Lucas Habib | Special to the 51暗网
The NHL will still be going strong into the heat of summer, but hockey in Jasper is winding down, just in time for the best skiing of the year. This week saw the end of the U9 season, with the Bears participating in the Jasper Grizzlies鈥� home tournament. The tournament presented a huge challenge for the co-ed Bears as they were up against older girls鈥� teams from the big hockey towns of Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie. These girls had clearly spent a lot of time playing together since they were little. The Bears鈥� first game Saturday morning was against the Wood Buffalo Huskies, who spent what seemed like an hour doing intimidating warm-up laps around the arena, while the Bears were content to munch on Glenda鈥檚 breakfast sandwiches in the locker room. Fort Mac also had their own drum-pounding husky mascot 鈥� where is Jasper the Bear when you need him?
The Bears are used to playing four-on-four on half-ice as per the U9 rules, so the big surface posed another challenge along with the task of having seven-year-olds competing against 10-year-olds. The Huskies started the onslaught early but goaltender Dion Valencia kept the Bears alive with his quick reflexes. Lorenzo Zaniol and Henry Wannop were tenacious on the forecheck but the Bears weren鈥檛 able to generate any scoring opportunities in the first period.
Alexis Lahaie kept trying to pull off McDavid-like moves, deking defenders through the neutral zone, but couldn鈥檛 quite penetrate the Husky defence. Near the end of the first, Zephy Korogonas pulled off a great stick check to deny Fort Mac a goal.
Kenny Olson streaking in on a near-breakaway left the Husky defender with no choice but to take an obvious tripping penalty. Just as the penalty expired, Hudson Murray finally got the Bears on the board with a squeaker that got by the goalie. Towards the end of the second, Juniper Habib flew past the defenders to pick up the loose puck, take a breakaway, and snipe it into the back of the net. But the Huskies poured it on in the third, ending with a 10-2 victory. Still though, it鈥檚 not about the score 鈥� it鈥檚 about having fun and learning those full-ice rules and strategies before half of the team moves up to the 鈥渟erious鈥� U11 division next year.
The first game was followed up by a skills competition, with Ruby Olson of the Grizzlies winning the Smooth Wheels agility contest.
The Bears鈥� second game was against the Grande Prairie Knights. Alexis Lahaie opened the scoring to give the Bears an early lead. Fin McGrath鈥檚 tape-to-tape breakout passes were on target but the Knights鈥� defence was tight. With the first period ending knotted at two, coaches Mike Kliewer and Steve Lahaie huddled up with their crew to give them some tips. Freed from the confines of his goalie gear and let loose as a forward for this game, offensive dynamo Valencia was eager to put the puck in the back of the net which he did on more than one occasion; at the other end of the ice, goaltender Kenny Olson kept the Bears in it with save after save.
At the blue line, defenders Cyrus Motaghedi and Hank Kliewer protected the narrow lead, standing up the Knights again and again. Marshall White has clearly been studying his older brother Clark鈥檚 defensive techniques throughout the season as he has really increased his ability to hold the puck in at the offensive zone.Midway through the game, Paja Given made a sweet breakout pass to Murray to put the Bears ahead 5-3. But the Knights tied it up heading into the third and started to run away with the game as the little legs of the Bears鈥攏ot used to the full-ice game鈥攕tarted to wear down. Despite the loss, the Bears were happy to hold their own against an older team from the big city. Although there a few more practices and a party in the near future, the Bears are looking forward to skiing and the upcoming soccer season 鈥� registration is now open at
