The Barrhead Bantam ‘B’ Wolverines are 1660 League Tier 4 champions.
Playing in a best-of-three championship series against Wetaskiwin, the Wolverines knocked off their opponents in two games to bring another banner home to hang above the Agrena ice surface.
“The boys played really well,” said coach Allan Measures. “They’re all really happy.”
Game one was March 8 at the Agrena. After playing to a 2-2 tie through 40 minutes, Dustin Kochan scored early in the third to give the Wolverines a 3-2 win and a 1-0 lead in the series.
In game two March 10 in Wetaskiwin, the teams were scoreless through the first period, which Measures admitted gave them some jitters.
“After that, we were kind of wondering, because we sure didn’t want to go to game three, because anything can happen,” he said.
His worries ultimately proved to be baseless, as the Wolverines opened the scoring in the second. After increasing their lead to 2-0, the Wolverines saw Wetaskiwin get one back on a breakaway.
“That was the only real defensive lapse we had,” Measures said.
From that point on, the Wolverines kept Wetaskiwin at bay.
Finally, with only about five minutes left to play in the game, the Wolverines struck for an insurance goal, bumping their lead up to 3-1.
After the game, Measures wouldn’t single out any players as being integral to the win.
“Everybody pulled their weight, it was a total team effort,” he said. “No individual was better than the others.”
The win puts to rest concerns Measures had about how the team might perform with a pared-down roster and numerous players taking vacations during the season. He said having a short bench made things harder, but the team got through its issues.
He added that he’s impressed with how the team played.
“In my eyes, they’ve all improved,” he said. “They’ve all become much better hockey players.”
Measures also said he wanted to thank all the parents who came out and slogged through the player shortage with him.
“You can’t coach without the players and parents,” he said.
The Wolverines wrap up their season with a fun tournament in Chestermere at the end of March.
