Photo – Robert Murray:
The Alberta Junior Hockey League, in conjunction with Inter Pipeline, have selected Oil Barons Captain Brandon Ralph as the recipient of the 2017 Inter Pipeline AJHL Scholarship. The $1,500 scholarship is awarded to the player deemed most deserving among the sixteen applicants.
Brandon Ralph was presented with the scholarship by Terry Abel, Senior Operations Technician, in a pre-game ceremony on Saturday night prior to the Oil Barons home playoff game.
Oil Barons GM / Head Coach Tom Keca enthusiastically nominated Brandon for the scholarship, “I've been very fortunate to coach in the Alberta junior Hockey League for 15 years. Through the years there have been several players that have left lasting impressions on me. However, there is one special individual that I've had the pleasure of working with this year who, undoubtedly, will go down as the most influential player I've come across. This player, Brandon Ralph, I'd classify as the best leader and captain that has donned the Oil Baron jersey for an extremely long time.”
“The maturity Brandon exhibits is ever evolving as he balances his role as a leader , teammate, and a friend. He has the important quality of making each single player feel valued with his reassuring nature, while still keeping everyone focused on the task at hand. Because of his upbringing and morals, Brandon is one of the individuals that you know will be successful in whatever he attempts to do.”
Brandon’s past teachers have ample compliments when describing his abilities and dedication as a student athlete. “Brandon displayed outstanding dedication to his studies, as well as his athletics; while maintaining superior academic standing at school, and pursing his passion of playing hockey,” stated Mr. Don Segberg, teacher at St. John Paul II Catholic School.
“In addition to being a top quality student and athlete, Brandon is a young man who demonstrated integrity and reliability. Brandon was the one student athlete we could rely on to be a role model for his peers. It has been an honour for me to have taught and known Brandon in a variety of capacities over the past several years. Of all the students I've taught, he's one of the few outstanding individuals who is most deserving of this scholarship.”
Brandon Ralph credits his future opportunities to hockey and the lessons it has taught him. “Playing hockey in the AJHL has given me the exposure and opportunity to pursue a Power Engineering trade at NAIT while playing college hockey in the fall of 2017,” said Ralph. “The most important thing that hockey has taught me is that there is a world outside the rink filled with endless possibility and a lot of adversity but it has given me the tools to be able to succeed in that world.”