John Wilmshurst | Special to the 51°µÍø
I know what you’re saying. This guy knows nothing about bears if he is writing about them waking up from a summer torpor in September.
You’re right, and you’re wrong.
As little as I know about wildlife, this I do know: the bears in Jasper, in their various incarnations, the ones that strap on skates and slap at frozen rubber disks are emerging from their summer hiatuses.
So, strap on your bear spray, there is going to be lots of ursid action again this year.
Jasper will start with an enthusiastic cohort of 16 skaters in the Initiation Bearcubs this year.
Led by coaches Steve Lahie, Mike Kliewer and Paco Artiaga, this is must-see hockey at some point in your winter.
There is a reason that every nostalgic water colour of the Canadian small-town winter depicts our youngest players lurching across a frozen pond. This is our very essence. So, if you are older than five or six, then you can recapture your youth by watching the likes of Juniper Habib lighting the red-lamp.
The Jasper Novice Bears will ice two teams of 13 players this season under the watchful eyes of coaches Rob Olson and (a very busy) Paco Artiaga.
A big group of Bearcub graduates will populate the rosters of this team, so there will be lots of learning happening.
Zoti Korogonas’s energy and enthusiasm for the game should propel his team to success this year.
The Atom Bears bench is going to be crowded this season with 14 kids and four coaches; Alex and Ross Derksen, Chad Henderson and Dave Miller.
Among the skaters, Dustin Derksen will be out to impress his dad and uncle with the moves he’s been practicing all summer, and Graden Henderson should be a standout again this year.
The PeeWee Grizzlies team has the same issue, with 12 skaters and four dads guiding from the pine.
Mind you, with Pat McLeod at the helm and Jay MacArthur Jason Munn and Jeremy Trieber helping out, there will be a ton of fun to be had on this bench.
Last year, the girls had a breakout year with more success on the ice than they’ve ever had before.
More fun too, but that goes without saying.
Paige Hugie, who plays both boys and girls hockey will be an exciting player to watch again, and Anika Oeggerli will no doubt be providing the energy for this fast paced team.
The PeeWee Bears boys team will undergo some changes this year with a few players leaving for opportunities in other places and other sports and some key pieces moving up to Bantam. Coaches Royd Irwin, Dave Hofhuis and Jim Campbell are steady hands and experienced hockey guys though, so they will steady the boat.
Look to Callum Campbell and Drew Kovacs to step into leadership roles on this squad.
The Bantam Bearcats will emerge even stronger following on last year’s Cinderella season where they came up one goal shy of taking it all.
Once again, no Midget team (not quite enough kids to fill a roster) means that four over-age skaters will be included in the Bearcats’ 12 player roster.
This is the team I’ll be following again, and I’m looking for big things from forwards Tanner Carlton and Ty Crozier this season.
Coaches Eric Bouchard and Jim Koss will be working their magic on the bench.
This should be another exciting season.
Just as Jasper’s four-legged bruins are finding a cozy nook for a long winter’s hibernation, our other bear species are migrating back to the arena for another season of on-ice action.
I’ll be in the stands. I hope to see you there.
