In front of his family, friends and dozens of members of the 麻豆社国产Minor Hockey Association (SMHA), local hockey star Brodyn Nielsen got the chance to again don the Vancouver Giants jersey on Sunday (Feb. 19).
And while the Western Hockey League (WHL) squad dropped a 3-1 decision to the visiting Red Deer Rebels, Nielsen said it was a memorable experience to play in front of so many fans from his hometown.
"They actually told me I'd be playing on Saturday," Nielsen said. "I played with the Wolf Pack on Friday and they didn't actually tell me 'til the next morning."
Nielsen said he was thrilled when he learned he'd be performing on SMHA night at the Pacific Coliseum.
"It was pretty exciting when I found out," he said. "I looked over to the section where everyone was sitting in the warm-ups and it was just really exciting."
He said it was a frustrating night for the Giants, who were playing their fifth game in six nights and fell behind 1-0 just 18 seconds in. Nielsen didn't manage to get on the score sheet and said the team couldn't recover from the poor start.
"I thought we battled hard but we didn't have the type of start that we wanted," he said. "We were chasing them all night."
Nielsen played on several different line combinations throughout the game but did get to spend several shifts with highly touted Montreal Canadiens prospect Brendan Gallagher, who recently established a new career record for goals with the Giants.
"It was a great opportunity for me to play with a guy like that," he said. "He's a great player and he's a guy that just knows how to score goals."
He said he's not sure when he will next play with the Giants but in the meantime he will return to the North Vancouver Wolf Pack of the Pacific International Junior Hockey League (PIJHL).
Nielsen and the Pack are closing in on the franchise's first-ever playoff berth and will find out their fate by the end of the PIJHL's season on Sunday (Feb. 26).
