Ashley Tully may not be the biggest fan of hockey, but she definitely calls herself a fan of the Manitoba Moose after a special event on Wednesday.

Her grade four class at Oakville School was joined virtually by defenceman Hayden Shaw and by forward Isaac Johnson who read Robert Munsch's 'So Much Snow'.

She says the kids were very excited to learn they had won a contest to have the pro players read to them.

"Oh, they were so excited. They were vibrating in their seats. I made them sit on the floor, we spread out our desks and everything because of COVID and all those rules, but they were vibrating in their seats and they were so engaged listening to the hockey players," says Tully. "For some of my kids, who maybe don't always have the best listening skills, they were in love."

Manitoba Moose defenceman Hayden Shaw, forward Isaac Johnson

Darren, a 9-year-old, says his mom entered the classroom in the contest. He was eager to meet the players and had a good time asking them about hockey, reading, and more.

"Well, first of all it was really amazing. It's really cool because one of them was a defence and I play hockey and I'm a defence, too," says Darren. "It was just pretty amazing because they're the Manitoba Moose!"

Tully laughed, when asked how they won the contest. She says Darren's mom shared a story about a little mishap on the ice.

"In December, we took the kids skating, and Darren and I had a little collision because I'm not a good skater and he's a really good skater," says Tully. "It was kind of like this little joke we had going like, 'Oh be careful Darren, don't hurt Mrs. Tully' or 'Mrs. Tully, get out of the speed skater's way!' kind of thing. So, she used that as part of her story on why we should win."

Tully noted the event was not just about hockey. Manitoba Moose Video Content Coordinator, Austin Siragusa, was answering lots of questions from the kids about how to become a reporter, what kind of schooling is needed, and also what it's like working for the Moose. The team also donated a swag bag to the kids, while McNally Robinson donated the novel 'Spy School' by Stuart Gibbs to every child in the class.

9-year-old Meredith says she enjoyed hearing from the players, saying it was something new.

"It was a good experience because I've never got to meet a hockey player before," says Meredith. "Well, someone who plays on TV or something."

She is in the middle of reading "Fish in a Tree", but notes she hasn't finished it yet.

We will be hearing from some of Darren and Meredith's classmates throughout the week as we continue talking to kids in the community about February's 'I Love to Read Month'.