Mooseheads mark RCAF Centennial during DND Appreciation Night
By Virginia Beaton
Wearing jerseys featuring the logo of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Centennial, the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League hosted a DND Appreciation Night game on Saturday, January 20. More than 9,000 audience members attended the game, which matched the Mooseheads against the Chicoutimi Sagueneens.
A colour party of CAF personnel accompanied Captain (Navy) Andy MacKenzie, Base Commander CFB Halifax, and Colonel David Holmes, Commander 12 Wing Shearwater, onto the ice for the puck drop. Capt(N) MacKenzie thanked the Mooseheads for presenting the DND Appreciation Night, noting, “We really appreciate all the support from the Mooseheads, and from the whole community.” Col Holmes also thanked the Mooseheads and noted that April 1 of this year will mark the 100th birthday of the RCAF.
Following the national anthem, sung by Petty Officer 1st Class Brad Davidge, the game began. By the end of the first period, the Sagueneens had scored one goal while the Moosehead remained scoreless. The teams went back and forth to a 2-2 tie until late in the third period when Lou-Felix Denis scored a go-ahead goal for the Mooseheads, giving the team a 3-2 win over the Sagueneens, as the crowd roared its approval. This win ended a six-game home losing streak for the Mooseheads.
Before and after the game and during intermissions, fans purchased raffle tickets for a chance to win game-worn jerseys with the RCAF logo, with CAF members volunteering time to sell tickets through the night. Following the game, more jerseys were auctioned online. The effort is a fundraiser for the Camp Hill Veterans Memorial Garden, organized by the Corporate Services division of CFB Halifax Personnel Support Programs (PSP). The auctions remained open until the evening of January 29 and resulted in a total of more than $25,000 raised, according to Missy Sonier, Corporate Services Manager for PSP Halifax. This is in addition to more than $240,000 that has already been raised through past editions of DND Appreciation Night since 2008.
“The companies that assisted in the DND Appreciation game are the Halifax Mooseheads Hockey Club, Events East Group, Scotiabank Centre Centerplate, Print 101, and Bell Aliant,” Sonier said, adding that her thanks go out to all the companies that assist and support CFB Halifax.
