Slain First Nation hockey player honoured by southern Alberta town

People rushed into Strathmore Family Centre Friday not only to seek shelter from the rain outside, but to take in National Indigenous Peoples Day ceremonies.

Inside, Strathmore Mayor Pat Fule opened the event with a presentation to Melodie Hunt-Ayoungman, the Siksika Nation mother who accepted a plaque in honour of her late son, hockey player Kristian Ayoungman.

In return, Siksika Nation Council members presented the Siksika Nation's flag to the town of Strathmore to secure the relationship between both communities.

The flag will hang at the town of Strathmore's office in honour of that relationship.

Siksika and Strathmore

Ayoungman played for the Siksika Buffaloes and formerly played with Strathmore's Wheatland Kings before he was killed earlier this year.

The First Nation Hockey player was shot and killed March 17 around 3:30 a.m.,when the RCMP and EMS responded to a call out to a rural highway near Strathmore.

Brandon Daniel Giffen and Kody Allan Giffen are both charged with first degree murder.

• Mother of a First Nations hockey player killed says she has no anger toward accused

Melodie Hunt-Ayoungman  spoke out for the first time to the media since her son's death.

"I wanted to see a change in a positive way," said Hunt-Ayoungman.

"I wanted to see a mark set in history with the town of Strathmore and Siksika for change against racism and for my son," she added.

"It's sad that it had to take his life to make a change."

Plaque installed

The plaque will be mounted on a stone in honour of Ayoungman at one of the town's parks in between where the incident first began.

"That stone to me, is Strathmore and Siksika's ways, a stone set in history against racism," said Hunt-Ayoungman.

She adds, "receiving the plaque today really shows the town of Strathmore and Siksika are taking serious action."

Role Model

The young hockey star was a role model within the Siksika and Strathmore community.

Besides hockey, Ayoungman played baseball, and golf. He was a championship powwow traditional dancer who performed in the Stampede Grandstand Show at the 2012 Calgary Stampede Centennial.

He also performed for the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth in 2007, and played on numerous championship hockey teams on teams from Strathmore, Okotoks and the Siksika Buffaloes.

The Mayor of Strathmore, Pat Fule said he wanted to honour what Ayoungman brought to their community.

"We wanted to show Melodie, our community is grieving with theirs and we respect and honour the memory of Kristian," said Fule.

He added that, "he was taken in a tragic way and we're really sorry it happened."

Brandon Daniel Giffen and Kody Allan Giffenboth are expected to be back in court in January 2020 in Calgary.