They may not play for the same team, but a young Calgary hockey player is getting a big assist from his fellow goaltenders.
Eleven-year-old Harrison Markin is passionate about hockey, but as he honed his edges and stickhandling, his eyes kept wandering toward the crease.
“I wanted to skate and be a good player and strong player before I became a goalie,” Harrison explained.
Taking that next stride between the pipes felt overwhelming and intimidating.
With some reassurance from Calgary Hitmen goaltenders Ethan Buenaventura and Brayden Peters, the nerves started to melt away.
“He was asking a lot of questions about being a goalie and I told him I was the younger goalie on my team,” Buenaventura said. “I told him that he should try it out.”
With a fresh set of gear from the Calgary Flames Sports Bank in tow, Harrison hit the blue paint and hasn’t looked back.
Harrison has autism and plays SuperHEROS hockey, an adaptive program for youth with visible and invisible disabilities.
His family is floored by how far he’s come on and off the ice.
“He would go out for 15 or 20 minutes and he’d be tired,” Harrison’s dad John said. “Now I can’t get him off the ice.
“More self-confidence, more social skills, you know, things that people take for granted. There’s no words to describe it.”
Harrison’s story struck a chord with another goaltender: Ryley Budd of the U15 Northstars.
“I was told that there’s a new goalie and he was really liking it right away,” Budd said. “That sticks with me because I’ve been there. I remember when I was first starting, probably around his age.”
Budd reached out and struck a deal with Enercorp.
The company pledged to donate $1 for every save Budd made this season and $10 per shutout to help send Harrison to a HEROS hockey tournament in Ontario.
Budd feverishly tracked his stats game after game and managed to raise $650.
But the company decided to bump it up to $5,000
“I didn’t believe them when they told me,” Budd laughed. “It was crazy to hear that.
“I couldn’t have even dreamed about it being as successful as it was back in September.
“So I’m really happy with how it turned out and I’m just so happy that was able to help someone out and make an effect with this.”
On Monday, the trio of goalies hit the ice to celebrate, with Harrison beaming and narrating save after save.
“They took shots on me and I made a lot of saves — glove saves, kick saves, pad saves.”
“Harrison is such a good little dude,” Budd added. “He was making saves, shutting me and Ethan down, that’s for sure. It was awesome.”
The group plans to hold a goalie lunch (along with Peters) as a special send-off for Harrison before he and his teammates head to the tournament in March.
It’s a chance to talk strategy, the mental game and trade secrets while Harrison munches down on his favourite pregame meal: pepperoni pizza, hold the cheese.
“Harrison is 100 per cent a part of the goalie club,” Buenaventura said. “Just knowing that Harrison looks up to us — and we helped him be a goalie — it’s just, you know, something we’re proud about.”
Budd also hopes to up the ante next season with a new goal of raising $10,000 for HEROS Hockey.
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