Minor hockey: Parade of home-ice champions

By Medicine Hat News on January 28, 2020.

photo submitted - The peewee Wildcats celebrate their home-tournament win in Bow Island Sunday.

A trio of home-ice tournaments filled up the local minor hockey schedule this past weekend, and sure enough there were hosts hoisting trophies at the end of it all.

In Bow Island, the Medicine Hat Wildcats peewee girls team continued their strong season with a gold medal victory. On Sunday, they wrapped up the tournament with a 5-1 win over the Saskatoon Comet Hurricanes.

Keyana Bert had a hat trick, while Keira Grant and Marley Howes added goals. Taya Christie got the win in net for the Wildcats.

In Redcliff, the co-ed White Grizzlies hosted and won their event, with a 6-4 final win over Medicine Hat’s Predators. The teams had met twice earlier in league play and tied both times, so it was little wonder the tournament final would be a nailbiter.

Finally, the Medicine Hat atom A league held its tournament. Seven of the 16 squads were local, including the Hurricanes, who lost to Magrath’s Chiefs in the B final.

The Hat Penguins beat Moose Jaw’s Bandits in the C final, while the Devils edged another Moose Jaw team in the D final.

A separate lower tier bracket saw the Hawks fall to Gravelbourg in the A final, the Wildcats beat the Flyers in an all-Hat B final, and the Kings get by Lethbridge for the C title.

Midget AA

The Jasper Homes Hounds only had one game this past weekend, and it was a close one.

The midget AA team delivered a 2-2 tie Sunday in Calgary against the Northstars, replying to their first deficit of the afternoon with a goal less than a minute later.

Connor Miller and Kyden Moore had the goals for Medicine Hat, which outshot Calgary 36-24. Nate Hoffman made 22 saves.

Moore’s goal came in the third period, 45 seconds after the Northstars had taken a 2-1 lead on a power play marker. Eric Van Loon had both goals for his side, the other one shorthanded.

The Hounds host Wheatland Friday, 7:30 p.m. at Canalta Centre before Calgary’s Blackhawks come to the Kinplex Saturday at 2:45 p.m.

Midget 15’s

The South East Athletic Club’s midget 15-year-old Tigers were part of a surreal comeback Saturday.

Unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of it.

Up 6-0 through just the first 12:11 at the Hockey Hounds arena, the Tigers went on cruise control while the host Airdrie/Cochrane Avalanche never gave up.

The Avs exploded for five second-period goals, including three on the power play, tied it early in the third and got the game-winner with 17 seconds left on the clock.

SEAC only took six penalties and forced the Avs into a goalie change seven minutes in, but it wasn’t enough.

The Tigers also lost 4-2 in Calgary Sunday to the Rangers.

Bantam AAA

After a critical midweek win, the Tigers’ bantam AAA team wound up with a 2-1 record through the week with playoffs on the horizon.

A 5-2 victory Wednesday in Lethbridge was a big turnaround from their 7-1 home loss to the Golden Hawks Jan. 12.

Caleb Garrecht had a goal and two assists, while Dawson Stewart, Gavin Smith, Elias Eisenbarth and Ford Gilbert also netted goals. Beck Boiteau made 33 saves in net.

SEAC continued its momentum with a second straight win over Grande Prairie. After beating the Storm the previous weekend at a tournament in Edmonton, the Tigers earned a 5-3 home win Saturday with Eisenbarth and Deegan Kinniburgh each scoring twice. Kinniburgh had a four-point night and Silas Currie made 42 saves in a penalty-filled affair.

Bantam AA

The bantam AA Hounds got a win and a loss on the road this past weekend, beating Lethbridge 5-4 Friday before falling 2-1 Saturday to Bow Valley.

Jayden Richards’ second of the game with 99 seconds to go was the game-winner Friday night. Tyler Wakelam made 29 saves.

Tavynn Schlaht had the lone goal in the dying minutes of Saturday’s loss, the Hounds outshot by Bow Valley 37-31. Kaige Schafer made 35 saves.

Peewee AA

Medicine Hat Orange gets bragging rights, but only by a hair.

In the battle between Hat peewee AA teams, Orange claimed a 3-2 win at the Moose Rec Centre Saturday to win the league season series 2-1.

Davin Torgerson’s power play goal early in the third period held up as the tiebreaker, with Josiah Jackson and Tate Bowal scoring as well.

Black got goals from Cruz Pancotto and Ryan Miller in a game that only saw eight power plays – including two key ones for Black in the third.

But Pryce Velichko made 28 saves and Orange got the victory. They followed it up with a 5-2 loss in Lethbridge Sunday.

Black finished the weekend with a 4-4 tie in Okotoks Sunday.