Revered across Canada; hockey is synonymous with being Canadian.
At the local youth level teams have begun to take on provincial playoffs, with local peewee team the Carlyle Moose Mountain Impact recently taking on the Watrous Hawks.
Held in the Carlyle Sports Arena at 3 p.m. the teams met for the face off on Saturday, Feb. 1.
It took the first half of the first period for a goal to come, but once Impact started they couldn't be stopped as they won the first playoff game of the series at 11 to zero.
Impact gained control of the game early and maintained their offensive pressure throughout; playing the majority of the game in Watrous' end the defensemen did well at keeping the puck inside the blue line.
The Hawks had a few rushes and worked the ice for chances on net. These were often shut down by not only the goalie but by the intuitive defense from each Impact player.
Controlling the speed of the game meant good things for Impact including goals from a variety of players who were working hard to deliver.
Three individuals in particular racked up points, with great passes from teammates setting them up or off of goalie rebounds, including a hat trick by Impact's number six, Liam Rutten. Others putting up multiple points included number 25, Nathan Bye, and number seven, Jace Fischer, with two a piece.
Ecstatic with the turn out of the game the Impact will now prepare for the second game in the series to be held in Watrous on Saturday, Feb. 8.
They will continue to play their game and attempt to control the pace on the ice, the young hockey players will fight hard to advance to the next playoff series.
