RED DEER – It was a moment shared across the country.
The 2019 Canada Winter Games, with its celebratory mantra, "This is our Moment," came to a close Saturday night (March 2) in Red Deer.
Thousands of Albertans joined athletes, spectators, guests and volunteers for the closing ceremony of the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
One of them was Innisfail’s Allyson Bendfeld, who spoke with the Province just minutes after winning a gold medal with Team Alberta’s women’s hockey team Saturday afternoon.
“It’s still sinking in. It’s amazing,” said Bendfeld. “I don’t know if you asked me a year ago, that this would happen, but it’s fantastic to be a part of it and to do it at home. There’s no words to describe it.”
They were part of the most successful Team Alberta in the history of the Canada Winter Games, which saw Alberta finish in third place overall with 100 medals, including 36 gold.
Team Alberta earned their gold medal after downing Team Quebec 2-1 in one of the final events of the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
It was not an easy feat, said Bendfeld.
“We didn’t do it the easy way. We lost our first game to B.C. (6-1). We went to a shootout with Nova Scotia and won that game and then we lost to Ontario,” she said. “Then we started to hit our stride and we beat Manitoba 3-0 in the quarter-final, we beat B.C. yesterday (Friday) in the semifinal and today we beat Quebec.”
She noted how her work as video coach with Team Alberta's women's hockey team helped provide some inspiration for the athletes.
“We did a lot of teaching with the video this week. I hope that it was one of the things that helped get us here,” said Bendfeld, noting the team effort. “Our coaching staff did an amazing job with them and we improved every single day.
“The girls did a great job of coming together as a team and by the end of this, we were most definitely the best team out there, whether we won gold or not,” she added.
Pat Lechelt, Team Alberta’s chef de mission, said the Canada Winter Games was a great success for Alberta, thanks in part to the tremendous support they received.
“Team Alberta really did well. I think we could feel Albertans behind us, cheering us on,” said Lechelt. “Thank you Red Deer and Alberta for supporting our team.”
