They entered the league as boys but are leaving as men.There were seven players aged 20 and older on the 2013-14 Olds Grizzlys roster. They will be graduating from junior A hockey. A few of them talked about their careers in Olds and their future plans.“I came in and I was a little pecker-head I guess, thought I was all that … but the coaching staff helped me calm down and maybe realize you just got to come, show up and play hockey,” said Ethan Jemieff, the Grizzlys' starting goalie this season. “Without them, I wouldn't be here. I'm taking so much out of this experience.”The 20-year-old Jemieff will be studying business at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology next year. He will also be playing hockey there.Along with maturity, Jemieff said he learned about loyalty and having a good attitude while playing for the Grizzlys.For defenceman Taylor Bilyk, who hails from Edmonton, living away from home taught him to become more independent.“It's been a great experience,” Bilyk said about the three years he played for the Grizzlys. “Hopefully now I'm going to go play collegiate somewhere, whether it's down south or here playing (Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference). But I learned a lot playing here, I learned a lot from the coaches. Learned a lot about hockey and just a lot about life in general.”Bilyk is 21 years old and was one of the assistant captains on the team, an honour he admits was unexpected.“To have guys look up to me when I'm assistant captain, that was a really good experience,” Bilyk said.Along with Jemieff, forward and team captain Spencer Dorowicz is the other graduating player from Olds. Like Jemieff, Dorowicz said he will miss playing hockey at home.“Being from Olds, it's been pretty special for me to play in my hometown and it's been a real blessing playing here in front of my friends and family,” he said. “It's a great community and I love it and I'm really going to miss coming to the rink every day here.”Dorowicz, 20, will attend Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh next year and said collegiate hockey will come with added responsibilities.“You just focus on hockey. It's the game we all love,” he said about the AJHL. “And now, going on to the next level, it's going to be school and hockey. Junior life … you can focus a lot on just playing hockey and working and hanging out with your friends.”Hanging out is what the Grizzlys did a lot of and Jemieff said that playing on the team together has resulted in lasting camaraderie.“I wake up at 10 o'clock every day, come with the boys and always being around the fellas (sic) and they become your brothers really quick and that's definitely one thing you're going to miss.”The other players leaving the team due to their age are: defencemen Jordan Lajimodiere and Matt Hanger, and forwards Tyler Kerner and BJ [email protected]
