Here's hoping there's a little rest built into the Christmas schedule for the youngsters who make up the Nickel City U10 A Cubs team this year.

Given the hockey calendar they have navigated since September, they most certainly deserve a little down time.

Part of a nicely competitive four-team loop in the Nickel District Minor Hockey League (NDMHL), the Nickel City squad that boasts a record of 5-3-1 to date also managed to squeeze in a solid handful of tournament appearances these past few months.

Taking advantage of snow-free travel, the Cubs attended the South Simcoe Tournament in early October, posting a 3-1 record in round robin play before blanking the Sudbury Wolves 3-0 in an all-northern final.

Some great hockey at the Silver Stick tournament locally saw the Cubs survive overtime drama in the quarter-finals (4-3 win over the Castor River Canucks) before being eliminated by the powerhouse that is the Collingwood Jr Blues.

A couple of weeks later, it was off to the Ottawa region as Nickel City earned silver at the Capital Mid-Season Showdown. Wins over the TOP Titans (7-1), Applewood Coyotes (8-1) and York Mills Rangers (7-0) and a 2-2 tie with the Whitby Wildcats Blues set up a semi-final rematch with the latter.

The Cubs advanced to the final in a convincing fashion but came up just short against the Stittsville Rams in the gold medal encounter, beaten 2-1 in a highly entertaining affair.

The Cubs close out their pre-Christmas schedule this Saturday with an early morning battle with the Copper Cliff Redmen (3-6-1), with the loop reconvening on Saturday, January 3rd.

The 2025-2026 Nickel City U10 A Cubs are Benjamin Gervais, Ethan Watkins, Félix Pilon, Fionn McHugh, Jacob Lachapelle, Jax Cooney, Joshua Cockburn, Nathan Dutrisac, Noah Garneau, Emile Charbonneau, Jérémi Nadeau, Enzo Bradley, Kade Rochon, Kolton Ferguson, Theodore Gareau, Joshua McKay and Zackarie Paquette.

Team staff includes head coach André Pilon, assistants Dan Charbonneau and Josh Cooney, trainers Scott Dutrisac, Tyler Cockburn and Mitch Garneau and team manager Katherine Cockburn.