The Westlock Atom ‘A’ Warriors’ quest for a provincial title came to an abrupt end on Sunday morning.
At the Provincial ‘B’ Championship in Fairview, held March 14-17, the Warriors fell 7-3 to the Blackfalds Bulldogs in the semifinal. The final saw Peace River face off versus Blackfalds.
“At the end of the day it was a good game,” coach Tate McNelly said.
“Our guys worked hard, the other team worked hard and the score was the score. There were a couple of bounces here and there that happened during the game… ultimately it’s pretty good result for the kids.”
The Warriors started off strong in the first period taking a 1-0 lead to the intermission. The tide turned against the Warriors in the second, as the Bulldogs rebounded to claim a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes. In the third the Warriors just couldn’t make up the difference, and dropped the tilt 7-3.
“There were a lot of different types of emotions (about the loss) and that’s all a part of it,” McNelly said.
“I think it was disappointing for them in some way because we do put a lot of work in throughout the year so it’s tough, but it’s a hockey game and they tried their best, so that’s what happened.”
The club’s semifinal loss came in stark contrast to their unblemished 3-0 performance during the round robin.
The boys won their first game against Coaldale 7-6 on Friday morning and then plastered the host Fairview squad 8-0 later that night. On Saturday afternoon the Warriors held off the hard-charging Provost Blades 5-4.
The Warriors posted a 10-9-1 record in Tier 2 of the 1660 Hockey League and will now challenge for the tier title with Game 1 slated for Tuesday night at home at 6 p.m.
“Stony Plain hasn’t lost all year so we’re going to have to play really well to come out on top,” McNelly said. “But we could pull it off, you never know.”
