The Eckville Eagles are quickly on there way to stepping onto the ice, but first, they had to step on the course.
On Saturday, September 17 – the Eckville Eagles had their inaugural golf tournament at Meadowlands Golf Course after being rained out the previous weekend. The tournament was a chance for the Eagles and their General Manager/player Reed Watts, to embed their identity into the community.
“It’s our first big event as the Eckville Eagles,” Watts said. “It’s mostly about getting the players out and meeting the people of Eckville and the business owners. We are hoping to raise interest in the team and I couldn’t think of a better way to do that than a golf tournament.”
Unfortunately, the rescheduling led many golfers unable to participate due to prior commitments, however Watts is excited about the buzz the team has created throughout the Town of Eckville.
“I was at ball tournaments in back-to-back weekends with local teams and it seems like it is quite the topic,” he said. “Everyone wants to talk about it and jar with me about it. The interest is up already.”
On the ice, the team is revving up for their first showdown in Edson on October 1, at 8 p.m.
“We have skated once so far and the team looks strong,” Watts said. “We will be strong defensively - we have lost some players but we added some guys.”
Watts added that the intention is for the Eagles to improve on their second-round playoff exit, from when they were known as the Big Valley Oil Kings prior to relocation.
“I would like to be first or second in the south and be a Top 4 team in the league,” Watts said. “Last year we made it to the second round; this year I hope we make the finals.”
Watts added that he is “thankful it was sunny out and I hope everyone had a great day” at the golf tournament.
The Eagles will play their home opener at the Eckville Arena on October 15 versus Devon at 8:30 p.m. If you would like more information about the Eckville Eagles, you can contact Watts at (403) 505-9440. If you could like more information about North-Central Hockey League (NCHL), you can log on to northcentralhockeyleague.com.
reporter@eckvilleecho.com