Memorial tournament a success with players and fans

Though he was never a hockey player, Niagara-on-the-Lake’s James Berg was a huge contributor to the town’s minor hockey organization. And exactly a year to the date of his sudden death on Dec. 23, 2021, a tournament in his name is helping out once again. 

Organized by family members, the James Berg Memorial Hockey Tournament in Vigil raised $5,500 two days before Christmas for the Niagara-on-the-Lake Wolves Minor Hockey Club. 

Despite the blowing snow and hazardous road conditions that day, eight teams squared off in the day-long tournament that also included a raffle, a barbecue and a great day of surprisingly high-level action on the ice. 

“The stands were packed,” Berg’s 21-year-old daughter Madison tells The Local. “The snow was crazy, but the whole community really came out. There were people all over the arena. It was so amazing to see how busy it was.”

The idea for the tournament originated in the mind of Madison’s cousin, Matt Friesen. 

“My uncle was a great guy,” Friesen says. “I’m really close with his kids, though I’m a bit older than all three of them. I wanted to do something to honour him on the anniversary, and a hockey tournament was the first thing that came to mind.”

Friesen told Madison and her brothers Mackenzie, 23 and Mitch, 18, about his idea last summer, and they quickly got to work putting things together. 

“Matt contacted the town to ask about ice time,” explains Madison, “and once we had a date we threw it out there on Facebook. We thought we might be able to get four teams to make a perfect little tournament, but the response was overwhelming. We ended up with 10 teams interested, but had to cut it back to eight due to the ice time.”

For the most part those teams were all assembled specifically for the tournament. Friends and relatives of the Berg children were on the ice as well as a number of former Wolves players from the decade-plus during which James was involved as a coach, trainer and member of the organization’s executive board. 

Kyle Pauls organized the team that ended up winning the tournament, and he says he was surprised by the level of hockey that was being played that day. 

“I didn’t anticipate that much talent,” Pauls says. “It was a welcome surprise.” 

His own team included former Quebec Major Junior Hockey League player Matt Thorpe of Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Charlie Izaguirre, who played four years of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III hockey at Lake Forest College in Illinois. 

But according to multiple sources, all eight teams were similar in make-up. Brothers Mackenzie and Mitch Berg played against each other on teams they organized for the tournament, as well. 

The games were all officiated by accredited referees who donated their time, including local residents Rob Alexander, Fred Teichgraf and Chris Weier. 

“One of the other refs couldn’t make it because of the weather,” says Friesen. “Those three stayed all day long. We were a bit nervous because of the competitiveness of the play, as we only had one ref per game. But it worked out really well.”

The weather kept current Wolves president Pete Flynn away from the arena that Friday but he was impressed with how well it was run and with the funds it raised. Flynn worked alongside Berg for many years on the Wolves executive. 

“What we’d like to do with the donation,” Flynn tells The Local, “is to create a James Berg Memorial Scholarship. We’ll talk to the family about it. But we’d like to use the proceeds to establish a scholarship fund, perhaps to help kids who have played in our local hockey club as they move into college or university.”

Pauls’ winning team received T-shirts commemorating the beloved hockey booster, and Madison says if the tournament returns next year she hopes they can get a trophy made to present to the winner.

“Dad would have loved the tournament,” she says. “He would have been here, and he would have enjoyed the day so much. He would have been really happy.”

The family hasn’t yet decided if the James Berg Memorial Hockey Tournament will be an annual event, but they are getting pressure from many who were there that Friday. 

“I need to talk to Madi to see what she thinks,” Friesen says, “but I 100 per cent want to do it again. It’s a great way to honour my uncle James. I’d like to keep it going every year. I know the players want it to come back.”

“I worked the night shift the night before,” Pauls adds, “but there was no way I was going to miss the tournament, even with the weather. I made sure I got up early to get there and beat the storm. The consensus from everyone on my team is we absolutely want this tournament to come back next year.”