Jayda Noyes, Daily Herald
“It’d be tough to think that this would be it.” – Mason Issel, scholarship recipient
Perry Dmyterko remembered his brother while handing Mason Issel a scholarship in his memory on Friday.
It’s been almost 31 years since Kelly Dmyterko was killed in a snowmobiling accident.
At the time, he had come home for a weekend while playing for the Lloydminister Lancers—he had previously played his entire minor hockey career in Prince Albert and was captain of the P.A. Fuellers Midget AA Hockey Club.
The Kelly Dmyterko Memorial tournament has been going on ever since his passing on Dec. 6, 1987.
They’ve been handing out a $1000 scholarship for the past five years to a student who’s played in Prince Albert minor hockey.
Issel, this year’s recipient, said the thought of Kelly’s story is scary.
“I couldn’t imagine having this be my entire life. There’s so much that I haven’t done and so much that I’ve never got to experience yet. It’d be tough to think that this would be it,” he said.
At 18-years-old, Issel is the same age as Kelly was when he was killed.
The money is going towards his post-secondary education.
He’s currently in his second year at the University of Saskatchewan’s (U of S) Edwards School of Business.
“I’m very thankful for the Dmyterko family (for) providing this scholarship and also for selecting me. It’s a big honour and it means a lot too because I’ve played for this team all three years, so I’ve been a part of this tournament,” he said.
Technical director James Mays conducted the presentation on Friday night before the game between the Prince Albert Dairy Queen Chill and the Eastman Selects.
While the event used to be a challenge for Perry, his feelings have changed with time.
“It was hard to go to the tournament and hard to be here, but as the years go by you kind of turn it into respect and do it in honour of (Kelly) and something that we can do for him as a lasting legacy,” he said.
Perry is the oldest of three siblings, with Kelly being the youngest.
“I know there’s always good times in hockey and the kids all have a good time and he really liked the sport, loved the sport. That was his life. It’s nice to see kids that are dedicated,” he said.
The Dmyterko family has supported the city’s sports community for almost 50 years.
