Moose Yearling Foundation annual trip
Jun 5, 2010
We would like to thank the GM of the AHL's Manitoba Moose, Craig Heisinger (aka Zinger) and the head coach Scott Arniel for agreeing to host a charity trip to Aikens Lake once again. Aikens has donated to trip for auction at the annual Moose Yearling Foundation dinner since their inception, and it's a tradition that goes all the way back to the days of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets Goals for Kids. Zinger and Scott have always graciously accepted to host the winners on the fishing trip, and it has become a highlight of the off-season for both men.
The trip this year sold for a record amount - nearly doubling the price from 2009! The top bidder at the auction was Barry Bembridge. Barry had been to Aikens on this trip in the past, and he didn't want to let this chance go by. After all, he had a healthy rivalry with Coach Arniel in just about every category (fishing, pool, shuffleboard.) The competition was pretty tame on the first few days, but sitting around Big Molly's Bar on the 2nd night changed that.
The teams were made up: Barry and his friend Darrell would fish with Kik and Zinger and Arniel would fish with Eric. Barry's team was given a handicap for the next day's fishing given the fact that Zinger is quite an accomplished angler, and Arniel was very confident that they were clearly the better anglers out of the two teams. Terms of the competition were amended until midnight, at which point the meetings broke off and the competitors went to get a good night's sleep. Each 23" walleye or bigger would count for points - there was a sliding scale. The competition would only last until noon.
Well, as it turns out, no handicap was needed! Barry and Darrell easily beat out the more experienced team. Zinger and Arniel reeled in more 22" walleyes that morning than they'd ever seen in their lives, but for some reason couldn't break that invisible barrier often enough. As Coach Arniel said in the post-game conference at shorelunch: "I think I was the one who insisted that the walleyes be 23" instead of 21"... I hate losing, but I hate losing to Barry even more!"
The trip this year sold for a record amount - nearly doubling the price from 2009! The top bidder at the auction was Barry Bembridge. Barry had been to Aikens on this trip in the past, and he didn't want to let this chance go by. After all, he had a healthy rivalry with Coach Arniel in just about every category (fishing, pool, shuffleboard.) The competition was pretty tame on the first few days, but sitting around Big Molly's Bar on the 2nd night changed that.
The teams were made up: Barry and his friend Darrell would fish with Kik and Zinger and Arniel would fish with Eric. Barry's team was given a handicap for the next day's fishing given the fact that Zinger is quite an accomplished angler, and Arniel was very confident that they were clearly the better anglers out of the two teams. Terms of the competition were amended until midnight, at which point the meetings broke off and the competitors went to get a good night's sleep. Each 23" walleye or bigger would count for points - there was a sliding scale. The competition would only last until noon.
Well, as it turns out, no handicap was needed! Barry and Darrell easily beat out the more experienced team. Zinger and Arniel reeled in more 22" walleyes that morning than they'd ever seen in their lives, but for some reason couldn't break that invisible barrier often enough. As Coach Arniel said in the post-game conference at shorelunch: "I think I was the one who insisted that the walleyes be 23" instead of 21"... I hate losing, but I hate losing to Barry even more!"