Monday night at the outdoor rink in St-Eugène with young hockey fans whizzing around the ice with the Hawkesbury Hawks.
The Hawks have spent the past few weeks devoting some of their free time in a new community project to help promote hockey in general and the local team in particular.
“This has been our biggest turnout ever,” said Brian Leonard, Hawks general manager, while watching the action on ice. “We probably have at least 60 kids here.”
Since last month members of the Hawks team have spent either Monday or Wednesday evening at one of the outdoor rinks in every one of the communities within the Prescott County region. They spend the evening first with an instruction session for young hockey enthusiasts on skating and game skills. The rest of the evening is spent in a free-for-all scrimmage session between the Hawks and their young fans.
Leonard noted that the program has proven successful enough to consider as a regular feature for the club every season from now on.
“One thing we wanted to do was to get the team more involved in the community,” he said, “and also to attract more interest in hockey in Hawkesbury.”
The program wraps up with its final sessions later this month in Alfred and across the Ottawa River in Grenville, Québec. The Hawks’ Facebook page has the scheduled days and times for each session. Participation is free for any child or youth who wants to go on the ice with the Hawks.
