The Lakeland Junior B Heat are returning home from Sherwood Park with a hard earned silver medal.
Heading into the provincial championships held at the Strathcona Olympiette Centre July 21 to 23, the Heat knew they would have to be at their absolute best.
“All six guys on the floor have to be firing on all cylinders and working together. We have to take the opportunities as they come and put the ball behind their goaltenders,” said head coach Dennis Hodinsky.
The Heat opened the weekend against a familiar foe, the Sherwood Park Tier II Titans. Undeterred by the home crowd, the Heat outworked the Titans, earning a 14-9 victory.
With the win, the Heat moved on to face the undefeated Lethbridge Barracudas.
After a slow start, the Heat mounted a comeback, but were unable to hand the Barracudas their first loss.
“We were down by five goals, but were able to tie it up with five unanswered goals of our own. Unfortunately, they were able to score one on us in the last 30-seconds,” described Hodinsky.
Despite the loss, there was still a chance to make the gold medal match.
To do so, they would have to beat the Olds Mavericks in their third and final round robin game.
From the opening faceoff, the Heat had their foot on the gas pedal. They opened-up a big lead, and never looked back, doubling-up on their opponents, 12-6.
The win guaranteed the Heat a spot in the finals, and a medal. The colour of that medal would depend on whether or not they could make good on their second crack at the Barracudas.
“It was a real battle. The fans were more than impressed with the play between these two teams. They beat us 10-7, but I was really proud of our effort,” Hodinsky noted.
Though it wasn't the result they wanted, the silver medal represents a major accomplishment for the young franchise. Five years isn't long for a brand new program to have to wait for a medal.
“The first season we had this team we had to bring in players that only played one year of midget. Our average age of experience was two-years, if that. Now in our fifth year we're taking silver in the provincials, that's pretty good,” said Hodinsky.
Now that they've been to a gold medal game, the Heat will be looking to do all they can to get back there next season.
While the road back will be a long one, the Heat will have the advantage of this year's experience to help make it happen.
“We're only losing one graduate, the rest of the guys are coming back and they have that experience under their belt. They'll get a little bit stronger and smarter from it and I think it's going to pay off.”
