TRA Alumni Game Event In Support Of YoMobile

On December 22, 2019, the Timmins Ringette Association (TRA) was proud to host a showcase Alumni game between the Timmins U19A Tornadoes and a special gathering of recent TRA Alumni players.  The game took place at the Whitney Arena and was supported by over 100 friends and family members.  The game was a fast paced and highly entertaining competitive match featuring many Tornadoes alumni who have moved on to play at the University level and the National Ringette League, and now represent University teams at Ottawa, Carleton, Western, Laurentian, Guelph, Dalhousie, Trent, as well as with the Atlantic Attack (NRL). The game was played during the holidays in order to bring together current and past players to celebrate the importance of family. The game was free to enter but a donation to the YoMobile was requested in order to help support those most in need during the holiday season.  The Timmins Ringette community is very close knit, inclusive, and supportive, so the solid contributions of both food and monetary donations were much appreciated.

The U19 A competitive team came out victorious in this match by a score of 4-2.  All the goals were scored in the first period.  While the Alumni team needed a period in order to get their legs and timing in place, they came out much better prepared and ready to battle in the final period. Strong goaltending was the story of that period, however.  Sydney Dagenais, Marie Bourdage-Cote (2), and Emilie Viel scored for the Tornado U19 A team while Caitlyn Ranger replied with both goals for the Timmins Alumni team. The Alumni game came together as a result of a collaborative effort between the TRA and the Head Coach of the U19A Timmins Tornadoes team, Rick Dagenais, in order to showcase the historical success of the Association and its players. Ringette is all about “fun, fitness and friendship”.  Many of these girls have been playing since they were Bunnies - about the age of four years of age. The fact that they are still choosing to play post-secondary speaks a lot about the strong roots of the sport of Ringette, as well as the strong success of the Timmins Ringette program.   Other than their passion for the sport, a key reason that so many of these strong female athletes have continued playing Ringette at an elite level is because of their opportunity for growth and development within the TRA’s excellent house league program. The Association is fortunate to have the support of many dedicated volunteers who put in hundreds of hours of hard work each season; allowing the players to excel and compete for their goals. In fact, the  Timmins Ringette Association and its volunteers have garnered several awards from Ontario Ringette over the years for their collaborative efforts, including prestigious honours such as Community Builder, Coach of the Year, and Association of the Year. Every year, Timmins Ringette’s house league teams bring home numerous Regional medals, from ages U10 to 18+.  The Association’s competitive program has also flourished over the past decade with Tornadoes teams regularly bringing home medals in every division (U12PP, U14A, U16A and U19A) at tournaments throughout the Province, as well as multiple Provincial titles. Furthermore, the Timmins Tornadoes have represented Ontario at two Eastern Canada Ringette A championships over the past 5 years; coming home with a Silver medal in 2015 and a Gold in 2018.  Also, of significance, many current and former Timmins players have been selected to play at the AA and AAA level for the Northeast Region.  In 2019, for the first time ever, a Timmins player was chosen to play for Team Ontario at the Canada Winter Games; a prestigious honour and exceptional accomplishment! The Timmins Ringette Association always strives to promote our great sport in the community and welcomes all new or returning players to come try Ringette and see why it is well known as the “Fastest Game on Ice!” Follow us on Facebook !!