The Ponoka Storm U12 boys’ fourth league game of the season ended in a 4-4 tie against Lacombe.

“It was pretty good, our players played pretty good,” said head coach Nick Clarke.

After a halftime pep talk, the boys cranked it up for the second half of the game to make up for a slow start. “They took it upon themselves to work on what they needed to work on,” said Clarke.

The evenly matched teams fought each other’s skills the entire game, trying to gain the upper hand.

“It was really back and forth . . . the kids were getting nervous, tensions were definitely high,” said Clarke.

With a defense that struggled throughout the game — yet they were able to pick it up for the second half — it was Ponoka’s speedy offense driving the game, along with the “consistent” goalie.

“He stayed positive the whole time,” said Clarke.

He says the team had a slow start to their season, losing both their first and second games. “Because of that, I try to work on them as much as possible. They’re getting better and better every game.”

The boys’ team this year is a large one, with 18 players, and Clarke says that is a benefit when it comes to learning and advancing their skills. “The more players you have, the more mistakes are going to be made. Then the kids can see what happened and learn from it.”