The Lakeland Bantam AA Panthers are feeling on top of the world.
Not only did they bring home gold after battling it out in provincials, but they also floored the competition in league finals.
To kick-off an exciting end to their season, the Panthers faced off against teams from across Alberta during the Bantam AA Provincial Championships from March 28 to 31.
Dedication, making sacrifices, and playing as a team helped the Panthers score the gold medal, said team captain Kyle Uganecz.
“I think we were all really committed,” he added.
Uganecz described winning gold as a “great accomplishment.”
“We couldn’t ask for anything better.”
Coach Ryan Blocha was proud of the team’s overall success in the round-robin tournament.
Over the course of the weekend, the team only lost one game, a tough 3-1 fall to Calgary.
The Panthers were in a three-way tie for a spot in the finals, what it all came down to was who had the least amount of time in the penalty box.
Luckily for the local team, they managed to sneak their way into the final match-up, where the Panthers showed what they’re made of.
“The boys worked really hard,” expressed Blocha. “We made sure the boys know that we can’t take a team lightly just because we beat them in the round-robin. We just made sure they were aware of that and they couldn’t be thinking it was going to be easy.”
He continued, “They had to be working every minute of every shift, and those boys pulled it off.”
By sticking to the structure and following the game plan, the Panthers left provincials with a little hardware.
But that wasn’t the end of their efforts.
Last weekend they went up against the best teams in the league, where they fought for the title of top dog.
Heading into the tournament, the Panthers were focused, and kept their eye on the prize.
The home team defeated St. Albert 5-0 to claim the overall league title.
