14 young players from the HC 46 hockey club in Bardejov, Slovakia had unforgettable experiences during their two-week trip to the Calgary suburb Chestermere to play at the 2011 Willbees Challenge Cup.Players 10 year-old and younger could not beat the more experienced Canadian clubs but all matches were exciting and the Slovaks gave a spirited and combative performances. And they've certainly learned something from their opponents .
During their free time they visited beautiful Canadian national parks at Banff and Lake Louise, shopped and played at one of the largest shopping center in the World, West Edmonton Mall, and attended the workout of NHL clubs Calgary Flames and Anaheim Ducks, where they personally met with Lubomir Visnovsky and later in the evening attended the game between those two clubs.
During their stay in Canada the players lived in families from the local club Willbees where they developed deep friendship with the Canadian hockey players who are already looking forward to next time when they would travel to a tournament in Slovakia.
Parents and coaches of the HC 46 hpckey club had only words of praise for the sponsors and the City council in Bardejov who made such a demanding trip possible as well as for their hosts in Canada and Marian Gittmer who with other enthusiasts organized the tournament and the program for the Slovak hockey players in Canada.
Here are some pictures from the last match against a team Lacombe Rockets.
Click on any picture to see the photogallery full-size.
Fotos: Paul Carnogursky
