By Valerie Posthumus
The Haldimand Press
DUNNVILLE—On Thursday, October 27, 2022, the Tillburg Trappers from the Netherlands met the Haldimand River Kings on the ice at the Dunnville Memorial Arena.
After a hard-fought three periods, the River Kings were victorious with an 8-3 win over the Trappers.
The unexpected matchup came about when a previously scheduled game with another Canadian team was cancelled just three days before the Trappers departed the Netherlands. A new game needed to be scheduled. Through mutual Canadian contacts, the Trappers were put in touch with the coaches of the River Kings and the match was set.
“I was able to reach out to their coach and on short notice, they agreed to come play us in Dunnville,” said Jerry Lambert of the River Kings.
DUNNVILLE—Tillburg Trappers #88 Ceel Donders heads back for a face off.
A group of 43 people from the Netherlands travelled to Canada to play hockey and become tourists for nine days. During that time, they “played three games and had one training session with the Toronto Marlies,” explained Sandy Verschuren, mother of #86 Ceel Donders.
The Trappers and their entourage also had opportunities to see a Toronto Marlies game, visit the Hockey Hall of Fame, the CN Tower, and Niagara Falls and Clifton Hill.
The trip to Canada took a lot of time, preparation, and fundraising to make happen. Verschuren said, “It took three years to earn the money for this trip as they had to earn $2,500 CAD each.”
They sold used items, had a lottery, and even hosted bingo in order to raise the money.
Both teams enjoyed getting to know each other over dinner before the game and both sides say it was a great experience. Lambert said, “The experience went further than just a hockey game as we were able to enjoy a nice meal together pre-game at Debb’s Cuisine, who by the way did a fantastic job with accommodating us on such short notice. The kids got to chat and get to know the opposing team over dinner.”
Verschuren reminisced, “During dinner my husband, coach Dennis Donders, met Pete Hill, a supervisor of the team. Hill said that he had also played against a Tilburg Trapper team 21 years ago. My husband then found out that they had been on the ice together 21 years ago. And now their sons stood together on the ice and played against each other! How special is that?”
Lambert added, “We also did a gift exchange after the game where both teams got together and were able to put any differences aside from the game and once again just take it all in and enjoy the experience. Overall, it was a special night, one I hope the kids reminisce about for years to come!”
He concluded, “It was a once in a lifetime experience for our boys! Many kids dream of representing Canada while playing hockey and in a way, we were able to capture that by playing an international team from the Netherlands.”
To learn about the River Kings, visit haldimandminorhockey.com.
