By Dan Plouffe
For house league participants in the Bell Capital Cup, the chance to play against teams from different corners of the city already makes the tournament a unique event, but a select few also got the chance to play against a team from the other side of the world.
For Cumberland Bandits coach Luciano Cavaliere, who’d previously taken part in five Capital Cups with his older sons, the opportunity to match up against the Korea Eagles was the first time he’d played a team from outside Eastern Ontario, let alone outside the continent.
“It’s really nice to face an international team,” says Cavaliere, whose squad earned a dramatic 4-4 tie with the Eagles in its final round robin game to advance to the Atom House ‘A’ quarter-finals, receiving a hat trick from Francis St-Gelais and another goal from Paul Cavaliere. “We loved it.”
There were a few differences compared to the average hockey game – it was the first time Cavaliere had a team bow to his coaching staff after shaking hands with players following the game – and the over-the-top enthusiasm of his players to go trade pins with their Korean counterparts after the game.
“This is what hockey’s all about,” Cavaliere adds. “Seeing the boys have the smile on their face and enjoy themselves.”
Parents of the Carleton Place Kings got to see those smiles that much more frequently as the Atom House ‘B’ team billeted the Eagles at their homes during the tournament.
“It’s been a wonderful experience,” notes Cynthia Belliveau, whose family hosted Dong Hyun Shin and Se Hyeon Yi – known as Jake and Chris, respectively, for their trip to Canada.
The connection was pretty much instant between the Belliveaus’ visitors and their own kids, Alexandre and Samantha, as they arrived on the 26th and experienced a Canadian Christmas celebration.
Tobogganing, seeing the Alvin and the Chipmunks movie and Playstation hockey were other activities on the agenda besides the time at the rink, where the players cheered each other on as they played back-to-back at the same arena.
“It’s been very hectic, but very worth it,” smiles Eric Belliveau, Cynthia’s husband. “My kids have adored both of them.”
The Belliveaus and the other host families connected with the Korean parents on Facebook beforehand and kept them up-to-date with progress of games throughout the tournament. Their team now has an open invitation to visit Korea any time they like.
“They have the same passion for the game as we have,” Eric adds. “It’s really been a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
The Eagles went 1-1-1 at the tournament and just missed the playoff round in their Atom House ‘A’ division. Three other Korean teams participated in the Peewee House ‘A’ event, with the Delegates of Gyeonggido coming out on top with a 4-3 win over the West End IceMen in the final.
Other local teams also earned top finishes in the house league divisions.
Perth Lanark won the Atom House ‘A’ event, Pembroke came out on top of the Atom House ‘B’ division that also featured Kemptville, South Dundas and West End in the final four, while Ottawa Valley made it to the final in Major Peewee ‘AAA’, and reached the Minor Peewee ‘AA’ semi-final.
Kemptville Panthers teams occupied three of the four Atom House ‘C’ semi-final positions, with Team #4 topping South Grenville 3-2 in the final.
Visit SportsOttawa.com’s special Bell Capital Cup page for more coverage.