Glenn Gawdin found time in his busy schedule back home to be in Seafair Minor Hockey colours for the first time in about six years.
The 19-year-old St. Louis Blues prospect and captain with the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos was in the familiar orange and blue jersey for the Bantam A1 team’s first-ever alumni game on Dec. 22 at the Richmond Ice Centre. Gawdin was one of several high-profile graduates to participate, joining Scott Munro (University of Wisconsin Eau Claire), Jordan Sandhu (Alberni Valley, BCHL), Austin Adamson (Vernon, BCHL), Ty Taylor, (Vernon, BCHL) and Andrew Kemp (Surrey, BCHL). Tri-City Americans captain Tyler Sandhu served as one of the coaches.
“It has been a while. It was fun,” smiled Gawdin as he looked down at his Seafair jersey. “Ryan (Weber) let me know about it and I was happy to do it. I’ve been coming home for Christmas the last four years. I usually try to get some rest and enjoy the time with family and friends. It’s pretty short. You can’t do a whole lot.”
Gawdin was only home for a week before having to fly back to Swift Current on Boxing Day. The Broncos defeated Moose Jaw 6-1 the following night to improve to 19-10-3-4 on the season. He notched his ninth goal of the season in 17 games, having missed over six weeks with a separated shoulder.
“Fortunately, I got in three games before the break and it feels good,” he added. “We are having a pretty good year. Hopefully we can be as strong in the second half of the season as we were in the first or even better.”
The alumni game saw graduated players mixed in with the current team for what proved to be a fun and free wheeling format. The talent on the ice reflects the quality of players who have come through the association in recent years and the job done by Russ Weber and his son Ryan overseeing the top Bantam team. Both also have plenty of experience coaching with B.C. Hockey.
“We thought this would be a good experience for our players to be exposed to guys who are playing at the next level,” explained Ryan Weber. “It’s kind of a mundane time of the year for us and we wanted to try and get something exciting going.
“Some had family functions they had to be at, but all the players I asked said 'yes' right away. It’s really unique and quite amazing when you see them all together like this.”
The Islanders are once again enjoying a competitive season in the Pacific Coast’s top tier. They own a 5-4-3 record and are looking to make another strong run at this week’s Pat Quinn Classic in Burnaby. Seafair reached the Bantam Division championship game a year ago.
“Fourth is right where we should be in the standings,” said Russ Weber. “We are one of the top defensive teams in the league but can’t put the puck in the net on a consistent basis. We also can’t get healthy. We have had a full roster for 13 of our 35 games so far.”
Weber believes the potential is there for Seafair to take a run at a provincial berth come playoffs in February.
“The playing field is really level right now and these kids work hard. If we can get healthy, who knows what could happen.”
Icing…
It’s been quite the season for goaltender Ty Taylor. The 17-year-old was pencilled in to be playing for the Richmond Sockeyes but made the jump right from the Delta Hockey Academy Midget Prep team to Vernon of the BCHL. He has a 9-7 record and a 3.19 goals against average.
On Monday, the the NHL Central Scouting Bureau named him to the West team’s roster for the Canadian Junior Hockey League’s Prospects Game on Jan. 25 in Cornwall, ON.
