Hometown support guides Peewee AA Hounds to bronze medal at provincials

Despite finishing tied in points with the Leduc Roughnecks after the round-robin, Medicine Hat lost the tie-breaker and was relegated to the bronze medal contest.

Head coach Royce Bert said it was a tough pill hearing they would not be facing off for an Alberta championship banner, but was proud of his team’s performance on Sunday morning.

“We feel like we could have been in the gold [medal game] and that’s okay,” said Bert. “This tournament is tight and it shows where the talent is in the province. At the end of the day, the guys still battled hard and played as a collective group. So, we’re proud of them.”

With the game tied at 1-1 early in the second period, the Hounds scored a pair of goals over the middle frame from Sam Hynes and Madden Kelly to hold a 3-1 lead at the intermission.

That kicked off a scoring barrage of goals from Hynes, Wyatt Dreger, and Josiah Jackson to put Medicine Hat in front for good.

Leading Medicine Hat with a pair of goals, Hynes said they’re choosing to look on the positive side when reflecting on their bronze medal.

“Just a medal is great, third in Alberta is still really good,” said Hynes. “We were happy with what we had, so we didn’t really need the gold medal game.”

Medicine Hat peppered Oil Kings netminder Tanner Thomas with 54 shots on Sunday, dictating the pace of play for much of the morning.

Hynes said they did a good job of limiting Edmonton’s attack and turning the puck the other way.

“Just shutting down their best players and then forcing turnovers in the offensive [zone],” he said.

It’s a bit of redemption for the Peewee AA Hounds organization, as they lost out in the South Central Alberta Hockey League finals to the West Central Tigers in two games.

Finishing their tournament with a 2-1-2 record, Bert said it was a memorable weekend for his players getting to celebrate a medal with friends and family.

“To get the opportunity to host it in your hometown is always something special,” he said. “I thought the guys did a good job of paying attention to the details and embracing the moment, it was pretty special.”

In the gold medal final, Leduc upset the previously undefeated Glenlake Hawks by a 3-1 final to skate away with the banner.

by Scott Roblin

Hometown support guides Peewee AA Hounds to bronze medal at provincials

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