The faces were long in the locker room of the Ukrainian team after the loss of 2 to 1 at the hands of the Vermont Flames, which officially put an end to its incredible epic at the Tournoi pee-wee de Québec, Friday at the Videotron Center.
• Read also: Young Ukrainian hockey players warmly welcomed at the Bell Center
• Read also: Pee-wee tournament: A victory for the Ukrainian team in honor of fallen soldiers
• Read also: Victory of the Ukrainian team at the Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament!
In one corner, a player was discreetly wiping away a tear. In the other, another gave free rein to the disappointment that inhabited him.
But what will forever be etched in the memory of coach Evgheniy Pysarenko, once the pain of defeat subsides, are instead the smiles he saw on the faces of his 18 charges over the two last weeks.
Photo by Didier Debusschere
Young teenagers who, for the most part, had to leave their country at war to take refuge in another European. Others who still live daily with the fear of missiles, who worry about their father gone to fight or even who mourn their father killed in combat.
Photo by Didier Debusschere
Some had not put on their skates since the start of the armed clashes, almost a year ago.
Photo by Didier Debusschere
Pysarenko also looked sad in the minutes following this setback. His team had come to Quebec to win.
Photo by Didier Debusschere
She struggled to the end, closing the gap to just one goal with 11 seconds left in Friday’s game to the sound of “let’s go Ukraine!” which echoed in the stands, where a few hundred spectators had moved despite the storm to encourage them.
Photo by Didier Debusschere
Except that the coach has said it from the start: this participation in the tournament went beyond hockey. And if Pysarenko was sad, he was also proud.
“They represented their country which is going through such a difficult situation. That’s why they wanted to win so hard, he pointed out. Luck was not our luck on our side [vendredi], but they fought. They showed their strength of character.”
Photo by Didier Debusschere
The Ukrainian pee-wee will still stay in Quebec until Monday, after which they will each go their separate ways. A moment apprehended by both the coach and Sean Bérubé, the instigator of this beautiful project, nicknamed “uncle Sean” within the club.
But until then, young players will take full advantage of what the city has to offer. On the program, a possible outing to the sugar shack, ice fishing or even a day at Village Vacances Valcartier.
Various activities to which they had been invited in the last days, but which they had not been able to take part in, for lack of time.
Pysarenko and one of his color bearers, Zahar Kovalenko, had a message for the people of Quebec, who have supported them since their arrival: “Thank you for your warm welcome. We even went to see an NHL game [du Canadien, mardi dernier] “, rejoiced the pilot.
And, maybe, see you next time.
Because the coach hopes to find the financial support in order to bring together his little fighters again in the coming months, or even in the coming years.
“We are going back home, to different countries, but now we would like to play a tournament in Austria in the spring,” Pysarenko explained.
Question, again, to see hockey give back to these young people what they have most precious: their desire to smile.