Notre-Dame nets win in pond hockey challenge

College Notre-Dame has been named the winner of the first Pond Hockey High School Challenge.

More than 81 teams played in the seventh annual Pond Hockey Festival on the Rock Feb. 6-8. This year's event included, for the first time, a high school challenge for students who volunteered.

Notre-Dame was presented with their award Feb. 26 at a school pep rally.

The winning volunteers from Notre Dame were treated to a pizza party by Toppers Pizza, as a special thanks for their time, effort and success.

“All Greater Sudbury secondary schools were invited to sign up volunteers for the Pond Hockey Festival, and the school with the most volunteer hours, in proportion to the school’s population, was declared the winner of the challenge,” said a news release.

“Everybody is a winner when it comes to Pond Hockey,” said Dawn Moore, Pond Hockey Festival on the Rock volunteer co-ordinator. “Eighty-one teams in 14 divisions got to play pond hockey, high school volunteers earned community service hours, and it is a fundraising event in which money earned go to local charities. Camp Quality and Northern Ontario Families of Children With Cancer will be the recipients for 2015.”

Pond Hockey Festival chairperson, Barbara Nott, congratulated all the high schools that took up the Pond Hockey High School Challenge: the top four high schools were Notre Dame, Lockerby, Lo-Ellen, and Sudbury Secondary.

Other schools who provided volunteers were Sacre Coeur, Macdonald-Cartier, L'Horizon, Marymount Academy, Confederation, St. Benedict, St. Charles College, Bishop Carter and Chelmsford Valley District Secondary.

“Thank you, high school volunteers, for your service to our community,” said Nott, “and for being the Coolest Volunteers for the Coolest Game on the Pond.”