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Ref Memories

  This week in my referee memories column I would like to talk about the Blanshard Bobcats hockey club of the mid nineteen nineties. This was a combined team of players mainly from Cardale and Oak River.  There were several other pick-up players including one from Moline Manitoba.

    I could not remember all the players that played for those 2 seasons in that time frame. The Bobcats went to the North Central Hockey League finals 2 years in a row. In case you have forgotten, here are the names of the players I could remember with a little help from my hockey guru, Dallas Bridgeman formerly of Moline Manitoba. To those whose names we missed, my apologies, but with what I have here goes. Coach was Wes Coulson. Players were Dallas Bridgeman, Gordy Paddock, Derek Shamray, Thomas Heapy, Blaine Heapy, Darcy Heapy, Dean McBride, Jeff Hume, Brad Pilling, BJ Birch, Neil Gillies, Darren Rozdeba, Billy Brown and Wayne Baker.

    They were a strong defensive team and scored enough to go to the finals in back-to-back seasons. They were also maybe the most sportsmanlike teams that I ever officiated. All the officials liked to do their games, not that they were easy, but when the game was over, you could share a brew or two. The game was left out on the ice.

    One year, after the red line was taken out for offside passes the Bobcats used it to their advantage. The defenseman would go back into their own end and fire the puck up on the left-hand side of the ice to Derek Shamray who was deadly on the breakaway. I believe he won the south division scoring championship.

    When you had defensemen like Gordy Paddock, Blaine Heapy and Thomas Heapy on the back end, getting the puck up the ice in a hurry was a huge deal in their teams’ success. Jeff Hume and BJ Birch could also light the lamp quickly as well. This was possibly their last run at a championship as teams began to fold because of a lack of players. If you remember this great team from the 1995-1996,1996-1997 they provided some great memories and showed everyone how to play the game correctly and with class and sportsmanship!