For some of these players, it was only a few years ago they would have played in the Gerry Aspen Cup for the old Estevan Bruins’ black and gold game but on New Year’s Day, they skated up for black and gold teams as Bruins’ alumni.
By the end of Monday’s game at Affinity Place, the gold team came back to win 8-7 but few off the ice were counting the score. The players on the ice still had the skills that many would have forgotten about over the decades. Bienfait’s Chris Hammett plays over-30 recreational hockey but still possesses an enviable dangle and wrist shot and scored three second half goals in this game.
“It was a lot of fun and we try to do this every year,” said Hammett, who scored 10 goals and 15 assists over two seasons from 2003-2005. “Typically it’s against Weyburn and we try to get their alumni and our alumni. Last year it didn’t work out, so we thought with the New Year’s Day game being in Estevan, let’s get the alumni together and just have alumni versus alumni. It’s just great seeing these guys from different generations.”
Players from as far back as the 1970s and early 1980s like Bruce Firth, Kevin Pastachak and Blaine Chrest were out with players who just suited up a few years ago, like Colton MacPherson and Derek Tendler.
“We like to have this alumni give back to the Bruins’ organization,” said Hammett. “We do the golf tournament every summer and we just like giving back to the hockey club.”
The alumni association has kept a lot of the players together and contributing, according to Riley Tetreault, who learned a lot from the likes of Karry Biette, Ambrose Hengen, Steve Godfrey and Firth.
“The younger guys like (Kyle) Garagan, Payden (Benning) and myself are sort of stepping in,” Tetreault said. “But they’re the ones who set the good example for us.”
