Despite a discouraging start to the Sundre atom Huskies home tournament, the local squad came together and fought hard to claim victory in a shootout in the B division final.
The Huskies hosted seven visiting teams during their Dec. 1-3 tournament at the Sundre Arena. Their opening game against Olds on Friday night was a stiff, uphill battle, with the visitors establishing and maintaining a solid lead through the match to win.
However, the home squad played its best game of the season on the following day to secure a spot in the B division final, said coach Rae Croteau.
"Everyone came together at the same time to play well," he told the Round Up last week.
The final game held Sunday was an up and down, back and forth roller-coaster in which the Huskies were down one goal in the third period. But they kept fighting and managed to tie the game at four, leading to a five-minute, four-on-four overtime followed by a five-minute, three-on-three, after which the match remained tied, he said.
In the shootout that ensued, Sundre's fifth shooter, Ava Croteau, managed to score a goal, putting the Huskies in the lead. And goaltender Beau van Vlaanderen prevented the last shot against him from getting through, securing a 5-4 victory for the atoms.
"They never gave up," the coach said about his team, adding, "I'm pretty proud of them."
Meanwhile, in the regular Central Alberta Hockey League season, the Huskies ended up in tier 4, and have gone up against challenging competition. But as the season goes on, the team continues to develop, he said.
"As a team, they're growing," he said, adding the players have also been supportive of one another and that he has enjoyed observing them improve.
Their ability to move the puck and position themselves has gotten much stronger, and the coach said he emphasizes to the players that the more they pass, the quicker they'll get into the competition's zone for more opportunities to score goals.
Among the focal points during practice are drills on breaking out of their own zone, and improving their flow on the ice to ensure a higher pass success rate by working on cushioning the puck when receiving it to avoid unpredictable rebounds, he said.
