The Sundre peewee A Huskies played hard during the recent provincial championship but faced strong competition and were unable to claim a victory.
The tier 3 team had previously gone undefeated in its regular Central Alberta Hockey League division playoffs to bring home a banner, as well as provincial playdowns, where they became Zone 6 champions to secure a spot at the provincial championships, which were held March 23-25 in La Crete.
Competing were seven zone champions from the province as well as the host team, said head coach Nathan McCullough, adding the Huskies played three games.
There were two pools and the top two teams from each proceeded to semifinals to determine which squads would face off in the final.
“We would have played five games if we went on to the finals,” said McCullough.
The final match came down to a battle between the Elk Point Avalanche and the Provost Blades, who ended up winning the championship title, he said.
Considering the calibre of the tier 1 teams the Huskies faced off against, the coach said the boys played phenomenally well.
“They held their own,” he said, adding the squad did not make it easy for the competition.
“They really impressed me with how they played.”
The Huskies lost their first game against Rimbey 6-2, were then defeated 8-2 in their second match against La Crete, and came closer to claiming victory in the third game against Elk Point, who won 7-5.
“When you’re playing hard hockey like that, it’s easy to give up.”
But even when the Huskies were down multiple goals, the team refused to throw in the towel and kept pushing, he said.
“With the level of hockey it was, I was quite blown away by how the kids responded. They pushed right to the bitter end and gave it their all,” he said, adding that’s all a coach can ask for.
He said many teams did not even earn the opportunity to play in provincials, so Sundre's qualification was a substantial achievement. The experience created memories the players will carry with them for a long time, he added
“We were one of the top eight teams in the province, and that speaks to the kids’ ability.”
Making the trip all the more special was how the host community really rolled out the welcome mat, he said.
“They were just extremely polite and extremely welcoming from the moment you drove into the town,” he said, adding signs featuring all of the teams’ logos were put up throughout community.
“We almost felt like superstars walking into that town,” he said.
“They were proud to have us and we were proud to be there.”
The coach expressed his appreciation for the community’s ongoing support which he said means a lot not only to the Sundre Minor Hockey Association but especially the players as well.
Although the coach is for now glad that the hockey season is over, that sentiment will be relatively short- lived, he said.
“That feeling will only last for about a month, then withdrawal is going to set in,” he joked.
