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Stingers and Tigers head to handball provincials

The Mallaig Stingers girls’ handball team is once again on the path to yet another successful season, winning the zones tournament in St. Paul over the weekend.
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Mallaig Stingers’ Haley Dechaine takes a shot on net during a Saturday morning game. The girls zone the NE Zone banner.

The Mallaig Stingers girls’ handball team is once again on the path to yet another successful season, winning the zones tournament in St. Paul over the weekend.


The weekend began on Friday night, with games for both the boys’ and girls’ teams taking place at Glen Avon School.


While Mallaig didn’t field a boys team this season, a handful of Mallaig School athletes did take part in the tournament, playing with the Two Hills boys’ team.


The Mallaig girls would defeat each of the other teams in the tournament, and take first place, securing themselves a spot at provincials. The provincial tournament will take place this weekend in Sherwood Park.


“It went well,” said girls coach Ian MacGillivray, when speaking about the zone tournament. The weekend allowed for the younger Grade 9 girls to take part in the action, which is always plus.


“That was a positive. The more you play, the more you understand the game,” said MacGillivray.


While there aren’t a lot of schools in the area that field handball teams, the sport does seem to be gaining some momentum, with Vegreville Composite having teams on both the boys and girls side, and St. Mary’s from Vegreville also sending a team on the girls end.


Notre Dame out of Bonnyville also took part in the tournament, with a team on both the boys and girls side.


The Mallaig Stingers girls’ team has won provincials for the last two seasons, says MacGillivray, but heading into this weekend’s tournament, the coach’s goal is simply to see the girls play well.


“I just want us to play well, and if we’re good enough to win, I’ll be pleased with that.”


On the boys’ side of the zone tournament, the Two Hills boys’ team would fall to Notre Dame in the finals, but because the zone has a wildcard position this season, the Two Hills team will also be heading to provincials.


Nathan Dubeau is an assistant coach with the Two Hills boys’ team. He became involved since his brother was one of the three Mallaig athletes playing in Two Hills, and Dubeau currently plays for Team Alberta handball.


He used his experience to help guide the newly formed handball team in Two Hills.


“I’m pretty impressed,” said Dubeau, when speaking about the Two Hills team’s performance at zones. He added that the team really had only been practicing together for about a month, and most of the athletes were completely new to the sport.


The boys fell to Notre Dame in the finals, but Dubeau says the Bonnyville team has been a strong team, fairing well at provincials in the past.


He added that he was very proud of how far the team has come along, and hope Two Hills School continues on with the sport.


Two Hills Coach Shaun Peters said the zone tournament was the first handball tournament ever for his team, which was made up of 14 athletes. Eleven of those players had never touched a handball six weeks ago.


“For a rookie team, the Tigers showed great composure and were lead by the leadership of our three Mallaig boys who helped us form a joint team this season,” says Peters. He adds that he looks forward to further developing his team and gaining more experience at provincials.


Janice Huser

About the Author: Janice Huser

Janice Huser has been with the St. Paul Journal since 2006. She is a graduate of the SAIT print media journalism program, is originally from St. Paul and has a passion for photography.
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