The Olds midget A Grizzlys are provincial champions after beating Beaumont 5-1 in the final at the tournament held March 21 to 24 in Vermilion.
"We just really came together. We had some pretty high expectations,î said coach Joel Hunter.
The Grizzlys began the tournament with a 10-1 victory over Lloydminster on March 21. That was followed with a 5-1 loss to Beaumont during the morning of March 22. The Grizzlys then followed that up with a 5-0 victory over Bow River of Calgary later that day. On the afternoon of March 23, the Grizzlys defeated High Prairie 10-3, while they beat Okotoks in the semifinal 4-3.
"They played really well. When it came down to when we needed to win, they did well,î Hunter said of the group.
Hunter said after the loss to Beaumont in the team's second game, the players responded well the next time out. He said they saved their best game of the tournament for when it counted against Bow River, coming up with a shutout.
"It was kind of a do-or-die game and the kids didn't let up. It was good to see,î he said.
A total of seven players who won the championship this year returned from last year's team, which lost in the semifinal of the provincial tournament. Hunter said it was a good cap to a lot of players' midget careers.
"A lot of the returning players were third-year guys so it was good to get them (a championship) before they're finished,î he said.
With the provincial championship in hand, the Grizzlys hope to finish off the season on March 27 with a win over Vulcan in the Central Alberta Hockey League final. The Grizzlys won Game 1 of the series 6-2 on March 18.
