By Scott Roblin

Inaugural 3-on-3 Canalta Centre ball hockey tournament a success

Jun 27, 2018 | 4:19 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The ice may be out at the Canalta Centre, but that’s not to say hockey season is over and done with in Medicine Hat.

For the first time, the home of the Tigers played host to a 3-on-3 ball hockey tournament for players in four different division.

Sunday was a special day for the athletes, as championship trophies and medals were up for grabs.

In the Crusaders Division, the finals featured the ‘Sniping Vipers’ and ‘Darth Vaders’ squaring off for gold.

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After some early jostling, the Crusaders championship trophy went to the dark side as the Darth Vaders ran out the clock to secure an 11-5 win in emphatic fashion.

Ty Hynes with the Darth Vaders said the team followed their game plan to perfection to win the 3-on-3 championship.

“I think we definitely did a good job,” said Hynes. “We passed a lot, put them down low, did what our coach said. Yeah, it was fun.”

Along with the inaugural etching on the championship trophy, the Darth Vaders eight players also walked away with gold medals.

The 10-year-old Hynes joked about his teammates after the victory, but added they were key to getting the win.

“They’re good, some of them are really crazy and weird but that’s okay,” he said.

Kids weren’t the only ones to take part in the tournament, as three teams battled over the weekend in the Men’s Division.

There were plenty of goals in the men’s final between the ‘Windy City Boltz’ and ‘Saltwater Cowboys’ but it was the Lethbridge-based club taking the early lead.

Scoring from all areas of the floor, the Boltz cruised to a 13-8 victory over the Cowboys to win their division and the Canalta championship.

Jason Lawrence helped organize and play for the Boltz squad and said everyone chipped in from the forward group to their man between the pipes.

“We’ve got some main scorers, our goalie was just phenomenal as usual, we all took our parts” said Lawrence. “I mean I didn’t score any goals, but I got a couple bruises so I’m good enough. So, I loved it.”

Assembled from a variety of ball hockey teams in Lethbridge, Lawrence added the team caught lightning in a bottle over the weekend.

“We wanted to get together for a long time because it’s just a combination of a bunch of teams from Lethbridge,” he said. “We got together and got it done. It’s a great tournament, we had a great time here, and we’re definitely going to be coming back next year for sure.”

The Blasters Division was won by ‘The Destroyers,’ while it was ‘Ferda Hounds’ and ‘Everyday I’m Byfuglien’ battling in the Avengers Division final.