Heavy hearts as AJHL final begins
The Okotoks Oilers and Spruce Grove Saints are shooting for a provincial league title, dreaming of eventually raising the RBC Cup as national junior A hockey champions.
That’s exactly what the Humboldt Broncos were striving for.
One week after the devastating bus crash that rocked the country, the puck drops Friday on the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Inter Pipeline Cup, with both the Oilers and Saints skating into the championship showdown with heavy hearts as they remember the 16 lives lost and others forever changed by the tragedy in the sibling Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
“You can’t help but have the feeling, when you’re playing the same level of hockey as that, it could have been us. It could have been any team,” said Oilers captain Carter Huber, a 21-year-old forward from Calgary. “It’s really tragic and it’s shocking and it’s something that is going to take a longtime to heal from, for everyone.
“We went and played a game (Sunday) in Brooks following the tragedy, and it was definitely in the back of my mind playing — just to really not take it for granted that I had the opportunity to play that night and just to try to honour those young men who passed and to play our hearts out and play for them.”
There will be a powerful ceremony prior to Friday’s Game 1 of the AJHL Inter Pipeline Cup at Pason Centennial Arena in Okotoks (7 p.m.), with the two teams entering the ice together in a show of solidarity and then gathering around the centre-ice circle for a special tribute and moment of silence.
Both squads will sport Broncos decals on their helmets. The Saints have sewn commemorative patches on their jerseys with the initials and numbers of two former teammates who were killed in the horrific crash — 21-year-old forward Conner Lukan and 18-year-old netminder Parker Tobin.
The Oilers are hoping to sell 2,000 green ribbons at Friday ’s series-opener, donating all proceeds to make a difference in Humboldt.
There will also be a condolence prayer book for fans wanting to send messages of support.
“Our team has put stickers on helmets to honour the guys in Humboldt, and we had our sticks outside of our dressing room,” said Oilers masked man Riley Morris, 21, who was feted as the AJHL’s top goaltender this season. “But I think, truly, the most important way and the way the whole Broncos organization would want us to (honour them) is by going out there and making sure we play good, clean hockey.”
The Oilers capped their regularseason work with a historic 24game winning spree, topping the overall standings with a staggering 52-6-2 record.
After a first-round bye, they rolled past the Camrose Kodiaks in four straight and then defeated the defending champion Brooks Bandits in six games in the South Division final.
The Saints, meanwhile, posted a 47-10-3 mark during the 60-game lead-up and haven’t lost since.
They also earned the right to rest during the divisional quarterfinals, then busted out the brooms to sweep both the Grande Prairie Storm and Whitecourt Wolverines.