Hockey Night in Welland returns for Year 7
The boys are getting back on the ice.
That’s right, the original Welland Minor Hockey (WMH) midget squads that went toe-to-toe for an exhibition game in 2011 for the first Julia Turner Hockey Night in Welland are coming back for Year 7 to again don purple jerseys and hit the ice in support of the Hope Centre and Ronald McDonald House in Hamilton.
“Out of the 36 players, 31 are coming back,” said one of the event organizers, Linda FalovoAtkinson.
She explained that for the seventh run of the now-named Julia Turner & Dalton Jacques Hockey Night in Welland, the event is growing beyond its usual WMH midget exhibition game with an alumni hockey game and pasta dinner thrown into the mix.
While the event might be bigger and better when it returns on Dec. 1, the purpose remains the same: to raise money for local charities in honour of two Welland youths who lost their lives to cancer. That act of remembrance started with Julia, who died in December 2011 at age 16.
At the time, Falovo-Atkinson’s son, David Falovo, was a midget player and a friend of Julia. The whole team was, as Julia was, an avid fan, beyond being a dedicated volunteer with several local charities including the Hope Centre.
“Julia was special. She gave back to her community, she was friends with all of them [the players],” said Falovo-Atkinson, explaining how it was her son who first came up with the idea of wrapping the team’s sticks in purple tape in honour of their deceased friend.
Falovo-Atkinson and organizers took it one step further, organizing the first Julia Turner Hockey Night in Welland.
When Welland hockey player Dalton died at age 15 in 2016, his name was added to the event, in addition to support being directed to Ronald McDonald House.
Julia’s father Paul said Hockey
Night is always filled with meaning for him and his family, with the reunion making for a particularly special run in 2018.
“This year will be a special year,” said Paul, for whom the event is another way to keep his daughter’s memory alive.
“For our family, it is important,” said Turner, adding that “it’s pretty extraordinary.”
Said Falovo, “I’m looking forward to it, just hanging out with the guys again will be great.”
Taking place at Welland Arena, the Julia Turner & Dalton Jacques Hockey Night in Welland will start at 3 p.m. with the alumni game. Spectators are invited to wear purple in Julia’s honour, or yellow in Dalton’s, as they fill out the stands.
Following the alumni game, a pasta dinner will take place upstairs in the arena building. Tickets for the dinner are $20 in advance or $25 at the door. Admission includes pasta, meatballs, sausage, chicken, caesar salad and dinner rolls. For tickets, call Linda at 905-933-3263; Diane at 905-984-9437; Shirley at 905-3273014; or Sheri at 289-969-4557.
The event wraps up with the traditional showdown between two WMH midget teams at 7:30 p.m. alongside a raffle table, silent auction, and 50-50 draw.
Guests are asked to bring a non-perishable food donation for the Hope Centre food bank, or a cash donation in support of Ronald McDonald House.