Gjoa Haven hockey team lifts community spirits with Yellowknife win

After weeks of disruptions caused by water problems and a power outage that closed the local arena, the Gjoa Haven Snowy Owls senior men’s hockey team delivered much-needed cheer to their community recently with a championship win in Yellowknife.

The Snowy Owls hope to do it again this weekend at the Kitikmeot Cup, Nunavut’s western regional tournament, in Taloyoak.

“It’s been a tough year for the community dealing with the power outage and the water pipe break,” team captain Michael Jewell said in an interview.

“But we have used sports as a positive way to take our mind off of the problems that are being resolved right now.”

Gjoa Haven declared a local state of emergency April 9 as it faced a three-day power outage after a blizzard. The outage led to frozen pipes in homes and damaged plumbing at the community arena which is now closed for repairs.

Meanwhile, a boil water advisory issued Jan. 16 remains in effect after a pipe connecting the community water source to its treatment plant broke.

On April 5, the Snowy Owls captured the C division title at the Yellowknife Recreational Hockey Easter Tournament — their first title there since 2014.

But since returning home — and with their arena closed — the team has had no time on the ice to prepare for the Taloyoak tournament that opened Thursday and runs through Sunday.

“It’s gonna be a tough transition, but the guys are excited and we try to keep in fairly good shape for the tournament,” Jewell said.

At the Yellowknife tournament which ran from April 2 to 5, a goal late in the third period helped Gjoa Haven to a 4-3 victory in the C division championship match, defeating the Łutselkʼe Snowhawks of N.W.T.

Jewell called the Yellowknife win the start of a “renewed golden era” for the Snowy Owls.

The Gjoa Haven squad includes 14 players ranging in age from 18 to 44 along with Jewell’s 14-year-old brother, Andrew Porter Jr., the youngest player on the team.

“It was a very proud moment,” said Jewell, on watching his brother compete against the older players.

“He joined us with our practices and he was always showing up, so that’s why we gave him a shot at it.”

Gjoa Haven fans who were in the crowd in Yellowknife will also head to Taloyoak for the Kitikmeot Cup, making the roughly 135-kilometre trip there by snowmobile on Friday.

In their first tournament game, the Snowy Owls will split and face-off against their own Team 2 squad on Friday. Four games are scheduled for Saturday.

If they qualify, semifinal and final matches go Sunday. In total, six teams are competing.

This will be the team’s last tournament before the end of the hockey season.

For Jewell, who also coaches minor hockey in Gjoa Haven, the team’s success has brought the community together.

He called it “a breath of fresh air” for residents after a challenging winter.