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Clay Plum of the Rocky Mountain Rage

CHL Clash Spotlights Native Talent
Nov 17, 2006

A rare event took place on November 10th in Broomfield, Colorado. The Rocky Mountain Rage faced off against the Tulsa Oilers in a Central Hockey League match up. The game marked the first home game ever for the newly formed Rocky Mountain Rage and was played before a capacity crowd at the Broomfield Events Center located northwest of Denver.

The game featured two Native boys from Western Canada. Clay Plume from Standoff, Alberta on the Blood Tribe First Nation, and Tyler Shantz who hails from High Prairie, Alberta, faced off in a hard fought battle. The Rage eventually prevailed by winning in a shootout, as neither team was able to get the win in regulation or overtime.

Both Tyler and Clay played well, with Plume picking up an assist on a power play goal in the third period. Keeping an eye on the action was another Native involved in the game. Linesman Butch Mousseaux (Lakota) kept the action going while also having to break up a couple of scraps on the ice. The game was a Triple Crown of Native representation at the pro hockey level and gives us hope that many more Native players and officials will be breaking into the ranks of professional hockey in the coming years.