In honour of their OBA Senior C Championship victory, the Thorold Community Credit Union Thorold Anchors were invited to drop the puck at the Thorold Blackhawks game against the Caledonian Corvairs on Friday night.
“It was a great experience," says the manager of the Anchors, Aaron McInnis, in an interview with ThoroldToday. “I just feel proud of our championship but also proud to be a part of something in Thorold. It’s nice to be welcomed like that.”
Some of the Anchors watched on as their president Carmine Ciolfi dropped the puck.
“Their P.A. announcer did a little write up with an explanation of what we went through on Labour Day weekend to be able to get ourselves the championship,” McInnis says. “And we got to stay out on the ice for the national anthem.”
But that wasn't the only celebration this weekend for the Anchors. On Saturday, the baseball team got together to celebrate their 2022 season with a player awards ceremony.
“The awards were voted on by the administration staff and the team coaches staff,” says McInnis. “The team as a whole is the reason that we won the championship. I don’t think there was one person that could have been omitted from the situation. It really took everybody to come together both on the field and off the field.”
That's why every player received a custom-made championship ring.
“I individually got to give everybody their ring and say a little something about each guy and what they meant to the team,” McInnis says. “I’m going to wear [mine] around with pride and then I’m going to put it in my drawer and wear it for special occasions for the rest of my life.”
With festivities in the rear view mirror, training for the new season will kick off on Tuesday.
“Come Tuesday we’re not champions anymore,” says McInnis. “We’re just past champions and we’re right back to work.”
