Duggan’s broomballers carve things up at Whitehorse

• Hunks of halibut are hit at Northern Cup Championship

By Catriona Lowe
Special to the Homer Tribune
The scoreless tie that marked Homer Broomball’s final game in the Northern Cup Championship at Whitehorse ultimately felt like a victory.
When the final buzzer sounded in the game between Duggan’s Pub and Capital Towing, jubilant cheers arose from the crowd – many from Anchorage’s Big City Ballers, who added their voices to the celebration from the bleachers.
Capital Towing went on to the playoffs, ultimately finishing third. Ours was the only game in round-robin play that Capital did not win.
With an overall record of 1-2-2, Homer defense allowed only four goals in the entire tournament. Duggan’s proved that with training, determination and hustle, we could hold our own against much more experienced broomball players.

After committing to a five-day, 2,000-mile road trip, motivation to play hard and focused among the 14 of us who represented Homer Broomball was a top priority. And when we rented two minivans in Anchorage, we soon found that minivans are not designed with our demographic in mind. This made for a very cozy ride, as well as a constant battle for “shotgun.”
Two-way radios provided a way to maintain contact, and also proved a great source of entertainment. The banter and joking back and forth helped the miles slip past until we hit Tok for a welcome overnight.
Even temperatures of 20 below could not subdue our enthusiasm to play and practice. After pizza at Fast Eddy’s, we set up milk crate goals in the motel parking lot at 10 p.m., and engaged in inter-squad broomball combat.
Favorable weather and road conditions allowed us to arrive at Whitehorse’s Takhini Arena in time for Coaches Dan Deschamps and Brandon Grochow to participate in the team captain’s meeting – with 14 minutes to spare.
After checking in at the hotel and meeting up with our Whitehorse-based goalie, Don Rogers, we regrouped in the spectator mezzanine to check out the competition.
Our first game against Arctic Response faced off at 10:20 p.m., and ended in a 1:0 loss for us. Though beaten, we were not down. Homer had 35 shots shut out by Arctic’s phenomenal goaltender. We all knew we had played well, evident in the very close game.
Our Saturday morning games took place at the Canada Games Center. This amazing sports facility was complete with indoor soccer pitch, running track, chiropractor clinic and restaurants. Playing on one of its two Olympic-size rinks added a sheen of glamour and super-stardom to the games.
Deschamps scored a hat trick in our early morning 3-0 victory against Builders Supply Land. We didn’t fare as well in the next two games, falling 0-1 on a last-minute shot by the Whitehorse Dental Donkeys. By now, the combination of long travel and fast and furious games were beginning to take their toll. Duggan’s energy levels were flagging.
A breakaway from the ice for lunch provided more than food. It gave us a chance to analyze what we were doing well, and strategize how we could improve for the remaining games.
Our next game was against the Swamp Donkeys from Yellowknife, North West Territory. Homer held on tenaciously to a 1-0 score throughout most of the game, before giving up the equalizing goal just moments before the buzzer. With no chance of making the playoffs now, somehow our resolve to play well was stronger than ever as we prepared for our final game.
Throughout the weekend, we heard comments about how surprised teams were by the level of Duggan’s play, and by how competitive we were. We felt welcomed and well received both on and off the ice, and became well-known for the MVP/sportsmanship awards of halibut chunks we presented at the end of each of our games. During the handshakes at the end of our games, we presented a player from the other team with chunks of halibut. We hauled our frozen halibut goodness in the “Thule Freezer” mounted to the top of the van.
Saturday evening wrapped up with a celebration in the beer garden, complete with speeches, door prizes and a Homer-led impromptu dance party. Homer presented yet more halibut to the event’s main organizer – Milford Allian – and a chunk donated as a door prize was among the first items chosen.
The all-Whitehorse playoffs were held on Sunday, but we had to start the journey back, so were unable to watch them. And, though this was the end of the tournament for us, it felt like the beginning of something. With the new contacts and friends we made, and the lessons learned during our three days in the Yukon Territory, members of Homer Broomball were left hungry for more: More tournaments, more teams to play, more fun to share.
More than anything else, the trip allowed for some fun times with friends and plenty of laughter. Liz Villarreal summed it up best when she said that – even though she received plenty of bruises during the games – it was her laugh muscles that were aching the most.
Plans are already underway for travel to Kodiak to play against the fledgling teams there, and we are hoping to assist in developing a broomball presence in Kenai and Soldotna. Whitehorse teams have held a “Function in the Junction” tournament at Haines Junction in previous years, and Homer is considering another road trip to participate in March.
But first, we kinda need to work on our flip passes.

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Posted by Newsroom on Nov 25th, 2009 and filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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