NEWS PHOTO JAMES TUBB
South Alberta Hockey Academy forward Gavin McKenna carries a puck through the neutral zone in a 3-2 loss against Prairie Hockey Academy on Oct. 7 at Big Marble Go Centre.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The South Alberta Hockey Academy men’s team got the season off on the right foot – but they are still hungry for better results.
The U18 club sits in second place of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League with a record of 14-4-0-2. SAHA has battled injuries all season and was managing through sickness before hitting the Holiday break. Head coach Brayden Desjardins says the way his team has handled the adversity is a testament to how close of a group they are.
“A lot of times when we hear guys talk about who we are as a team and what we are, we hear the word ‘family,'” Desjardins said. “We hear how much the guys really, really love each other here. It’s been nice that our team has come together so quickly, but there’s been a lot of really big efforts.”
SAHA is second in league scoring with 116 goals for, trailing EDGE school, who they also trail in the standings. SAHA has also allowed the fifth fewest goals in the 19-team league. On special teams, SAHA is third in power play percentage (27.9 per cent) and sixth in penalty kill (85.1 per cent). Desjardins credits special teams and assistant coaches Gavin Broadhead and Torrin White for that success.
“Our special teams have really bailed us out in some tough situations and that’s a testament to Gavin and Torrin,” Desjardins said. “They’ve done an unbelievable job where, we maybe aren’t playing that good and our kill will get us out of it, or our power play scores a big one for us. Our staff deserves a lot of credit, too.”
Desjardins says as a team they don’t panic when trailing late because there is a trust in the systems and structures and belief within the room. SAHA has been led offensively all season by just-turned-15-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers prospect Gavin McKenna, who has 16 goals and 41 points in 16 games. Forward Noah Dziver isn’t far behind with 19 goals and 38 points in 20 games.
Desjardins says each player on the roster has had big moments throughout the season so far but sees Kade Duell, Nathan Hawkins and Brayden Sumner as quiet standouts who have made a big difference.
“Kade comes from Lethbridge, probably could have stayed at home and played there, and chose to come here and he’s been huge for us. He’s played three games with three games with Okotoks (Oilers) and has been a pleasant surprise,” Desjardins said. “Nathan Hawkins is another guy from Lethbridge who maybe doesn’t get as much credit as some other guys but he’s had an unreal start to the year.
“Brayden Sumner deserves a ton of credit. He’s a returning guy, he plays hard minutes, he plays a lot of the kill and we often have him out late in games. He doesn’t show up as much on the score sheet but from where he came from last year to where he is now, he’s a huge part of our room. He’s such a good team guy and is an extension of our coaching staff – he embodies what we want here at SAHA.”
The men’s team has a couple weeks off before they head to the Circle K Classic in Calgary, formally known as the Mac’s Championship, to defend their 2022 title. SAHA’s next CSSHL games are Jan. 6 and 7, both in Medicine Hat. Desjardins says the key to success in the second half and into the playoffs will be adding consistency.
“We’ve kind of got by on nerves a little bit here the last little bit, so dialling back into our structure, making sure every night we play we play the same way, and every time we touch the ice we play to win,” Desjardins said. “We want to really establish our themes and our core values into the guys here and not let guys deviate from what’s made us successful now. We don’t want to change things all of a sudden just because it’s the second half of the year; we want to stick to what makes us successful.”
