“Even though I’m only seven years into my life, I don’t think it’s going to get any better than that,” says Reid Entwistle, a grade two student from Tarentorus Public School who just returned to the Sault after attending the unforgettable World Junior Hockey Championship in Halifax, N.S.
Along with his parents Brad and Jennifer, Reid got to experience all the highs, stresses, and emotions of what turned out to be one of the most memorable World Juniors in the tournament’s history.
Reid is an avid hockey fan and player who competes in the Soo Peewee Hockey League U8 Tier 1 division for Rome’s Your Independent Grocer.
While watching the U18 World Hockey Championship in 2021, Reid became a huge fan of Jack Matier when he found out that the Ottawa 67’s defenseman was from the Sault.
The Entwistles later discovered that Matier even attended Tarentorus when he was in elementary school, which drove Reid’s fandom for the Sault native to new heights.
“He’s even a defenseman, just like me,” Reid Entwistle says.
When it was announced the tournament would be played in Halifax, the Entwistles put their names into a random draw for tickets as they have family that lives in the area.
But they quickly realized how challenging it would be to secure seats.
“What made it difficult was that you had to be a Halifax Mooseheads season ticketholder to have guaranteed access to the tournament,” Brad Entwistle says. “I heard they had over 2,000 additional season ticket holders above their norm when it was announced Halifax would be hosting, so I don’t think there were many people in the random ticket draw that were selected.”
After not securing tickets, Entwistle, one of the Soo Greyhound’s team doctors, reached out to his friend Dr. Blair Jarrett who happens to be a former Greyhound himself.
Jarrett spoke with his father-in-law and Mooseheads season ticket holder Dave Murray, and he had an extra access code that would secure a ticket package for two seats at every game.
Their generosity meant the Entwistles could go to Halifax and cheer on Matier and Team Canada.
“Reid was ecstatic when he found out that Jack had made the team because he was going to be seeing Jack play in person,” Entwistle says. “He decided that he wanted to make him a sign showing support for Jack once we arrived in Nova Scotia.”
Reid got to see 10 games in total throughout the tournament, including all of Canada’s elimination games.
During warmups on New Year’s Eve, Reid went down to the glass with the sign he made for Matier.
Matier soon spotted the sign and flipped a puck over the glass for Reid.
Even Mark Masters from TSN spotted the sign and shared his support for Matier on Twitter.
“We were really proud to be there supporting him,” Brad Entwistle says. “We felt it was important for Jack to know that there were other people from the Sault there to support him.”
The game between Canada and the United States is one the Entwistles will never forget.
“After the U.S. game, we went back to the hotel, and our ears were still ringing,” Reid Entwistle says. “One of my favourite songs now is Heave Away – Canada’s goal song.”
“Before the Canada and U.S. game, Reid said we needed at least six ‘Heave Away’s that night, and they ended up scoring six goals – it was awesome,” his dad adds.
While Canada’s gold medal game against Czechia had a slightly quieter atmosphere during most of the action, the Entwistles describe the nail-biting finish and overtime elation as an unforgettable moment.
“You could feel the building shake,” Reid says. “It didn’t shake as much as the U.S. and Canada game, but it was still crazy.”
“It was unbelievable,” Brad Entwistle adds. “It was great to share the experience with him. The whole atmosphere in Halifax was absolutely electric.”
The Entwistles had the chance to meet the Matier family, which included Jack’s parents Mark and Stacy, his grandparents, as well as his older brother Tanner.
Matier’s grandpa also gave Reid a Canadian flag pin, and there were some fans in line who handed the young hockey fan a 2003 World Juniors pin from when Halifax hosted the same tournament 20 years ago.
“The people there are very similar to the people in northern Ontario,” Reid says. “They say a couple of words differently than we do, but they’re friendly just like us.”
“We were very appreciative of Jack and his family to acknowledge Reid,” Brad Entwistle adds. “I’ve never met Jack before, but I’ve heard through several people that he’s a really good young man and has a lot of character, so it was nice to see him display that when we were there.”
Following the thrilling gold medal game, some of the Canadian players came to the glass to celebrate with fans and sign autographs.
“Matier was kind enough to autograph Reid’s sign and pose for a picture holding the sign,” Brad Entwistle says.
“It’s probably the best trip of my life, and I don’t think there’s anything that could possibly get better than that,” Reid says.