First ever SJHL game in Moosomin - Dawson Davidson, Austin Johnston, Caleb Riess, Drayson Skulmoski
October 28, 2014, 1:59 am
Kevin Weedmark
Moosomin will be hosting an elite hockey weekend on the Nov. 1 and 2 weekend, including the first SJHL game ever played in Moosomin, between the Yorkton Terriers and the Estevan Bruins.
The weekend will also include a couple of AAA midget games between the Moose Jaw Generals—whose roster includes Moosomin’s Dawson Davidson and Austin Johnston, and Rocanville’s Caleb Riess—and the Yorkton Maulers, whose roster includes Moosomin’s Drayson Skulmoski.
The weekend will be a fundraiser for Moosomin’s new leisure centre, says rec director Mike Schwean.
“We originally thought of doing it as a fundraiser for the outdoor rink, but between the Moose and the Tim Hortons campaign, we have that covered, so we thought we’d put the money toward the leisure centre.”
Schwean says the idea has been tried in the past but this year, with Moosomin’s Devon McMullen being the captain of the Yorkton Terriers for their championship season, the timing was right for the game in Moosomin.
“Having Devon McMullen captain Yorkton and winning the cup last year, they were willing to do something for his home town,” Schwean says.
“With the AAA teams, we just have a lot of kids playing at that level, and there are more coming up.”
The SJHL game goes Saturday night, while the AAA midget Moose Jaw Generals and Yorkton Harvest will face off at the Communiplex Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
The SJHL game will also include an event to mark the contributions of the players from Moosmin, Wawota, Whitewood, Spy Hill, Kipling, Elkhorn, and St. Lazare who have been part of the Yorkton Terriers over the last few years.
Being honored at the Estevan-Yorkton game are Devon McMullen of Moosomin, Brent Struble of Wawota, Justin Lamontagne of Wawota, Brenden Poncelet of Whitewood, John Odgers of Spy Hill, Dakota Odgers of Spy Hill, Austin Bourhis of Kipling, Kyle McLeod of Elkhorn, Curtis Oliver of Elkhorn, and Derek Falloon of St. Lazare. All have played with the Yorkton Terriers.
Why has the area become so strong for hockey?
“In the ‘90s we had some very strong senior teams, and as those strong players’ kids went through the minor hockey system in the early 2000s and mid 2000s, you saw players like the Coles and the Davidsons develop, and you saw a lot of kids take hockey very seriously. Besides that, Moosomin has crazy good coaching for those young age groups.”
Schwean says a lot of people are looking forward to the hockey weekend. “A lot of people are excited to watch it,” he said. “I have no doubt there will be really big crowds.
“It should be good, and Yorkton is interested in making it an annual event.”
All the details of the weekend can be found in the third section of this week’s paper.
