On Feb. 22 Thompson hosted its third-annual Wayne Zahayko Memorial pre-novice tournament. There were seven teams from out of town, including communities such as Cross Lake, Norway House, Grand Rapids, Flin Flon and The Pas. It was great to see so many five- and six-year-olds from across the north come to Thompson and have fun playing hockey.
One of the players, Maizie Davis said, "I had lots of fun, and my favourite part was winning an award for hard work."
There was overwhelming support from the community, the Thompson Minor Hockey Association and all the parents involved in helping run this successful tournament. A lot of our parents stepped up big-time to make this event a success. Thank you to all the parents who found time to bring their kids to hockey, and especially the ones who put in the extra effort to help organize events like this. A huge thanks to our coaches, who give so much of their time and effort to these young hockey players. I encourage more parents to get their kids off the couch and into the great game of hockey.
The Zahayko family is proud to have the annual pre-novice tournament named in Wayne’s honour. He loved hockey and was committed to the game. His message to all young hockey players lives on through this tournament: work hard – play hard – have fun!
