Playoff storylines abound for hockey in the Lethbridge area
Of all the years I’ve lived in Lethbridge, I can’t remember too many that dumped enough snow that allowed for building tunnels in the backyard. For all the complaining about this winter, at least there has been plenty of opportunity to enjoy the snow. While the forecast is calling for melting, I can’t say I am complaining too much about the snow so long as this is truly the end.
Speaking of the end, some of our local teams have seen their season come to an end or will bid adieu very shortly. The Lethbridge Golden Hawks Bantam AAA team bowed out to Airdrie in the second round of their playoffs. While losing is always extremely difficult to deal with, I think it is fair to say that this team exceeded the early season expectations and had a very successful season.
As well, hopefully our Midget AAA team was able to finish off the Calgary Northwest Flames last night in Calgary. They went into the game with a 2-1 series lead thanks to a thrilling OT winner in Game 1 from Hurricanes prospect Michael Horon and a Game 2 hat-trick from soon to be WHL draft pick Zach Stringer.
Coming up from the 21st-25th of this month the Minor Midget AAA team will be hosting the Provincial Championship at ATB Centre. They currently sit in second place in the South Division and have earned the right to be considered a favourite and will look to earn their way through the front door this weekend at the Sutter Cup South in Okotoks.
The Coaldale Copperheads will be taking on the Okotoks Bisons in the South Final of the Heritage Junior B Hockey League. With tragedy striking their team last week in the untimely death of their player Morgan Simpson, this is a team that could certainly benefit from community support aiding them in their playoff run. I can’t imagine the emotions that would go into losing a teammate from either a player or a coach’s perspective. I can only say from an outsider’s perspective that it adds an element of compassion for what that team and Morgan’s family must be going through and leads me to cheer them on as they play for their teammate’s memory.
All in all, there is lots of quality local playoff hockey and lots of great hockey storylines in Lethbridge in the coming weeks. Like the snow, enjoy it while it lasts as shortly it will be over.
For those interested in continuing to work on their skills out of season (on top of other sports I would hope) go to https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/ regionalcentres/locations/south/ to register for our Small Area Games and Power Edge Pro camp as well as our Elite Development Camp.
While it may seem like once the traditional hockey season is over that things might slow down, it often ends up being the opposite. Our Team Alberta programs will be in full swing as Alberta Cup tryouts will take place at the end of the month and that leads to a busy spring of programming and preparation.
To our local teams and players: best of luck in your playoffs and provincial playdowns. Have fun, enjoy the moment and enjoy the opportunity to play the game.