The Airdrie Xtreme AAA U15 boys' hockey team rounded off their 2021-22 regular-season schedule in the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) in the same way they spent most of it – in winning fashion.
The Xtreme coasted to a first-place finish in the AEHL U15 AAA South Division with a dominant 30-4-0 record, ending their campaign on a five-game winning streak.
Playing at home to cap off their season, Airdrie's most recent two outings saw the team defeat the Calgary Bisons 4-2 on Feb. 26 and the Sherwood Park Flyers 2-0 the following day.
With 60 points, Airdrie was the south division's top team as the 34-game regular season came to a close, with a comfortable 12-point cushion over the second-place Red Deer Rebels.
“It was a good little stretch to come down the end of the season,” said Airdrie's head coach, Tyson Soloski. “It's good to be playing good hockey as we head into the playoffs.”
The Xtreme's last defeat was on Feb. 12 – a 4-3 loss against the Southeast Athletic Club Tigers, of Medicine Hat.
Soloski acknowledged the Xtreme's success this year has put a target on the team's back as the AEHL playoffs get underway, but he added that reputation is a good motivator for the players.
“It’s always a good thing if teams are bringing their A game against you,” he said. “Teams get psyched up to play us and we’ve been able to match the intensity and quality of play.”
Thanks to their first-place finish in the south division, the Xtreme will enjoy a bye through the first round of the AEHL playoffs. According to Soloski, Airdrie's first playoff opponent will be the winner of the first-round series between the Lethbridge Golden Hawks and the Calgary Northstars.
Airdrie comfortably beat both of those teams multiple times during the regular season, but Soloski cautioned the Xtreme cannot be complacent once they return to the ice, regardless of their opponent.
“As long as we come in and play our game, I think we should be able to come out on top,” he said. “It’s never good to take an opponent lightly. If we show up, work hard, and execute our game plan, I see us moving on.
“We’re playing really good hockey and our end goal is to win a provincial title, which is no easy feat,” he added. “It will be about taking it practice by practice and game by game.”
The Xtreme last won the AAA U15 provincial title – the league was then called the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League – in 2018.
Airdrie's offence has led the AEHL in scoring with 180 goals – an average of more than five per game. The team's scoring leaders include Riley Boychuck, who has registered 19 goals and 35 assists, and third-year Xtreme member Wyatt Pisarczyk, who has managed 14 goals and 38 assists. Other than those two, three other players – Caelan Joudrey, Mitchell DeCoste, and Kaden Skrenek – have averaged more than a point per game.
At the other end of the ice, Airdrie boasts the third-best defensive record in the AEHL, having conceded 78 goals across their 34 fixtures.
The combination of team success and individual quality has attracted plenty of interest in the Xtreme's players from scouts of higher-level hockey teams this season, according to Soloski.
“Team success will breed individual success,” he said. “It’s something we’ve preached all year – that teams want [to recruit] winners. Right now, we’re doing a lot of that. That’s the end goal, to win a championship. Teams at the next level look for that. As long as we keep playing as a team, we’ll have a lot of individual success afterwards.”
Soloski said the Xtreme's playoff run is set to start March 9.
