1960-64 ASSINIBOIA RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL
The Assiniboia Residential School opened its doors on Academy Road in Winnipeg in 1958 with a small population of approximately 120 Indigenous students from Manitoba and Northern Ontario.
Starting in 1959, the school entered teams in Greater Winnipeg Minor Hockey Association leagues. The rosters were made up of young Indigenous men from Cree, Ojibway, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Sioux First Nations. Few had formal hockey training and school turnover kept rosters small.
The school entered its first MAHA Junior B playdowns in 1960,
1960 Manitoba Junior B Champions - In 1960, Assiniboia entered a team in the MAHA Provincial Playdowns. Made up mostly of Junior and Juvenile aged players, Assiniboia advanced to the Provincial final against Pilot Mound. Assiniboia would win their first Baldy Northcott Provincial Junior 'B' title.
1961 Manitoba Junior B Champions - Winning the Junior B City title, the team went on the road to defeat Morden in Provincial semi-finals and then travelled to Stonewall winning the two game Provincial title Final 2-0. The team also won the All-Indian Kenora tournament.
1962 Manitoba Junior B Champions - Assiniboia outlasted Morden, Lundar and Stonewall to take the Provincial title. The team also won the Kenora All-Indian tournament.
1963 Manitoba Junior C Champions - Assiniboia finished in first place in the Junior C Division of the GWMHA earning a bye to the league final. Assiniboia took the final against Norberry in two games straight. The team also won the Kenora All-Indian tournament.
1964 Manitoba Junior B Champions - Assiniboia took on St. James (Deer Lodge) in the semis taking the first match 6-2. St. James responded with a Game Two 8-4 win at Winnipeg Arena. The two teams met at Transcona arena for the deciding game and in the fourth overtime session, George Kakeway broke the 3-3 tie with the winning goal for Assiniboia.
Assiniboia advanced to the finals against Norberry Royals losing the first game of the GWMHA Junior B League final 4-3. George Clearsky's dramatics in game two with fifteen seconds left pushed Assiniboia to a 3-2 victory. The deciding game of the Greater Winnipeg Junior B Championship was played at Winnipeg Arena. Assiniboia took game three by a score of 4-1 to win the city title.
Advancing to the Provincial Final, Assiniboia's fast skating and accurate shooting were too much for their opponents from Lundar. Assiniboia took both games in the two game total point series (8-3, 7-3; 15-5.
In 1965, Assiniboia eliminated Winakwa in two straight games (4-2, 6-2) and advanced to the league final against River Heights, the regular season champs. ARS took the first game 4-0 in the best-of-three. The stunned River Heights team had lost only one game all season. In Game two the teams went to overtime tied 2-2 and after 17 minutes River Heights took the victory. A Game three loss ended Assiniboia's remarkable run of five straight Provincial titles. River Heights would go on to lose the Provincial title to Brandon-Deloraine Junior B Wheat Kings (featuring MBHHOF honouree Bill Mikkelson).
*To put the quality of Junior B hockey at that time in perspective, the River Heights Junior B squad had defeated the top two teams in the MJHL in exhibition games during the season. The winning Brandon-Deloraine squad challenged the MJHL champion Winnipeg Rangers for the right to represent the province in the National Junior playdowns. The challenge was denied.
Manitoba Provincial Junior B Champions (1960, 1961, 1962, 1964)
Manitoba Provincial Junior C Champions (1963)
Father Omer Robidoux, Manage, Head Coach - Luc Marchildon, Asst Coach - John Cardinal, Asst Coach - Larry Marchildon
Matthieu Beaver, Martin Beardy, Isias Bee , Matthias Bee ,Gilbert Bruyere, Rudolph Bruyere , Boniface Canabee, George Clearsky , Melvin Courchene, Marcel Flett , Phil Fontaine, Philip Gardner, Paul Hart, Dan Highway, John Henry, Paul Jobb, Steve Jourdain, George Kakeway, Bernard Linklater, Salio Mamakesic, Pierre Mekish, Wilfred Mousseau, Collin Moar, Robert Napish, Cliff Nelson, Oliver Nelson, Gordon Nepinak, Harvey Nepinak, Edward (Ted) Papanekis, Charles Perreault, Ralph Robinson, Riley Runearth, Harvey Severite, Wilfred Shawanda, Steve Skead, George Spence, Brian Tuesday, Louis Watt, Ambrose Wood, Jack Wood,Joe Guy Wood, Paul Emile Wood
