BARRHEAD - Unfortunately for the Barrhead Renegades, the magic ran out on their magical season, coming up a couple of games short at the Alberta U18 C Provincial Championships in Peace River.
The Renegades finished the championships with one win, two losses and a tie, eventually losing to the would-be champions, the New Sarepta Eagles, in the semi-finals on March 30.
"We played well, for the most part," Renegades head coach JC Lane said. "All weekend, we did not have the best puck luck, but that is the way hockey goes."
The Renegades, who also won the North Eastern Alberta Hockey League (NEAHL) championship, qualified for the provincial championship tournament, defeating the Mannville/Irma Aces in the semi-finals of the NEAHL playoffs in a two-game total goal series 9-5, with the first game being a 4-4 tie and the second a 5-1 victory.
After a first-round bye, the Renegades defeated Wabasca 9-4 and 8-4. In the finals, a three-game series against Mayerthorpe, the teams split the first two games, a 5-2 win for the Renegades at home, followed by a 4-0 shutout road loss and a shootout victory at home after three overtime periods, 4-3.
This followed a perfect regular season in which Barrhead went undefeated, winning 19 straight games, the vast majority in convincing fashion.
The Renegades got off to a tough start in the provincial championship tournament, losing 5-3 to the Valleyview Icebears on March 28. Scoring for Barrhead was Layne Young, scoring two goals (James Tyrrell and Rylan Keith assisting on his first goal and Keith on his second) and Keith. Starting in the net was Jack Fitzpatrick.
"It certainly wasn't our best game, and the team knew that," head coach JC Lane said.
Barrhead bounced back in the second game, notching a 5-2 March 28 win against the Calgary Knights. Young led the way offensively for the Renegades with two goals. Assisting on his first goal was Keith, the second was unassisted. Providing singles were Lincoln Taron (with an assist from Keith), Carson Nanninga (with assists from Taron and Taven Braucht) and Corbin Wood. Wyatt Baas was in the net, stopping 30 out of 32 shots.
"We played a fairly decent game. It wasn't perfect, but it was enough for the win," Lane said.
In their next game, on March 29, Barrhead faced the Devon Drillers, playing them to a 1-1 tie. Wood scored the Renegades' goal with assists from Mason Lofflebein and Nash Braucht. Fitzpatrick got his second start in net, stopping 26 out of 27 shots.
The next day, Barrhead faced the New Sarepta Eagles, losing 10-3, with Caden Lane (assists from Gage Couiyk and Keith), Nanninga (assists from Couiyk and Drake Schlitter and Young (assists from Lane and Taron). Both Baas and Fitzpatrick spent time in the net.
"We played a much better game, and it was closer than the score would have indicated," Lane said, adding the Renegades actually outshot their opponents 45 to 36.
Once again, he said it was a game where the puck luck and bounces favoured the other team.
"Don't get me wrong, [New Sarepeta] has an excellent team. They went undefeated to win the provincial championship with the best teams in attendance. "If some of the bounces had gone our way, it wouldn't have been a game that we might not have ended up winning, but it was one we were definitely in."
He added that although it might not be a solace to the boys, he said, "We did lose to the team that became the champions."
Lane said regardless of the result, the Renegades had a provincial tournament and a season to be proud of.
"They did Barrhead proud going that far and carrying themselves like they did. There were a lot of good things said about our team, about our discipline and how well-behaved our players were on and off the ice," he said. "Overall, it was a very good experience and a great season. It is one of the record books for going undefeated and winning the league championship. Ultimately, I'm pretty proud of those boys, not only because of how well they played on the ice, but because they are a good group of young men."
He also noted that the future of Barrhead U18 hockey looks bright, saying only one player on the roster aged out, with the others likely to return to play for the Renegades or the Steelers.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
