Badgers get together for alumni game

Posted on February 11, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Fred Farnworth

The team celebrated 100 years of Shaunavon Senior Hockey with an alumni game on Jan. 31. Team Hardin upended Team Van Allen 6-4 but the score was secondary in this game.

Mat Fuller paced Team Hardin with three goals and one assist. Stacey Wallis lit the red lamp twice with Lorne Hunter counting the other marker.

Cody Tetrault, Ben Nelson, Matt Nelson and Kirk Amon replied for Team Van Allen.

The Team Van Allen goalies were Garrett Thienes (first period), Jamie Poppy (second period) and Cody Schlosser (third period).

The puckstoppers for Team Hardin were Lance Stevenson (first period), Garnet Stevenson (second period) and Riley Kornfeld (third period).

The game even featured Rod Thienes and Quintin Cairns trading fisticuffs.

The oldest alumni member attending was 85 year-old Norm Haugen from Stony Plain, Alberta. Haugen was the assistant coach for Team Van Allen.

Norm was the star Badger goalie from the 1950s and 1960s. Norm started in the crease for the Badgers in 1957 at the old Memorial Park Rink (aka chicken coop). He continued his career throughout the 1960s with the lcoal squad. Older fans remember him working as a butcher with the Shaunavon Co-op.

Haugen played during an era when goalies didn’t wear face masks. The puck struck him in the face during a game against the Gull Lake Greyhounds. Longtime Badger Gary “Doc” Houston took some gauze from a first aid kit and patched Norm up. “Doc” who was a dentist used tape to hold the gauze in place. There was no back-up goalie so Norm finished the game.

Badger legend Kenny Billington was the head coach of Team Van Allen.

Carmen Hunter and Logan Aasman coached Team Hardin.

Lorne Hunter and Gradon Skjerven are other examples of older Badger alumni.

Barry Floberg and Bruce Cairns were the referees for the fun game.

Shaunavon Badgers captain Dyson Stevenson, who was one of the alumni game organizers, said he was pleased with the event and happy with the turnout. The alumni portion of the celebration was capped off with a catered meal by Harvest Eatery at the Greenslade Lounge. Stevenson said the supper drew a crowd of almost 100 people.

Stevenson hinted that there could be more celebrations in connection with the 100 year history this summer.