Vipers captain hero to young fan
Roger Knox
Fri Mar 17th, 2017
Brooklyn Krusel was concerned in January when her favourite Vernon Vipers player, captain Riley Brandt, had his hand in a cast.
Krusel, three, obsessed with hockey, has been attending Vipers’ games since she was four months old, says her grandmother, Cathy Davies. Her favourite players this season are Jagger Williamson and Brandt.
“When Brooklyn saw that Riley was hurt, she decided all by herself that she wanted to make him a get-well card, which she did with a lot of effort and a little help from her mommy,” said Davies.
On Jan. 27, Davies and her granddaughter saw Brandt during warm-up and told him she had something to give him.
“He knelt down to her level and listened to her while she gave him the card,” said Davies. “He took the time to really read it, asked her for a hug, posed for a picture and asked her if she was going to the Skate With The Vipers on Sunday as he would love to skate with her.”
The next night, in the midst of three Vipers’ home games in three days, Brandt, and the then reigning Queen Silver Star and Princess, Madison Catt and Sneha Suniera, came to find Brooklyn and asked if she would take a picture with them.
Brandt gave Brooklyn a T-shirt signed by himself and Williamson, and the captain tracked her down after the game to give her another hug and invited her to the Skate With The Vipers after Sunday’s game.
“These kids are in the public eye but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are personable. However, we were blown away at the class Riley showed to a three-year-old dedicated fan,” said Davies.
“I’m not sure if he has any idea what that means to a young fan, much less her parents and grandparents. He made her weekend as she was beaming the entire time and has not stopped talking about Riley Brandt and his friend the Queen.”
Brandt, Williamson and the rest of the Vipers are facing the Trail Smoke Eaters in the second round of the B.C. Hockey League playoffs.
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