Game On Magazine 2017 Game On Magazine - Regular Season Edition | Page 97

The Perfect Summer
Game for Kids
B Y S C O T T TAY L O R
Photos courtesy Ball Hockey Manitoba and Dustin Kelly
D
ustin Kelly is a
28-year-old member
of Canada’s National
Ball Hockey team.
He’s also a former
ice hockey star
with the Manitoba Major
Junior Hockey League’s
St. Boniface Riels and
Pembina Valley Twisters.
And perhaps, even more
important, he’s an advocate
for youth ball hockey.
Growing up, Kelly spent
the summer off-season
playing soccer. He played
with the Provincial Team,
but as a 16-year-old, he and
some friends were talked
into entering a team in a
Street Hockey Tournament.
Turns out, the team was
pretty good. They won the
Youth Division and some of
the top ball hockey players
in Manitoba took notice and
he was encouraged to play
ball hockey in the Manitoba
Ball Hockey Association. A
couple of years later, Kelly’s
friends found out that if they
entered a team in Division 1
of the Winnipeg Ball Hockey
League, they could win and
qualify to go to Vancouver for
the National Championships.
“Looking back, we we’re
told that maybe it wouldn’t
be a good idea to start in
Division 1, but we went ahead
anyway,” said Kelly with a
laugh. “Well we took our
licks, but during the season
I met Kevin Marchuk, who
is still on the national team
today. He suggested I should
try out for Team Manitoba.
He did and after a player
dropped out he was offered a
spot on the team. “I jumped
at the chance, went to the
Nationals and made the
National men’s team as a
19-year-old and now I’ve been
on the National Team for 10
years and have been able to
travel all over the country
and the world to compete”.
“That never would have
happened to me if I had
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