By Newell Durnbrooke
On April 20, 2023, the Esprit de Corps Commandos faced off against the GOFO’s at the Richcraft Sensplex for the first time in three years.
The highly anticipated game brought together industry experts and military personnel. The Commandos roster is made up of the magazine staff and defence industry experts, while the GOFO’s team is comprised of General Officers and Flag Officers in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Sponsors Tony Battista and Michael Barton of Sandstone Group dropped the puck for the ceremonial face-off to mark the start of the game.
It started as a fast paced, evenly matched contest with the score tied 2:2, with less than three minutes left in the first period. The Commandos managed to put up another goal before the end of the first period to give them a narrow lead.
In the second period the Commandos came out strong and padded their lead with another quick goal. However there was a lot of fight left in the GOFO's and they battled back relentlessly. With seconds left on the clock and the GOFO's trailing by 3, they made the defiant gesture of scoring the last goal to make the final score 7:5. It could not affect the outcome but the GOFO's have sent a message for the rest of the 2023 series: They are not giving up.
At the end of the game, the Commandos took home the coveted Commando Challenge Hockey Game trophy, which was awarded to the team by GOFO Captain Maj-Gen Derek Basinger at the post game reception.
That event took place at Smoky’s, where players from both teams demonstrated excellent sportsmanship and camaraderie. The reception was generously sponsored by Sandstone Group, an Ottawa-based organization that specializes in providing strategic advice to corporate executives.
Mason Whitham of the Commandos and Maj-Gen Derek Basinger of the GOFO’s were recognized as the Player-of-the-Game for their respective teams. Despite the high score, both goalies played exceptionally well..
Talks are reportedly underway to schedule an imminent rematch between the Commandos and the GOFO’s. Until then, The Commando Challenge Hockey Game trophy will be residing, once again at the Esprit de Corps office.
For more photos, please visit Richard Lawrence Photography.
