The Sundre midget Huskies’ coach said no shortage of hockey fans came out to enjoy the team’s recent home tournament.
“There were great crowds,” said Tony Myram about the event, which was held Nov. 9-11 at the Sundre Arena and also doubled as a fundraiser.
“Everything went really well. It was exciting, lots of fun and some good hockey…it was really entertaining.”
Including the Sundre hosts, there were six teams competing — Olds, Red Deer, Redcliff, Devon and Brooks. While some tournaments in the past have accommodated eight squads, organizing a slightly smaller competition facilitates an easier weekend that does not require early morning matches while still allowing each team to play three games, he said.
“We’re certainly thankful to all the teams that came out,” he said, adding road conditions for return trips on Sunday, Nov. 11 were less than ideal.
“They braved the weather.”
The teams were strong and fans got to see some good competition, he said.
Brooks and Redcliff faced off in the A final, leading to a nail-biting finish after the match ended tied, forcing a further six rounds of shootouts, he said.
“Brooks came out the winner,” he said. The final score was 5-4.
The Huskies lost 4-3 against Devon in the B final after winning their first game against Olds 5-1 and tying at 2 against Redcliff during their second match, which the coach called his team’s “best front-to-back game” of the season so far.
“They’re a really strong team. They made us work,” he said about Redcliff, adding the Huskies all played well and that goaltender Bruce Simonds played a great game.
Although Sundre was in the lead during the third period’s final moments, Redcliff pulled their goalie and tied with some 13 seconds left on the clock, he said.
The B final against Devon also offered hockey fans some excitement, he said.
“Their goalies kept them in that game,” he said, adding the Huskies otherwise “outplayed them.”
From the tournament’s fundraising perspective, the coach expressed appreciation for all of the great prizes that were donated by plenty of people in the community, as well as volunteers and parents who pitched in to help. Although an estimate had not yet been determined by last Thursday, he expected the amount raised would be enough to cover the cost of participating in a tournament in Vulcan with enough left over for “some extras for the team.”
While still somewhat early in the season — the Huskies recently were placed in the Central Alberta Hockey League’s tier 4 green division — the coach said his team’s strength lies partly in the size of its roster.
“We have a big team,” he said.
“It’s nice when we can roll all the lines and keep the energy up.”
The Huskies, a largely young team comprised mostly of first-year midgets, strive to keep the puck moving and to play at a high pace, he said.
“Any time we’ve been able to use our speed and puck movement to our advantage, we usually come out victorious,” he said, adding that at the home tournament, “We just ran into a couple of hot goalies.”
Further honing his team’s ability to move the puck, which of course includes passing, remains a focal point during practice, he said.
“Puck movement in the offensive zone is something we’re really pushing.”
Also a priority is building as strong a defence as possible and making sure not to leave open other teams’ players to reduce their chances of scoring, he said.
With regular league games now underway, the coach said the Huskies are going to have their hands full playing against some good teams, but that he looks forward to the season ahead.
The tournament offered an opportunity for the Huskies to further bond as a unit, and although the event was not as high-pressure as regular league games, coaching staff still demanded a lot from the players, he said.
“We push them, and they keep rising to the challenge,” he said.
“If they can keep doing that, we’re going to have a successful year.”
