Ukraine Selects lose at Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament but fans shower love and support

The Ukraine Selects went head-to-head against the Vermont Flames in Quebec City on Friday morning in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.

According to Gloria Henriquez of Global News, the Selects were looking determined in the locker room before heading out onto the ice to be received by many supporters in the stands who were waving Ukrainian flags to show their support.

The Flames led the game 2-0 in the third period. Ukraine Selects answered back with a late goal, but did not have enough time for a comeback victory and were eliminated from the tournament.

Back in the locker room, the young players were heartbroken over their loss and many shed tears in lieu of their last game of the tournament. Oleksii Shrabak, one of the players on the Selects team, shared his teammates' disappointment after the loss but mentioned they had fun throughout the tournament.

“Our team is now upset but we had fun all of this tournament"

The team was assembled by local Quebec resident, Sean Berube, who spent $40,000 of his own money to bring Ukraine Selects to play in the International Pee-Wee Tournament.

When asked about the reason behind him taking up this responsibility, Berube mentioned that he had spent his teenage years in Ukraine playing hockey and wanted to give back to the country and its people. He added that he wanted the children to forget about the hardships of war back home.

“I spent my teenage years there [in Ukraine] playing hockey and of course, I wanted to give back to Ukraine."

Since arriving in early February, the Ukraine Selects have garnered a lot of support from the Quebec community. They played street hockey, toured the city, and were even invited to the Montreal Canadiens' game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Fans at the game honored the Selects with a standing ovation as they enjoyed their time in the club suites at the stadium.

Ukraine Selects are set to return home post Pee-Wee Tournament

After the tournament, the team will return to Europe. This tournament provided many of the players with a respite from their domestic problems.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the boys have been in life-or-death situations. Many have had to flee their destroyed homes and seek refuge in other countries.

According to John Warrow of Global News, some of the players' fathers and close relatives are still fighting in Ukraine, while many have died in the process of defending their motherland.