The Sundre midget Huskies recently left their jerseys at home for an opportunity to don the Tampa Bay Lightning’s colours at a unique event in Red Deer.
The ninth annual Tommy Gun’s Outdoor Winter Classic Tournament was held Jan. 25-27 at the two Bower Community Rinks, and the local team was among a select few to be invited to participate in the increasingly popular competition.
“We made the cut to go play. It was absolutely fantastic,” said head coach Tony Myram, calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Although the Huskies were initially booked to compete in a tournament in Vulcan that same weekend, the coach was not about to pass up the chance for his team to play at the iconic outdoor rink tournament in Red Deer. According to the official website, the event was inspired by the NHL Winter Classic with the intent “to give some hockey players a chance to finish their minor hockey careers on a high note.”
Out of 47 teams that applied to take part, only eight made the list, three of which are from Red Deer, said Myram, adding organizers wait until regular league play begins to see how squads compare to each other before determining which ones to invite.
“They want competitive play,” he said, adding the idea is to avoid blowout scenarios.
Aside from Sundre and the three Red Deer teams, the other contenders this year came from Calgary, Pincher Creek, a combined crew from Foremost and Bow Island as well as High Country, which is made up of players from the High River and Blackie areas, he said.
“It was a nice mix of teams.”
The organizers assigned each team jerseys fashioned from NHL teams, he said.
“We became the Sundre Lightning,” after the team from Tampa Bay, he said, adding each player received new sweaters and socks as well.
“We all got matching outfits with our names.”
With sponsorship support, the organizers spend about $50,000 to put the tournament on every year, he said. That includes the expense of setting up heated change rooms as well as providing each team with the special jerseys. Every year features a different theme, with this year’s focus on famous hockey movies.
Considering the recent conditions that have seen shifts between warm weather and deep freezes, the municipality managed to immaculately maintain the two outdoor rinks, he said.
The midgets got to play four games — three round-robin matches that brought them into the B final, the coach said, adding they finished with a record of two wins and two losses.
“Our first two games were fantastic,” he said.
“We had really good puck possession.”
The first match was against a Red Deer team donning the Anaheim Mighty Ducks' jerseys, which the Huskies — or rather, the Lightning — managed to win 5-1.
The second game was against a Calgary team sporting the LA Kings' colours.
“They really gave us the ropes,” Myram said, adding the competition moved the puck well during the first couple of periods and that his team had to adjust its game.
“They were probably the best puck-moving team we’ve played against all year.”
But with Sundre leading 4-3 in the final moments of the game, the Calgary team pulled its goalie and opened up an opportunity for the home squad to come ahead with a 5-3 victory after scoring a goal on an empty net, he said.
Their third game against the team from Pincher Creek, which was wearing the Vancouver Canucks' jerseys, did not go as well in their favour.
“We beat ourselves,” he said, adding the midgets made some mistakes and struggled with positional play.
“A good team will take advantage of that, and they sure did,” he said about the competition, adding the Canucks went on to win 9-3.
In the B final, Sundre faced off against the High Country team, which donned the Calgary Flames' uniforms.
“Those guys are a really good team,” the coach said, praising a great effort by their goaltender that led to the Flames' 3-0 victory.
“We just didn’t generate enough shots and scoring opportunities.”
But overall, the Sundre players performed well throughout the weekend, he said.
Regular season play
Meanwhile, the midget Huskies’ regular season is coming along nicely, with the team among the top ranked squads in the Central Alberta Hockey League (CAHL), the coach said.
“We have six wins, one loss and four ties,” he said early last week during a phone interview.
They also played on Jan. 23 their first game of provincial playdowns, going up against Olds on the road to win 6-3, and were set for Round 2 over the weekend on home ice. Those series are played in two games with the team scoring the most combined goals moving on to the next round. So although the Huskies lost 4-3 on Saturday, they won 9-7 overall and move on to the next series in provincial playdowns, he said.
Provincial playdowns are separate from regular CAHL playoffs, and are organized by Hockey Alberta, he said, adding this year’s tournament will be held in Whitecourt.
There are three playdown series to get through before securing a spot in the provincial competition, but the coach said, “If we play our game, I have no worries about making it through.”
The midget team has really developed throughout the season, and Myram said the players have been working hard at “playing the style of hockey we want them to play.”
That means a focus on speed, puck possession and consistency, he elaborated.
“I’m pretty proud of these kids.”
