They are tiny birds of prey on ice hoping to soon get a big moment of glory with their full-sized cousins.
On Dec. 16 the Innisfail "Tim Bit" Eaglets, a team of four- and five-year-old hockey players, joined a practice with six players from the Innisfail Eagles, who aimed to pass on their skill and talent to the youngsters.
While this was the first year the Eagles came to the Eaglets practice, it is the fourth year the young players will play during an intermission at an Eagles home game.
The Eaglets are a team comprised of 30 young players in their first and second year of learning to skate and develop hockey skills.
The practice was a forum for the Eaglets to prepare for an Eagles Jan. 15 home game when they will take to the ice during the first intermission and showcase their developing talent.
"The kids enjoyed it (practice). It was cool for them to have the bigger guys come out. They (the Eagles) were pretty pumped to be out there helping," said Eaglets coach Bernie Vanderham.
"The senior Eagles were kind enough to help the kids learn how to stickhandle and shoot the puck," he added. "The Eaglets are also learning how to skate forwards, backwards, turn and stop. The senior Eagles helped in all the drills with the young players, passing on their knowledge."
Vanderham said the experience was a bonus for the young Eaglets, who are always eager to move beyond the bare basics of the game.
"They have to learn to skate first. If they can't skate, they can't touch the puck," said Vanderham. "They spend the season learning the skills, developing and learning to be part of the team. Towards the end of the year they'll play three games against each other. There are other teams around but I don't like to alienate them at this point and decide who gets to play."
He said the Jan. 15 scrimmage during the intermission of the Eagles home game is actually a promotional event to show local hockey fans where the team is at, and how it is progressing.
"The Eaglets will get their eight minutes of glory," said Vanderham. "When the year started there was a lot of falling down and getting up going on, but as they learn to gain balance and confidence in themselves, they are starting to move forward and gain more speed and agility.
"Now we have to learn to stop. Just when they thought they had it mastered, the coach throws another drill at them, but the young players never give up and keep trying and gaining confidence with each new skill they learn," he added. "All the children are having fun at learning their new passion and they are grateful to the coaches for teaching and helping them on the ice."
