Goderich Signal Star, 2017-03-08, Page 5454 Signal Star • Wednesday, March 8, 2017
Clinton native on South Korean national hockey team
Clinton native Matt Dalton has
taken a unique road in his profes-
sional hockey career. Ile is cur-
rently the goalie for the South
Korean national team and will be
competing with that team in the
2018 Olympics which South Korea
is hosting.
30 year-old Dalton grew up play-
ing hockey in Seaforth, and he
attended C.H.S.S.; his dad, Larry, is
still a custodian at the school, and
his mom, Karen, works at
Huronview.
Dalton started playing junior
hockey with the St. Mary's Lincolns
and then in the States in Montana
and Iowa
• He was playing with a profes-
sional team in Russia when he
met a Korean man in London
named Steve Beak who was run-
ning a hockey program there and
had connections to the South
Korean team. Beak knew the
team was looking for a goalie
and asked Dalton if he was
interested.
"I looked into it more and talked
with people, and I liked what I
heard," said Dalton. "I wanted to do
something different and try some-
thing new, so I decided to go for it"
Now, Dalton is going into his
third year with the team. He lives in
a suburb just outside of Seoul, and
through the process has gotten his
Korean citizenship.
It isn't common for the team to
look outside of South Korea for
their players, though there are
three other North Americans on
the team with Dalton, two from
the States and one from Canada.
However it is even rarer that for-
eign players would get citizenship
for their participation on the
team.
"I think we were the first athletes
to get citizenship in Korea. It's a
pretty important deal for them to
make an exception for us. We're
pretty lucky."
As for his new residency, he said,
"Seoul is one of the best cities I've
ever been to. Culture wise, it's very
different, but it's been a great expe-
rience." He said he likes where he is
and plans to be in Korea for the
foreseeable future.
He is there around eight
months of the year, and for the
Matt Dalton will be playing with the South Korean national hockey team in the 2018 Olympics.
rest of the year, he and his wife
live at their home just south of
Saint Joseph.
Besides playing for the national
team, Dalton also plays on the
Asian League playing against teams
in Russia, Korea, China and Japan.
With the national team, he plays
against European countries as well.
Of course, hockey is viewed dif-
ferently in Korea.
"Hockey is so new to these guys,"
Another new craft brewery in Huron County
Wayne Newton
Special to the Postmedia Network
With a permanent population of
60,000, Huron County will soon
match London, population
300,000, in the number of craft
breweries.
Stone House. Half Hours on
Earth in Seaforth. Cowbell Brew-
ing in Blyth.
And now, Bayfield Brewing.
Bayfield Brewing has launched
a lager and an amber in kegs as it
continues to firm up on a physical
location.
The recipes won't stop at two.
"We will certainly be making some
hoppy IPAs down the line," said Bay -
field's Ryan Somers in an emaiL
"I spent several years working in
the craft -beer industry on the West
Coast, and I love my hdppy beers
from the Pacific Northwest. But our
idea for now, as we are in Bayfield,
right on Lake Huron, which is a
busy summertime spot, was to start
off with something easy -drinking,
refreshing, accessible ... some-
thing everyone can love.
"Our first beer is an easy-drink-
ing
asy-drinking craft lager, with just a hint of a
citrus / hop vibe, and it's the type
of beer anyone can enjoy while
sitting out on a sunny patio in the
summer, as it's very refreshing
Contributed photo
said Dalton. "In Canada, we're
born with it." He said popularity for
the sport has been increasing in
Korea.
with a clean finish.
"The amber, again, is something
very accessible, with enough fla-
vour to pair well with rich or spicy
food, but still easy-going."
A West Coast IPA is coming.
Watch for Bayfield Brewing beer
in cans by the start of the tourist
season.