Lloydminster U13 Female Blazers celebrate winning the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup during a presentation at Russ Robertson Arena on Good Friday. The team donated $100,000 to Inclusion Lloydminster as the winning team among 12 finalists. Supplied Photo
The Lloydminster Female U13 Blazers pulled off an Easter miracle by winning the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup and $100,000 for inclusive hockey without scoring a single goal.
The funds will be donated to Inclusion Lloydminster that will work with a local committee to create a barrier free Para Ice Ice Hockey rink for players, volunteers and fans in the plans for the new Lloydminster Place event centre.
The team’s good deeds inspired the Lloydminster Ross Ulmer Family Foundation to match the funds with a $100,000 donation to Inclusion Canada to make it national.
The Blazers were officially announced as this year's cup winner during Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night (April 16).
The local cup presentation, held at Russ Robertson Arena on Good Friday, caught the team by surprise as planned with celebrities on hand to cheer them on, including female hockey Olympians Caroline Ouellette and Sarah Nurse.
The crowd of well-wishers included Tyler McGregor, two-time paralympic medalist and captain of Canada's sledge hockey team.
Also on hand were Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers, Ulmer Chevrolet Cadillac owner, Ross Ulmer, Blazers assistant coach Elyssa Dunbar and Chevrolet Canada marketing communications manager, George Saratlic.
The Alberta based Blazers are the first all-girls team to win the cup and they did it by generating the most votes in Canada.
The team also competed in the national programs against 11 other teams and became a regional finalist after entering the competition earlier this year.
Their submission came after learning a team parent couldn’t access the box to help time keep at their area.
Following this, the girls hosted an inclusive sledge hockey event and advocated for a barrier-free bi-provincial Para-Ice Hockey Arena.
Read the full story this Thursday in our April 14 edition of the Source.
