There was some great hockey action in the valley over the weekend as the Peewee Raptors squads took to the ice in their home tournament.
The NGC Raptors and the Hi-Way 9 Express Raptors hosted their home tournament and both teams played well.
The NGC Raptors faced Marwayne, Battle River and Hanna in the round robin and came out undefeated.
This put the Raptors in the final to face Marwayne again. It was a close game, but Connor Prieston found the net to give the Raptors a 1-0 win. He was also named game MVP.
“This weekend was the most consistent they have played all season,” said head coach Kadena Pierce. “They are taking some of the systems we are implementing in practice. The kids really needed that boost for their mental game. To go through our home tournament undefeated and then win the A final, that was really good for them.”
She said it was a balanced attack.
“All of them played well,” she said. “There wasn’t any one kid that sticks out to pick as MVP, they all did. They played as a unit.”
The Hi-Way 9 Raptors also played well and swept their way through the round robin beating Siksika, Strathmore and Elk Valley B.C. This put them in the final to once again face Siksika.
The teams were well matched and were tied at four going into the last minute. With 8 seconds left, Siksika scored the winner.
It was a tough loss but coach Curt Walker was happy with how his team played.
“It didn’t turn out the way they wanted, we were going for the gold, but the kids played well and that’s all we ask of them,” said Walker.
The Hi-Way 9 Raptors have had a tough and successful run. They went undefeated in a tournament last weekend in Raymond and by the time they reached this final, they had won seven straight games.
“They played excellent, It was a heartbreaker for them, all we asked them was to give their all and they did,” said Walker. “We are a small team, we only have nine skaters so we are definitely proud of them.”
