Writer-director Kevan Funk quips that his drama is “a hockey film, but not a hockey film”; whatever it is, a powerful sense of location and sensitivity to the subject matter are what make this near-flawless movie so impressive. That and Fear the Walking Dead star Jared Abrahamson’s monumental turn as Prince George Warriors grinder Ty Burr, a rookie who loses everything when he sends an opponent to hospital with life-threatening injuries. Funk’s shrewd framing of the hit is almost incidental; Burr’s subsequent railroading by the club, the community, and even his own family is tragically on point. As a frightened boy too emotionally constipated to help himself, Abrahamson tears your heart to shreds.

Georgia Straight, September 2016