The Vancouver Island Vision had a road trip they won’t forget.
A Nanaimo special needs hockey team competed at the Winter Hockey Festival earlier this month in Santa Clarita, Calif. The Vision ended the tourney with three straight wins and Andy Reynolds, the team’s coach, said he and the coaching staff had never seen the team play so well.
“They did everything I’ve tought them in practice. They put it together. It was so nice to watch,” he said.”
He said the host Valencia team put on a great tournament and said the Vision were embraced, being the only Canadian team.
“To represent Nanaimo, B.C., Canada, in Canada’s sport, it’s awesome,” Reynolds said.
He thanked the community for its support in helping the Vision make the trip. He said some of the players hadn’t travelled abroad before, or even skated at another rink aside from Cliff McNabb Arena.
“They wouldn’t get that opportunity in their lives unless the community banded together to help them get there,” Reynolds said. “The hockey, really, is secondary. It’s about meeting new people down there, new friends, exploring things and experiencing things that they never would have had the opportunity to do.”
sports@nanaimobulletin.com