Plainsmen set to gain worldly experience

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This article was published 22/12/2015 (3756 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canada’s favourite holiday pastime kicks off Boxing Day when Team Canada takes on their bitter American rivals in the opening game of the world junior hockey championship in Helsinki, Finland.

One day later, 19 players and four coaches from the Crocus Plains high school hockey team will begin their own overseas journey in Europe.

After driving to Winnipeg, the Plainsmen — joined by a dozen parents —will fly to Ottawa, then on to London before landing in Stockholm, Sweden on Monday.

They will not have too long to acclimatize themselves in Sweden as they hit the ice for the first of four exhibition games — two in Sweden and two in Finland — the next day against FOC Farsta.

“I think the biggest shock for kids will be getting to Sweden and seeing the sunrise at 8:30 a.m. and see it set at 2:54 in the afternoon,” said head coach Peter Gerlinger. “These are the things we want to embrace for a good learning experience.”

Gerlinger, who is in his ninth year with Crocus, has taken past teams to tournaments on Cape Breton Island, in Toronto, Dallas, Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, but never overseas.

“All along we always said, ‘Wouldn’t it be neat if we could finally do that trip to Europe,’” he said.

Thanks to an online invitation package — that just so happened to coincide with the world juniors — that day is nigh.

The team undertook considerable fundraising efforts and managed to weave through an assortment of bureaucratic red tape to make the trip a reality.

“There’s a tour company transporting us everywhere and they’ve got some tours planned for us,” Gerlinger said. “We’re going to leave our place early in the morning every day and we are going to be busy. That’s how we like it.”

He can’t wait to get to Scandinavia and neither can his players.

“They’re certainly excited to get there and they want to play hockey,” he said.

After playing FOC Farsta, the Plainsmen will lace up their skates versus Tyresö-Hanviken before taking a 16-hour cruise ship ride to Helsinki.

The Plainsmen will be in the stands at Helsinki Ice Hall for Canada’s final world junior preliminary round game versus Sweden on New Year’s Eve, and they have tickets to two quarter-finals, both semifinals and the gold-medal game.

“We’re really excited about attending the Team Canada games. We’ve even have some unique clothing that we designed, so we are hoping to stand out in one or more of the games as a group,” Gerlinger said.

The Plainsmen are also hoping at some point to connect with Brandon Wheat Kings head coach and general manager Kelly McCrimmon, who is among the Canadian assistant coaches in Finland.

“Maybe we’d get a chance to go watch a practice or just get a little peak behind the scenes,” Gerlinger said.

The Plainsmen will take on Helsinki-Riihimäen Jäähalli and Helsinki-Vuosaaren Jäähalli before returning to Brandon on Jan. 6.

“What we want to achieve out of it is just a tremendous overall learning experience for the kids,” he added. “I want the kids to be on the ice on the international stage and just see what it’s like to play somebody from the other side of the world, so to speak.

“I’m not worried about if we are winning or losing, but I certainly want the kids to be competitive so they can have a good experience.”

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