SUBMITED PHOTO
The Medicine Hat U12AAA Major Mavs were the talk of town for a two-week stretch, winning the Alberta Little League championship on July 25, making a run to the finals of the National Little League championship in early August. They were one of many sports stories that made headlines in 2024.
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Athletes and teams in Medicine Hat put on quite a show in the year 2024.
There were multiple championships won by teams and athletes in individual sports, with each season of sport presenting a local winner.
Three Medicine Hat ringette players and a coach won gold, and another won silver at the U16 ringette tournament at the 2024 Alberta Winter Games hosted in Grande Prairie in February.
Hatters Ryleigh Jackiw, Margot Kerr and Erika Want were on the Zone 2 ringette team with assistant coach Rebecca Jackiw who won gold with an 8-3 victory over Zone 3, which featured local product Leighton Wright.
Medicine Hat’s Ringette Association also united in 2024, announcing a unified named of the Medicine Hat Mustangs, on April 25.
Those Mustangs showcased early success locally, with the U19 Mustangs winning gold at the Ed Horvath Invitational tournament Dec. 9, a third straight gold medal win a the U19 level.
At the high school level, the Medicine Hat High Hawks and Monsignor McCoy Colts senior basketball teams represented the city at the provincial level. The Hawks competed at the 4A provincials in Red Deer, with the boy’s team finishing sixth and the girls team dropping a pair of games.
The Colts competed at the 3A provincials in Strathmore, with the boys finishing 10th and the girls 11th.
After a first-round exit at the hands of the Red Deer Rebels in the Western Hockey League playoffs, Medicine Hat Tigers forward Gavin McKenna stole the show. The Whitehorse, Yuk. product broke a franchise record, passing Al Conroy’s record for most points by a 16-year-old with 34 goals and 97 points in 61 games.
He was named the WHL and Canadian Hockey League’s top rookie, continuing the dominance at the national level. McKenna picked up two gold medals, winning the U18 Worlds and the Hlinka Gretzky Cup with Canada this summer, breaking the scoring record at the first tournament with 10 goals and 20 points in seven games in Finland. He scored three goals with six points in five games at the Hlinka tournament in Edmonton.
McKenna scored a goal in five games at the U20 World Junior championship in December.
The Tigers continued to lead headlines with four players selected in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Cayden Lindstrom’s fourth overall selection by the Columbus Blue Jackets led the way, with Andrew Basha selected 41st by the Calgary Flames, Tomas Mrsic 113th by the St. Louis Blues and Hunter St. Martin the 193rd pick to the Florida Panthers.
What could have been the top story of the year, Medicine Hat bidding on the 2026 Memorial Cup, fell disappointingly short. The Tigers announced they had submitted the intent to bid on the tournament hosting rights on July 31, officially submitted the bid on Sept. 20. The city of Kelowna and the Rockets were announced as the winning bid on Nov. 27.
While the Medicine Hat Mavericks finished the summer with a first-round exit against the expansion Saskatoon Berries, it was a younger Mavs team who stole headlines.
The Medicine Hat U12AAA Major Mavs won the Alberta Little League championship, earning themselves a spot at the National Little League finals.
There, the Major Mavs went a perfect 7-0 at the tournament, allowing just three runs with six shutout wins en route to the finals where they ultimately fell 10-1 to Team B.C.
Head coach Steve Russell told the News at the time he had more and more people from around Medicine Hat reach out and wish them good luck throughout the tournament.
“I got phone calls from so many numbers I have no reference to who they are, the Facebook stuff, everything, it’s just been unbelievable,” Russell said. “It’s super cool to see Medicine Hat rally around stuff like this. It puts it in a big picture.”
Medicine Hat College Rattlers golfer Michael Valk captured his second collegiate title, winning the ACAC men’s championship on Sept. 24. He also won his second-straight ACAC men’s golfer of the year, capping off an elite summer for Valk who finished as the top amateur at the locally held Alberta Open. The tournament held at Desert Blume Golf Club ran from Aug. 13-15.
The U15AAA South East Athletic Club Tigers made local history, winning the 51st annual Hockey Hounds tournament, becoming the first local team to win the tournament since 1999.
The SEAC Tigers beat the Balgonie Prairie Storm 4-3 to become only the second local team to win the tournament.
“It’s great to see for the players, they put a hard effort in on the weekend,” head coach Mike Mueller said postgame. “It’s a tough crowning, five games in just over two days. I’m really happy for the players coming together and getting it done.
“A lot of work goes into this tournament, they do a great job and we’re thankful for it to have it in our hometown, with our home fans and the support that we get. Hats off to the Hockey Hounds.”
[…] Reference link […]