The Jasper Midget Bearcats juggernaut has lost some of its momentum in the past two weeks. After a pair of road losses in Plamondon and Slave Lake, the team experienced an egalitarian but frustrating weekend, playing three games and tying each one.

Jasper drew 1-1 in Hinton on Friday, 7-7 against Whitecourt 1 Saturday in Jasper and again at home 4-4 against Whitecourt 2 the following day.

“We scored first in Hinton. Logan (Ireland, the team’s goaltender) played a sensational game and we walked away with a tie,” said midget coach Lloyd Lafrance.

In both home games, the Bearcats took a two-goal lead into the third period only to be pegged back. Lafrance blamed the late letdowns on the team’s tired legs.

“The kids are getting really tired,” he said. Some of the midget players had returned from the senior high trip to Bamfield BC, and were still recovering from the long bus ride as they hit the ice.

The team now faces some away action in Mayerthorpe and Whitecourt before taking a Christmas break that will last until the new year. The team’s next home action is scheduled for January 14 and 15.

With a record of six wins, three losses and four ties, the Bearcats are more than halfway through their regular season schedule. Lafrance is looking forward to the break, which he says will be an opportunity for practice, as well as rest.

“We need some practice time,” he said. “It’s hard to work on things with only two practices a week.”

Lafrance has been impressed with the play of several first-year Bearcats. Alex Melnyk, Gregg Garton, Pat Nesbitt, Nathan D’Heer and Danny Tassoni were all praised by their coach, who hopes that his team will have a strong second half.

“We’ve established our lines, we have a couple grind lines and energy lines,” Lafrance said. “I hope that everybody is happy with their roles and we can develop skills a bit more.”

 While the midgets kissed their collective sisters, the Jasper Bantam Bearcats continued their winning ways. The home side walloped the visiting team from Barrhead by a 9-2 score and Jasper remains undefeated on the year.

Nine games into the season, the Bantams take some time out of the league competition this weekend as they host their annual home tournament.

Hockey parents will be off to an early start on Saturday morning, cheering on the Bearcats as they play North Seera. After playing their visitors from south east Edmonton, Jasper has a long break before facing off against Saint Albert at six in the evening. Teams from Winfield, Sherwood Park and Golden are also participating in the tournament.

The highlight of the day will likely be the mid-afternoon skills competition, said Bearcats manager John Ward. 

“It’s modelled after the NHL’s,” he said, with contests determining the most accurate shot, the hardest shot and the fastest skater. There is one featured actvity unique to the event, a team tug-of-war that will see skaters pulling with all their might at centre ice.

After the Saturday round robin matchups, the finals take place on Sunday morning, beginning at eight a.m.

Even with all that Bantam action, there will still be ice time available for senior league action. The Jasper Wolves are back home after two weekends on the road for back-to-back games against the Drayton Valley Wildcats. The Wolves lost 8-5 against Hinton on the last weekend of November, before winning 6-2 in Onoway last Saturday night. The results leave the team’s record at five wins and five losses, respectable but still well back of the Wildcats, who lead the North Central league’s South Division by several games.

This weekend the Wolves are supporting Santas Anonymous and are asking fans to bring an unwrapped food item to the game. Anyone who brings something will receive a draw prize ticket.

“It’s going to be good hockey,” said Larry Labbe, the team’s marketing director. “It probably will determine how we’ll do for the rest of the season.”  The puck drops at eight pm on Saturday and again at 2:45 on Sunday afternoon.