REDVERS - The Redvers U15 Rockets continued a trend of minor hockey success in the town by pulling off a rare feat, winning both the Moose Mountain Minor Hockey League title for their age group and the Hockey Saskatchewan U15 D provincial championship.
Redvers defeated the Lashburn Flyers in both games of the best-of-two provincial final, winning Game 1 6-2 in Redvers on March 22 and Game 2 9-4 in Lashburn a week later.
Redvers also defeated the Gravelbourg Hornets in two straight games, the Radville Nationals in three games – which included a 10-minute mini game to decide the winner – and the Watrous Hawks in three games during provincials.
In the Moose Mountain Minor Hockey League, the Rockets were the top team in the regular season with a 20-2 record. Then they went 6-0 in the playoffs, defeating Oxbow, the Estevan Baker Hughes Bruins and Radville in two straight games each.
"We have a great group of boys and a great group of parents and a stellar group of coaches, and we couldn't be luckier," said manager Sandie Quennelle.
The players had to contend with the flu during league and provincial playoffs, which affected their performance but not the end results.
"In the [league] final, our boys probably played their best game ever, and our goaltender, [Jack] Millions, had a shutout in the league final in our home rink," said Quennelle.
The win in Game 2 of the final was a 4-0 decision.
"The team played as a team. They knew when to dig deep. The coaches … knew how to play everybody to the best abilities when they needed it," said Quennelle.
The team's leadership was strong as well. Quennelle said it starts with the coaching and continues to the players and the parents.
"To have the sponsorship that helped us along the way from a lot of people [helped]," said Quennelle.
Several players on this year's U15 team were part of the Rockets club that won the provincial U13 C championship in 2024. Quennelle believes Redvers' location helps the town retain its top players, as it's in the far corner of the province, and players would have to travel for more than an hour to play for AA teams in Estevan or Weyburn.
"A lot of these kids are homegrown and they want to stay with their minor hockey league and their friends. Having those kids stay there and depend on each other, and stay positive, positivity is huge, and they root each other on rather than tear each other down if things don't go right," said Quennelle.
Three players from Wawota Minor Hockey joined the Rockets for provincials, and they fit in nicely and "became lifelong friends" with the Redvers players, she said.
Coach Todd Gervais said the team had strong goaltending throughout the season, with one goalie who has been really good for a number of years, and another who has made considerable strides more recently. They also have a lot of talent throughout the lineup, and the players worked hard and played a lot of games during the season.
He knew at the start of the season that they were going to have a good team, it was just a matter of how good.
"I knew they could probably do it. They had to all play well. I knew we probably had one [championship] in us. Provincials is always a tough one to win, so it was good for all our kids."
The league championship was the first they had ever won, and it was the first provincial title for many of them.
About half of the players on this year's team are eligible to return next season, while the other half will move up to the U18 ranks.
