Westlock’s Tier 1 Atom Warriors easily won their first provincial playoff match against the Onoway Eagles last Saturday afternoon, but the hard work is yet to come.
The Warriors grounded the Eagles with a commanding 13-1 rout at the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre Jan. 24, doing away with the need for a second game in the two-game total-points series because of the margin.
“Because the point spread was over 10 goals, we don’t have to play these guys again,” coach Nelson Jespersen said.
But it won’t be easy making it to the top — there are two other Tier 1 teams in the provincial division, Morinville and Wabamun, both of which are talented ‘AA’ teams.
And the league side of things, the Warriors have been in tough all season as well, not posting their first win until just last week.
Jespersen described playing in Tier 1 as “a real eye-opener,” noting the team was given the option of playing Tier 1 or Tier 2, but the league officials strongly recommended they stay in Tier 1.
It turns out to have been a good choice.
“We weren’t sure, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said. “Our boys know what the top looks like. It’s better to strive for something like that than blow teams away or play below your capability.”
And although struggling to put points on the board can be a frustrating experience for any athlete, never mind athletes so young, the Warriors have really risen to the occasion.
“The nice thing about our boys is they don’t get frustrated, they don’t get down on each other,” he said. “The boys always put a good effort in and they always play as a team.”
While there are still league playoffs to consider and look forward to, Jespersen said the team’s main goal right now is to win the provincial berth to represent Westlock’s zone at the provincial tournament later this spring. It will be a tough slog, but he’s confident they can do it as long as they’re firing on all cylinders.
“We have as good a chance as anybody,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who we play, we play the same way. If we were playing Camrose ‘AA’, we’re playing the same way as we played today.”
