For a pair of Red Deer Rebels a recent floor hockey game against the Grade 5 students at Holy Family School was more than break from the WHL pressure.

“I went to school here for five years so I saw where my old locker used to be, the classrooms I used to be in and some of the teachers that you had,” said Scott Feser. “It’s a pretty cool experience.”

His teammate Kolton Dixon agreed. “It’s a flashback from the past for sure. It’s the first time I’ve been back since I was in Grade 5 actually so it was kind of cool to reconnect with some of my old teachers.”

The Rebels do a handful of these floor hockey events during the season which provides the players a chance to connect with young fans and take a step back from the rigors of junior hockey.

“It’s great, you get to kind of clear your head from the rink and come out and have some fun. Just be a kid at heart again and have some fun with the little guys, teach them a thing or two at floor hockey and just if anything, be great role models for them and be someone they might want to be,” said Dixon.

Feser added it was a day which stirred up a few memories for him when he was the student, anxious to take on the Rebels in a game of floor hockey.

“I used to be that little kid waiting for an autograph so I know it makes it that much more special.”

Once the puck is dropped the students seem to forget about anything else which may have happened that day and the Rebels players recall what made them a good floor hockey player back in the day.

“Probably the full ice shot,” said Feser. “I remember these foam pucks, how they float so well so at lunch time when we played I’d let one go from my own end and hopefully it would find its way back there.”

Dixon added “I had a couple of good slap shots I do remember faintly but nothing too spectacular.”

The enjoyment from the floor hockey is evident on the faces of the students as well as the players and it’s a simple gesture from a very visible group within the community.

“It’s absolutely an honour to give back to some place I actually went to,” said Dixon. “To know what they’re feeling, what they’re experiencing even better and it makes it easier to give back to the community.”

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