Graduates of the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears varsity hockey team are set to don their old jerseys and go head to head with old classmates and teammates ahead of the new year for the annual JDHS alumni game at 6 p.m. Monday.
This year the teams will be split between even-year alumni repping black jerseys and odd-year grads repping white.
“It’s a fun sport, it’s a real fun game so I think as these alumni get older it’s good to keep in touch,” said Tom Rutecki, a retired coach of the team who helped coordinate the annual game.
Rutecki was one of the first coaches of the high school hockey team, which started during the 2005-2006 school year. He said though the high school program is still relatively new in Juneau, it’s always great to come together every year for the alumni game to see the old faces of players and their families.
The annual game has been happening since 2009, and Rutecki said each year it seems more and more people come to watch or play in the game. This time around, he said he expects around 40 graduates to play on Monday.
”You do get to really get close to people, I think it’s a real chance for people to reconnect,” he said.
Know & Go
What: JDHS Annual Alumni Game
Where: Treadwell Ice Arena, 105 Savikko Road, Douglas.
When: 6 p.m.
• Contact reporter Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651)-528-1807. Follow her on Twitter at @clariselarson.
