It wasn’t the end to the season they wanted, but the Westlock Senior Warriors skated away from provincials with a fourth-place finish after 6-1 loss in the bronze medal game.
After they were crowned North Central Hockey League (NCHL) champions on March 18, the Warriors headed into the provincial tournament in Camrose on March 27 with a head of steam, looking to emerge as provincial champions.
In their first game on Friday, March 27, the Warriors matched up against the hosts, the Daysland Senior Northstars.
Coach Joe Kuhar suggested nerves might have been a contributing factor in the 4-3 loss.
“There was a little emotion and a little excitement being at provincials for the first time for a lot of guys. We had a hard time getting our legs going and then I think we were trying to do too much and then we got ourselves into some penalty trouble,” Kuhar said.
Despite the loss, Kuhar said his squad showed some poise by getting back in the game and making it close.
“We came close to tying it up, and that would have made a difference in the overall standings, probably,” he said. “As I said to the guys, don’t reflect back on game one, because that’s usually the determination of how you end up.”
On Saturday the Warriors returned to the ice looking to make amends for their Game 1 loss, squaring off against the Elk Point Senior Elks. The Warriors won the game 7-5.
“It was a close affair, probably closer than we would have liked, but I think we dominated play for the most part and we didn’t get some bounces that would have separated us a little bit more,” Kuhar said. “Overall we came out with a real good showing.”
With the win, the Warriors were off to the bronze medal game against the Bonnyville Senior Pontiacs on Sunday, which ended in a 6-1 defeat.
Despite the lopsided score, Kuhar said the game wasn’t that one-sided.
“I think we had in our mind that we wanted to win, we wanted to come home with the bronze,” Kuhar said. “Bounces went Bonnyville’s way, they did not go our way, and I think that was the difference, more than anything.”
Kuhar said despite coming home empty-handed, the Warriors are proud their season.
“I said, ‘Guys, you can’t hang your head low, you’ve got to be proud, we’re the defending NCHL champions,’” he said.
“We made it to provincials, we made it to the bronze medal, you’ve got to be proud of the success we’ve had this year, you have to be proud of the result that we had, despite not coming home with a medal.”
If anything, Kuhar said, qualifying for provincials will motivate his team for next season.
“There’s always the hunger and the passion to come back, guys are going to be better and will want it more next year,” he said.
“We’ve got a lot of young guys that still have a bit of maturing that needs to happen, and it’s a learning curve.”
