By Jonathan Huntington via Saskatchewan Male AAA Hockey League

SASKATOON, Sask. – When the Tisdale Trojans battle the Regina Pat Canadians on Friday in Strasbourg – the game will mean much more than two points in the regular-season standings.

The contest is being celebrated as the Mark Cross Memorial Game in honour of the former Humboldt Broncos assistant coach who lost his life in the tragic bus accident on April 6, 2018.

“Mark played in Tisdale and he’s from Strasbourg,” said current Trojans head coach Wes Rudy. Cross parlayed one season in Tisdale (2007-08) into three seasons with the Estevan Bruins in the SJHL before moving to York University for five seasons – finishing his university career as an assistant captain.

Cross returned home to Strasbourg to be a leader on the town’s senior hockey team (2016-2017) and started to coach in the SJHL in the fall of 2017. He was close to finishing his first season as an assistant coach in Humboldt when tragedy struck.

“For me, the biggest thing to let the (players) know on Friday is that when you play in a memorial game, it’s important to play hard in their honour,” continued Rudy. “I know Mark was a competitive person.”

The Trojans are giving-up a home game to play Friday in Strasbourg against the Pat Cs, but the decision to play in the community was a no-brainer. “It’s the right thing to do,” stated Rudy.