With hockey season about to start Ponoka’s Atom McDonald’s team is looking ready to play.
Coach Mark Richter took some time to speak with Ponoka News after defeating the Bashaw Stars 15-0 Oct. 23 in Bashaw in a preseason match up. Most of the games the team has played during the preseason have resulted a win with the exception of one loss to the Battle River Knights the day before.
“They were really good last year and we knew they had a lot of veterans coming in. We knew they would be a challenge,” said Richter.”
“We’ve got a system we’re trying to work in. It had some holes yesterday but hopefully with some practice, and over the course of the season I think the system will be in place,” he added.
With tiering Richter said the team wants to put the strongest performance possible to put on a positive showing for the upcoming season. Looking at the team’s performance he feels McDonald’s Atom will be in Tier 1.
With the new interlocking schedule, where teams play against other leagues in the province, Richter says the season will be an interesting one. “Those games will count for the league…and it will be a team relative to the same skill as us.”
Richter’s team is made up of two goalies and 10 players.
“We’re just trying to get a good team and get a good system,” he added.
Tiering information was not available at press time.
Off the bench
The Lacoka female hockey squads have kicked-off their seasons with all three teams in action last week.
The PeeWee squad fell 4-1 Oct. 22 to Athabasca in Lacombe with Karlee Feragen getting the lone marker on a powerplay and the Midgets got a point as Callie Braun scored both goals in a 2-2 tie in Stettler on Oct. 15.
Meanwhile, the Bantams came out of the weekend with a win and a loss, both by 6-4 scores. The club fell to Stettler in Lacombe Oct 21 with Ivy Woolk netting a hat trick and the other coming from Hailey Hoogkamp and followed that up with a win Oct. 22 in Ponoka over Rocky Mountain House, this time Amanda Huchkowski earned the hat trick with singles from Hoogkamp, Woolf and Cassandra Klinger.
Other Ponoka Minor Hockey results from the weekend included the Calnash Trucking Atoms losing 12-5 in Daysland, the PeeWee Elks getting a 3-3 tie with Battle River., the Bantam Moose blanked Viking 15-0 and Hardisty 3-0 and the Fountain Tire Midgets beating Daysland 7-2.