INNISFAIL - Innisfail's Gerrit Handford and his team, the Olds AA Bantam Grizzlys, took top spot in a recent major tournament.
The Grizzlys won the 2017 Pomeroy Inns & Suites Bantam AA Classic in Olds from Jan. 27 to 29. The tourney was hosted by the Olds Grizzlys Junior A Hockey Club.
"It's a big tournament. There are 16 teams, mostly Calgary- and Edmonton- area teams. There was only our team and one other team from our league in the tournament," said Ron Doig, head coach of the Olds AA Bantam Grizzlys.
The provincewide tournament was not an easy one to win, he noted.
"No Olds team has ever won this tournament before so it was good to see a local team win it," said Doig. "We knew if we played well we'd do well and that's how it was."
The team went 5-0 in the tournament, beating the Calgary Buffalo Hockey Association (CBHA) Wranglers in the final by a score of 6 to1.
Much of their success came from a strong team effort.
"Our total team defence was good and our goaltenders played well," said Doig. "We only allowed five goals in five games and our top scorers came out and played like they should.
"I think we kept getting better as the tournament went on," he added.
Innisfail's Handford, a left-winger, made the cut last fall after tryouts with the regional AA team. Coach Doig noted some of Handford's key strengths in the tournament and throughout the season.
"Gerrit's a really fast, hard-working player. He's learning that if he's always skating fast and working hard that he's very effective," said Doig, noting he's one of the fastest skaters in the league. "He's one of those hard- working kids that every team needs and that's what he's doing for us."
The AA Bantam Grizzlys play in the South Central Alberta Hockey League (SCAHL) and are currently near the top. Players come from across the region, including Three Hills, Sundre, Didsbury and Carstairs.
"I think there's five really strong teams in our league and we're one of those five," said Doig. "We have 10 games left in our league play (and) then we have our league playoff tournament in Cochrane in mid-March. We are hosting provincials March 29 to April 2. That's our next goal, to win provincials."
Ron Doig, head coach of the Olds AA Bantam Grizzlys
"He's one of those hard- working kids that every team needs and that's what he's doing for us."
