Wolverines play street hockey with kids

“That was awesome!”  Spoken like true Wolverines fans who had just gotten to play with their idols, Ethan Nisbet and Boston Carter were smiling from ear to ear.  The boys, along with much of their Atom A hockey club, and some siblings, had just finished playing street hockey with five Wolverine players as part of the 2nd Annual Street Hockey Day sponsored by Booster Juice.

The event, held on October 5th between 4-6pm, offered young hockey fans a chance to hit the pavement alongside the players they watch at the Scott Safety Centre all season long. Those who wanted to take part and go toe to toe against the big boys, were asked to text in their location within Whitecourt.  For Ethan and Boston that location was a cul de sac along Mink Creek Rd.  “It’s a safe spot to play” said Ethan’s mom, Stacy Nisbet, “we took part last year too and the kids had a blast.  We knew we had to do it again.”

Over 18 kids joined the fray in the cul de sac and had an absolute blast.  A few hilariously questionable plays added an influx of laughter from both participants and parents, who had lined the road and were cheering everybody on.

Following the game, the full Wolverines squad met back at the arena parking lot, all returning from their own street hockey games throughout town.  RW #21, Justin Young, said playing with the kids was something everyone was looking forward to.  “The kids were all excited to play and once we started they just went for it.  It’s fun and playing with them is cool!”  Young also said that having young players look up to them is “pretty awesome.  When they come up and say hi, nice goal, it’s really awesome that they are excited to see you.”  Wolverines players also handed out some tickets to a few lucky fans following the street matchups.