Bemidji State has a winner – the Winnipeg Free Press

Morgan Smith is a typical Canadian kid in many ways.

Smarter, wittier and tougher than he's ever been, this Smith's journey is far from ordinary.

In May 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, a 14-year-old Winnipegger's life suddenly took a turn for the worse.

His father, Marino (Ted) Smith, who was in the prime of life, died of a blood clot. He died a day before his 54th birthday.

COVID-19 wiped out all but three games of the 2020-21 hockey season at his new school, Balmoral Hall, but that was the hardest hit.

He lost his mentor and one of his biggest supporters.

“It was tough,” Morgan recalls. “At first it just wasn't real. It's like you're waiting for him to come home or you think he's gone on a trip. But when it started, I would say after a few months, it was the hardest.

“It's hard when you're mourning his loss and people come to see you. You want them to come, sure, but there's going to be a lot of people in and out of the house all day.”

Morgan's mother, Shannon, and older sister, Madisyn, were also struggling with their grief. Finishing her first year in a new job as principal at Calvin Christian College in Transcona, Shannon had some logistics to keep in mind.

The family fields were too much to manage.

“We moved into my grandmother's house for a while because we put our house up for sale and it sold right away,” says Morgan. “Then we looked for a house and got a new house. So, the first year I moved, moved. We settled down and now everything is fine in my house, but it's been difficult because I'm trying to take care of my mother. My sister helped me a lot for this.”

First scouted at Balmoral Hall while playing against the boys in 7th grade, Morgan quickly established himself as a potential NCAA recruit in 10th grade.

A top-level skater with exceptional vision and a great shot, college recruiters were on the lookout. Morgan was at home on the ice and in the locker room.

“I would say hockey really saved my kids,” says Shannon Smith. “The community was great — hockey, friends, family and church — but hockey really kept my kids normal, if that makes sense. It was part of their life.”

Once defying convention as the second-leading scorer on the elite Winnipeg Junior Jets 10-year-old team while playing with four future major-junior players at the Brick Invitational, Morgan became a dominant player for Balmoral Hall as a 17-year-old. age in the prestigious Eastern Junior Women's Hockey League.

Morgan's laser-like focus and stamina impressed the staff at Balmoral Hall.

“I would say hockey really saved my kids… hockey really kept my kids normal, if that makes sense. It was part of their life.”– Shannon Smith

“You never know what's going to happen in a situation like this, and it's an absolute testament to Morgan's spirit and endlessly optimistic outlook on life that has seen her through such a difficult time,” said Sarah Zacharias, the school's principal. hockey and head coach.

“Most of us have no idea about it. The pain he went through was unfathomable and he showed up every day, ready to work with a smile on his face. It was with the mindset, 'I'm going to keep putting one foot in front of the other.'”

Morgan also got down to work and seemed to thrive on it.

In 10th grade, playing on a star-studded lineup with Sarah Manness and Avery Pickering, she scored 39 goals and 69 points in 44 games. The product went on to score 50 goals and 113 points in 52 games in 11th grade, and he went on to score another 48 goals and 96 points in 59 games to win the JWHL MVP award in 12th grade.

“He's a student of the game,” says Shannon, who was inducted into the Manitoba Rugby Hall of Fame in 2019. “He watches clips all the time and when he finishes his game, he looks at his shifts. : 'Okay, where can I do this better?' Or, “In this case. I did, but next time it would be better.' He has a passion for hockey.”

Sometimes, Morgan needs a break from the hustle and bustle of school and hockey life.

“Sometimes it's not even talking, it's just being in the same room and sharing the silence together and being good without trying to fix everything,” says Zacharias. “What we and the coaches know is that if a kid is really sick, I don't need to try to talk them out of it. They need me to sit with them and share that space.”

“He is a student of the game. “He watches clips all the time and the moment he finishes his game… He has a passion for hockey.”– Shannon Smith

When college programs came calling in 2023, Morgan narrowed his list of schools to Yale, Quinnipiac, Queens and Bemidji State.

His trip to Bemidji, Minn., was special.

“When I went on the trip, I was in (the locker room) for the game,” Morgan said. “I saw them step up and I saw how the coaches responded to that,” Morgan, now 18, said. “I really liked what they did. It's funny that I say that because they had one win and one loss when I was there, but the more I learned about them, the more they lost and the more they won.”

During the crisis, the coaches were evaluated in a measured way.

“It was a bit quieter – 'Let's go, we're better than that. We can do it,' he says. “And the players responded well. They didn't win, but they had a better third period.”

Amber Friklund, who was recently promoted from head coach to head coach at BSU following the retirement of Jim Scanlan, says Morgan should flourish on the Minnesota campus.

The Beavers, who play in the highly competitive Western Collegiate Hockey Association, will lose six players to graduation.

“He's a proven player at the level he's playing now and he's one of those players who will make an immediate impact here,” Friklund said. “He's just a great kid. He's very mature, has a really great perspective and he's very energetic.”

Morgan is also inspired by her father's memory.

“I feel supported by him when I'm alone because I believe in heaven and I believe he's watching over me, so I feel supported by him,” says Morgan. “It helps me when I'm in trouble or when I'm alone and need a moment.”

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