Eagles’ Mental Health Memorial Game on today

By Lethbridge Herald on February 3, 2023.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Herald

The Alberta Junior Female Hockey League’s Lethbridge Eagles are remembering one of their past players in the team’s second annual Mental Health Memorial Game this afternoon at Nicholas Sheran Arena.

The player the team is remembering Emily Middagh, who committed suicide in February 2021 ,and is the reason why the Memorial Game was established last year.

“We had a player pass away a number of years ago through COVID, and didn’t have an opportunity really the first year (and) we did it last year,” said Megan Skelly, Eagles co-head coach.

“It was to just kind of  honour her memory and it kind of gave us something to rally around. So mental health, like we chatted about, is a huge dominating conversation and I think  COVID even brought that out even more — just isolation and people feeling lonely and the stressors. So it’s super important, and then to have a personal connection and touch. So Emily is that reason that it kind of brought it to our forefront.”

Co-coach Erin O’Toole had taken on the majority of the event planning this year with the team’s resources and abilities, in order to give the team an opportunity to get their feet underneath themselves prior to the game.

“Primarily to have some groove within the team,” said Skelly.

“So it takes (an) emotional toll. Even if a lot of our new players didn’t know Emily, there is someone in their life that …  they’ve experienced mental health, an illness or maybe they had a family member that they’ve lost to suicide. So it does all have an impact and it can be an emotional game.”

Middagh was a new player to the team prior to committing suicide.

“She had been a competitive athlete her whole life and we were fortunate to get her for what would have been her fifth year,” said Skelly.

“So she would have been an overage for us. She played for us for a couple of games and then of course COVID, that was the primary season, 2020-21, with the year that the league didn’t really continue on and she just was honestly happy to be there. She’s  extremely skilled.”

Skelly said it’s just a reminder that we get to go to the rink every day.

“It’s a blessing to be able to have a team that cares about you and  to rally around that, and make sure the players that we also currently coach know that,” said Skelly.

“It kind of forces the conversations in a healthy way and lets people know that they’re not alone.”

The funds raised at this game from the silent auction and the 50/50 raffle will go to Youth One and Companion Paws and a portion of the money will be set aside for the team to support players who maybe struggling.

The 50/50 is on raffle box at https://www.rafflebox.ca/raffle/lethbridge-eagles-female-jr-mentalhealth-game?fbclid=IwAR10kiUR-IDDYhIT2Q-xA2eGAZzE8oDKXTvl6M7fJdjDbOmlBuYR6XKvohI and is open until Feb. 11.

A cash 50/50 will also be at the game and a cash donations can be made at the game.

“It’s just one of the things we can do to make sure that her legacy lives on,” said Skelly.

“I know that’s what she would care about, is to make sure her teammates were OK.”

The team will have a seventh player from the Cyclones organization out on the ice for the warm-up and on the bench.

The Eagles face the Cochrane Chaos, 4:15 p.m., at Nicholas Sheran Arena today.