MCPL TREVOR MATHESON
Mariners men’s team ready for National Hockey Championship
By Nathan Stone,
Trident Staff
The CFB Halifax Mariners men’s hockey team are going for gold at the 2024 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Men’s National Hockey Championship tournament starting March 4th.
This year’s tournament is being held at CFB Shilo, Manitoba. Halifax will represent the Atlantic Region in the four-team tournament. They’ll be facing off against teams representing the regions of Ontario, Quebec, and Canada West.
Halifax have been preparing for the tournament with a focus on recovering from their hard fought victory at the atlantic region championship.
“Regionals was a very rough and long week for our team, so we were able to take some time and allow some players to get some much needed rest and recover from some minor injuries,” says team coach Petty Officer 1st Class (PO1) Curtis Chambers.
Halifax’s roster is receiving support from the addition of a pair of players from the Shearwater team. The players have been practising with Halifax in the lead up to the championship as a way to get familiar with Mariner’s players and systems.
Halifax will be relying on their speed and skill to compete in this year’s tournament, says PO01 Chambers. He added that the team’s perseverance is an important asset, and that their victory at regionals, which featured both overtime and comeback victories, has provided the team with confidence to play in high stress games.
This will be the first national championship for many of Halifax’s players, but the team has a veteran core that will look to guide the younger players. Sailor 1st Class (S1) Triston Manson is a forward on the team and one of its veteran leaders. He says Halifax had to win three straight games to win the regional tournament after falling behind in the standings, so they are working to be more prepared for nationals.
“We have been practising twice a week to be ready to go, so we can start and finish the tournament strong.”
For both PO1 Chambers and S1 Manson, playing against Valcartier, the representative from Quebec, is a matchup they’re looking forward to.
“I’ve been to Nationals five times and every time Quebec has won gold, so I’m looking forward to playing Valcartier. They are usually a great team so it would feel pretty good to beat them,” says S1 Manson.
The team’s final practice ahead of nationals was set for Friday, March 1 at the Halifax Forum. The tournament in Shilo kicks off just days later on Monday, March 4, with the gold-medal game set for Friday, the 8th.
PO1 Chambers says that the national championship is a special opportunity for the players.
“Winning a national championship is something that these players would remember for the rest of their lives, so I hope that we can all share in that experience.”
