Members of the La Ronge 89ers hockey team. (Facebook/Tami Mckenzie)

By Derek Cornet

hockey tournament

La Ronge 89ers, Team Woodland victorious at Battle of the Nations

Jan 19, 2026 | 3:52 PM

The La Ronge 89ers and Team Woodland showed they were the teams to beat at the Battle of the Nations Recreation Hockey Championship during the weekend in Prince Albert.

The Prince Albert Grand Council tournament featured 30 teams competing across men’s recreational and women’s divisions, with matches taking place at arenas across the city and championship games played on Sunday.

The La Ronge 89ers went undefeated in six games and beat the Sandy Lake Chiefs 5-4 in a shootout. Meanwhile, Team Woodland lost their first game but won the following three, including the final 1-0 in overtime (three-on-three) against Treaty 6 Reign.

“It’s been a lot of years to get to this point where we tried to build around a core over the years and add pieces to the team here and there, and also working around with guys who are available,” said La Ronge 89ers coach Kevin Roberts.

“There was some of our first options guys who we wanted weren’t available, either going to university or were just out of province. We essentially hand-picked the team of who would give us the best chance to win. We go to compete.”

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As the winners of the tournament, the La Ronge 89ers won $12,000 and Team Woodland took home $3,000. The La Ronge 89ers consisted entirely of Lac La Ronge Indian Band (LLRIB) members, while Team Woodland consists of members from the LLRIB, Montreal Lake Cree Nation and Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation.

Members of Team Woodland. (Facebook/Tami Mckenzie)

In addition, three players with the La Ronge 89ers received individual awards, including Floyd Cook for Most Valuable Players, Don Halkett for Top Goalie, and Robin Todd McKenzie for Top Defenceman. Roberts also took home the award for Top Coach.

“It’s a little feather in the cap, but I’m a big team guy and I prefer team wins over individual awards,” he said.

“It’s a nice gesture for them to give me that, but I think it is more important that we do things together as a team. That’s how we have been growing the last few years is we’re all making sacrifices to get where we’re at and try to win. Guys have to step away from work, guys have to take some hours or sometimes days off from their families to come and play and so winning is just one of the rewards of that.”

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com