Surviving the devastating Humboldt Broncos crash was just the beginning – `

Carley Matechuk pinballed down endless Saskatchewan highways, unsure how to reach her little brother on that frantic, weightless night.

Hours after the crash, there was still little clarity from the site of the tragedy or the hospital in Nipawin, where the Humboldt Broncos had been heading for a playoff game earlier that Friday evening.

She received sporadic calls from her parents, piecing together information from the families who were already there, slowly learning about the living and the dead.

Carley wasn’t sure where to go to find Layne. Would the survivors remain in Nipawin or be flown to trauma centers in Saskatoon or Regina? It wasn’t even certain that he was still alive. But she believed he was. He had to be.

Despite the four years between them, Layne was her closest friend. They were connected in ways that few people share. If he was gone, she would know — she was certain — because part of her would be gone too.

Growing up in Colonsay, a rural speck on the Trans-Canada Highway, less than an hour east of Saskatoon, they spent seasons outdoors — winters, sledding and skating, summers camping beneath the stars. But a shared love of hockey was their bond. They watched the Mighty Ducks together, the originals and all the sequels, over and over. And NHL games each weekend. Carley cheered for the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin; Layne idolized Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.

She loved watching the game from above, Layne loved it from the ice.