Mustangs address community, announce support after fatal crash

By David Gale
Surrounded by players, billet families, biological families, team staff and friends, Southern Alberta Mustangs spokesperson, Jennifer Handley, delivered an emotional statement to media Tuesday afternoon following the deaths of three players in a highway collision Monday, Feb. 2.
Handley clarified the organization’s position, requested privacy for grieving families, and encouraged the public to support an official GoFundMe established for the families and the team. She also announced a benefit game scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 8, at 6 p.m. at the Stavely Arena, with proceeds supporting the Mustangs.
“I have been asked by the ownership and coaching staff of the Southern Alberta Mustangs to serve as the official spokesperson for the team at this time,” Handley said.
“Our communities are grieving the loss of three junior hockey players who lived in Nanton and were travelling to practice in Stavely when a tragic car accident took their lives. This is not distant for us. Several families in our community, including my own, are billet families for this team.
“We don’t just ‘host’ these boys. They become part of our homes: another plate at the table, another pair of skates by the door, another son we worry about when the roads are bad and it’s late.
“These boys were all of our kids…the kids we wave at, coach, cheer for, and watch grow up. In a hockey community, this is a way of life: we drive these roads and cross these intersections every day. We know the risks. We pray they’re safe. And yet we always live with the ‘what if.’
“Yesterday, that ‘what if’ took three young lives: Caden Fine (17), from Alabama; JJ Wright (18); and Cameron Casorso (18), both from Kamloops.
“To their families: I know there are no words that can make this less brutal. Your sons mattered, and they will be spoken of with love in our towns for a long time to come. To their teammates, coaches, billet families, classmates, and friends: you should not have to carry this kind of loss, and you will not carry it alone. We are all with you.
“Hockey runs deep in communities like ours. It is not just a sport, it is generations of early mornings, long drives, cold rinks, and proud parents in the stands. These young men were part of that story, and we will honour them.
“This loss is felt not only in Nanton, but across our surrounding communities, including Stavely and the M.D. of Willow Creek. We grieve together.
“I know many people will want to reach out and help. Right now, the most meaningful way to do so is to donate to the established GoFundMe for the families, or to take part in quiet community gestures of remembrance, placing hockey sticks on your porch or turning on your lights in honour of these boys, as we have done in the past.
“For now, hold your people close. Check on your children, your neighbours, and one another. These young men were loved here. They will be remembered here. And their loss will forever remind us of how precious our time together truly is. Our community mourns with you.