Game On Magazine 2017 Game On Magazine - Regular Season Edition | Page 82

B Y S C O T T TAY L O R
Photos by James Carey Lauder, Scott Taylor
and courtesy RHA Nationals
Giving
Hearts
It would appear the RHA
Nationals are much more than
just a hockey academy. At
Christmas, they also found the
time, effort and enthusiasm to
give back to the community.
This past December, the
young men on all three RHA
Nationals teams – Bantam Prep,
Midget Prep and Elite 15s –
got together and threw their
energetic group support behind
Sam’s Christmas, an initiative
of Jeff Fisher’s Project ECHO.
As if it were the final
game of the Canadian Sport
School Hockey League’s
championship tournament, the
players could not have been
more enthusiastic. And, not
surprisingly, they had fun, too.
“We picked a family and got
gifts for them,” said Midget
Prep defenseman Caydin
Cleland. “We gave them
stuff they needed and things
they wouldn’t be able to get
themselves and we went out
and bought the gifts ourselves.
“We split into groups and
we each had an individual
from the family as our
responsibility. So, four of us
got together and bought gifts
for that person. We did all the
wrapping and labelling as a
team we got together and put
the entire hamper together.
“We had a lot of fun. We
bought the gifts individually,
but when we came together
as a team to do the packing
it was a pretty good time.”
Longtime Winnipeg
strength and conditioning
coach, Jeff Fisher of Elite
Performance founded Project
Echo in 2003 to carry on his
The RHA Nationals Elite 15s and
Project ECHO. Back row from left:
Carter Loney, Head Coach Nick Fuher,
Assistant Coach Burke Henry, Logan
Danis. Front Row: Cody Blight, Project
ECHO’s Lisa McFarland, Evan Herman