Alexandria Blizzard Hockey

Alexandria's Brad and Jodi Berning's decision to host Blizzard hockey players Joe Hartman and Ryan Leets this season was not a simple decision, but has proved to be more satisfying to them than they ever could have imagined.

"We saw the signs hanging at the rink asking for housing families and tossed the idea around," said Jodi. "But we just always felt our house is too small, it's not fancy enough, we're not rich enough, but we finally decided we are rich – rich in love and the things that really matter in life.
Posing for a Berning family photo were (back, left to right) Jodi, Joe Hartman, Blizzard mascot Eddy the Yettie, Ryan Leets,Brad and Derek (front). The Bernings opened their home to the two Blizzard players this season.

"Someday when we are gone, no one will care what we drove or how big our house was, what matters is whose lives we touched and how much we loved."

It all started when the Bernings' son Derek, 7, became a Mini Mite hockey player, where Blizzard players were assisting.  "It was Dylan Decker he first had contact with," said Berning. "He was so great with Derek, really took to him and helped him skate."Dylan told Derek to bring his parents to a Blizzard game, so we went and were completely hooked on the action!

"I thought I hated hockey," she said. "I just never bothered to watch it before.  "I was an instant fan! I didn't know much about the game, but it was exciting and if the puck went into the other team's net, I just knew it was a good thing."

That was when the Bernings decided to become a host family.  They had to fill out a questionnaire and make some extra space to accommodate two players, but love having new family members.

"They just fit right in, completely melded with our little family," commented Berning. "We love them dearly, but as you can imagine with three boys, the house gets messier faster and we go through a lot more food than we could have imagined – common knowledge to a household of teenagers, but, none the less, very new to us.

"We love having the boys here. We don't look at them as being strangers in our home, we look at them as being Derek's big brothers and our own kids."

The Bernings, who own and work at Broadway Floral, try not to make life difficult for the boys, but both Hartman and Leets have responsibilities around the house, helping with dishes, laundry and picking up after each other.  "They are more than willing to lend a hand," said Berning.

The Bernings' son looks at Hartman and Leets as his brothers and loves to spend time with them.  "We don't burden the boys with caring for him unless they ask," she said. "Joe and Ryan are here to go to school and play hockey, and hopefully have a little fun in between."

The two Blizzard players also spend time watching Derek play hockey.  "Derek wore real pads the other day for his first try at goalie," said Berning. "Every good save Derek made, Ryan, our goalie, would yell 'great save' and pound the glass.  "Derek would look over so seriously and nod his head, then hit his stick on each pipe and then his feet – a typical habit of Ryan's."

It's not just hockey in the Berning household, and both players work hard to keep up with their schoolwork."We are so proud of both Joe and Ryan for doing so well in school and excelling on the ice," Berning said. "Each of these boys has such a different personality."  Joe is easygoing; nothing bothers him. He moves about without a care in the world. He gets his homework done quickly and has loads of time for recreation at night."  Ryan, on the other hand, is more intense. He tends to be more of a perfectionist," she noted. "He forever has homework; he has taken some pretty homework-heavy classes. Maybe that is the goalie in him, the precision and accuracy."

Both boys excel in their academic lives as well, and hope to find spots on Division I hockey rosters down the road."Not only do they have talent on the ice, they have the academics that help make a college program look good," Berning added. "Ryan holds company with a No. 1 ranking in the junior class academically, and Joe has a 3.8 grade average."These boys should be applauded and praised for keeping up their grades, having excellent attendance at school – boy, they get up early! They are gone before we leave for work, and oftentimes roll in the same time or later than we do.

"We think of the boys as family," said Berning. "Since Derek is an only child, we see it as a great opportunity for him to have brothers."He will, however, learn at a young age the pain of having to let them go, yet still have the joy of the lifelong friendship he is able to develop with Joe and Ryan."