By Ethan Ready

Bros Battle

Family feud as Berra brothers faced off from behind the bench

Dec 9, 2021 | 11:26 AM

PRINCE GEORGE – Odds are if you’re involved with hockey in Prince George, you know the Berra family. But recently there may have been a bit of a family feud when it came to those behind the bench in the BC Elite Hockey League. Older brother RJay has long been a coach for the Cariboo Cougars U18 Triple-A team, but this year marked the first time his brother Hayden-James ventured out of the Cariboo Hockey program and into another, coaching for the Thompson Blazers as he attends Thompson Rivers University.

“Obviously it was the two weekends I’d say I was most looking forward to in the year. RJay and I have had a special run together when we have coached together at different levels and different teams. The opportunity to go against him is one I didn’t think I’d get to have but here we are.”

“We’re competitive in everything we do. It was nice to get them to come up here,” said RJay. “It was fun to have him up and play against him.”

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The two brothers bring to the bench an extensive hockey resume. RJay played three seasons with the Prince George Spruce Kings, captaining the team in 2010-11, and also played professionally in Europe. Meanwhile, his brother spent his junior career playing for teams across Western Canada in the Junior A ranks.

But both took to roles behind the bench shortly after wrapping up the playing careers. RJay has been working alongside their father, Renzo, with the hockey program at Prince George Secondary School while also coaching Cariboo. Hayden spent time with Cariboo and the Northern Capitals female team before heading to the Thompson Region.

Cariboo headed south for the first pair of games Nov. 27-28 before the series then came north the following weekend.

A sibling rivalry maybe, but the two admit they treated the two-weekend series no different than they would any other.

“I think you just prepare like any other way. I think the only thing I did is we had some less revealing conversations during the week when we talk on the phone,” said RJay.

“RJay and I keep it pretty respectful. He focuses on his team, I focus on my team,” explained Hayden-James.

The Cariboo Cougars swept the Blazers in four games, outscoring them 18-6.

“You know what, I think it might actually level him out. If it went the other way, maybe a little bit,” joked RJay on if there will be some bragging rights over the holidays. “It was good to have fun coaching against him.”

But these matchups between brothers also give the two an opportunity to even further their development as coaches.

“There will definitely be a little bit back and forth, but all-in-all there will be a lot of learning from each other,” said Hayden.

“I think it’s something he probably brings to the table more than I do,” said RJay on the energy his brother brings to the bench. “I’m little more even-keel and kind of like to process things a little bit more calmer, but he brings a ton of energy and a ton of passion and it really helps boost teams.”

Cariboo will have one more game before the holiday break as they’ll head to Kelowna to take on the Okanagan Rockets on Dec. 12. That will be their last game before resuming league play in the new year when they play host to the South Island Royals Jan. 8th inside Kin 1.