Dinos mourning death of teammate
Canoeing mishap in southeast B.C. lake claims life of basketball champion, 19
Members of the University of Calgary men’s basketball team are mourning the death of teammate Andrew Milner after his body was found in Moyie Lake in southeastern British Columbia.
Cranbrook RCMP say two men were canoeing on the lake Tuesday when the craft tipped. One of the canoeists made it to shore.
RCMP and the B.C. Coroner’s Service are investigating.
The team has confirmed the dead man is Milner, a 19-year-old kinesiology student from Antigonish, N.S., who played for the Dinos for the past two seasons.
Ben Matchett, assistant athletic director with Dinos Athletics, said Milner’s teammates and other student athletes have been provided with grief counselling and staff have been working with the university to reschedule exams for anyone who has requested that.
“Now it’s just about providing as much support as we can to our community and, of course, to the family, because we’re hurting with this and can’t imagine what they’re going through,” Matchett said.
Matchett described Milner as a “champion at all levels.” In basketball, he won a national championship with the Nova Scotia under-17 team, and won two Canada West championships and one national championship in his two years with the Dinos.
“He had a lot of potential on the basketball floor and I know our staff was excited to see where that was going to take him over the next couple of years,” Matchett said.
He added that the kids Milner coached in Calgary “really looked up to him.”
“He loved basketball and wanted to share that with others,” Matchett said.
Milner was also the type of person that was a “friend to everybody.”
“(He) got along really well with everyone he came into contact with,” Matchett said.
“Not just the men’s basketball team, but the women’s basketball team and a lot of our other student athletes and his peers here on campus — it’s really a struggle for them and for all of us right now with the news.”
He added that anyone who needs support is encouraged to reach out to the Wellness Centre on U of C campus or to other resources.
The team said in a statement Wednesday that Milner was an “outstanding student and a national champion on the basketball floor.
“But most importantly he was a tremendous young man, and his loss will be felt deeply by all members of the Dinos community,” the team said.
“We offer our sincere condolences to the Milner family and the community of Antigonish, N.S., and to everyone who knew Andrew.”