When Gary Powers, owner of South Coast Sport and Consignment, decided to hold an essay contest to benefit local youth hockey players, he had no idea the impact it would have on him personally.

“I’m still coming down from the whole thing,” said Powers, who said the 25-or-so entrants came from four local youth hockey organizations, all with connections to Wareham athletes. “It was really pretty emotional trying to get through them all.”

Powers read all of the essays at least twice, but said it was very difficult to choose two clear cut winners. Instead, he chose one, and picked the other at random, because in his mind, they all deserved to win one of the two $500 scholarships that will go towards two hockey players tuition for next season.

The winners—Austin Noble of Wareham, who plays in the South Coast Panthers Youth Hockey program, and Brian Roche of Sagamore Beach, who plays with the Cape Cod Canal Youth Hockey program—were each awarded with the scholarships, with Noble as the winner chosen by Powers.

Though he could only take two, Powers says that if he could have, he would have given $500 to each and every one of the entrants, so he decided to give everyone who entered a $25 gift certificate to his shop.

“All of the essays were written with great feeling and heart and it instilled in me a great sense of pride for each and every one of the entrants,” he said. “I wish I could give all of the players the $500 in tuition money. I kept on trying to find a couple essays that stood out above all others, but in the end, I could not make that decision.”

In the end, though, he was forced to make that decision, and though difficult, Powers said he’s proud to present the checks to the players' respective leagues to assist them with the tuition expenses. After all, hockey is very expensive to play, and it can often be difficult for parents to keep up with the expenses. Your average hockey stick is about $100, not to mention the rest of the equipment, the ice time, and travel expenses.

“Kids travel everywhere to play these days,” added Powers.

South Coast Sports and Consignment carries new and used gear for hockey and lacrosse, as well as used skiing, snowboarding, field hockey, baseball, and golf equipment. They also give 100 percent of money from consignment for donated products back to local youth athletics.

“We’re a for-profit business that makes charitable giving the cornerstone of our business plan.”