ESTEVAN - The fifth annual Aaron Lavoie Memorial Tournament once again generated some good hockey and emotion.
The tournament opened Friday and continued until Sunday afternoon, with games at Affinity Place, the Power Dodge Arena and the Bienfait Memorial Arena. Nine teams entered the U18 house tournament, including the host Estevan CNRL Bruins and the Estevan ISEP Bruins.
A ceremonial face-off was held prior to Friday afternoon's game at Affinity Place between the Melville Millionaires and Manitoba's La Broquiere Habs. Lavoie's father Gary dropped the puck.
Burt Blondeau, the director of the Estevan Minor Hockey Association's U18 division, said Aaron Lavoie had a passion for sport that was second to none. Blondeau noted Aaron Lavoie played with heart and determination that never went unnoticed.
"He was a hard worker, a great teammate and a friend to all he played with. I would like all the players to do the same this weekend in Aaron's honour. Play hard. Have fun. And make new friendships along the way."
Lavoie passed away suddenly in 2019 at the age of 16.
The Yorkton Terriers won the tournament, defeating the Foam Lake-Ituna Flyers 7-2 in the A final. The Habs defeated the CNRL Bruins 5-3 in the B final. The IESP Bruins won the C final with a 6-3 victory over the Niverville Clippers, and the Weyburn Wings beat the Lampman Imperials 6-1 in the D final.
Melville was the other team entered.
Both Estevan teams won twice in the round robin. The ICEP Bruins defeated Weyburn 3-2 and Melville 6-3, but lost 5-2 to the Habs and 6-1 to Yorkton.
The CNRL Bruins opened with a 5-4 loss to Foam Lake-Ituna, but recovered to double up Niverville 8-4 and shut out Lampman 6-0.
