A Beachcombers’ Christmas
LONG SYNOPSIS

Dave McGonigal (Dave Thomas) and his ambitious daughter, Donna (Deanna Milligan), managed to save Molly’s Reach—Gibsons' legendary restaurant—in the last Beachcombers movie, and are now its proud owners, although still struggling to make ends meet. While Donna tries to build the trust of food suppliers who are wary of her father’s con artist ways, it seems Dave still can’t resist a good money-making scam.

When his illegal casino at Molly’s Reach gets shut down, and his rent-a-fake Christmas tree business fails to catch on, Dave begins looking for a new cash venture. But this time, to everyone’s surprise, it's one that will benefit the whole community. As a Christmas present to Gibsons, Dave decides to plan a charity hockey game between ex-pro star players and the local Gibsons team.

Gibsons, however, has a roster of clumsy, unskilled players who will need some serious training to prepare for the big game, and original Beachcombers cast member Sgt. John Constable (Jackson Davies), tries hard in his role of team captain. Luckily, the young, handsome Scott Rivers (Cam Bancroft), Donna’s first love and high school sweetheart, agrees to join the team. Scott comes with some real hockey experience. He was headed towards a career in the game until he suffered a knee injury sometime in the past.
In the last Beachcombers movie, Donna gave up a promising business future in the city after completing an MBA, to reunite with Scott and back her father’s wish to re-open Molly’s Reach. Now she finds herself forced to make another significant choice, when Peter Englewood (Gabriel Hogan), a former university flame, comes to town looking for her. Peter is now a successful businessman, and the polar opposite of laid back homeboy Scott, who spends his days in the Gibsons marina repairing boats. Peter wants to give Donna due credit for an idea she gave him back in school that is about to make him millions. Donna refused his marriage proposal years before, and he is determined to change her mind by making her his business partner.

Meanwhile, putting together the big game is turning out to be harder than Dave anticipated, with numerous obstacles in his way. For a start, it’s scheduled for the same night as a sacred Gibsons tradition—the school Christmas pageant—and pageant organizer, the stern Ms. James (Ruth Nicol), is reluctant to change the date, until Sgt. John performs some charming persuasion. Even trickier, the so-called organizers of the ex-pro star team—Earl and Mickey (William McDonald and Michael Eklund)—turn out to be scheming fakes. They deliver impostors for players, they forge autographs on new hockey gear for the fundraising auction, and they ask for an unfair cut of the profits.

Luckily, Dave begins to catch on to their plot, with the help of a twelve-year old boy named Bernard (Mikhael Speidel), a new addition to the cast. Bernard is neglected by his parents and has gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd at school. When Dave catches him stealing from Molly’s Reach, he decides to help the boy out by hiring him to work at the restaurant in exchange for free meals. Constable Kelly Mah (Francoise Yip), the by-the-book young policewoman introduced in the last movie, is always on Dave’s case, and warns him that he has once again broken the law by hiring underage help. But Dave is growing attached to the boy and continues to help him out—and it’s a good thing he does.

Bernard is suspicious of Earl and Mickey from the get-go, and warns Dave that he’s likely been out-scammed. Dave is used to tricking others, not to being tricked himself. He is quick to plan a counter-attack to be unveiled the night of the big game.

Next, it is Bernard who finds out that famous female goalie Manon Rheaume has moved into a waterfront cabin in Gibsons, where she’s keeping a low profile. Dave really wants the Gibsons locals to come out winners, despite their hapless hockey skills, and he gets a brainwave: having Manon take his place as goalie on the ice, disguised behind a mask, bulky hockey gear and a Santa beard, for some added Christmas spirit.

With the help of TV’s Ron MacLean and Kelly Hrudey, the whole country gets behind the event, and it looks like Gibsons will have that merry Christmas. The crowd is disappointed when the celebrity players promised by Earl and Mickey turn out to be nobodies, but they go wild with excitement once Manon starts blocking shot after shot and local favourite, Scott, continues to score for the home team. Everything runs smoothly for a while. Gibsons is winning and the school’s Christmas pageant is taking place on the ice between periods.
It looks like a hands-down victory for the Gibsons team, until Scott re-injures his knee and has to leave the ice. A downward spiral follows when Earl and Mickey start to catch on to Dave’s plan, and lock Manon in a machinery room between periods. Dave is forced to take her place in the net, and the Beachcombers start falling behind on the scoreboard.

But in the end, all is well, of course—thanks again to Bernard, who lets Constable Kelly in on the charade. Kelly has started to see Dave in a new light, as she realizes that he wants to help Bernard, not exploit him. She begins to frequent Molly’s Reach more often, only off-duty now. Her usual reprimands replaced with the suggestion of romance, Constable Kelly is determined to set things right and get Dave out of trouble. With Earl and Mickey in handcuffs and Bernard in tow, she rescues Manon from the machinery room.

Manon returns to the ice, this time accompanied by authentic ex-pro star players Tiger Williams, Gary Nylund, Kirk McLean, and Jyrki Lumme. All of Gibsons cheers ecstatically from the stands when its town journalist, Colin Reid (Graham Greene), introduces the new players from his announcer’s booth. With the ex-pro star players' reinforcement, the Gibsons team wins the game.

Amidst the excitement, it seems romance is in the air. Scott takes the mike from Colin and makes an announcement of his own: a marriage proposal to Donna, who gladly accepts, to the disappointment of her over-confident suitor, Peter.

The Beachcombers celebrate their win at a Christmas party afterwards, where Sgt. John’s daughter Stephanie (Stephanie Wyder) and her punk band perform on stage. She slows down the tempo to dedicate a Christmas song to her parents, and everyone couples off to dance: Sgt. John with his wife, Ann (Susan Hogan), Scott with Donna, Dave with Constable Kelly, and unexpectedly—Kat (Kendall Cross), the cunning vixen who tried to come between Scott and Donna in the last Beachcombers movie, pairs up with Peter, who’s now up for grabs. On a Christmas like no other, Dave finally redeems himself to the Gibsons community, and is made a local hero in the place he calls home.

“And we have ourselves a merry little Christmas”

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