With the regular season coming to an end for Drumheller Minor Hockey, four valley teams have already entered their first round of play-offs.
The Hi-way 9 Peewees won their first match in Drumheller, 4-3 against High River, after scoring with 30 seconds left in the final period. If they win in High River this Saturday on the road, they’ll advance to the final round.
“They’ve come along great, improving all year,” said coach Bryce Jensen. Aggressive is how he describes their play. “Heavy hits, and playing and forechecking hard. They’re smart when they’ve got to be.”
In preparation for the potential series breaker, Jensen said the 11 and 12 year olds will continue their strategy in practice, aided by manager Lesa Bennett.
“I’m proud of all the kids, they’ve been good all year,” said Jensen.
The CNRL Bantams lost their first game to Brooks 7-3 last Sunday, playing at the Memorial Arena. They’ll be travelling to Brooks Saturday, and if they win, the team will be back at the Memorial Arena at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
“Last weekend's game was a lack of effort,” said coach Dan Belliveau, who adds the team finished the season first and had beaten Brooks all year. “I don’t know if they were overconfident, but we didn’t have as good a showing. If we come out this weekend and play our game we’ll be fine.
Belliveau describes his team as a grinding team - they like to get the puck deep in the offensive zone, work the boards, and win battles along the boards.
They finished their season with a 15-4-2 record, made provincials, became the Zone 6 champions two weeks ago. They’ll be travelling to Vermillion on March 17 for provincials.
The team consists of all second year players, being 14 years of age.
“We started off slow, we ended up losing the first couple league games. But as the season went on, we battled injuries and sickness, and managed to come together when we needed to. The guys have really bought into the system we’ve played and have developed.”
Playing hard every shift is the point the coaches will get across to players heading into Saturday’s match.
The Encana Atom Raptors won their first play-off game Saturday, 3-0 at the Memorial Arena against Indus. They lost 6-4 Sunday in Indus, and will be back for game three at the Drumheller arena on Saturday. If they manage to beat out the tough Indus team, they'll be in the finals.
“The kids finished first in the league, so we’re number one. If they play up to their capabilities they’ll certainly win,” said head coach Paul Richard. “It’s a very competitive league, it’s fun and exciting for the kids.”
“The kids are doing really well, especially with what happened to the Charmonts. They’ve been through a lot this year, and we’re hoping they can win one for John and Chris.”
Richard says the experience of losing their teammate in December has helped them bond as a team.
“They say a prayer before every game. This is my twenty-fourth year coaching and I’ve never seen a team in minor sports come together and do that kind of thing. It helps them prepare mentally. It’s a real bond for the kids.”
If the Encana Raptors win this weekend, they’ll be facing one of two Strathmore teams in the final.
“When you’re number one, people want to beat you. It shows the will of the children if they can hold that position through the play-offs.”
Richards says the Raptors are one of the youngest teams in the league, giving them a bright future for next year's season. They are 9 and 10 year olds.
“It’s going to be a good game.”
The Greene Construction Raptors’ coaches could not be reached by press time, but are scheduled to face Olds at the Memorial Arena at 1:45 p.m. Saturday.
