By Canadian Press

Ukrainian Peewees unable escape reminders of war

Feb 13, 2023 | 7:38 PM

QUEBEC CITY (AP) — If Mykyta Staskevich needed another reminder of what his boys hockey team of Ukrainian refugees was playing for back home, it came in the poignant form of the nation’s flag unfolded in the locker room before its game against Romania on Monday.

In blue, representing the sky, were the nicknames of a player’s father and the father of a player’s friend, who have died on the front lines in the war with Russia. In yellow, representing the ground, were the nicknames of two of the player’s fathers — including Staskevich — who are still fighting.

Speaking in Ukrainian, Staskevich’s eyes welled as he provided an answer to what the flag symbolized.

“He wants Ukraine to win the war and to stop the war,” Ukrainian Selects coach Evgheniy Pysarenko said, serving as a translator. “Peace.”

The flag was brought to Pysarenko by one of the player’s parents, and served as both motivation and a poignant reminder of why the team is competing in the International Peewee Tournament in Quebec City. The Selects are more than just a hockey team of 11- and 12-year-olds. They’ve come to represent a symbol of peace and a far more hopeful future for a battle-torn nation nearly a year since Russia invaded Ukraine.

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“You can imagine a kid, he saw the name of his father, and he start to cry. And the whole team come to him and give big hug. It was quiet a couple of minutes,” Pysarenko said, following a 2-0 victory over Team Romania Wolves.

“It was more than a hockey game,” he said. “This game we dedicated to these people.”

Tears turned to smiles by the end of the game, when Ivan Bilozerov capped the scoring by converting a rebound with 61 seconds remaining. And the excitement in the locker room grew when word got around that the Selects were boarding a bus headed for Montreal, where the team will be the special guests of the Canadiens for their game against Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night.

One of the team’s dreams was having a chance to attend an NHL game during what’s now growing into a three-week stay in Canada.

The Selects extended their stay by beating Romania in an elimination game. Maksym Kukharenko scored a power-play goal and Matvii Kulish earned the shutout (shot totals are not tracked at the tournament).

The Ukrainians, who have been celebrated around town since their arrival some two weeks ago, are three wins from clinching a spot in the tournament Class AA championship on Sunday. They advanced to play the Vermont Flames Academy on Friday.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

John Wawrow, The Associated Press