Dec. 31 / 07

By Guy Bertrand
Times Sports Editor

Kevin Limbert has always been a symbol of determination and hard work for the Trail Smoke Eaters.

On Friday the 20-year-old was rewarded for his efforts in hockey and education when he accepted a scholarship to Yale University in Connecticut.

"It's great to see a player that has been working hard his whole life get rewarded with an education at such a prestigious school," said coach Jim Ingram in a press release.

The announcement ends the waiting game for Limbert who was studying his options at different U.S. schools including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

"This was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," he said.

Limbert said he contemplated the offer for a week to make sure, "it had to be the right fit."

He'll join the Yale Bulldogs hockey team as well as an educational institution over 300 years old and boasting over 11,009 students.

Limbert said he hasn't visited the campus in New Haven, Conn., but expects to go there in the spring.

For now he's just happy to have that major decision finalized.

"It's in the back of your head all the time," he admitted.

However, Limbert is also aware that many players fortunes change once they accept a scholarship - either their performance improves or decreases.

"I just have to make sure mine goes up."

Limbert played his way through the local minor hockey system including a stint with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.

He was named captain of the Smokies in the off-season and has responded by leading the team in scoring with 38 points in 38 games.

Limbert is in his fourth season with the Smokies and has 64 goals and 153 points in 191 games.

The Fruitvale native had been studying his options for the last couple of seasons and becomes the sixth local product in the history of the Smokies to earn a U.S. college scholarship.

Rossland native Brian McMeekin was the first to earn a scholarship to Cornell University in 1998.

Others include Lucas Burnett, and Brandon Gawryletz to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, and Travis Cawryletz and Isaac Reichmuth to the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

IVY BOUND: Trail Smoke Eaters captain Kevin Limbert is moving on to U.S. college hockey next season after accepting a scholarship to Yale University on Friday.