Kelly Ens, proud mom of Winkler Flyers' Lucas Ens, made her way to Ontario this weekend to cheer her son on. She is excited to show her support at the 2024 Centennial Cup in Oakville, Ontario, where the Winkler Flyers are making our community proud.
“I am in Burlington. That is where a number of parents are staying. And so, we're just a quick 15-minute drive to the arena, and able to watch the boys and to cheer them on with cowbell in hand, and cheering loudly, and really hoping to bring that cup home.”
Ens joked that one of the mom’s brought 50 lbs of cowbells on the plane with her in order to make sure all parents can do their part, saying "We are here to make some noise."
“It's really exciting. I think as a parent, we just want to see our children be happy and succeed, and Lucas has had a great time with this great group of young men and they're doing what they love to do, which is play hockey."
Ens says that there is so much more to hockey than just the sport.
“There's so many components of it, creating great friendships, learning hockey skills and just having the opportunity that they've had, it's really exciting.”
Greg Ens (spouse to Kelly Ens), who passed away in 2019, was a large part of the hockey community in Winkler, honored with the Greg Ens Memorial Park in 2021.
“I'm sure Greg would be extremely proud right now, not just for Lucas, but for some of these other young men that he has known over the years through coaching. He would be incredibly proud.”
Ens says that she has celebrated the entire journey with the Winkler Flyers, including everything that came with the 2023-2024 season. Winning the Turnbull Cup was a huge victory and added bonus.
“In a time where our community has been divided on issues, it is important to bring us together. That is what winning the cup has done.”
She will continue to celebrate with the Winkler Flyers whether they win the tournament or not.
“We'll be over the moon ecstatic if it happens. For many of the boys, just being here is a huge victory. Of course, many of them have learned not to be satisfied with just this, and to look beyond what this could bring, but they've worked so hard. They've come through a lot of adversity, and they have really gelled as a team. There's huge potential for this group of young men. And so, if we get to the finals and we capture the cup, we'll be ecstatic and over the moon and ready to celebrate with the boys.”
Click below to listen to the full interview with Kelly Ens and Connie Bailey.
Sat, Jul 27, 9:00 AM
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