Three members of an Alberta junior hockey team were killed in a crash while driving to practice on Monday.
Emergency crews were called to Highway 2 and 55 Avenue in the town of Stavely, about 100 kilometres south of Calgary, around 11 a.m. for reports of a two-vehicle collision.
RCMP say a semi-truck pulling gravel was heading northbound on the highway while a small passenger vehicle was heading eastbound on 55 Avenue when they collided in the intersection.
All three occupants of the passenger vehicle were killed. Mounties confirmed that two 18-year-olds from Kamloops and a 17-year-old boy from Alabama were pronounced dead.
The driver of the semi, a 40-year-old Stavely resident, suffered minor injuries and was not transported to the hospital.
The Southern Alberta Mustangs, based in Stavely, confirmed the deaths of three of their players in a social media post on Monday afternoon. Other posts have identified the three players as JJ Wright, Cameron Casorso and Caden Fine.
The team’s post calls the trio “more than hockey players, they were teammates, sons, brothers, friends and deeply loved members of our Mustang family.”
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith offered condolences and called the incident an “unimaginable loss.”
“The whole Alberta hockey family is standing with you in sorrow and in prayer,” reads a statement from Smith. “I know Albertans will wrap these families and this team in love and support as they navigate a pain no one should ever have to bear.”
The team said it is working closely with authorities and is asking the public and media for privacy as families and teammates grapple with the sudden loss.
The Mustangs are a junior team that plays in the Canadian division of the United States Premier Hockey League (USPHL). The team has several players from the Calgary area on their roster.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
