Saskatoon Blades thrill Claresholm with visit, mentor players, share pizza
need for speed - Dexter Martin of the Claresholm Initiation Thunder takes part in the fastest skater competition on Feb. 17, while members of the Saskatoon Blades and other Claresholm Minor Hockey players cheer him on. Photo by Lawrence Gleason
By Lawrence Gleason, Local Press Writer
The Saskatoon Blades, themselves, from one of the greatest hockey towns in Canada, took part in a skills competition with Claresholm Minor Hockey players of all ages Saturday, Feb. 17.
It took until last May to set the visit up with the Western Hockey League (WHL) team. Jason Bishoff of Claresholm Minor Hockey, worked on that with Cooperator’s agent, Damon Kustra, a former Saskatoon Blade, whose son, Jake, has followed in his footsteps, playing defence for Saskatoon. Damon finished his hockey career in 1994. He has another son playing for the Junior A Hearst Lumberjacks of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and a daughter into rugby who he says may be the best athlete among them.
The Saskatoon Blades arrived in Claresholm on their team bus on a road trip between their Friday Lethbridge game (a one-goal loss, even though outshooting Lethbridge 39-18), and a Sunday Calgary games (clobbering the Hitmen 5-1), to take in a practice at the Claresholm Arena before taking part in a skills competition with Claresholm Minor Hockey players.
“The Blades are saying it’s the most fun they’ve had all year,” said Bishoff at the end of it all, after the players, from Initiation to WHL professionals, shared pizza and stories.
Bishoff has been working since May on getting a Blades visit.
“This has been a really good thing for our community,” Bishoff said. “It took a lot of dedicated volunteers to do this. We did it for all the kids, not just those we have in minor hockey, but also for the kids in the stands who came out and are thinking about playing hockey, and saw how much fun this was. It was a fun time.”
Bishoff said he hoped to make a Saskatoon Blades visit an annual event.
“We rolled out the red carpet for them. We wanted to make them feel warm and fuzzy so they remember us, so hopefully they come back.”
Skills competitions included fastest skater, accuracy shot, puck control, hardest shot, and the goalie shootout.
Fastest skater competitors were Dexter Martin, an Initiation player, Novice player Colin Fancy, PeeWee Cheyenne Symens, and Bantam Tristen Mackin, against four Blades, all centres, Eric Florchuk, Chase Wouters, Gage Ramsey, and Brandon Machado.
In the accuracy shot competition, Initiation player Ethan Ferguson, Novice Preston McLeod, PeeWee Tyrel Gertner, and Bantam Haze Gillingham, competed against left winger Brayland Shmyr, centre Kirby Dach, right winger Michael Farren, and right winger Josh Patterson.
Parker Gugala, representing Initiation, started off the puck control competition, followed by Novice Jacob Penner, Pee Wee Zak Wright, and Bantam Brandon Creighton. Blades competitors were right winger Max Gerlach, defencemen Seth Bafaro, Mark Rubinchik, and Jackson Caller.
Hardest shot competitors were Initiation player Walker Smith, Novice Parker Bishoff, PeeWee Nate Wright, and Bantam player Mike Billyard, competing against Blades defenceman Evan Fiala, centres Dawson Davidson and Bradley Goethals, and finally, defenceman Jake Kustra, born in Yorkton, but claimed by Claresholm, as he took part of his Grade 11 at Willow Creek Composite High School.