It's a big weekend for the Foerster family.
And, as usual, the kids will be at different rinks in different cities but in the common hunt for hockey glory.
Kali and Tyson Foerster, who hail from Alliston, have been proudly representing Barrie hockey for years, and both hope to add to their local legacy this weekend.
A first-round pick of the National Hockey League's Philadelphia Flyers, Tyson has returned to the Ontario Hockey League's Barrie Colts just in time for a weekend road trip, starting tonight in Oshawa against the Generals, followed by Saturday night in Kingston to face the Frontenacs and then Sunday afternoon in Ottawa to take on the 67's.
The 20-year-old sniper was recently loaned back to the Colts from the Flyers' American Hockey League affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
While that road trip is happening, younger sister Kali will be looking to secure the city's first junior hockey championship in many years.
Kali’s Barrie Jr. Sharks are in Mississauga this weekend for the Provincial Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) playoffs, the deepest the club has advanced in its 11-year history.
The 16-year-old, who plays defence for the Sharks, says she's happy to be part of a squad that continues to climb the league's rankings.
“I played for the boys' TNT (Tornados Minor Hockey Association in Alliston) team for a while before a coach with Barrie asked me to come out for his team," she said. "That's how it started with Barrie and I’ve been here (in the Sharks association) for about five or six years."
Tyson, who was originally drafted by the Colts in 2018, accumulated 103 points (46 goals, 57 assists) over 126 games with the local OHL team, including a breakout season in 2019-20 when he led the team in goals (36), assists (44) and points (80) as a 17-year-old.
In the Barrie lineup tonight for the first time since the 2019-20 season, Tyson said he was anxious to get back with the old team.
“I’m excited to play. I missed the last five months (due to injury), so I’m glad to be back out there with the guys,” he told BarrieToday during an interview at his billets' house.
Kali and Tyson also have an older brother who played hockey with the Junior 'C' Alliston Hornets.
Their father, Glen Foerster, said having three kids in hockey had the family “going seven days a week, sometimes twice a day.”
“Sometimes I would be in London, my wife would be in Kingston. It was just non-stop, but we wouldn’t change it for anything,” he said. “When I was young, I did a lot of sports. My parents were always running me around. Me and my wife are both active and involved in sports, so it's just natural for us to keep the kids involved.”
Tyson recalls those hectic days.
“It was a super-busy house, for sure. We’d play hockey in the basement, outside in the driveway, at the rink, pretty much anywhere we could,” he said. “We’re both doing pretty good, too, so that's good to see.”
Heading into the PWHL playoffs this weekend, Kali said she and her team have worked hard all year and are ready for the competition. As one of the younger players on the league’s youngest team this season, she's also excited to be part of the core who will lead the Sharks in the future.
“It's pretty cool to be part of this now and still have a few years to go with this team that will just get better,” she said. “The older girls have set a great example for me and I hope I can make them and the coaches proud, not just this weekend but for as long as I’m with the team.”
Kali isn’t the only one who thinks what she is doing is “pretty cool.” Her older brother feels the same way.
“It's pretty cool to see her having success. Women’s hockey still isn’t the biggest, but it's been growing a lot and hopefully it can keep going so she can continue her success,” Tyson said.
Kali said she hopes to go to college or university and play the sport.
“We’ll see what happens,” she said when asked about her next steps.
While the family does get away from the rink in the summer to head to the cottage, Kali said it's usually all hockey all the time.
“Yeah, this is a hockey house for sure; it's pretty close to non-stop,” she said. “Me and my dad are Leafs fans, my brother Dawson cheers for Pittsburgh or the Oilers, Tyson is obviously a Flyers fan and my mom just goes for anyone playing that night. But we are absolutely a hockey family and it's really fun.”
The only easy part of the current hockey situation for the Foerster family seems to be who to look for on the ice.
Both Tyson and Kali, begrudgingly, wear No. 71.
“She didn’t want that at first,” Glen said as he and Kali headed back to the car for another hockey practice. “She wanted 81, but someone got it and she just grabbed this one. Easy to spot them both on the ice now.”
The Barrie Jr. Sharks playoff run this weekend started this afternoon with a game against the Mississauga Jr. Hurricanes, followed by 5 p.m. tilt with the Eastern Division champion Nepean Jr. Wildcats.
