EVERETT — If Austin Lotz seemed a little subdued during postgame celebrations following the Everett Silvertips’ 6-3 victory over the Red Deer Rebels on Wednesday night at Xfinity Arena, it wasn’t because the Tips goaltender was any less emotionally invested.
The difference? That victory wasn’t for his teammates, the fans or even himself. That one was for Cole.
Lotz played Wednesday’s game with a heavy heart in the wake of losing his best friend, Cole Hamblin, to cancer that morning.
“He was one of those guys who always lit up the room,” Lotz said Thursday when remembering Hamblin. “He always had a smile on his face and definitely had a goofy side to him. Even though he drove me crazy sometimes, he always found a way to make me smile and lighten everything up.”
Hamblin, who spent parts of three seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Spokane Chiefs and Regina Pats, was diagnosed in September with advanced mucoephidermoid carcinoma after experiencing lower-back pain. He was confined to the hospital until his passing Wednesday. He was 21.
Lotz and Hamblin grew up together in St. Adolphe, a small Manitoba town of approximately 1,000 residents located 20 miles south of Winnipeg. They first met as young children and became instant friends, with their mutual passion for hockey helping build the bond. Hamblin even played a crucial role in Lotz becoming a goaltender.
“His mom used to babysit me, and he was older than me,” Lotz recalled. “I was still in kindergarten and I would only go to school for half the day, so I’d be by myself at the house and I’d be sitting there watching movies with his mom, waiting for him to get home. Then as soon as he got home he’d be, ‘Get in the net.’ He was always a solid two feet taller than me, too, because he was a big boy for his age, never mind me being two years younger.
“There was no saying no to Cole when we were younger. Ever since I got into junior (hockey) and had some success, he’d always tell people, ‘Yeah, I’m the one who got Austin to be a goalie.’
“Me and him were the passionate ones,” Lotz added. “Obviously my whole town loves hockey, but if it was freezing cold on a Tuesday night and it was dark outside, we’d be the ones still out there shooting the puck around in the park or the backyard.”
Hamblin, who completed his junior hockey eligibility last season, was planning on playing for the University of Guelph in Ontario this season. However, the diagnosis halted those plans. Hamblin learned the news while Lotz was still attending training camp with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks.
“He found out a day or two before I got sent home by the Canucks, and he didn’t tell me,” Lotz said. “He didn’t tell anybody except his family because he didn’t want me to find out while I was still in Vancouver. That speaks to the kind of guy Cole is.”
Lotz was stunned. Then in early October he had the opportunity to fly home for two days to visit Hamblin in the hospital.
“He was on the medications and he had lost 50-60 pounds; he was a different man,” Lotz said. “But his personality was still there. So I got to go see him for four hours each day and just sit there and talk to him, kind of help him and give his parents a break. We didn’t even talk about the cancer, we talked about whatever — girls, hockey, what we would always do. I think it was huge for him.”
Since the diagnosis, Lotz has played tribute to Hamblin by writing Hamblin’s nickname, “Hammer,” on his stick before every game.
“I was so inspired by his fight,” Lotz said. “It was one of those things where if I let in a goal in a game or got rattled in practice, I’d simply look at the stick and see his name and I’d think, ‘He’s battling cancer right now, I’m living my dream. Shake it off, have fun, enjoy this, work hard.’ It inspired me so much.”
Lotz learned of Hamblin’s passing first thing Wednesday morning. He already was scheduled to start Wednesday night’s game and he considered not playing, but he concluded Hamblin would have wanted him to play. Lotz ended up making 17 saves in Everett’s 6-3 victory over Red Deer. Lotz’s teammate, Brayden Low, grabbed the game puck for Lotz, who intends to give it to Hamblin’s family.
“(Wednesday) night’s game was tough,” Lotz said. “(Wednesday) was a tough day, I didn’t get much sleep before the game. I woke up at 6, saw my girlfriend’s text, didn’t really talk to anybody, went to the pregame skate, tried to go through the motions, tried to soak it in in my own way.
“The boys were unbelievable toward me,” Lotz continued. “They’ve all been so supportive, and that includes the coaching staff and everybody in the Silvertips organization. (Wednesday) night, to be honest, I felt terrible out there. I was letting out rebounds and I was a little off, I think that showed in a few of the goals. But the team played their hearts out for me, I played my heart out, and I completely dedicated the game to Cole. I was thinking about him the whole time, I probably will be for a long time.”
Lotz will fly home again early next week to serve as an usher at Hamblin’s funeral. The rest of his season will be dedicated to Hamblin’s memory.
“He spoke so highly of me and was the most genuine guy toward me,” Lotz said “He wanted me to be so successful and wanted me to be good at hockey, he wanted me to make pros. But at the same time he just wanted me to be happy. That’s really what I think a best friend is.
“I know at the end of the day he would want me to keep on going and keep living my dream for him, too. That’s what I plan to do.”
Russians summoned
Everett forwards Nikita Scherbak and Ivan Nikolishin have been invited to play for the Russian team in next week’s Canada-Russia Super Series. A Russian touring team will be taking on all-star teams from the WHL, the Ontario Hockey League and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in preparation for the World Junior Hockey Championships. Scherbak and Nikolishin will play in the two games against the WHL, which are Monday in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Tuesday in Brandon, Manitoba. Everett has no midweek games, so Scherbak and Nikolishin will not miss any game action with the Tips.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
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