The ScoreHawks have come to play.
With determination they chase the puck, their cheering fans voices’ filling up Kal Tire Place like game 7 of the Vernon Vipers-Penticton Vees series.
The Vernon ScoreHawks battle the Central Okanagan Wildcats Saturday morning in the Bob Ferguson Memorial Super League Tournament.
The five-team adaptive hockey tournament includes players from all over the Okanagan, Kamloops and Vancouver, with players ranging in age from seven to adulthood with developmental or physical delays.
What they all share is a love of hockey.
Nine year-old Jonah Donnelly lives for it. The ScoreHawks sniper’s favourite team is the Toronto Maple Leafs and Leafs defenceman Morgan Rielly is the player he looks up to most.
“Having this team means a lot. My oldest son has multiple challenges, but he eats, sleeps and breathes hockey, and without this team he wouldn’t be able to play,” said Jonah’s mother Monica Donnelly.
The players and parents have nothing but praise for the coaches that help their players tap into their potential.
“The coaches are really nice and they congratulate us a lot,” said Jonah.
Don Eyers, father of eight-year-old player Cohen Eyers, is thankful to the coaches and helpers that have embraced his son.
“They are fabulous, so supportive and we really appreciate all the time and effort they put into the kids without any pressure. It is all about fun and at the same time they’re learning,” said Eyers.
Fun is written all over the players’ faces as they skate to the bench after every shift.
Each player gets a fist bump, pat on the head, or thumbs up, along with words of encouragement as they wait until it is their turn to hit the ice again.
Rob Morris has been one of the volunteer coaches for six years and he says the smiles he gets every time he walks into the rink for practice makes it all worthwhile.
“It is honestly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life, and to see how far our team has come is amazing,” said Morris. “They are hockey players and they are so proud of that.”
