New Liskeard weekend-long hockey tournament raises awareness of CPR, defibrillators
A weekend hockey tournament in Temiskaming Shores is raising money to improve an outdoor rink in North Cobalt while raising awareness of the importance of being trained in CPR.
The 4th annual AC15 Women’s Hockey Tournament is honouring the late Alexa Corneil, a 19-year-old New Liskeard native who died in her sleep from a heart arrhythmia while away at university.
Corneil had an undiagnosed heart condition called arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).
“It’s one of the few conditions that actually gets worse with exercise,” said her father Glenn Corneil.
“So we had no warning. It's one of these things when you see high-level athletes, you know, collapsing on a basketball court or at a hockey rink. It's one of the causes, unfortunately.”
She was a co-captain of the North Bay Ice Boltz Midget AA team. Local health-care workers and high school students will be on hand running CPR training courses and teaching all who want to learn how to use an automated external defibrillator (AED), things that matter to the Corneil family.
The 4th annual AC15 Women’s Hockey Tournament is honouring the late Alexa Corneil, a 19-year-old New Liskeard native who died in her sleep from a heart arrhythmia while away at university. (Photos courtesy of Glenn Corneil)
CPR saves lives
Glenn said if his daughter were out in public and collapsed, CPR or an AED could have saved her life. That’s why the family is supportive of more people being trained in these life-saving methods.
“At any age group, it's important not to be afraid of doing CPR,” Corneil said.
“Those measures save lives. We really use Alexa's legacy to really try to pass that message on.”
In all, 14 women’s hockey teams are lacing up for the weekend tournament.
In the past, money raised was used to convert a dressing room in Haileybury to a girls’ focused room with individual stalls and inspirational quotes to make it a special place for them.
This year, Corneil said they will be combining the money donated with the City of Temiskaming Shores to renovate the outdoor rink at Shaver Park in North Cobalt.
Close with the Brazeau family
The renovation will make the ice surface more playable, fix up some of the aging structure and paving will allow a safe place for children to learn to ride a bicycle in the summer.
The Corneil family is also close friends with the family of former North Bay Battalion star Justin Brazeau.
“Justin and Alexa were born a week apart and the Brazeau and Corneil families are close,” Corneil said.
“So each tournament, starting when he was captain of the Battalion, they have donated a jersey from the team Justin is playing on to help increase our proceeds.”
In the wake of Brazeau’s signing with the Boston Bruins, a signed Bruins Brazeau jersey was donated and raffle tickets will be sold.
To donate to the cause or to learn more, you can contact the Alexa Corneil AC Hockey Fund by email, ac15hockey@gmail.com.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Explosion at train station leads to discovery of stolen car on Montreal's South Shore: police
Police are investigating after a BMW exploded in the St-Lambert Exo train station parking lot on Montreal's South Shore.
The pros and cons of discussing mental health issues in the workplace
A group of lawyers has written what they call a groundbreaking book about how mental health is perceived in the legal profession.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.