CANMORE – Canmore hockey players are finding success on the ice both far away and from home.
Will McLaughlin, Issac Riep and Griffin Horne of the Airdrie Xtreme U15AAA, and Thomas Boruta of the Bow Valley Timberwolves U18AA will head to their respective provincials. In addition, four Canmore Minor Hockey Association teams won their respective league banners.
The Xtreme will head to Okotoks this weekend for provincials and Boruta will man the crease for the Timberwolves March 31-April 2 in Sylvan Lake with four other local players for the year-end tournament.
McLaughlin, a blueliner for the Xtreme who are ranked fourth in Canada and top in Alberta for U15AAA teams, said the camaraderie helped the team achieve its 36-1 league record in the Alberta Elite Hockey League.
“We just had a lot of fun as a team and it showed on the ice, and we got the job done,” he said of the team that has players from Cochrane, Airdrie, Drumheller and Didsbury in addition to Canmore.
They podiumed at the Bauer Bantam Invite, Rocky Mountain Classic and the John Reid Memorial, with the chances to bond as a team and make memories being among the highlights of playing in the tournaments.
McLaughlin said he is feeling confident alongside his team going into provincials as he believes the team has a lot of talent and hard workers.
“I expect us to do well as long as we stick to our game plan,” he said regarding provincials, noting he aims to try out for the U18AAA Airdrie Bison for the 2023-24 season.
In two weekends, another batch of valley athletes will head to Sylvan Lake as the Timberwolves will look to bring home the top prize.
Boruta will be coming in hot after winning the final two league games of the year on the way to the league championship.
Boruta said he is feeling nervous and excited to be playing some of the best teams in Alberta at the upcoming provincial games.
“If our team plays good against some of the better teams there, we can have a pretty good result,” said Boruta.
In the Canmore Minor Hockey Association (CMHA), CAHL U 11, RHL U11A, RHL U13A, RHL U13B all won their respective league banners.
CMHA President Michael Hay said it was great how the players developed both on and off the ice, adding to the success of the season, and he is glad that hockey feels like it’s normal again.
“Canmore made a lot of noise in minor hockey this year,” he said.
