Hockey fights hunger at CMJHS annual game

By Brady Grove, Times Reporter

Crowther Memorial Junior High School (CMJHS) filled the stands of the Strathmore Family Centre on Nov. 30 and watched Team Red beat Team Black in a shootout after a 10-10 tie in the school’s sixth annual Hockey for Hunger game.
The annual event is designed to give students a break and to raise food for the local Christmas food hamper program.
“They played safe. There was a lot of goals scored and games like this are always a lot of fun,” said CMJHS hockey program coordinator Brad Huntley. “It’s like an all-star game where defense isn’t really a factor because everyone wants to score in front of the crowd.”
CMJHS students were treated to three 15-minute periods and cheered on their friends and classmates. All the students who played in the game are in Grade 9 and participants in the CMJHS hockey program. “The stands, we filled them. A couple of them (players) might get to play in front of a crowd like this, but for most of them they won’t get to play in front of 600 people cheering for them,” said Huntley. “There isn’t half cheering for them, it’s all for them.”
For goalies, these types of games can be challenging because it’s a score-fest. Team Red goaltender Rhett Harten did his best to manage the onslaught of shots fired his way but there’s only so much a goalie can do in an offensively-focused game such as this.
“It was good, a lot of fun,” said Harten. “I felt pretty good, it was for a good cause.”
Team Bslack 14-year-old forward Cole Whelan echoed his classmate about the positivity of the experience and added it was important to help the community it will help you back.
CMJHS has three pods, one each for Grade 7, 8 and 9, and they all compete against each other to see who can raise the most food for the entire month of December. Each item is given a point value such as a pack of Ichiban being worth one point and a package of toilet paper worth 20. The students are motivated in two ways: rewards such as a pizza party, and also the satisfaction of helping others during the Christmas season.
“It was good; a little bit of fighting between the girls, but it’s for a good cause,” said 14-year-old forward Sydney White “It’s very important to help families who are less fortunate.”
According to CMJHS teacher Anne Paskevich, it’s a good opportunity for the kids to have a break and give them a morning to decompress, and have some friendly interschool competition for a good cause.