'Coming home with the Calverts': Adopted boys become hockey stars in N.S.

When the Calvert family travelled to Mozambique looking to adopt a child, they ended up coming home with two.

Since then, the boys have taken to Canada -- and its most popular sport.

“I like the fast pace and passing and making plays,” says Philip Calvert Jr.

“My friends at school, they always play hockey, so I got inspiration from them,” adds his brother Lokua.

Their introduction to the sport wasn’t a typical one. The keen eye of a hockey mom recognized Lokua and Philip Calvert’s potential before they ever hit the ice.

“They had never been on skates before and they were rollerblading and she just recognized that they were very strong skaters on rollerblades and wondered what they would be like on ice skates,” says the boys’ father, Philip Sr.

As it turns out, they were both naturals.

“We went three times to the oval, and then the following year, we signed them up for hockey and that was their first year, they played U11 C which is a rec league hockey,” says Phillip.

“The second year of hockey we tried out for competitive and they made U11 AA. Then this year they moved up to U13 and one made U13 AAA and one made U13 AA, so they’re playing at the top levels of hockey in the province.”

“Lokua, he can put the puck in the net. Philip has been a call-up for the last three games and he didn’t look out of place. He played great on the blue line for us,” says Justin Ritcey, who coaches the AAA Chebucto Atlantics.

Both boys are on the ice together just like they have been their whole lives. Philip Sr. and his wife Flavia went to Mozambique to adopt Philip. They brought him gifts and bonded. Then Philip asked his new parents for a favour.

“After one week that I was with Philip, Philip would say to me, “Can I bring my friend to eat and see my presents?’ So at that point I said, ‘Yes, he can come,’” says Flavia Mabouta-Calvert. “When he came, he was like, ‘I have never had a life before.’ It was so exciting.”

Philip then asked for a bigger favour. He wanted his friend to come to Canada with him.

Originally, the financial cost of adopting a second boy was daunting, but after meeting Lokua, there was no question he and Philip were coming back to Dartmouth with the Calverts.