Westside Warriors centre Shawn Hochhausen, team mascot The General and head coach Darren Yopyk dropped in on a couple of local minor hockey practices this week to lend a hand.
Hochhausen and the General surprised 20 lucky Westside Minor Hockey novice players Wednesday evening while Yopyk was up early Thursday morning to chip in at an atom rep team practice.
Hochhausen spent time reviewing skills with the novice players and passed on the message of the importance of education while still playing hockey. The players also received goods from The General who handed out free passes to the Warriors next home game.
Yopyk showed the atom kids some important skills to help in their development.
“This is an age where kids start to develop a lot of their hockey skills so it’s important to give them as much guidance as possible,” said Yopyk. “(Thursday)morning I went over some basic drills I do with my team. I also re-informed them about the importance of calling for the puck and being vocal on the ice.
“I think the kids were able to take a few lessons away from today. I certainly had fun getting up at 5 a.m. and sharing the joy these young players have for the game.”
Yopyk frequently helps out with local teams in the area and knows the importance of making sure local hockey players get the right guidance. Ten current Warriors are local products: Cole Holowenko, Brayden Sherbinin, Brett Mulcahy, Stefan Nicholishen, Shawn Hochhausen, Brett McKinnon, Travis Blanleil, Tyler French, Max French and Tyler Krause.
