© Jayme Pastoric

SAN DIEGO — A group of NHL alumni were having difficulty gaining separation against a determined team of Navy SEALs during their spirited hockey game at San Diego Ice Arena on Saturday.

Dave Scatchard, a center who played 11 seasons for the Vancouver Canucks, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Phoenix Coyotes, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues, offered to stake out the front of the net during the final period and see if he could score a greasy goal.

Sure enough, Scatchard scored on a rebound to give the NHL alumni the lead for good in the eventual 5-1 victory.

“The old, crafty NHL guys found a way to make some plays and score a couple goals,” said Kevin Bieksa, a 13-season veteran who retired after the 2017-18 season.

The matchup was the centerpiece of the Nicholas Spehar Memorial Weekend, a partnership between the NHL and Warrior for Life Fund, a Virginia-based nonprofit organization that supports active duty, veterans, retirees and their families through sport and community as they navigate the challenges of combat deployments and life after service.

“They’re competitive,” retired defenseman Kevan Miller said of the SEALs. “They don’t want to lose, we don’t want to lose, it just makes for a really good all-around game. A lot of fun. It’s just such a good cause.”

SEAL team captain Grady McDonald, a 26-year veteran of the special forces, said his group’s youth and fitness got the attention of the former NHL players, none more so than when they scored in the second period against Ryan Miller to tie the game 1-1.

Miller’s 391 wins are second among United States-born goalies in NHL history behind Jonathan Quick of the New York Rangers (393).

© Kyle Carlstrom

“I think they were sitting around in second gear a little bit and then we snuck one by Ryan and then they kind of shifted the gas a little bit,” McDonald said. “They got some of the bigger guys and they took up the space in front of the net and, ultimately, buried a few of them on us, but no big deal, it was great.”

The Warrior for Life Fund raised additional money and awareness for its initiative to help promote mental health, physical wellness and camaraderie in the military community through hockey. The SEALs also got to match their skills against NHL alumni, and players like Bieksa and Miller tested their fitness against some of the best-conditioned servicemen in the world.

The unanimous consensus: The event was a win-win for everyone.

“Anything you can be a part of to help our community out and help [Nicholas’] family out, it’s awesome,” said B.W. a member of the SEALs team. “This is my first time playing, so I’m hoping I can keep playing in it each year.”

The NHL contributed $35,000 to help sponsor the San Diego event and memorial games in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Boston honoring other fallen servicemen earlier this year. The games are named after Second Class Petty Officer Nicholas Spehar, killed when his helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan on Aug. 6, 2011.

“It’s fantastic,” said Patrick Spehar, Nicholas’ father. “We get a time to honor Nick, and a bunch of team guys get to play with a bunch of NHL guys and have fun. It’s all about fun.”

© Megan Ellis

Spehar said the relationships he’s garnered through Warrior for Life Fund has been a beacon of light in an otherwise dark set of circumstances.

“I never imagined what happened to my son would happen to my son,” he said. “Our family has been blessed many, many times by wonderful things because of Nick’s passing, and his sacrifice.”

The NHL alumni team also had the opportunity to visit the SEALs training site in San Diego.

“I think they had a really good time, just a lot of really good questions back and forth,” McDonald said. “A lot of similarities to some of the characteristics they look for in a good player, and some of the characteristics that we look for in a good SEAL.”

Bieksa said he was inspired by the entire weekend.

“Playing against our heroes and our soldiers that protect our freedom was amazing,” he said. “Just get a glimpse of what they go through and what it takes to be a SEAL, and the dedication and the commitment and the perseverance and mental strength and all that stuff. It was just amazing to be a part of it.”

Spehar would like to see the event expanded to include his family’s home state of Minnesota, considered “the land of 10,000 rinks.”

“It’s a natural fit,” he said.

© Megan Ellis