By Scott Roblin

Firehawks take Summit Cup spring tourney, Heat win bronze at home

May 13, 2018 | 7:57 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Traditional hockey season may be in the rear view mirror for most minor hockey teams, but not for the Medicine Hat AAA Heat spring club.

Over the weekend, the ‘07 club held their annual Summit Cup tournament at the Family Leisure Centre, attracting young talent from across the province.

The tournament belonged to the Calgary Firehawks squad, as they bested the top-seeded Red Deer Rustlers 8-5 in the championship final to earn their first title of the spring season.

Leading 5-4 entering the third period, the Firehawks scored a pair of timely goals midway through the frame and tacked on an empty-netter to seal the gold medal.

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Firehawks assistant coach Sean Kelso said a championship-calibre defence was the key to putting up eight goals against the powerhouse Rustlers.

“It started in our own zone,” said Kelso. “We took care of business there, we had good transition, good breakouts, we puck pucks on net, and we were heavy on rebounds. I think 80 percent of our goals this weekend came from rebounds, so kids were going hard to the net and they were hungry.”

It wasn’t an easy path to gold for the Calgary club, as they finished the round-robin with a 2-2 record and had to knock off the tournament’s top two teams.

Game MVP honours went to defenceman Myles Morson, who added they didn’t dwell on the mediocre round-robin once they advanced to the playoffs.

“We had to just work hard and not think about losing, just look forward to winning the next games,” said Morson.

Sunday’s win was the first tournament championship for the Firehawks this season, and skated around with the Stanley Cup-like trophy following the game.

Kelso said it was a special scene at the Family Leisure Centre, especially with many of the players’ mothers on hand to watch.

“It’s been a really good spring year for our young guys, they worked really hard,” he said. “Medicine Hat put on a fantastic tournament, we’ve come here before, the trophy was fantastic and meant a lot to the kids. So, it’s a great way to end Mother’s Day weekend.”

After Medicine Hat won silver at the ‘08 Summit Cup last weekend, the ‘07 Heat remained on the podium with a 6-5 victory over Team Edge in the bronze medal game.