The Armstrong Dodge Midget AE Otters go above and beyond!

On Saturday, December 10, the Midget AE Otters were all about giving back. They started their day by bagging groceries at Robinson’s Independent Grocers, along with selling bake goods as their biggest fundraiser for tournaments. They’d like to thank everyone for their support.

In the afternoon, the team showed up to play against the Muskoka Bears on the Don Lough ice rink, like every other game with friends and family cheering in the stands and a few other spectators watching. What they did not know is that a family from Perth, Australia (the Black family) was part of the crowd watching their game.

The Black family traveled from Perth on Tuesday to make their way to Huntsville. They were visiting the Small family to celebrate Jeff Small’s birthday as Martin Black and Jeff Small have been friends for 33 years. Martin and Robina Black have two boys, Dylan (12) and Hudson (10) who had never been to Canada and have never seen snow. They were exposed to a harsh winter storm as they drove north from Toronto on Thursday through snow squalls and white outs. The boys kept yelling “stop the car, stop the car” so they could jump out and feel the snow falling on them.

They got to experience skiing for the first time at Hidden Valley Highlands on its opening day with Jeff Small and Carolynn Mackay who were both ski instructors at the valley many years ago.

In the evening, the Small family along with the Black family went to watch Connor Small #18 of the Midget AE Otters play against the Muskoka Bears. The boys could not believe the size of the Don Lough arena – they play floor hockey but have never seen an ice rink – and it was their first “ice hockey game”.

The Otters were fast on their skates, controlling the puck for most of the first period and managed to score with two minutes left with a goal by #19 Colin Jones. With the second period underway, the boys were making excellent passes around the Bears with several attempts to get a shot on net. The Bears goalie was quick to his feet to catch the Otters slap shots and wrap arounds but #6 Braydon Morgan was able to deke the goalie out to bring the scoreboard to 2-0 at the end of the second period.

At intermission, the Black family was able to comment on the game. The boys were really excited to see Connor play. They were surprised at how BIG the players were especially #5 Gavin Smith and they liked how “feisty” #7 Chris Locke was.

In the final period, the Otters were leading by two as the Bears took control of the puck and kept it in the Otters end for the first six minutes. The pressure was on and the Bears got past the Otters defense to score with seven minutes still remaining. The Otters responded by owning the puck and shooting it up the ice, making the Bears endurance skate. With #18 Connor Small and #7 Chris Locke both in the penalty box, the Otters only had three players on but showed immaculate defense. Once the full line was back on and it was the last minute of play, you could hear the Bears fans screaming from the stands “pull the goalie, pull the goalie”. At the thirty-second mark, the Bears did just that but they could not pull off a win as the Otters held their positions and shot the puck up the ice until the buzzer. It was a good game to watch for the family from down under.

The Black family wanted a picture with #18 Connor Small but the coaches and the team went an extra mile for the boys, Dylan and Hudson. They were given the pucks from the team bench and had their picture taken with the team. Their parents, Martin and Robina, appreciated how kind the players were to make an effort to meet the boys and to shake their hands when leaving. Great way to welcome a family to Huntsville and to show respect. Well done, Midget AE Otters!

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