Aliyah Galloway did the ceremonial puck drop to start the tournament. (submitted photo/Julie Baschuk)

By Derek Cornet

tenth anniversary

Record amount raised at Andy Clark Memorial Hockey Tournament

Mar 18, 2019 | 2:33 PM

The Clark family and Northern Animal Rescue (NAR) are appreciative of all the support they received over the weekend.

“It’s just mind-blowing really,” Colleen Clark said about the 10^th annual Andy Clark Memorial Hockey Tournament held in La Ronge. “We’re very, very grateful and amazed at the support and work that went into it. We’re very grateful for it all and the money does go to very good use through our organization.”

The tournament is in memory of Colleen Clark’s late husband, Andy, who passed away in May 2006. He was one of three occupants of a Convair 580 that went down north of town during a training mission. Clark stated her husband was an employee of Northern Air Operations (NAO) at the time, noting the friends he had there participate in the tournament every year.

In total, $6,195 was raised at the tournament and given to NAR as a donation. In the past 10 years, the Crusher Hockey Club, in partnership with the annual Andy Clark Memorial Hockey Tournament, have given back more than $10,000 to local charities, as well as children and families. The Lakers finished as the top team and donated their $1,000 reward equally between the Lac La Ronge Food Bank and six-year-old Jada Halkett.

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“Every year, we get a sizable amount, but this year, it really was a lot of money, effort and time put in by certain people,” Clark said. “Andy always had a great love for animals, and he worked for NAO and knew a lot of the guys. He coached hockey and was a big fan of it for years.”

Members of the Clark family wear special anniversary jerseys. (submitted photo/Julie Baschuk)

Julie Baschuk was an organizer of the tournament and she said all funds raised are given back in some way. There were several ways cash was raised, she added, including a raffle and auction of team jerseys. This year’s total was the most the tournament was able to raise to date.

“This tournament has always represented the true essence of our community, but this past weekend truly blew me away,” Baschuk said. “Leading into it, we knew we had to do something special with it being the 10th anniversary. We wanted the Clark family to know that Andy’s spirit shapes this event, and that he would be honoured in the way that he was as a person.”

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno