School is out and that means the Annual Brick Super Novice Invitational Hockey Tournament is on. This year marks the 23rd edition of the popular summer hockey event.
The Brick tournament began Monday and finishes on Sunday. The Ice Palace at West Edmonton Mall will host all 47 tournament games.
Fourteen teams from across Canada and the United States are competing for the top spot. The Toronto Bulldogs are looking to score a three-peat this year with a third consecutive title.
This summer, two St. Albert hockey players are lacing up for Team Brick Alberta – Marc Lajoie and Tyson Greenway.
Lajoie and Greenway were among 19 players selected to Team Brick Alberta in early April by head coach Steve Serdachny and his staff. Selection camps were held in Edmonton, Calgary and Jasper, in addition to player scouting throughout the winter hockey season.
Tyson Greenway said there was a lot of talent vying for spots on the team.
“At the first tryouts, all the kids they were pretty good at the start,” he says. “And then at the end they got super good.”
But the 10-year-old says, “I was confident in myself.”
Mom Tricia Greenway says that Tyson making the Brick team has been a goal for a couple of years so earning a spot was a celebration for the entire clan.
“It was very emotional for the whole family and he was very excited,” she says.
The young player is following the family hockey tradition. Greenway’s father, Davie, played in the Western Hockey League for the Red Deer Rebels and Tri-City Americans.
“He’s definitely his father’s son,” mom Tricia says.
Greenway’s Brick teammate Marc Lajoie also hails from a hockey family. His father Serge is head coach for the NAIT Ooks men’s hockey team that won the ACAC championship title this year.
Young Lajoie said he had hoped to make the team and was really excited when he got the call. He finds it hard to decide what part of the whole Team Alberta experience he’s enjoyed most.
“I like every part,” Lajoie says. “Everything we’ve done so far in the Brick tournament has been really fun.”
Lajoie played for the St. Albert atom AA Barons this season.
Greenway was a forward on his St. Albert Lightning atom AA team this winter, but was asked to take on a defenseman role for Team Brick. His mom says he’s been doing a great job in the new position.
The Greenways moved to St. Albert from Edmonton last year so this winter was Tyson’s first season with the atom Lightning team.
“He was just welcomed in on this team and the team has been coming to support him and everything. His coach calls him ‘smiley,’” Tricia says. “It’s been the best experience moving to St. Albert let alone getting to make that winter hockey team, and the Brick (team).”
Having his teammates come out to cheer him on has been one of the best parts of the Brick tournament so far.
“Having all my friends be there and having the experience,” Greenway says. “I have a lot of friends from the Lightning.”
In preparation for the games this week, Team Brick participated in tournaments in Toronto, Edmonton and Winnipeg where Tricia Greenway says they scored a lot of wins.
“We did very well,” Greenway says. “I mean the games were a lot different, like 7 to 1 and 6 to 2 – things like that. So the games that we’ve been having (this week) are a lot more difficult, the teams are big competition.”
Marc Lajoie says because of the tough competition on the ice, he has had to step-up his game and play much better than he normally does.
“They’re way better than the teams I normally play against,” he says.
Despite the hard work, for 10-year-old Lajoie, this week at the Brick tournament has been the highlight of his career.
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
The tournament winner will be decided in the final game 12:30 p.m. on Sunday at the West Edmonton Mall Ice Palace.
