It was an action-packed afternoon at Affinity Place on Wednesday as students from across Estevan and area attended the second annual Hooky for Hockey event to watch the Estevan Bruins take on the Notre Dame Hounds.
Ryan Jutras, principal of St. Mary’s School, said the school is happy to come out and support the Bruins.
“This is the second year the Bruins have offered it out to local elementary schools, and we’ve taken them up on it both years.”
“We do it mainly because we know there’s lots of kids that go to school that may not have the opportunity to come to a Bruins game,” said Jutras. “So not only are we trying to help the Bruins build a bit of community spirit, but it also allows all of our kids to make sure they get a hockey game in this year.”
The excitement was palpable leading up to the event.
“You could tell this morning when you got in, we ran an altered lunch schedule and you could see the kids were really excited too.”
“Certainly, a buzz when the day comes around,” said Jutras.
For students like Sophie Mantei, the game was a thrilling experience.
“Loud. It's loud,” she said. “There’s a lot of body checking. Sticks flying around, pucks flying around. And very competitive.”
She also admitted one of the highlights was getting a break from schoolwork.
“Actually, I’m glad we didn’t have to do any math,” she said.
By the end of the game, her voice was feeling the effects of all the excitement.
“I was just very tired, and my vocal cords almost blew up,” she said.
Bruins play-by-play announcer Marty Martinson said he was impressed with the energy from the students.
“Just the atmosphere was unbelievable. You know, anytime you can have so many of the schools from Estevan, also the surrounding area, come out and we saw what that atmosphere was like—it was loud, it was exciting,” said Martinson.
He noted that the game itself only added to the excitement.
“Especially on a day like this where we have a game that goes right down to the wire, decided in extra time with the late goal and everything like that.”
Martinson said the energy extended beyond the action on the ice.
“Lots of excitement with this game, and having the kids dancing through the intermissions just made it all the more fun.”
He also praised the strong community involvement.
“It was great to see the community support. You know, we're a community,” he said. “And you know, we do a lot of those different school visits and things—we were at Westview just the other day, for instance—and it’s just awesome to see so many kids make it out. The schools really make this a priority as well. I thought that was awesome to see.”
The Bruins held the lead but saw the Hounds tie things up in the final period, forcing overtime. With the score locked at 3-3 after the extra frame, the game went to a shootout, where the Hounds secured a 4-3 victory.