The Selkirk College Saints have started the post-graduation rebuilding project and hockey fans will be familiar with the names on the back of the jerseys of two of the newest recruits.
Following in the strides of their older brothers, Brandon Sookro and Logan Kerner will pull on a Saints jersey for the 2017-2018 British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) season.
“I choose Selkirk College to further my hockey career and obtain a post-secondary education,” says Kerner, whose older brother Tyler played three years with the Saints where he was the captain in 2016-2017. “I’ve been watching the Saints play hockey both in person and online, the team chemistry and grittiness of their game is exactly the kind of hockey I want to be a part of. Castlegar provides a great fan base and community feel which helps with the transition of moving to a new place for school and hockey.”
The younger Kerner will be enroled in the Heavy Mechanics Program on the Silver King Campus in Nelson when he joins the team this coming September. He played Junior A with the Olds Grizzlies (Alberta) and the Tillonsburg Hurricanes (Southern Ontario), finishing his junior career with the latter where he notched 56 points and amassed 175 penalty minutes in 37 games this past winter.
“Logan is a hard-nosed, two-way forward who showed last year by scoring 26 goals that he has a knack for the net,” says Saints head coach Brent Heaven. “Just like his brother, Logan plays with a very large chip on his shoulder and that will be an asset in our line-up for the coming season.”
Sookro grew up playing minor hockey in the Nelson area and is the younger brother of Ryon Sookro who helped the Saints to a league championship in the 2015-2016 season. The younger Sookro was a top-notch rookie for the Nelson Junior Leafs in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) before moving on to Junior A hockey in Saskatchewan where he played for both the Yorkton Terriers and Notre Dame Hounds.
“Selkirk College has great trades programs to offer and the winning culture the hockey program has developed over the past several years is something I’m looking forward to being part of,” says Sookro, who will be enroled in the Electrical Foundation Program on the Silver King Campus. “I will bring a strong work ethic on the ice and in the classroom, and do whatever it takes to help the team win another championship.”
Sookro will be looked upon to help fill some of the offensive production that has been lost due to the graduation of players like Ryan Edwards, Dallas Calvin and Matt Martin.
“Brandon is a very good skater who has a great shot and great hockey sense,” says Heaven. “We’re pleased to have another locally raised player in the line-up who we can look to for offensive production.”
Both players will be working towards helping the Saints return the BCIHL championship trophy to the West Kootenay.
“This upcoming season I hope to be able to bring enthusiasm and extreme effort in my play, trying to earn the respect of the fans and other players,” says Kerner. “With my ability to play both the grind and skill game, I feel like I can be an asset in helping the team win games this year.”
Find out more about the Selkirk College Saints hockey program at: selkirk.ca/athletics/selkirksaints.
