There will be another banner hanging up at the Hylife Centre in La Broquerie as the Habs U15B team captured the championship.
Head Coach Andre Carriere says that it took some work for there to even be a team in La Broquerie this season. "We started off with a very interesting start. Myself and my son played in Steinbach every year until now. With Steinbach having a full squad and more, we decided we'd go to La Broquerie. It's where I grew up and played, loving life in minor hockey. We still didn't have enough players, so we actually got Landmark kids to come play with us. We had quite a mix of players from La Broquerie, Steinbach and Landmark. It was challenging at first, but throughout the year, the team bonded. They made new friends and in the end come playoffs, we were already a better team. We made it to the final series and we swept Mitchell. It ended up being a really fun season."
Being a lifelong hockey guy, Carriere believes the most rewarding part of the season was watching the team gel on and off the ice. "It was so awesome to see," he says proudly. "To see the kids, with the technology they have now, they have group chats going, keeping in touch away from the rink. They'd meet up at the outdoor rink in La Broquerie so they could just skate around. We had a couple of tournaments, so they got together to play mini-sticks or go for dinners together. Bringing two or three towns together to make a team isn't easy, but they bonded very easily and made some friendships for a long time to come."
Going up against Mitchell in that final series, Carriere says his team really came together and deserved to get to the top of the mountain. "It was fantastic to see for the kids," the coach says with a big smile. "It was an up and down season, more losses than wins, but to come out on top and see all the smiles on the kids when we won the banner, it was amazing to see. For us coaches, when we scored an empty netter with 30 seconds left, we kind of knew it sealed it, there were high fives on the bench, it was a special moment for sure."
It wasn't just the kids that formed bonds, Carriere says the parents did as well and their support means the world to the U15 program. "It's not just the players making new friends, it was the parents and coaches, too. Meeting new people, hanging out at tournaments, making new connections. Parents were there every game, win or lose, supporting the kids every game. Those last games were packed and it was special to see so many parents, grandparents, friends all supporting the team."
Hockey in La Broquerie has always been special and for Carriere, growing up in the area, representing the Habs both on the ice and now behind the bench means a lot. "That was the icing on the cake, bringing another banner back to La Broquerie. Coaching a Habs team... it's my first year coaching and being able to say I've coached a Habs team to a title, it's special."
With the three communities coming together and the ages of players, this group may never get to play together again, so for the coach, ending the way they did means more than just hanging a banner, it means these kids will have amazing memories that last forever. "We have seven or eight second year players which will move up, so winning for them was pretty cool," the coach explains. "They may not ever play together again. Landmark might have their own team in the future, our boys will stick in La Broquerie. There could be some that go up to AA. This could be the one and only time they play together. They'll keep the group chat going and they'll be friends together because of this. It's bigger than hockey and that's what made this group so special."