Two hockey players who came up through the ranks in Summerland Minor Hockey are now playing on the Princeton Posse Junior B hockey team.
Dawson Jenner and Linden Gove, both 18, were both selected to play for the team this season.
Geoff Goodman, general manager and head coach of the Posse, said the two players are not new to the team.
Last year, while they were playing minor hockey in Penticton, they also had the opportunity to play several games for the Posse as affiliate players.
“There’s still lots of game for them to learn,” Goodman said, “but they play well and they work hard.”Last year, Gove, a forward, scored two goals and two assists in six games for the Posse.
Goodman said Jenner, a defence player, has a reputation as a hard-working player.
“The goalies appreciate when he’s on the ice because he’s dependable in the defence zone,” Goodman said.
Both players said the opportunity to play Junior B hockey for the Posse has been positive for them. “They’re a great group of guys,” Jenner said of his teammates.
The first games were overwhelming as the game is faster and more intense than he had experience in the past, but he quickly got used to the higher level of hockey. He said his hockey skills are improving because of the level of training and the quality of his teammates.
“We’re on the ice every day,” he said. “Playing with top-level guys makes it get better.”Gove said playing at the Junior B level is much faster and more competitive than the hockey he had played earlier.
“You definitely get better playing with a group of guys who are a lot better,” he said.
Jenner and Gove have been on the ice in Summerland recently as the Posse faced the Summerland Steam in two recent games.
“It felt a little weird at first,” Gove said, recalling how it felt to be at a familiar arena as part of the visiting team.