The Renfrew Timberwolves have returned to the ice for the first time since a tragic car crash that claimed the lives of two teammates.

The junior hockey team paid homage to its two fallen players, Brandon Hanniman and Alex Paquette, by raising the players’ jerseys before Friday’s game in Renfew, Ont.

“We’re going to dedicate the rest of the season to them and hope that we make them proud,” the Timberwolves’ general manager Kevin Gould told CTV Ottawa.

Hanniman and Paquette’s initials and jersey numbers – 65 and 88, respectively – now appear on the rink at Renfew’s Ma-te-Way arena, 

“It’s to honour them the best way that we know how to honour them,” Gould said. “They’re two great kids that love the game of hockey.”

Hanniman and Paquette died after a single-vehicle crash in October. Two other players were injured in the collision – teammate Ben Scheuneman, 18, remains in hospital.

“We’re fully confident that he (Scheuneman) can recover, but it’s going to be a long road,” Gould said. 

The Timberwolves also fundraised for Scheuneman’s family at the game, raising more than $10,000. In a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday, the team said that Scheuneman’s family decided to provide a portion of the proceeds to the families of Hanniman and Paquette. 

Gould describes Renfrew’s hockey community as a “really tight-knit group.”

“These kids both grew up in Renfew, played minor hockey in Renfew, and a lot of these kids grew up playing hockey together,” Gould said. 

“You can tell if you ever watch Brandon and Alex play hockey, they played with a lot of passion, and a lot of enthusiasm, and you could just tell that they loved the game when they played.”

With a report from CTV Ottawa