SAHA falls in quarter-finals, first Circle K Classic loss in three years
By JAMES TUBB on January 2, 2024.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb For the first time in three years, the South Alberta Hockey Academy recorded a loss at the Circle K Classic. The local hockey academy lost 6-1 Saturday night to Edge School, falling in the quarter-finals and putting an end to their bid for a third straight championship. The loss puts SAHA’s all-time record at the tournament at 13-1-1, with a 13-game winning streak and two championship banners hanging in the Big Marble Go Centre. They were the first team to win back-to-back championships since the 1999-2001 Shattuck St. Mary’s. Head coach Brayden Desjardins spoke with the News from Calgary, not dripping with water from his postgame water bottle shower like the previous two years, but reflecting on how proud he is of his team regardless of result. “There wasn’t a whole lot of talk about us again this year, everyone though South Kent would probably win our pool so we definitely surprised in the group stage as our guys played hard, we only gave up four goals in the entire group stage,” Desjardins said. “That’s a testament to our goaltending, we had unbelievable goaltending and our defence was extremely good. Our power play was clicking up at 42 per cent going into Saturday and our penalty kill was at 86 per cent, so we were executing what we wanted to do. “But when you get to the one-game play-ins anything can happen, and I thought we were good Saturday night, but it just got away from us early and then once you chase the game, it’s tough. So it’s not what we wanted but I am really proud of our guys.” The 2024 tournament was the first time SAHA had run a clean sweep of the group stage, winning all three of their games in regulation. As the tournament continues on and they return to Medicine Hat for the remainder of the CSSHL season, Desjardins wants his team to remember how hard it is to win games. “It could have easily been 2-0 us in the first period but we didn’t get it so it’s just understanding that winning isn’t going to be loyal to us, you have to make sure every single night you do everything you can to prepare,” Desjardins said. “Make sure our habits have to come up, you have to tip your cap to Edge, they played an unbelievable game and they were ready for that one. If we can just really rectify our habits and make sure even when we get tired that we fall back on good habits, that’ll be the most important thing we take from this.” SAHA returns to their school season with a 9-7-1 record in league play, winning seven of their last 10 heading into the tournament. Desjardins credits his leadership group of captain Noah Derouin and assistants Josiah Jackson, Kolby Gapter, Drew Williamson and Josh Evaschesen for getting them through the group stage, and he says they’ll play a big role the rest of the year. “We started out 3-6 and it’s going, ‘Holy, this doesn’t look like SAHA,’ and then obviously now being 12-8-1 (all-season), it’s something pretty impressive and a testament to our leadership group,” Desjardins said. “They’ve gone above and beyond for this team, and to push them the way our coaching staff expects and the culture that we want, they deserve all the credit. “People maybe don’t see them necessarily on the score sheet but the way they take care of our guys in the hotels, making sure guys are recovering, they’re eating, getting to bed on time and they’re not messing around on their phones. Those are things you don’t see and it’s something that’s paying huge dividends for us.” Looking forward to the 2024 Circle K Classic, it’s the first tournament since SAHA’s first championship they’ll have to be invited to. Desjardins says there’s a lot of factors the invitational takes into consideration but hopes their merit over the last three seasons will get them back for a fourth year. “We’re definitely going to be one of those teams who want to come back, we love this tournament, and even though we didn’t win, it’s hard to argue with the success we’ve had.” 15-14
