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Airdrie Lightning U15 AA boys' hockey team wins north banner, prepares for championship tussle with Taber

The Airdrie Lightning U15 AA boys' hockey team overturned a two-goal deficit to achieve an unexpected banner victory on March 6.
SPO-LightningU15
The Airdrie Lightning U15 AA boys' hockey team was all smiles after claiming the north division banner of the SCAHL U15 league.

The Airdrie Lightning U15 AA boys' hockey team overturned a two-goal deficit to achieve an unexpected banner victory on March 6. 

The Lightning overcame a 2-0 setback in the first two periods against the host Olds Grizzlys to win 5-3 in the South Central Alberta Hockey League (SCAHL) north division title game, capping off an unbeaten weekend at the SCAHL U15 AA north division playoff tournament in Olds.

“The boys were really pumped,” said Airdrie's head coach Cale Larson. “We had struggled against Olds all season long, so it was a big win – especially since it was a come-from-behind [win].”

While the Lightning started out hot in the early days of the 2021-22 season, Larson said the team's offensive started to falter around the mid-point of the season. 

“Through the doldrums of November and December, we kind of dipped a little bit,” he said. “We ran into a scoring slump and couldn’t figure out how to get the puck back in the net."

But the players managed to overcome that slump toward the end of the regular season, ultimately posting a 13-15-4 record.

By the time the playoff tournament in Olds rolled around, Larson said the players had hit their peak. 

“In the new year, we started having some better results. We taught them from the start of the year about being hot at the right time and making sure we’re all moving in the right direction by the time playoffs hit. The boys found a way to get it done,” he said.

Larson touted the Airdronians' consistency in the post-season tournament in helping them achieve the north division banner. The Lightning won all five of their playoff fixtures, which included two games against the second-seed Bow Valley Timberwolves and the final against Olds, who were the north division leaders in the regular season with a 27-7-3 record.

“I think one of the things the boys have embraced – especially on this playoff run – is a consistency in their efforts,” Larson said. “We’re playing a lot more consistently and not getting down when we fall behind. They have a lot of confidence in each other and are using that to keep working hard, and they’re getting the right results.”

The odds were stacked against Airdrie in the final – according to Larson, the Lightning had played the Grizzlys four times during the regular season, and had never managed more than a 4-4 tie. 

“They had a very strong team,” he said. “They have one line, in particular, that was really strong, and they hurt us a lot earlier in the season.”

Going into the final, Larson said the Airdrie coaches' message to the players was clear – that in order to defeat the Grizzlys, all four lines would have to bring their best performance. 

“As we were coming into that game, we reminded our guys that we have four lines that can compete against this team, and if we’re consistent in our effort, we’d get more chances,” he said. “We were outshooting them throughout the game on Sunday, and I think the intimidation of that line and their ability to put the puck in the net, the boys got over that and were working together to limit their chances.”

The Lightning's banner win extends the team's season, as they will now contest for the SCAHL title and a berth at the Alberta U16 AA provincials later this month.

Airdrie will take on the SCAHL's south-division champs – the Taber Golden Suns – in a best-of-three series this weekend.

Larson said the Lightning played the Golden Suns twice during the regular season and won both games, although both fixtures were one-goal games.

“I think it will be a good match-up,” he said. “They’re very similar to us and have a very balanced scoring. It’s all about the offensive zone, game pressure, and maintaining it to get opportunities from that.”

Game one will be at Airdrie's Ron Ebbesen Arena on March 11, with puck-drop slated for 7:45 p.m. Game two will be in Taber on March 12, and game three, if necessary, will be back in Airdrie on March 13 at 4:15 p.m.

“I’m really proud of the group for how they came together at playoff time,” Larson said. “I’m excited to see where the season ends, because after Taber, the top team heads to provincials, and I think we have a shot to be up there.”

The U15 AA provincial championships will get underway in Beaumont on March 24. 

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