Dryden Ice Dogs Are All About Hockey and Community

 Ice Dogs Assistant Captain and forward Chris Belhumeur of Swan River, Manitoba and defenseman Austin Lewis from Brandon took a break from practice to talk to Dryden Rotary Club members at a recent luncheon. Both are second year Ice Dogs and each is eligible to play one more season in Dryden’s Junior A hockey team.  Chris and Austin credit the success of the franchise to community support. The Ice Dogs are the only community owned team in the league and depend 100% on fundraising and sponsorships for all expenses.

Being an Ice Dog is a full time job. When they aren’t playing, travelling or practicing they are very much in the forefront of the community visiting sick kids and helping at the hospital as well as talking to students at schools or participating in local events.

Currently there is only one Drydenite on the team. All other players are billeted with families in Dryden.

The age of the players are between 16 and 20 years old and the league only allows a certain number of players who are twenty years old before they need to move on. The SIJHL is a natural stepping stone to college, university and maybe even the professional leagues.

On behalf of the Ice Dogs, Chris and Austin extend a big thank you to the community for their support in providing these young hockey players a chance to live their dreams.