SUNDRE – Despite coming up a bit short against some tough competition during their home tournament fundraiser, the Sundre U13 Huskies played with heart and never threw in the towel, their head coach said.
Last wekend, the team hosted five visiting squads at the Sundre Arena: Lacombe Rockets, Onoway Eagles, West Country P&F Sharks from Red Deer, Okotoks Oilers, and Stettler Storm.
All of the teams were each guaranteed the chance to play three games, and while they were unable to win any of them, the Huskies fought hard to give their opponents a run for their money, along the way tying once.
Head coach Tim Kennedy said that throughout the weekend, the players “never gave up. That says a lot about their character.”
During their second game against the Eagles on Saturday, the Huskies were down a couple of goals going into the third period, said Kennedy.
With barely more than a second left on the clock, Grayson Suitor snuck a shot past Onoway’s netminder to tie the scoreboard at 8, he said.
Following a couple of tough weekends, the coach said “that was like winning the Stanley Cup for the kids.”
Suitor’s teammates celebrated his last-second tie goal by drenching him after the game; not with champagne, but with water, the coach said with a chuckle.
Kennedy expressed appreciation for the helping hands and business sponsors who were “above and beyond great” in offering support.
While there are usually some snags during such an event, he said there were no complaints or problems to arise and that things essentially went off without a hitch.
With their annual home tournament behind them, the U13 Huskies will be looking at wrapping up their regular season in the Central Alberta Hockey League in the coming weeks, including a game in Olds this weekend followed by another match on home ice against Sylvan Lake. As of Jan. 23 they were ranked third, the coach said.
Finals usually take place mid to late February followed by provincial, he said.
“We’ve got a lot of hockey left yet.”
