Even though the club wasn’t able to lay claim to its home tournament, the Lacoka bantam Warriors female hockey squad showed what they are made of.
The Warriors fell by a score of 4-2 to a strong Okotoks team in the six-team tournament final hosted in Ponoka over the weekend. The girls defeated Sherwood Park 3-2 and then Maskwacis 8-1 in their round robin pool to make the playoff round, where they beat a team from Edmonton 4-1 to reach the final.
Warriors head coach Justin Grabo explained the girls were fantastic in both ends of the rink in the semi-final contest.
“Beating Maskwacis put us first in our pool, then against Edmonton, they had a really good goalie,” said Grabo, noting the Warriors outshot their opponent 49-8.
“We played our best game of the season, as Edmonton didn’t have a shot on goal for the game’s first 30 minutes.”
Grabo added that this group of players has a positive work ethic, both on and off the ice, plus during games and practices.
“The biggest positive of the team’s game so far has been the girls’ forecheck and backcheck,” he said.
“Our season has been progressing well, as the coaching staff is seeing improvements every time the girls step on the ice. We just want to see them all keep improving and show up ready to work hard and give it their best.”
To date, the Warriors sit third in the Rocky Mountain Female Hockey League’s Tier 1 North Division standings with a record of four wins to go along with a loss and a tie. The team’s next home game isn’t until Dec. 23 against Camrose.
