A heavy layer of frost clings to the exterior of Peter Knight Memorial Arena in Crossfield, Alberta and it’s not much warmer inside the small-town’s indoor rink. But the minute you step into the dressing room, especially on this day, the cold melts away.
A team of 13- and 14-year-old U15 hockey players are clad head to toe in purple. They are pounding their fists against their padded thighs, pumping themselves up for an impromptu practice, that has earned them a morning away from school.
“This is not just a game, it’s so much more,” said coach Audrey Campbell.
And for the team’s centreman it will be especially poignant.
“It’s pretty special, now that this is on my back it feels like she is with me,” said Cooper Snyder, showing off the back of his jersey.
His aunt’s name is crested on his shoulders. Her story has been a heavy one, the entire family has had to carry for three years now.
“This is stuff you seen on the news, it happens to other people, it’s not stuff that happens to us we are just a normal family, never in a million years do you think it’s going to happen to you,” said Shaina Snyder, Cooper’s Mom and the team’s manager.
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In 2021, 25-year old mother of two, Kirsten Gardner was murdered in her Bowden home by her on-again off-again boyfriend, in a horrific act of domestic violence. He pleaded guilty to second degree murder last May.
“I lost a friend, everything, we did a lot together,” said Kirsten’s Dad Brian Gardner.
“She was outgoing, she had twin boys, they were only two when she died.”
An emergency shelter is being built in Olds and will be called Kirsten’s place in honor of the outgoing young woman with the big heart. There are currently no emergency shelters between Calgary and Red Deer and the region has spent years raising funds to change that.
“We have an outreach worker in the community and even in the last month we could have filled it twice,” said Joe Carrignan, President of Mountain View Emergency Shelter Society and a former RCMP officer.
“When Kirsten died Brian- who is a home builder- called us and said he wanted to help,” added Carrignan.
Brian said the family had no idea Kirsten was in trouble, and he believes had there been a shelter, things may have been different for her.
“When you are a victim like that, we didn’t know nothing, we find out after, they are embarrassed, I’m pretty sure Kirsten thought she could deal with it by herself,” said Gardner.
On Saturday, The U15 Renegades will play their first ever fundraising game for Kirsten’s Place. They are not just raising money they are raising awareness and learning about domestic violence as well.
“These young men are the potential start of relationship. It’s a healthy topic to talk about healthy relationships how to treat people, handle conflict,” said Shaina Snyder.
“I know this has sparked a lot of conversation, conversations that people don’t want to have but need to be had it affects more families than what people think,” added coach Campbell.
The boys have already raised more than $5,000 dollars.
“At the end of the day I don’t think the boys will remember what the scoreboard said, with what they’ve done for the shelter they’ve won already won,” said Campbell.
The boys play Red Deer on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Crossfield.
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