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The Medicine Hat Junior Hounds White sledge hockey team won gold at the 19th annual Matt Cook Western Canadian Sledge Hockey Tournament held in Calgary over the weekend. The Junior Hounds White were one of five Medicine Hat teams representing the city at the tournament.
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The Medicine Hat Hounds Sledge Hockey club was well represented at Westerns over the weekend.
The Hounds Sledge Hockey club sent five teams, three intermediate teams and two junior squads to compete at the 19th annual Matt Cook Western Canadian Sledge Hockey Tournament in Calgary.
The Hounds were part of a field of 24 teams from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba competing in three days of action-packed games.
Medicine Hat’s three intermediate teams hit the ice with grit, testing their skills against the best of the west. They narrowly missed out on the medal rounds.
It was in the junior division where Medicine Hat found success. The Junior Hounds White team claimed gold, while Junior Hounds Orange took home bronze. The title win marks the third consecutive year the Medicine Hat Junior Hounds division has brought home the prestigious Matt Cook Memorial Cup.
“We’re incredibly proud of all our athletes,” Jodie Colbe, a program assistant with Medicine Hat Adaptive Sport and Recreation said.
“Westerns is the tournament we work towards all year. It’s a chance to showcase our growth, compete hard, and reconnect with teams and players we’ve met along the way.”
Colbe says one team in the tournament found themselves short players and MHASR’s intermediate athletes stepped up to join their roster. Together, that team earned a silver medal in the Intermediate C division.
With another successful Westerns in the books, the Hounds return home with medals, memories, and Colbe says the motivation to keep growing both as athletes and as a team.
