Some overtime heroics paved a path to gold for the Beiseker Blazers U18 Tier 1/2 boys' hockey team on Dec. 11.
After three days of constant hockey, the Blazers capped off their home tournament – the Beiseker Blazers Invitational – in perfect fashion, defeating a team from Foremost/Bow Island 4-3 in overtime to secure the gold medal.
“It was such good hockey,” summarized Trevor Bell, the Blazers' head coach.
He added the gold-medal victory marked the Blazers' second consecutive OT victory of the tournament, after seeing off their semi-final opponents from Fort St. John in the same manner the day before.
“Foremost actually won in overtime to get to the final as well, so it was pretty good hockey,” Bell said. “The place was full. There were fans who came who didn’t even have kids on the team. I know a guy who helped me coach a few years ago came and watched. People came from all over because they were expecting a good game.”
This year's tournament included six teams, coming to Beiseker's Doug Hagel Arena from Chestermere, Airdrie, Foremost, Provost, and Fort St. John, B.C.
Apart from their tournament-opening 8-3 win, Bell said the Blazers were kept close in all their subsequent games, highlighting the tournament's overall parity.
According to Bell, this year's U18 Tier 1 team is possibly the best U18 group he's worked with in his 16 years of coaching hockey in Beiseker. He said the group has a 17-player roster of local high-school-aged student-athletes, and they've developed a strong sense of camaraderie and chemistry.
“We’ve got 17 skaters and a good mix of first, second, and third-years who are really equal in their skating ability and playing ability,” Bell said. “They’re a pretty deep hockey team.”
For the third-year U18 players, this was the last tournament they will play together for the Blazers, as they'll be aging out of minor hockey at the end of the season.
In their regular season, the Blazers have a 5-1-1 record in the U18 Tier 1/2 division of the Central Alberta Hockey League (CAHL). They won their last two outings this past weekend, beating Brooks 11-1 and Chestermere 9-3 on Dec. 16 and 18, respectively.
Their record means Beiseker are currently in fourth place of their division, but have a game in hand over all three of the teams ahead of them in the standings.
“This has definitely been the best team I’ve been a part of,” Bell said. “It’s probably the first year we’ve had a team that can compete in Tier 2 or better since I’ve been around.”
Beiseker's next game will be on Jan. 6, 2023, when they host a team from Okotoks. Puck-drop is slated for 7 p.m. at the Doug Hagel Arena.
