High River Flyers mourn death of captain and his childhood friend in crash

WATCH ABOVE: Eli Gosselin & Carter Corrigan were childhood friends but their lives were cut short this weekend in a crash near High River. As Tracy Nagai reports, the deaths have struck a chord with the hockey community.

CALGARY- Southern Albertans are mourning the loss of two young athletes.

Eli Eggli-Gosselin & Carter Corrigan  were childhood friends but their lives were cut short this weekend in a crash not far from Gosselin’s house In High River.

RCMP were called to a collision around 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning northeast of High River where they found a red Chrysler Sebring rolled over.

RCMP say the two men were inside the car, both pronounced dead at the scene.

19-year-old Carter Corrigan and 20-year-old Eli Eggli-Gosselin are both are from High River.

“The vehicle had left the roadway and overturned, coming to rest on it’s roof within the backyard of a residence located along 176 Street,” High River RCMP Constable Stacy Campbell said.

“It (the vehicle) was completely destroyed and it looked like it had gone through some trees,” Constable Campbell said.

Damaged trees mark the spot where the car was found. Police are still investigating the cause of the crash and whether or not speed or alcohol were factors. Both men were wearing seat belts.

The deaths have struck a chord with the hockey community.

Friends of the victims are at a loss trying to make sense of this tragedy.

Crystal Surina lives next door to the Corrigan’s. She’s started a fundraiser to help both families .

“I was stunned. I’m a mom, I’m a parent and it’s Christmas time and no parent needs to go through this at this time of year, and they’re our neighbors and really wonderful people and I really didn’t know what to say it’s just horrid,” Surina said.

Eli Eggli-Gosselin was the Captain of the High River Flyers Junior B Hockey Club.

Team President Bill Holmes received the tragic news mid afternoon on Saturday, that the Captain of his hockey team had passed away in a car crash, along with another teen in the Blackie-area.

Holmes said the two boys were classmates and grew up together.

“It’s tough for the community and family and friends.”

“It’s a small town, so their classmates saw each other play through minor hockey. Whether it was friends going to the games or hanging out on the weekends,” Holmes said. “Eli did restoration work on our house after the floods.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a small town, so their classmates saw each other play through minor hockey. Whether it was friends going to the games or hanging out on the weekends," Holmes said. "Eli did restoration work on our house after the floods."

“It’s horrible for us, horrible for the family, horrible for the friends. When you have a person that’s a leader on the team, that’s significant as well.”

On Saturday nights’ Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, announcers Don Cherry and Ron MacLean spoke about the incident.

‘We had a tragedy in High River, young hockey players, tell us about it,” MacLean said.

News of the deaths prompts many in the hockey community to reach out.

With several leagues offering their condolences.

Gosselin’s mother is thanking people for their support on social media.

She says “Our lives changed dramatically with the loss of our son. We were the lucky ones as we got to live with and love that smile, and laughter and wackiness everyday!”

Holmes said Eggli-Gosslin was a big guy, with a great smile. He was also a great friend and leader as Captain of the team.

“‘He’s just somebody that was full of fun, full of life. It’s a huge loss for that group of kids,” Holmes said. “When you think about somebody that’s in that role, you’ve got that sort of Canadian kid, the big strapping good looking guy, somebody that you can lean on and that will lead.”

“The time of the year is also an impact. It’s a time when families are gathering and getting together. People are coming home from wherever they’ve gone to school, classmates of them, and they’re just finding out this news as well so it is a tough time,” Holmes said.

Saturday’s game between the Flyers and host Coaldale Copperheads has been postponed. The team cancelled all of its games this weekend.

The High River Flyers Hockey Club issued the following statement on the team’s Facebook page:

“It is with great sadness that our hockey family mourns the devastating loss of our teammate & captain Eli Gosselin, who along with another Blackie-area boy were killed in a vehicle rollover early this morning. This weekend’s games have been cancelled as our team processes this unbelievable tragedy.”

The teams’s general manager and coaching staff let players and parents know about the tragic incident. There’s also a team Chaplain to help members of the community cope with the loss of the young men.

No word yet on when the autopsies are scheduled.

Eli’s sister, Anna Gosselin released the following statement to Global News on Sunday:

“Eli was the type of guy who could change the mood in a room to ‘fun’  as soon as he walked in. He was friends with everyone and liked everyone he met. He was outgoing, polite and above all a kind and sensitive person. He enjoyed team roping, and playing hockey. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. We would also like to thank everyone for their kind words and support during this difficult time.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Eli was the type of guy who could change the mood in a room to 'fun'  as soon as he walked in. He was friends with everyone and liked everyone he met. He was outgoing, polite and above all a kind and sensitive person. He enjoyed team roping, and playing hockey. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. We would also like to thank everyone for their kind words and support during this difficult time."

There’s a fundraiser for the two victims of the High River crash.

A memorial for the young men is also being planned.