Hockey team stranded in Shoal Lake, restaurant owner steps up

A normal night for Brad Benton, at Benny’s Astoria Pizzaria in Shoal Lake, is to prepare 25 large pizzas for team’s travelling home following a game against the AAA Midget Yellowhead Chiefs.

However, this Sunday with the blizzard hit, the bus driver for the Winnipeg AAA Midget Bruins felt the highways were unsafe to travel on and the team was forced into finding a new home for the night.

This is where Brad Benton stepped up and offered his restaurant as a place for the team to wait out the storm. “When they picked up the pizzas at 10 pm, I told them to grab the players and stay in the restaurant for the night” said Brad.  According to Benton the next morning when he came back everything was in mint condition and the kids had a great time.  Everybody was safe and sound. “They left me a bunch of money for the booze and food and a thank you note” added Brad.

Diane Cramer had already gone to gather some pillows and sleeping bags for two other stranded motorists, looking to spend the night on a couch inside the restaurant, when the 40 parents, players and coaches joined them.

The evening served as an incredible bonding experience for our team, according to the team manager Marty Gagne.