Three players on an Alberta junior hockey team were killed on Feb. 2 in a vehicle crash while heading to practice.
The Southern Alberta Mustangs, based in the small town of Stavely in Southern Alberta, said in a Facebook post that staff are working closely with authorities and providing support to players, staff, and families.
The RCMP said they responded to the collision at 11 a.m. on Feb. 2 that occurred between a semi-truck carrying gravel and a small passenger vehicle. The crash occurred at the intersection of Highway 2 and 55 Avenue near the north entrance to Stavely.
“The semi was northbound on Highway 2, and the passenger vehicle was driving eastbound at that intersection,” RCMP wrote in a Feb. 2 statement provided to The Epoch Times.
Police added that the driver of the semi was a 40-year-old resident of Stavely who was treated at the scene for minor injuries, while the three occupants of the passenger vehicle were killed. Police identified the victims as two 18-year-old males from Kamloops, B.C., and a 17-year-old male from Alabama, all of whom died at the scene of the collision.
As of Feb. 2, the Mustangs’ roster listed 18-year-old Cameron Casorso, 18-year-old JJ Wright, and 17-year-old Caden Fine as deceased.
RCMP added that the investigation into the collision is ongoing.
The team requested that families be left in privacy as they process the tragic news.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her province is “heartbroken.”
“My deepest condolences are with their families, teammates, coaches, billet families and the entire community of Stavely and surrounding area as they grieve this unimaginable loss,” she said. “The whole Alberta hockey family is standing with you in sorrow and in prayer.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney also offered condolences following the tragedy.
“My heart breaks for the families of the three young hockey players killed in a car accident near Stavely, Alberta,” Carney said in a statement. “Canadians are keeping the entire Southern Alberta Mustangs community in our thoughts as they face this unimaginable grief.”
The tragedy follows the 2018 crash north of Tisdale, Sask., when 16 young hockey players and staff were killed and 13 others injured after the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus collided with a semi-trailer that ran a stop sign.
The Broncos shared their condolences for the Alberta team on social media.
“There are no words – only heavy hearts,” the team said on Feb. 2. “We stand with you. We mourn with you. We are with you.”
