The Williams Lake Peewee Tier 2 Timberwolves have been announced as a finalist for the Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup.
The announcement was made by Ron MacLean during Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, naming the T-wolves as one of the final 10 teams nationwide remaining until voting closes in 14 days to narrow down the top three.
The Chevrolet Good Deeds Cup was created to inspire young Canadians to do good by transforming the positive values learned through hockey into Good Deeds within their communities. For the contest, Chevrolet partnered with Hockey Canada and, over the past three years, thousands of Good Deeds have been completed by teams in cities and towns across Canada.
In Williams Lake, the Peewee Timberwolves, since the start of the season, have been getting out into the community to help out where they can.
In their submitted video for the Good Deeds Cup — which the team found out about through a commercial — players said they heard the Boys and Girls Club of Williams Lake and District food bank had run out of food.
They soon partnered with Save-On-Foods in Williams Lake to collect food donations and to raise money, all the while helping customers carry groceries out to their vehicles. Upon presenting the BGCWLD a cheque for $1,800, they also discovered the non-profit organization was in need of warm, winter clothing, so set out on a mission to collect donations for that, as well.
Tyrel Lucas, head coach of the Williams Lake Peewee Tier 2 Timberwolves, said Sunday morning players are riding an emotional high, after the team had just knocked off the No. 1 seed in Penticton with 30 seconds left in the game in the semifinal at a tournament in Salmon Arm this weekend.
“It’s been an awesome couple of days,” Lucas said.
“After we won our game last night to get to the semis [team manager] Leslie Rowse had it [Ron MacLean Hockey Night in Canada] recorded from the TV. We brought everyone into the dressing room and gave the post game speech and said, ‘OK, boys, there’s one more thing to show you.’ They were like, wow. They just erupted. They were super pumped.”
Lucas said he and Rowse discussed helping out in the community as a team last season, and added she was the driving force behind getting the team on board this year.
“She put a lot of work in, and we got it together and the boys did amazing with anything they were asked to do. It was awesome.”
Lucas, who has been coaching this particular group of players since they were in the Williams Lake Minor Hockey Association’s novice/initiation division, said it’s been a pleasure watching them grow as people, and as players.
“It’s kind of funny this is all happening now because what we just did in our last game there,” he said. “Before the game we were talking about when you have a special group of kids you can do special things, and it goes to show how they’ve done these good deeds and have come together as a team.
“We weren’t the No. 1 seed but every kid just battled. There’s no cliques on our team, and when they’ve come together like this it’s just awesome. They took the whole thing seriously and were super mature about it.”
To cast a vote for the Williams Lake Peewee Tier 2 Timberwolves simply visit this link and click on their video to watch. You can vote multiple times, and can also share the video on social media platforms to encourage others to do the same.
Should they win the Good Deeds contest, the team could bring home $100,000 for their charity of choice.
Voting closes on Sunday, Feb. 9 at 10 p.m.
