Westlock’s bantam ‘A’ Warriors are league champions.
The team brought home the 1660 Hockey League Tier 4 banner after notching a thrilling 3-2 win in a shootout on the road against the Tofield Titans on March 22. The win allowed the team to win its best-of-three series 2-0.
“The boys played hard all year and they’ve really come together as a team,” said assistant coach Wade Teszeri. “It’s just a really great way to finish off the season.”
Saturday’s game was a completely different dynamic from the Warrior’s series-opening 7-0 win on March 21.
Whereas Tofield was on its heels for most of Friday’s game, in their home rink things were a bit different.
“They came out with guns blazing,” Teszeri said. “They were a very good team and they were ready to play this game, that’s for sure.”
The Titans took the lead 1-0 late in the first before Robbie Bokenfohr tied things 1-1 in the second.
In the third, Tofield took the lead again with just over half a period to play, but Bokenfohr once again notched the tying goal, this time with 7:46 to play in the game.
When the final buzzer sounded it was 2-2, meaning the game was headed to a five-minute sudden-death overtime period. When overtime ended scoreless, it was time for a shootout.
It took four skaters, but in the end it was the Warriors who put more pucks in their opponents’ net to claim the title.
Teszeri said the win was a great reward for the hard work the boys put in all season, and he and his fellow coaches couldn’t be happier.
“We’ve never been more proud of the boys than we are right now,” he said.
The Warriors spent the vast majority of the season in first place in the entire tier, ending the year with a 15-1-4 record for 34 points, seven more than second-place Warburg.
It was a long year for the boys, said head coach Barry Brost, but in the end the sacrifices were worth it.
“They gave up a lot of fun time, but they were dedicated to the sport and their teammates appreciated it,” he said.
Game One of the championship series ended in a 7-0 win for the Warriors at the Westlock Rotary Spirit Centre Friday evening.
Brost said the team came out a bit flat as the Titans took over the play early, but the Warriors soon took control.
“The boys came out today,” he said. “It was obviously playoff hockey.”
Brost credited the Warriors with playing a solid 60-minute game, and singled out goalie Tyson Zelinsky for posting a 19-save shutout.
“He was there to make the saves,” he said. “It was a well deserved shutout.”
Despite scoring seven goals while conceding none, Brost said the game wasn’t as one-sided as the score indicated. Ultimately, what it came down to was boys playing within the system the coaching staff had developed for them.
“It was a total team effort,” he said.
