Two young citizens of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot will fly to Europe, bound for Austria, to experience quite an adventure. They will represent Quebec at the United World Games, the largest junior sporting event in the world. Nathan Bento will go there to practice his favorite sport: ice hockey while Edouard Burrows-Leclerc will be there as a DEK hockey player.

In fact, the two young men know each other since they live close to each other, but they do not see each other on a daily basis. On the other hand, they meet very often on the neighborhood ice rink.  It is this Tuesday, June 18 in the early evening that the two young men, accompanied by their mother, will fly to Austria to take part in this competition that many describe as a mini Olympic Games.

Indeed, like the athletes who will take part in the Paris Games this summer, Nathan and Edouard will be able to attend an opening and closing ceremony where each delegation will have the chance to parade in the colors of their country.

“As preparation, I was able to play with the teammates who will accompany me there the weekend of June 8 and 9. We played a first tournament together. We didn't win the honors, but we made it to the semi-finals which bodes well for our participation in this competition. Personally, I play a lot of hockey and I do a lot of rollerblading,” summarizes Nathan who is finishing primary school in a few days. 

The Quebec delegation, made up of more or less 300 people, will settle down in Austria for two weeks. The first week, Nathan will play two matches per day for five days before competing against the teams qualified for the playoffs. Subsequently, he will travel, with his teammates and their companions, to Italy for tourism. 

“Several teams, from several disciplines, will make up the delegation. Among them, we will find players from the U12, U14 and U 16. We have known each other since the tournament on June 8 and 9 and we already have great chemistry. Some of the players come from the four corners of Quebec such as Lac-Saint-Jean. It really clicked between us and I can't wait to be on the ice with them again. My goal is to take my team as far as possible and score a few goals if possible,” adds Nathan. 

Nathan's team will be led by Félix Lauzon, a player from the University of Trois-Rivières. How did the Perrotdamois end up on this team? Simply, by taking part in trials open to young hockey players playing at a double-letter or triple-letter level. These were held before the holidays in 2023 and Nathan was lucky enough to be selected for the starting team. 

To finance his overseas journey, Nathan was able to count on the financial support of Marie-Claude Nichols, Member of Parliament for Vaudreuil, as well as the support of his family and friends whom he would like to thank.

A proud Voltigeurs 

For his part, Edouard Burrows-Leclerc feels very good at the dawn of his departure for Europe. The 13-year-old young man, who attends Collège Bourget in Rigaud, is a member of the Voltigeurs M13 D1 team and plays DEK hockey on a daily basis. Next year, he will join the M15 D2 team in Bourget while he will study in secondary 2. 

For the uninitiated, what is DEK hockey? “It’s like ice hockey, with a few exceptions. We play on a non-icy surface without skates. We can play inside or outside and we wear helmets, protectors and we have a stick. We don't have a puck, but rather a ball. Unlike ice hockey, contact is not permitted.”

Like Nathan, Edouard was able to take part in two DEK hockey practices with the team formed specifically for this international competition. “I also practiced in my basement and outside with my brothers. I also have a trainer who prepared a training plan for me that I practice two or three times a week. I can't wait to leave, it will be my first visit to Europe. Our first match should be this Friday June 21st and we will play until Monday June 24th. It will be pleasant to meet people from all over the world and to see other competitions such as volleyball, soccer and many others,” informs the striker who will live this experience overseas alongside his mother and his grandmother. 

The teenager is also very enthusiastic about the tourism aspect of the trip. “We’re landing in Venice. We will play our tournament and we will come back to Venice to visit and discover the place. My goal for this tournament is obviously to bring home gold and score goals.” 

To finance part of his trip, Edouard was able to benefit from financial support from the City of Notre-Dame-de-l'Île-Perrot.