The annual Caitlyn Cobean Silver Stick girls’ tournament held over the past weekend (Feb. 1 – 3/19) in Saugeen Shores saw some 38 teams come in from across southwestern Ontario.
For the Kincardine Kinucks Bantam team, it came down to the final game against the Huron Heat … but it would prove to be a difficult game for all.
The night before the big game, Troy Snobelen, President and CEO of Snobelen Farms and sponsor of the team, was killed in a snowmobile accident (February 2nd) in Huron-Kinloss.
It was a shock for the whole team but more so for daughter, Eve, who plays on the team.
“We all sat crying,” said Manager, Darren VanderHoek, holding back tears, “and we didn’t know what to do but Eve made the decision. She said that the team had to play because ” … it would be what Dad would want.”
So, on Sunday, the team stepped out on the ice where everyone stopped for a moment of silence in tribute to Troy.
Then the play began. At the end, the Kinucks came out the victors with a 4 – 1 win … and Eve? She scored two of the goals. A bittersweet win for the Snobelen sponsored Kincardine Kinucks and an incredible show of courage by team player, Eve Snobelen.
Snobelen Farms was started by Troy’s parents and grew to be a significant handler of grains and oilseeds in the area, including a food-grade soybean contracting, handling and processing business that sells soybeans around the world. The company has six facilities across central and southwestern Ontario.
