Angels look for provincial supremacy

Strong play late in the season propelled the Bonnyville Bantam Angels to a fourth place finish at the provincial championships.

After a near perfect 8-1-1 record in the regular season, the Angels took first place into the league finals tournament at the end of June.

As the first place team, the Angels received a bye into the semifinals, where they met Elk Point.

Strong play from the infield and active bats helped the Bonnyville side pass their first test with ease.

"The girls played really well, everything just kind of came together at the right time. Our defence was phenomenal, and we were able to connect and put the ball in play often," detailed head coach Dan O'Brian.

Riding the momentum of a blowout victory, the Angels moved on to a showdown with Vermilion in the finals.

With the league championship on the line they took their play to the next level, proving to be too much for their out of town rivals.

"It started out close but once again our girls just pulled away. You feel for the other side because you know they worked hard too, but we just came to play today," said O'Brian.

The Angels were firing on all cylinders with the provincial championship tournament in their sight. In the final, they even managed to pull off the extremely rare triple play.

"I think the girls really listened to their coaches all year. They worked really hard on their infield play coming into the finals tournament and I think it shows," explained manager Marcelle Vallee.

Carrying a championship trophy and a ton of momentum in tow, the Angels packed their bags and headed for provincials in Leduc, July 1-3.

With his team playing so well, O'Brian's only worry was the lack of provincial experience.

"For myself and for a lot of the team, this will be our first time at provincials. We'll have to see how it goes but I believe we can play with anybody."

Any concerns O'Brian had were quickly erased. Without skipping a beat, the Angels continued their stellar defensive work. They opened their tournament with a 16-6 blowout of the Lacombe Matrix.

Then, with the bats hitting virtually everything, they dispatched both the Valleyview Roughnecks, with a score of 18-7, and the Stettler Storm 16-7.

Finally with first place in the group on the line, the Angels met up with their counterparts from Airdrie.

The battle of the Angels proved to be Bonnyville's toughest test, as they won a close one 9-7 and finished the round robin 4-0. According to O'Brian, a tight contest was just what the team needed heading into playoff day.

"You always need a game like that because it really builds confidence. To do the little thinks right, and get key hits in a tight game does so much for a team," he said.

The hard fought win propelled them straight into the semifinal where they faced off against Goodfish on the final day of the tournament, losing with a final of 14-4.

With the bronze medal in their sights, they went up against Calgary, losing with a mere 10-9 finish.