Featured in The Wokingham Paper every Thursday, Bracknell Bees head coach Doug Sheppard gives his latest views on Bracknell’s season on and off the ice in an exclusive column.
LAST WEEKEND was our first without a hockey game on home ice for the Bees.
We used this opportunity to open our Hockey shop all day Saturday to introduce our new range of ice skating equipment.
Normally the shop is very busy on matchdays, especially as fans come in to look at shirts and other items of clothing. Now they can also choose from a range of skating equipment.
As more people, of all ages, are coming to the Hive at the weekend to watch hockey, they are realising how much fun can be had on the ice.
We’re also getting increasing numbers of supporters attending our away games. They saw us win against Invicta on Sunday to retain our position at the top of the league. We’ve some big games coming up now, home and away, and we’re looking at the possibility of organising coaches for fans wanting to attend away fixtures.
Hockey is a fast and physically demanding sport. The guys get energy from the support they hear during a game. With the School Zone open this weekend again, we know there’ll be a great atmosphere in the rink when we play Streatham. Then on Sunday we travel to Peterborough, so far unbeaten this season.
Some of you reading this will have had an evening out in the Blues Smokehouse this week, enjoying the food and being served by the players. Thank you for attending this event, the first of a number this season to raise money for the Young Epilepsy charity.
In memory of the young Slovak player, David Gaborcik, who was Bracknell’s Player of the Year in 2016-17, and who died tragically in France last month, we will observe a minute’s silence before Saturday’s game.
Our current player and his former team-mate Josh Smith had this to say about him: “Anyone who knew David knew what a nice and genuine person he was.
“Nobody would have a bad word to say about him. He had a smile which lit up the room.
“If you were ever down, David would be there to crack a joke and give you a good laugh. He always played the game with a smile. He had an attitude where he would always put the team before himself.
“That transferred into how he was in everyday life, always caring about others more than himself.
“He will leave an everlasting effect on everyone who knew him and ever spoke to him.”
