling and footwork skills, keeping the teachers from being trounced by the students as she scored two more goals.
The game seesawed back and forth but by the last 10 minutes it was obvious the students just had more left in the tank than the teachers as they scored two unanswered goals and won the game 6-4.
The men took to the ice about 15 minutes later and it was a little different because there were a lot more players sitting on both benches making their shifts shorter and breaks longer. They also didn’t have designated coaches, they were just yelling at each other when they wanted to get on and off the ice.
“They tried their hardest,” said Tyler Whitteker, outdoor adventure student. “Great team, good goalie.”
Right from the start the students dominated the teachers but the goalie for the teachers kept them in the game. Donnie Simpson an Algonquin alumni, wearing his Habs inspired gear and the number 31, was channeling his inner Price as he made some impressive saves but he couldn’t stop all the pucks flying at him.
The students won the game 6-0.
It was all in the spirit of fun. Everybody was smiling and joking around with each other, and after it was over, they headed back to the college campus for a spaghetti dinner to recount their heroics on the ice and boast of goals and saves made and, most importantly, beating the teachers at Canada’s very own winter sport.
Bragging rights are implied and exercised to their fullest.