This team has a little bit of everything.
It has the speedy kids with hands; the big, shutdown defensemen sharing the blue line with style-meisters; the goal scorers and play makers; the gritty kids whose favourite place is the corners; the thinkers who take their time and make the smart play; the battlers who never give up on the puck; the thumpers who thunder around the ice, and the smooth skaters who never appear to even touch the ice.
The Jasper Bears have it all, and last weekend in the St. Albert Invitational Tournament it was all in evidence.
In the round-robin phase on Saturday, the Bears waltzed through their games, winning their first game 3鈥�2 on the strength of an outstanding goaltending performance by the unflappable Kelan Polard, and a sweet, backhander by stick-handler Liam Crozier to get the Bears on the board in the first. In game two, the Bears defeated the Warriors from Edmonton 6鈥�3, with mitts Matteo Tassoni, heads-up Sebastian Golla and smooth Dana Angebrandt each scoring a pair.
On Sunday in the semi-final, Jasper faced the Whitemud West Knights, coached by former Oiler, Ryan Smyth. The Bears were in tough, with Smyth鈥檚 daughter between the pipes, but managed four goals on 22 shots, again with a pair from Tassoni and a pair from his linemate, the tenacious Lucas Oeggerli. Thundering Baden Koss was Jasper鈥檚 player of the game and deserved the honour with his grittiest performance of the year. Polard held Whitemud to three goals, turning away 24 shots, and propelling his team into the Sunday afternoon final.
In a game that coach Geno described as their strongest performance of the year, Jasper dominated its opponents, the Spruce Grove Bandits.
Angebrandt got Jasper started five minutes in with a neat wrap-around that cleanly beat the Bandits鈥� goalie, who was pushing across the goal mouth. This goal would prove to be the winner, as Jasper would go on to score six more, versus the Bandits鈥� lone goal.
Jasper鈥檚 sixth goal was its most memorable, as the stylish Josh Howes fired one in from the point for his first goal of the campaign, making him the last Bears skater to score. There鈥檚 no time like the last three minutes of the season, eh Josh!?
This tournament victory wraps up the season for the PeeWee Bears. Because of the variety and versatility of these kids, its been a real pleasure to follow their successes and setbacks.
To a man (and woman), the improvements in their hockey abilities have been palpable.
Hats off to coaches Tassoni, John Polard and Jim Koss and team manager Kris Tank.
Second year kids Tassoni, Angebrandt, Howes, Polard, Aidan Deagle, Justin McIsaac and Camas D鈥橝ntonio graduate to Bantam next year, leaving behind a very solid core of rookies, including Golla, Oeggerli, Koss, Crozier, Dylan Dekker, Owen Kearnan, Jacob Bartziokas and Adrian Torres, to lead the PeeWee team.
The Bears are in good hands, and the Bearcats have some talent heading their way.
This also wraps up my hockey coverage for the season. It鈥檚 been a pleasure, as always.
See you in the stands again next season.
John Wilmshurst Special to the 51暗网
