Skip to content

The Airdrie City View's top 10 sports stories of 2022

Here's a compilation featuring the Airdrie City View's top 10 sports stories from 2022

Local football teams' accomplishments

Multiple Airdrie football teams enjoyed record-setting seasons in 2022.

At the senior men’s level, the Airdrie Irish enjoyed a franchise-best record in the Alberta Football League (AFL). Once the playoffs were underway, the Irish won their first two games to make it to the league championship game in August.

While the championship game ultimately ended with a disappointing 55-0 defeat to the dominant Cold Lake Fighter Jets, the Irish players could still hold their heads high after a fantastic overall campaign that saw Airdrie produce a 6-2-1 overall record. For the second year in a row, the Irish received the AFL’s franchise of the year accolade.

At the high-school level, the George McDougall Mustangs and W.H. Croxford Cavaliers also enjoyed some fantastic achievements in 2022. The Mustangs earned their first Rocky View Sports Association (RVSA) title since 2014 by upsetting the top-seeded Cochrane Cobras in the division championship game in late October. As a result, the Mustangs were ranked second in the province among Tier II teams and 10th in Canada among small-school high-school football teams by Chat Football Canada.

Unfortunately, George McDougall’s quest to compete for a provincial banner ended with a 48-15 loss to the Holy Trinity Academy Knights (the top-ranked small-school football team in Canada) in the subsequent Tier II south qualifying game.

The W.H. Croxford Cavaliers, meanwhile, produced their best-ever record in 2022. Boasting a senior-heavy roster, the Cavaliers finished third in the RVSA with an 8-2 record – including a six-game win streak to start the season – and spent most of the season ranked among Alberta’s top five Tier II teams.

As for Airdrie’s minor football teams, the peewee, bantam, and midget Airdrie squads all made it to their respective league championship games this year. In the fall, the bantam Raiders and peewee Storm each set program firsts by enjoying unbeaten regular seasons.

SPO-XtremeUpdate1

AAA hockey teams' playoff runs

Airdrie’s two AAA hockey teams were both highly competitive in their respective divisions of the Alberta Elite Hockey League (AEHL) in 2022.

The U15 Xtreme were the top south division team in the AEHL’s U15 league, finishing with a 30-4-0 regular-season record. The Xtreme maintained that momentum in the post-season by sweeping the Lethbridge Golden Hawks in two games and then overcoming the Calgary Bisons in their best-of-three series. The Xtreme’s post-season then culminated with a fourth-place finish at the U15 AAA provincial championship tournament.

The Xtreme’s individual strength was recognized by three players hearing their names called in the Western Hockey League’s 2022 bantam draft. Captain Wyatt Pisarczyk was selected by the Calgary Hitmen, goaltender Corbin Sandermann was picked by the Everett Silvertips, and goaltender Cruz Chase was drafted by the Regina Pats.

At the U18 AAA level, the Airdrie CFR Chemicals Bisons also enjoyed a great season in 2022, qualifying for the AEHL playoffs for the first time since the franchise relocated to Airdrie in 2016. The Bisons finished fifth in the regular season to book their berth in the post-season.

Once in the playoffs, the Bisons produced some late drama in their series-deciding game against the Calgary Royals. Down by three in the third period, Airdrie came back with three unanswered late goals to tie the game and force overtime. Then, defenseman Carsyn Crawford sniped a bar-down winner in the extra stanza to send the Bisons to the second round.

Unfortunately for the Bisons, their Cinderella playoff run came to a quick close in the ensuing round against the top-seeded Calgary Flames, who swept the best-of-three series 2-0.

SPO-MustangMcEwan

Various university commitments

A high number of Airdrie student-athletes inked their athletic futures at the post-secondary level in 2022.

W.H. Croxford volleyball player Daisy Olsen was one such player. After a strong senior season with the Cavaliers in 2021, Olsen committed to the University of Calgary Dinos in January, with whom she is currently in the midst of her first year of USPORTS competition.

Olsen’s Croxford colleague Mykena Walker also committed her future to the Dinos in 2022, as a member of the U of C’s women’s soccer team. In her first year of university soccer, Walker started in all 17 of the Dinos’ games this fall, in a campaign that saw the squad progress all the way to nationals after a third-place finish in the Canada West conference.

They weren’t the only Croxford students to sign for university athletics programs. In football, Cavaliers senior defensive lineman Khaleel Rahim committed to the Halifax-based St. Mary’s University Huskies. In field lacrosse, Croxford grad Kiara Crawford signed her letter of intent for the University of Montobello in Alabama.

Among the most personally inspiring local stories of an Airdrie athlete committing to a post-secondary athletics program in 2022 was basketball player Ava Regier. The then-senior at George McDougall High School inked her commitment to the MacEwan University Griffins women’s basketball team in January. That was despite Regier missing her entire senior season of high-school basketball as a result of a serious knee injury, while her sophomore and junior seasons were hampered or cancelled altogether as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Another George McDougall senior who inked her LOI was volleyball player Isabella Stothart, who committed her post-secondary future to the Trinity Western University Spartans in Langdley, B.C.

080822_ElaMasse022

Locals compete at Canada Summer Games

A year after being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canada Summer Games were held for the first time since 2017 last summer. It meant a few of Airdrie’s top U20 athletes were Ontario-bound in August to compete at the two-week multi-sporting extravaganza in Niagara, Ont., where they joined thousands of Canada’s most promising junior athletes in a variety of different sports.

Triathlete Sophia Howell was one of Airdrie’s headline-makers at the Games, as she brought home a bronze and silver medal from Niagara. Howell was also one of Team Alberta’s two banner-carriers at the opening ceremony.

Other local medalists included Daisy Olsen in girls’ volleyball (silver), Tana Layton in girls’ basketball (gold), and Sienna MacDonald in track-and-field (bronze in the women's 100-metre (m) hurdles, silver in the 4x100m relay, and bronze in the long jump).

“I feel really good about it, honestly,” Olsen said of the experience, upon her return home. “It's a really good achievement – being second in Canada is impressive. I loved the team and thought it was awesome to have that experience. I definitely wish I could do it again.”

Airdrie was also represented at the Canada Summer Games by para-athlete Saheed Alawiye, who finished 11th and eighth in his two wheelchair races, and soccer player Mykena Walker, who finished fourth as a member of Team Alberta’s girls’ soccer team.

Alberta ended the Games fourth in the medal standings, with 111 medals in total. Those included 35 gold, 33 silver, and 43 bronze. 

SPO-AaronSluchinskiNationalsRecap3

Aaron Sluchinski competes at Tim Horton's Brier

Airdrie curler Aaron Sluchinski achieved a life-long dream in 2022, competing for the first time in his career at the fabled Tim Horton’s Brier – the national men’s curling championship – in Lethbridge.

Sluchinski featured as the alternate for Team Bottcher, who finished the Brier in third place, just missing out on the final by losing to Team Gushue. Team Bottcher posted a 9-3 record throughout the tournament.

The Airdrie curler had the opportunity to play in three ends in Team Bottcher’s one-sided wins over teams from Prince Edward Island and Yukon during the 10-day tournament. Sluchinski threw two rocks in Team Bottcher's 11-4 win against Team Smith from Prince Edward Island and he threw four rocks in the 10-4 win over Team Scoffin, who represented Yukon.

While he didn’t get to play very much, Sluchinski noted it was a valuable learning experience to see how his temporary teammates Brendan Bottcher, Patrick Janssen, and Brad Thiessen prepared for their matches. 

The Brier was a clear highlight, but Sluchinski’s 2022 season also saw him reclaim his second consecutive mixed-doubles provincial championship alongside Calgary's Brittany Tran in February. The pair recorded a 7-2 record throughout the bonspiel, their two defeats coming at the hands of Team Kayla Skrlik and Gregg Hamilton, and Team Michael Lambert and Krysta Hilker.

After losing two of their opening four matches, Sluchinski and Tran rallied back to win their final five draws.

SPO-AbygaleReeveCanada

Abygale Reeve makes Team Canada BMX

Airdrie’s accomplished BMX racer Abygale Reeve didn’t let the COVID-19 pandemic hinder her burgeoning career in the high-adrenaline sport.

After moving to Arizona amid the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 so she could continue to train for and compete in international competitions, Reeve’s 2022 saw the 16-year-old student-athlete successfully try out for Canada’s BMX team and become the national program’s youngest member.

“I’m super excited about it because it’s been a goal of mine for about three years now,” she said in March. “Just to be able to put on the Canadian jersey and wear the leaf is a big accomplishment for me, and to represent myself and Canada at the highest level.”

Once on Team Canada, Reeve gained valuable experience by racing at two European competitions over the summer, in the Netherlands and France.

“I got to experience what it’s like to race against world class girls, and it was a very good trip for experience,” Reeve said.

She followed up those competitions by winning her 10th consecutive provincial BMX title in early September during the 2022 Alberta BMX provincial championships in Stony Plain.

After two years of jet-setting and distance-schooling to accommodate her hectic racing schedule, Reeve finally saw some normalcy return to her life in 2022. She’s back to studying at Bert Church High School as she prepares for the 2023 BMX season next spring.

SPO-SiennaMacDonald

Sienna MacDonald wins national heptathlon

Sienna MacDonald continued to be one of the Airdrie City View’s most written-about athletes this year, with another slate of headline-making accomplishments in 2022.

The University of Calgary Dinos track athlete and George McDougall High School alumna achieved a career highlight in June by winning gold in the women’s heptathlon at the National Canadian Track and Field championships, in Langley B.C. Competing in seven disciplines from June 22 to 26, MacDonald produced a personal-best (PB) score of 5,643 points, overcoming her closest challengers Madisson Lawrence of Winnipeg, Man. and Maude Léveillé of Sherbrooke, Que. 

“This is one of the biggest meets I’ve ever competed at and obviously winning a championship title – especially at 19 – is amazing,” she said. “Not a lot of people can say they have one.”

The U of C student-athlete’s 2022 also saw MacDonald win four out of five events to secure the gold medal in the women’s pentathlon at the Canada West track-and-field championships in Winnipeg in March. And despite tired legs after competing in the pentathlon, she went on to secure the silver medal in the women's 60-metre hurdles, with a PB of 8.48 seconds in the final. She capped off the western conference meet with a third podium placement by finishing second in the women's long-jump, thanks to a distance of 5.63 metres.

Less than two weeks later, MacDonald battled injury to claim sixth in the women’s pentathlon and seventh in the 60-m hurdles at the USPORTS national championships in Saint John, N.B.

SPO-NolanOakeySeasonRecord Web

Nolan Oakey

Nolan Oakey finished his junior lacrosse career off with a bang in 2022.

The W.H. Croxford High School alumnus featured as the Rockyview Silvertips junior B team’s captain in the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League (RMLL) this summer.

Despite missing the first four games of the season, the Airdrie native wasted no time upon his return to the junior B squad, rocketing to the top of the league's scoring charts and setting a single-season points record for the Cochrane-based team.

“I obviously felt pretty excited I had the opportunity to do that,” the 20-year-old said. “Obviously, it wasn’t just me. It was my coaches and my teammates who helped me get there – and my parents for dragging me to all those practices to give me the opportunity to get where I am today.

“It’s pretty easy to put some points up on the board when our team is playing like that.”

Averaging nearly seven points per game, Oakey finished the season with over a century of points for the Silvertips, courtesy of his 52 goals and 55 assists. Rockyview’s previous record for points garnered in a single year was set in 2006 by Joel Henry, who collected 93 points that summer. 

With Oakey as captain, the Silvertips finished the 2022 regular season in first place of the RMLL’s central division with a 13-7 record. Oakey then led the Silvertips to a franchise-best fourth-place finish at the Larry Bishop Memorial Cup (the junior B provincial championship tournament).

SPO-JoshDavies

Josh Davies selected in NHL draft

It’s every competitive hockey player’s ambition to hear their name called in the NHL Super Draft – and Airdrie’s Josh Davies got to experience that once-in-a-lifetime dream on July 7, when the Florida Panthers selected him in the sixth round as the 187th pick.

“Like everyone says, it was a bit surreal," the 18-year-old forward told the Airdrie City View shortly after his selection. “It doesn't really sink in until a couple days after. For myself, it's been a long-term goal of mine. Now that it's here, it's unbelievable for myself and my family. I'm just glad to be a Florida Panther, and I look forward to the future and the hard work to come.”

Davies’ selection in the NHL draft followed a trip to Germany last summer, where he played three games for Canada’s U18 boys' team at the IIHF World Championships. Canada unfortunately under-performed at the annual tournament, making it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated from medal contention by Finland in overtime. Davies recorded an assist at the tournament.

“I think putting on that crest at the end of the day, it’s the Maple Leaf – very limited players get to wear that crest,” he said. “Just putting on that crest and representing my country was the highlight.”

The 2021-22 season also saw Davies play his first full year in the Western Hockey League as a member of the Swift Current Broncos. In his debut season in the major junior league, Davies logged 64 games and recorded 36 points.

SPO-RingetteChamps

Zone 2 ringette team wins nationals

Airdrie’s top minor ringette players tend to play for the regional Zone 2 AA (Big Country) association, whose U16AA team capped off the 2021-22 season with a program-first national gold medal in April.

Competing in Calgary in front of more than 4,000 fans watching either in-person or via Ringette Canada's online stream, the U16AA squad overcame a team from New Brunswick 7-6 in overtime to win Zone 2's first ever national championship. The team's road to the final was paved with wins against teams from Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Calgary.

“It was just a great experience,” said Wes Clark, the head coach of Zone 2's U16AA team. “It was well organized and all the volunteers put in tons of effort and made it a unique experience for the girls – one they'll remember for the rest of their lives.”

The gold-medal game was a fitting finale, as both Zone 2 and New Brunswick were unbeaten heading into it. While Zone 2 took a commanding 5-0 lead in the first two periods, the New Brunswick team was able to claw their way back into the contest and force overtime. Zone 2 ultimately sniped the OT winner to secure the association’s first national title.

Clark credited the Zone 2 players' ability to stay mentally sharp throughout the tournament, and said winning the championship was a well-deserved group effort.

As a testament to the squad’s individual talent, three Zone 2 players – including Airdrie’s Madi Rice – were named to the tournament’s all-star team.

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks