Although it has been a while since the last report, coaches Brian Hagel, Troy Turner and Todd Magotiaux continue to work hard with the team, keeping the players in shape and improving their hockey skills. These dads take time out of their work and personal lives to mentor these kids, and I as a hockey parent really appreciate it. All the parents and kids would like to thank them for their dedication and effort with this team.
The hard work and effort showed in the first game of 2014 when the Cougars hosted the Carnduff Devils on January 4th. Goalie Zane Winter had an outstanding game and stopped almost everything the Devils sent his way. The defense played strong but the offense struggled and we dropped this one 3-0, in a tough fought battle against one of the top teams in the league.
Our next couple of games were disappointing losses against Redvers and Carievale.
Though our record doesn't show it, these kids love the game and have fun every time they play. Even with a loss, they come off the ice with huge grins on their faces.
January 18th the Atom Cougars played in a tournament in Beinfait. The first game was a league game against Beinfait. This was close, lots of back and forth action, again with very strong defense. Hayden McArthur let loose a couple of bullets from the blue line, which found the back of the net. Both Drayden Arndt & Degan Galbraith got by the defense, deeked the goalie and scored with impressive wrist shots. The Cougars came out weak in the third and dropped this one 8-4.
The second game in the Beinfait tournament had the Cougars versus the Crobsy Comets. Cooper Humphries told the team, "We have to show these guys, hockey is Canada's game." Logan Romaniuk got a chance between the pipes and the team pulled an all-out effort. There were centering passes and some excellent chances, as well as hard fought batttles on the boards. After three periods, Carlyle earned a win of 4-2. Goal scorers included Drayden, Degan, Nate Robertson & Maddie Magotiaux. Nate blew by the opposition with his awesome speed. Maddie scored with a mind-blowing wrap-around goal, from behind the net! Talk about determination.
On Sunday, Feb 2nd, the Cougars visited the Arcola Combines. Again with Zane Winters as net-minder the team played strong and this was a nail-biter. Intense back and forth action with plenty of scoring opportunities as well as a couple of penalties on both sides made this a fun game to watch. Hayden scored the first goal with Nate assisting. Logan won a battle on the boards to throw a pass out front. Ashdynn Bradley got a few swipes in before Coty Hofus got his stick on it to put it past the goalie. While exciting and well-played we dropped this one 3-2.
This week will be busy for the Atom Cougars with games in Kipling on Tuesday and Friday, and Saturday finds them in Wawota. Good luck team!
