CHEBOYGAN – It started with hockey and ended in hockey.
But in between, there was a whole lot to do even if you weren’t playing a game.
For the first time ever, Cheboygan’s “Hockey Days Cheboygan” extravaganza took place for three days at Ralph G. Cantile Arena on Friday-Sunday, Nov. 21-23.
Helping put together the event were Ruthann Cantile, Becky Miller, Chuck Atkins and Danielle Bur, along with those in the Cheboygan Hockey Association. The event was inspired by family-friendly hockey events that Ruthann Cantile experienced while living in Minnesota.
“The goal for this weekend was to bring a sense of community and make sure that the teams that skate out of the arena here were highlighted, and I think we accomplished that, so that’s awesome,” Ruthann Cantile said. “Every player that skates out of (Cheboygan) was here this weekend, so it was really neat.”
Starting off the festivities was the Cheboygan High School hockey team, which hosted Dexter on Friday, Nov. 21, and then took on Ann Arbor Skyline on Saturday. Also competing on Saturday were several Cheboygan youth hockey teams, including the bantams, who battled against Alpena following the conclusion of Saturday afternoon’s high school game. The Wendigo, Cheboygan’s semi-professional team, hosted St. Ignace later in the evening.
The hockey action continued Sunday when Cheboygan’s 11-12 team faced off against Sault Ste. Marie, once in the morning and then in the afternoon. The hockey wrapped up with Northern Ice Women’s hockey and Straits Area men’s hockey league games on Sunday night.
Kids and families in attendance had plenty of activities to do, including face painting, hockey movies at the rink, line dancing led by Cheboygan’s Carole Yeck, and an open skating session with a DJ.
“We were hoping to get some outside interest,” Cantile said. “I think a few people stopped over since it was a low-cost fun activity, and they might know somebody who plays hockey. We had ornament making, face painting, coloring, and we had kids color a banner. We plan to do this event annually, and each year they’ll color a different banner, hang them up and have a collection of it.”
As exciting as the inaugural Hockey Days Cheboygan fest was, Cantile and her team will look to expand on this year’s event and make it even more fun going forward.
“With the weather the way it was this weekend, we could’ve had a tent outside with some venders and a band,” Cantile said. “A skills competition would be super fun. Making it more like a media-type thing where the kids all come dressed up in their suits like the pros, and having someone ask them some questions, and put it on a YouTube channel. We want to really kind of jazz it up and have fun with it.
“We just want to keep growing it.”
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: First-time Hockey Days Cheboygan event brings community to the ice
Reporting by Jared Greenleaf, Cheboygan Daily Tribune / Cheboygan Daily Tribune
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