A couple of unlucky bounces and some resolute opponents prevented the Airdrie Xtreme from reaching the heights they were hoping for at the Alberta U15 AAA boys' hockey provincial championships.
The Xtreme ended the provincial tournament in Fort Saskatchewan with a 2-2-1 record on March 27, to finish fourth in the five-team tournament.
“We played really good – honestly, we just got a little unlucky,” said Xtreme head coach Tyson Soloski.
Airdrie defeated the Okotoks Oilers and the Sherwood Park Flyers in the round robin, but the Xtreme's spot in the final was spoiled by losing 4-1 to the St. Albert Sabres and tying the host Fort Saskatchewan Rangers 3-3 in their other two games.
Soloski said last-minute goals in a few of the tournament's games shifted the balance of the standings, ending Airdrie's chances of playing for the gold.
“We ended up tying one game where the other team scored with 20 seconds left on a broken play – if that doesn’t happen, we play for gold,” he said. “Another team was tied in their last game of the round robin, and if they tied, we would have played for gold. They pulled their goalie and scored with 20 seconds left.”
St. Albert, the top-seeded team in the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) north division during the 2021-22 regular season, ultimately won the provincial tournament, beating the Oilers 5-1 in the gold-medal game.
On the same day, Airdrie lost 4-1 to the Flyers – despite having beaten the Sherwood Park team 8-2 the day before – in the bronze-medal game.
While Airdrie didn't end up making the podium at provincials, Soloski said the players shouldn't have had their heads down, as the team put forward a memorable 2021-22 season. In addition to a 30-4 regular-season record in the AEHL, the Xtreme also won the Okanagan Classic U15 AAA tournament in November 2021, beating a prep school squad coached by former Calgary Flames captain and NHL hall-of-famer Jarome Iginla in the final.
“I think they were a little upset when we didn’t win our final game, but I think they’re extremely proud of the work they’ve put in – which they should be, because it was a really good season,” Soloski said. “Not a lot of teams get the chance to go to a provincial championship, so it’s something they’ll remember forever.”
According to Soloski, seven Xtreme players are eligible to play another season of U15, while 12 players will be moving on to either the U16 or U18 age groups in the fall.
“With the development they’ve had this year and all the hard work they’ve put in, they’ll be set up for success at the U16 and U18 AAA level next year,” he said.
Lightning finish third
Over in Beamont, Airdrie's U15 AA boys' hockey team also competed at provincials over the March 24 to 27 weekend, finishing the U15 AA provincial championships in fourth place with a 2-3 record.
The Lightning beat the Sherwood Park Leafs 5-3 and the Lakeland Panthers 6-1 to open the tournament, but fell 3-1 to Beaumont and 7-5 to the Calgary Northstars in their next two games to end the round robin with a .500 record.
Airdrie then lost narrowly 8-7 in a rematch with Sherwood Park in the bronze-medal game.
Head coach Cale Larson said the Lightning represented Airdrie professionally at provincials.
“I think everybody was a little disappointed in the result at first, but after looking back at the year and the season we had, I think the boys should be really proud of themselves and how they pulled together to get where we were,” he said.
“I'm so proud of the effort the boys put in. They represented Airdrie really well over the weekend, on and off the ice. I'm happy for our parent group to have their kids go that far.”
Like the Xtreme, Larson added most of his players will be moving on from the U15 age group. He said one goalie, one defenseman, and three forwards will be eligible to play U15 next season, but he added they will hope to play at the AAA level.
