When Drumheller Dragons forward Ryan Bloom scored at 8:02 in overtime Saturday (Feb. 9), he ended the junior A careers of six Canmore Eagles hockey players.
Zack Rassell, Riley Point, Stephen Phee, Alex Barnes, Ciaron Driscoll and Ty Swabb all took their last skate in the AJHL as the Eagles were eliminated by the Drumheller Dragons in three straight games.
“When I saw that one go in, I was too far back to affect the play. I had a great view of it, I was in utter shock,” said Point, the team’s captain. “I’ve got a whirlwind of emotions right now. It’s incredibly hard right now. I’m pretty passionate about this team and community. It’s hard for me. I’m getting choked up – this organization has been fantastic.”
Point has been with the team his entire junior A career, beginning as a bit player and slowly emerging into a leader with the group. The scrappy winger praised the organization for giving him a chance.
“I’ve got a lot of fantastic memories – on the ice there were so many. But the best were the friendships and the bonds. I’ve never played on a tighter team,” Point said.
Leading scorer Zack Rassell is the only Eagle to earn a Division I college scholarship this season. He’ll attend the University of Alaska, where he’ll join former Eagle Kory Roy. Rassell spent the bulk of his career in Canmore, save for a spell after he was traded to Prince George. He begged the coach to bring him back. The end of his Canmore time came as a shock to him.
“We don’t want this to be over. I can’t believe it’s over. I was positive we were winning. I don’t want to leave Canmore right now,” Rassell said.
He’s another Eagle who has stuck with the team through three tough seasons and very little success.
“The guys are phenomenal. We’ve had the lowest you can get, losing a teammate (Eagle Patrick Steel died last season), and we’ve had some highs, and all it’s done is bring us together,” Rassell said.
Ciaron Driscoll, a member of the Driscoll’s berry empire, was also shaken by the loss. He’s put in four years with the Eagles and will try and catch on with a Division III college team in the United States next year.
“I’ll remember the relationships I’ve made with the guys in the room. It’s been my life for four years in that room. The team has been above and beyond my expectations. I can’t thank the town and organization enough. I love this town. I know I’ll be back,” Driscoll said.
Head coach Andrew Milne had hoped for a better fate for the veterans.
“Those older guys, I feel sorry for them. We had chances to be in this series,” Milne said.
While the players are moving on, Milne said the team is committed to staying in Canmore next year, although the board of governors has yet to meet this year. Milne says there have been plenty of positive signs the team’s finances have improved. Attendance was up an estimated 25 per cent.
“At the end of the year we’ll discuss how to make it more viable, but this has been the best year in my time here,” Milne said.
Compounding the team’s $250,000 debt is the fact they’ll have to pay for ice time again.
The Town of Canmore agreed to defer the Eagles’ ice rental bill for three seasons, however, that agreement comes to an end this year. Milne said the team won’t be able to pay back that debt to the town in a year, but hopes with continued support the team can begin to break even in Canmore.
“We’re part of a league that has haves and have nots. Unfortunately, we’re part of the have not category. We’re one of the better teams in the have nots. In order to get to be a have team, we’re going to need more support. But to get more support we’ll need more wins. It’s a catch-22 situation,” Milne said.
The team will launch more summer programs in an effort to become financially viable.
