In a community still navigating a fatal crash earlier this week in Colorado that claimed the life of a father and injured several others, Santa Clarita Valley residents gathered at The Cube Ice and Entertainment Center on Saturday to support the Santa Clarita Flyers 12-and-under girls’ hockey team.
Right before the scheduled game against the New Mexico Mustangs, The Cube was filled with people of all ages ready to show their support for the young girls competing in the Western Girls Hockey League playoffs in Littleton, Colorado.
Although the team was hundreds of miles away, the energy inside The Cube made it feel as if the Flyers were playing right at home.
Many wore pink bows on their chest, while others wrote messages of encouragement on large posters as they waited for the game to be shown on a large television at the Top Shelf Bar & Grill.
“The watch party was put together to be able to come out and support the girls. Get together in our own way while they’re out of town and do what we can to stand behind them,” said SC Flyers President Prescott Littlefield.
The party brought out families, former players, many who have been part of the program, and others who were no longer with it, he added, which was “really kind of a reflection of the community. It’s not just Flyers, it’s everybody around.”
But during the watch party, the livestream link failed. One employee would attempt to get the livestream to work but with no luck.
That didn’t stop those present from finding alternatives on where to watch. Some pulled out their phones to find a working livestream, and others just refreshed the league’s official website to keep up with the live score. Many stayed put, hoping for the best as they spent time together connecting and remaining united.
On occasion one person would yell out the current score, and a roar of cheers and claps followed soon after. The SC Lady Flyers won that game, 14-0, over a team from New Mexico, moving them up to the semifinals.
Erin Finn, a mother of twins on the Santa Clarita 14U Lady Flyers team, said that when she first learned about the crash, her initial reaction was shock and hurt.
Her daughters were in Nashville not long ago participating in a tournament, and her husband had a van full of girls, Finn said.
“My husband was affected … he was driving on the icy road, so for him, it hit him hard,” Finn said, adding that their whole family knows the girls who were affected in the crash and “it hit close to home. It really did.”
She also acknowledged the outpouring of support the community has shown over the past few days and it was something she’s never seen from any other entity.
The Los Angeles Kings and the UCLA ice hockey organization provided statements showing their support to the Lady Flyers.
“A trip that should have been a joyful core memory has instead tragically changed the lives of these young women, their families, and the California hockey community,” read the UCLA Hockey statement shared on Instagram.
As a hockey family who has gotten to know the young girls through practices at The Cube, Finn wanted the Lady Flyers to know that “we’re here for them. They’ve got huge support. They’re not alone and we feel for them and can’t wait to have them home.”
“It’s such a tragic thing to have happened, and it’s not a memory they should have for this tournament,” she added.
Caleb Arthur was enjoying a meal amid the livestream malfunction. He showed up to the watch party to support his little sister, who flew when the crash occurred.
When he learned about the crash, he too, was in shock. He knew his sister was safe but he immediately called to see if the group members were OK.
As of now, his little sister is “trying her best,” he said, and seeing everyone come together was something that was nice to see, he added.
“Hockey is very close so it’s really nice seeing everyone show up.”
And although, at the time, the Lady Flyers had yet to see if they would win a trophy following the tournament, he believes there might be a lot of cheering. “I’m hoping that they’re really happy by the end of it,” Arthur added.
On Sunday morning, they seemed to be unstoppable. They went on to win the semifinal game against the Colorado 14ers, 2-0, moving on to the championship game.
The Lady Flyers took the win in the finals against Mountain Select and were cheered off the ice by large crowds, according to numerous social media posts shared on the SC Flyers’ official Instagram.
The Lady Flyers made the decision to proceed with their scheduled tournament following the crash that occurred on Thursday morning on Interstate 70. The team was traveling in a Sprinter van when a snowplow truck lost control on an icy road and collided with two vehicles before it collided with the van, according to officials.
Following the impact, the Sprinter van ended up down an embankment. Manuel Alejandro Lorenzana Villegas, 38, of Chatsworth, was the father killed in the collision, and another player was transported to the hospital with critical injuries. The van carried a total of 10 people, including four children and three adults who were transported for medical treatment.
A GoFundMe for the family of Lorenzana Villegas is at $47,100, nearing its $51,000 goal, as of the publication of this story.
Prescott said on Saturday during the watch party, “The grit of the girls to go out there, to decide as a group that they wanted to play … It speaks volumes to who they are as people, as young ladies, and we just couldn’t be more proud of them.”
