Article is from Western Elite Hockey website!
An upsetting situation for a fellow teammate has stirred a Prince Albert Peewee hockey team to try and make his Christmas a little better.
The Peewee III Ranger White are a tightknit team composed of 11- and 12-year-olds.
“We’re really close. We always like to talk. There is a lot of talk in the dressing room,” said Ranger goalie Hunter Boyer.
Peggy Boyer, his mother and team manager, said the boys are always having fun together so it’s unusual for a player to miss practice. But when one of their boys didn’t show up Monday the team phoned to find out why.
“We found out that his parents paid him a visit earlier Monday afternoon and told him that they didn’t want to have him home for Christmas,” Boyer said. The boy is staying in care in Prince Albert away from his family.
“I felt sad because he wasn’t getting what he deserved and I kind of felt selfish because I’m getting all these presents while he’s getting none,” Hunter said.
Boyer explained the situation and the team rallied around their friend.
Lane Mihiliwicz, Ranger defense, said when he heard about what had happened he thought it was unfortunate that his teammate wouldn’t be having a merry Christmas.
“I talked to my dad and he made up the idea that we should help (him) out and we should tell our manager and the whole team,” Mihliwicz said.
Team management decided to put it to the Ranger White and see if there was something they could do to make his Christmas a little better.
It was decided everyone would bring $10 to buy their teammate a Christmas present but the boys have gone beyond that and are bringing additional donations or giving up their own gifts.
Forward Rhett Macdonald thinks it’s a really important thing to do.
“He probably feels bad that he can’t go home to his parents,” Macdonald said.
He said he can’t imagine how sad he would be if he were in his teammate’s shoes.
Forward Ryan Lambert said much of the same.
“I just thought it was really sad. If I couldn’t be with my parents on Christmas it would suck terribly.”
Lambert said he hopes the gifts will help him feel more at home during the holidays.
“I thought it would be nice just knowing his parents, I don’t know what’s happening with them, but it’s kind of sad that he isn’t going home for Christmas,” Lambert said.
Boyer said she was impressed with how the boys have stepped up.
“They’re going above and beyond what they need to do. You don’t meet very many 11- and 12-year-old boys that want to do that,” Boyer said.
The Ranger White has a tournament this weekend and hopes to present their teammate with the gifts after their last game.
Reported by Stephanie Froese
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