WHL exhibition game in Shaunavon a hit with community

Shaunavon Standard

Roughly 800 fans packed the newly named LSB Legacy Wickenheiser Centre
for a Western Hockey League exhibition matchup between the Medicine Hat
Tigers and Swift Current Broncos on Saturday, Sept. 12.
The event drew a big crowd, despite it falling during one of the busiest
times of year for Southwest farmers. Among those in attendance were a
noticeable number of jersey wearing fans from both Swift Current and
Medicine Hat.
“I thought it was a good crowd, especially for the time of year,” said
Alexis Hunt, director of Shaunavon Wellness & Leisure. “And it was nice
to see the great support for both teams.”
On the ice, the game provided plenty of excitement, eventually requiring
a shootout after the teams remained tied 2-2 through overtime.
Even if regulation had not ended in a tie, an overtime session would
have been played as part of a WHL preseason pilot project.
In the end, it was the Tigers who emerged with a 3-2 win.
Tigers head coach and general manager Willie Desjardins liked his
goaltending and penalty kill in the win Saturday.
“I thought some guys played well (Saturday), Jake Burmis had a heck of a
game, I thought (Max) Osgood was very good,” Desjardins told James Tubb
of the Medicine Hat News. “Some of our young guys stepped up, (Jaxson)
Craig had a good game, so that was good to see.”
Defenceman Reily Pickford and forward Luke Ruptash scored for the Tigers
on Saturday. Burmis scored the winner in the shootout that ran until the
fifth round.
Ty Meunier and Brendan Rudolph replied for the Broncos.
Cal Conway turned in a strong effort in net for the Broncos, who were
outshot 41-30 in the contest.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Desjardins, growing up in the
neighbouring community of Climax. He was able to see some old friends
again.
“That was nice, I knew lots of people down here, so it was great,”
Desjardins said in an interview with The News. “It’s good to see the
Hunters, I’ve known the Hunters for a long time, so it was great to see
them.”
“I’ve played lots of games in Shaunavon, but I don’t think I’ve ever
coached there before,” added the 69-year-old, who has coached all over
the world and at the highest levels.
Both teams stayed postgame to sign autographs for the fans in
attendance. It was a unique experience for Tigers forward Gavin Kor, who
said he enjoyed the opportunity to play in the smaller rink and connect
with fans.
“I hadn’t really done something like that, I feel like it was a little
bit different feel versus last year,” Kor told The News. “It was kind of
just cool to see the community come around, everyone was so excited to
watch us play, it was a lot of fun.”
“All the kids were able to get in and get their autographs, which was
really nice,” added Hunt.
The 5 p.m. start helped make the game more of a family event, Hunt said,
while also allowing both teams to get back on the road at a reasonable
hour.
The event also delivered a little extra excitement away from the ice.
Shaunavon’s 50-50 winner, Corey Bailey, took home $1,270. Funds from the
50-50 draw went to Shaunavon Minor Hockey.
There were other community activities in the lead up to the game as
well, including a barbecue lunch in the afternoon, kids games and an
opportunity to watch the Roughriders afternoon contest on a big screen.
All of those activities helped make the event a memorable occasion and
added to the excitement of the day.
“Walking through the crowd and talking to people, it seemed like
everyone was  having a good time,” said Hunt. “There are a few things we
learned from the event that we would change next time, but overall we
were really pleased with how things turned out.”
The Broncos, who served as the home side in the contest, were also
pleased with the event, Hunt said, leaving open the possibility of
another WHL exhibition game in Shaunavon sometime in the future.
A new sign identifying the facility as the LSB Legacy Wickenheiser
Centre was also unveiled earlier Saturday afternoon, adding another
piece to a busy day for Shaunavon’s recreation community. Bob
Blatchford, representing the Livingstone, Snell and Blatchford (LSB)
families was on hand for the occasion.
And while the event required plenty of work before, during and after the
game, Hunt said the community’s volunteers deserve much of the credit
for making the night happen.
“We couldn’t do this without all that help,” she offered. “To have
everybody from setup to even staff helping with teardown and everything
in between, the volunteers were incredible.”