Team Alberta Loving State Wars

August 14, 2014

By Kirk Jensen - Head Coach 2003 Team AB "AA"

Championship Game Recap

Alberta vs Ontario … For Gold and the 2003 AA Championship.

The lights were dimmed.  The players introduced by spotlight one-by-one.  The Canadian national anthem was played… and only the Canadian national anthem in this all Canadian final. 

Early in the game the pressure and chances belonged to us taking a 7-3 shot advantage early on but not getting a real quality shot on net.  As the game settles in both teams are battling.  The play-by-play announcer saying the teams playing with the skill well beyond their years. 

In any championship you can pick two or three moments or plays that can swing the outcome.  The first one came 7 minutes into the game.  A puck is picked up in the Ontario zone and fired down the middle through the defense giving Ontario a break away.  The player goes to do his first deke and the puck rolls off his stick wobbling in the corner of the net.  Jeremy played the deke perfectly and if the player hadn’t lost the puck would have made the save.  The first rub goes to Ontario and the important first goal.

The first period ends 1-0.  The message to the players between periods was keep playing our game.  We won’t be beat if we play as a team and keep moving the puck. 

The period starts and Cash wins the draw and breaks through the Ontario defense to gets a good shot on net but the Ontario goalie is up to the test.  The play comes back to our end.  The puck is coughed up giving Ontario a point blank opportunity and Jeremy dives across to make the save.  The announcers come out of their seats say “Oh my Gosh what a save!”.  The puck comes behind our net.  We again lose the puck behind the net and the Ontario player wraps the puck around and scores.  2-0. One of those 60 second spans where it could have just as easily been 1-1 and an entirely different game.

For the next part of the period we revert to some individual play driving to the net and again not getting quality shots with Ontario quickly collapsing on our players before our shots are taken.  Jeremy continues to play surely the finest game of his young inline career.  Glove saves, blocker saves, diving saves.  Keeping the team in the game and any chance of winning.  The announcers saying he will be filling the daily highlight film that State Wars puts together.

5 minutes remaining in the game and Hayden our top and most natural goal scorer goes in all alone.  Makes a great move and shoots glove side but the Ontario goalie snatches it out of the air making an incredible save.  The rub is against us.

With our players pinching and an empty net goal the game ends with a score line of 4-0.  One that was not indicative of the game.

In the huddle around Jeremy at the end of the game 11 year old eyes are welling up.  All the way back to the tryouts at start of May these players have been getting to know each other in preparation for this championship.  These are little champions that don’t like losing.  And that is a good thing.  They act with class and respect to the winning team, their team mates, their coaches, their parents and most importantly themselves.

Large, beautiful medals are hung around their necks.  Pictures are taken with the flag,  A team picture is taken at center ice. 

In the dressing room smiles are now on their faces.  We get a picture with Tin Cup the Fort Wayne mascot.  I am given the bucket shower.  We give high fives as one-by-one players leave the room.

These players will may never all again be in the same dressing but the journey they have taken together will be one that will last a lifetime.

The Championship could best be summed up in the pregame interview before the Championship by our #4 Jack Holdstock when asked “So Jack how have you enjoyed the Championships?” he replied, 

“This is the funnest thing I have ever done!” 

With that, it is all said.