Australian hockey workforce tries to maintain heat because it wraps up Edmonton tour – Edmonton

By Mike D. Wagner On Dec 12, 2022

The visiting Kaurna Boomerangs received a warm welcome on another cold day in Edmonton.

The Australian hockey team is visiting the Capital Region as part of its Canadian tour.

Players are still trying to keep warm while soaking in another cultural experience at Amiskwaciy Academy.

‘It’s so cold outside, ears are freezing, nose is red,’ Kaurna Boomerangs goalie Max Black said.

Image of Kaurna Boomerang.

Kerry Goulet/Global News

“I’ve been to the snow before in Australia, so I was expecting something like that which was about -8 [degrees], but when I came here and it turned out it was -40 C, it was just crazy. Couldn’t feel my nose, couldn’t feel my ears,” Kaurna Boomerang player Jamie Sewer said.

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Down Under to deep freeze: Indigenous hockey team from Australia arrives in Edmonton

It’s a stark contrast to the hot, dry, fiery conditions back home. After a week away, some may be adjusting to the cold.

“As it’s slowly starting to get warmer, we’re slowly adapting to it I guess, but it’s still freezing. That’s the only thing I miss from home: the warm weather,” added Sewer.

The Kaurna Boomerangs were welcome guests at the Amiskwaciy Academy to learn Cree traditions and share their own.

“[It’s an] opportunity for us to share what were doing here with another culture coming in,” Amiskwaciy Academy Principal Fred Hines said.

This was just one cultural stop for the team.

They also played the Calling Lake Tomahawks and will take in an Oilers game before flying back Down Under.

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All this actually fits in with talk of the weather. Although painful at times, this week’s weather has been fitting.

“I think the extreme change of the temperature is really what made this trip extra special, in the sense that they could have come here, it could have been plus five,” said Kerry Goulet, director of Ice Hockey Classic.

“We maybe haven’t been able to go outdoors, but they got to get the true Canadian experience.”