Zach Shafer a leader on diverse hockey team By Tom LaVenture
BROOKLYN PARK – Zach Shafer may be leading his Brooklyn Park Pirates hockey team in goals but he isn’t counting them. The 11 year-old forward on the Squirt-A traveling team is a competitor and is more concerned with the final score. Zach is a fifth grader at Monroe and has played other sports such as soccer and baseball, but hockey is his favorite and he has played at every position but goalie for the past six years. He is an aggressive skater and shoots from the left just like his favorite professional player Richard Park, the Korean American right wing for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. Playing in the traveling league means the competition is much better. Zach likes the challenge and takes comfort in knowing his team of three lines (15 players) and two goalies are among the best in the league. “You can just trust your teammates and if you get the puck, you can pass it at the right time, and they will pass it back too.” It all relative, however, and making the traveling team means that you play other talented traveling teams that will capitalize on their opponents mistakes. “You have to keep your head up more, look around more, pass it more. You have to do all of the little things right,” he said. “It was hard to make the traveling team. We have to try our hardest. If we fall down, then we get back up right away, and you can’t get mad easily.” Youth hockey levels are: Mites (ages 6-8), Squirts (9-11), Peewees (12-13), and Bantams (14-15). More than 60 kids try out to for the travel team from the two Squirt B teams and three Squirt C teams. Pirates Head Coach, Calvin Portner says at the Squirts level they don’t allow physical contact (checking) with opponents and teach the fundamentals of skating and team play. The team has a winning record this year and has fared well in tournament play. It is tough, but they also make sure the kids are enjoying themselves. “We want them to say that they want to come back next year.” “Zach has a real passion for the sport, and it shows,” said Portner, noting several game winning goals. “He was picked by the other players to be one of three team co-captains.” Janna Shafer is the team manager. She is an adopted Korean, and says her son Zach and his 15-year-old sister are both interested in their heritage, and sports. “Zach’s first word was ‘ball’,” she added. “He has always been competitive and got into hockey by himself.” Janna Shafer became a “hockey mom” after a season of taking Zach to the practices and games. She is now the contact person for the players, parents and coaches. “I support my kids in whatever they do, whether it is reading books, or sports,” said John Shafer, his father. “Hockey is one of the things that Zach likes to do, and I will support that as long as he likes to play.” It is only natural for sports teams to reflect the growing diversity of Brooklyn Park, however, this team has more children of color than most others in the state. Walter Cole has two children in hockey, a 12 year old daughter, and his son Corbin Cole, 10, who plays defense. Corbin’s enthusiasm for the sport grows with each season. “I like playing good teams and traveling to different cities,” he said. “With this group of parents there is no problem whatsoever, and in this whole association I have never had any problems,” said Walter Cole. “It has been fantastic. The parents are really nice. Zachary Duberry, 11, is a goalie and began playing in first grade after moving to the Twin Cities from Virginia. He was attracted to the game from the Disney “Mighty Ducks” films and although he is a great basketball player, he opted for hockey. “He always wanted to be a goalie,” said Toni Duberry, his mother. “It’s a whole different mindset than the rest of the team. He feels in control of the game in the goal. It is not the same pressure as the rest of the team.” Duberry described the hockey parents as a family that supports each other in getting kids to and from practice and games. They enjoy getting together away from the ice and at the weekend tournaments where the entire team is in one hotel. “We don’t have free weekend between October and March with hockey and basketball,” she said.