Ringette’s 50th anniversary remembers the sport’s history and features international tournament
The University of Guelph ringette team travelled to North Bay, Ontario – the town ringette was invented in – to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ringette and to play in the University Challenge Cup’s (UCC) second tier, where they defeated Nipissing University in the final by a score of 7-1.
The lopsided score sums up the tournament rather accurately for the Gryphons, who outscored their opponents 39-6 over seven games, to go a perfect 7-0 in the tournament, and all but solidify their place in the first tier when the tournament is hosted in Alberta next year.
The UCC win marks the first ever victory for the Guelph club (they won silver in 2013 and 2012 and bronze in 2011) and with 12 university teams participating from across the country, with Ontario universities making up nine of those teams, it begs the question as to when the OUA will recognize the sport with varsity status.
Nevertheless, the clubs showed up to North Bay on Dec. 31 to ring in their first game of the tournament on New Year’s Day against McMaster’s ‘B’ team. The Marauders played the Gryphons tight for the first half but with two minutes left, Erin Ivens buried the first goal of the tournament to put Guelph up one going into the second half. Guelph settled into the game much more comfortably after the break, scoring in the 1st, 5th, and 16th minute of the period to put away McMaster 4-0.
Guelph’s second game came versus the Brock Badgers who, despite scoring first, were outmatched by the dynamic Gryphons team, who took their second game of the day 3-1.
Jan. 2 had two more games on the slate for the Gryphons. Even though the thermometers dropped to -41 degrees, the Gryphons showed up warm and ready for their closest game of the tournament, a 4-2 victory over eventual silver medalists, the Nipissing Lakers.
Guelph finished their day versus Laurentian, winning handily 8-0. Jessica Johnston scored a hat trick, while Shannon O’Dwyer racked in two goals and an assist.
The set of games that took place on Friday followed the same momentum and storyline that was on display the day before. Guelph beat both Brock and Laurentian for the second time in the tournament by scores of 8-2 and 7-0, solidifying their spot in the gold medal game on Saturday.
The final featured the host Lakers and was played at Memorial Gardens, home of the OHL’s newest team, the North Bay Battalion. The first half of the first frame saw Guelph pepper the Laker’s net with shots in what made for a very interesting start to the game. However, the suspense that a close game brings was short-lived as Guelph’s skaters, who were faster, stronger, and more agile than all their opponents, were relentless in their attack on the net.
The final scoreboard saw Guelph win 7-1 to take home the UCC trophy. Guelph’s dominance started up front with solid performances all weekend long from Johnston, Stacey Forbes, Ivens, and in the back with Madison Desrochers, who surrendered only six goals through seven games, while recording three shutouts.
Celebrating 50 years of ringette
The 2014 UCC was part of a larger celebration in North Bay, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the invention of ringette. These festivities included the World Championship, the President’s Pool Championship, and the World Under 16 Championship. As the headlining event, the World Championship featured a best two-out-of-three series between Team Canada and Team Finland, the two main ringette powerhouses, competing for the Sam Jacks Trophy. Since its induction in 1990, the World Championships have only seen Canada win four times, with Finland successfully defending their trophy this year with their fourth straight win. Finland won the series in two games, beating Canada by scores of 8-4 and 7-5.
Although Finland is currently dominating the international stage (their Under 19 team also won the President’s Pool title and the World Under 19 title), the sport of ringette is purely Canadian, invented in North Bay in 1963. Sam Jacks, the director of Parks and Recreation for the City of North Bay, had a passion for youth athletics, in particular ice sports. It was this passion that led him to invent ringette in order to fill a void for winter sports for girls. Although the rules have changed drastically over the years, the game created by Jacks is now played in over 13 countries, including Sweden, Germany, France, and the USA.
While Sam is credited with the invention of the sport, it was his wife, Agnes, that was the ambassador of the sport until her death in 2005, attending every tournament she could, and presenting a friendly, instantly recognizable face around the arena. The number 63 was retired at the closing ceremonies of the World Championships in honour of Sam and Agnes Jacks, and the rich history of the sport that has grown so much over the past 50 years.
Over the next 50 years, ringette will continue to grow, and university play is one of the most important factors. With the 2015 tournament likely moving west to Calgary, the University of Guelph team is looking forward to new competition and gaining more exposure for the sport. In Ontario, university teams attend tournaments, and a two-tiered system next season will see the Gryphons competing against the top teams in the province, including Western, Ottawa, and Carleton. This season, U of G is hoping to add to their silver in Oshawa and golds in London and North Bay with two more golds in the upcoming Guelph and Niagara Falls tournaments. The Gryphon ringette program has become increasingly more competitive over the years, and hopes to continue this trend in seasons to come.