The pace of hockey has picked up this season for 100 Mile House forward Micky Turner who has found a home with the Bellingham Blazers Junior A squad.
It’s a member of the Northern Pacific Hockey League, which includes six teams from Washington, Oregon and Montana.
Turner, who turned 19 on Jan. 1, began the season with Chase Heat of the Kootenay International Hockey League, but was let go early. He quickly made his move to the first-year Blazers, missing only two of the regular season games, and hasn’t looked back.
Playing hockey since he was five years old, Turner is no stranger to an ice arena, but the difference now is the stands are filled with paying fans.
“It puts more pressure on,” Turner says, adding his game has improved a lot since joining the Junior ranks.
He’s on the ice and working out five or six days a week for several hours at a time, but he says the commitment is worth it.
Turner says he hopes to get a college or university hockey scholarship out of it eventually and it will be “nose to the grindstone,” until then.
The 108 Mile Ranch resident knows it was more than just raw talent that got him this far and the same applies to the future.
“My dad always pushed me to keep going and work hard. Sometimes I got mad, but looking back, it was all worth it.”
