Giants give Storm a match to remember
Some hockey games finish with bench-clearing brawls. This one ended with players pouring onto the ice to mingle, exchange high fives and bust a groove.
Hockey’s soft and fuzzy side, some would say the true spirit of the game, was on display this weekend at the Sleeman Centre after a charity matchup between members of the Guelph Storm and the Guelph Giants Hockey Club.
As Kool and the Gang’s Celebration blasted on repeat over the loudspeakers, players whooped and shouted and laughed. One young man, unable to contain himself, broke into a dance, wiggling his butt to the music as Storm players cheered him on.
The Giants, a team made up of local intellectually disabled people ranging in age from five to 35, were fired up after facing off against some of the best young hockey players in the world.
“They come to a lot of Storm games. They’re kind of their heroes,” Giants coach and event organizer Ron Heipel said.
“Our kids have been pumped for a month knowing this was coming up,” the team’s general manager Glenda Deverell added.
Clutching a mini-stick scrawled with autographs in fresh ink, Scott Heipel, a 34-year-old with Down syndrome, savoured the high. He said he and his teammates deployed the “flying V” formation of Mighty Ducks fame to score a goal.
“It was awesome. A great experience,” said Jesse Meatte, 19, a Giants player since 2006. “Parts of the game were very challenging.”
Frank Derry said his son Jordan, who has autism, had been anticipating the matchup for weeks. “He was all excited today, jumping out of the truck,” Derry said.
The Storm, meanwhile, seemed to get a kick out of the experience too.
“It was fun,” goaltender Garret Sparks said. “Just a chance to get out and mix it up with some kids you don’t usually play with.”
“They were flying past us,” left winger Brock McGinn said.
