Lucas Habib | Special to the Fitzhugh
Three days, three towns, three games. The Jasper U11 Bears were in the thick of the Tier 3 playoffs after closing out the season with some wins to move into the top grouping. Minor sports: ruining family weekends and crushing kids’ sleep schedules for decades.
The epic trilogy began with a Friday night game at home. Coming off a last-minute win to stun the top-ranked Fox Creek Bulldogs last weekend in the opening game of the playoffs, the Bears were riding high as they welcomed the CR Knights to the Jasper Arena. There was a bit of a glitch to start the game as there were no refs, which was totally not team manager Patrick Harvey’s fault. Arlo Kennedy also wasn’t very welcoming, as he dealt the opening blow with a goal just 12 seconds in off the opening faceoff. Power forward Elliot Vassallo also dealt out some pain with his tough presence.
The Bears were in a feisty mood on this night, piling up goal after goal. A real standout was defender Zoti Korogonas, who scored twice—first on the near-mythical-at-this-age shot from the point and later with a silky zone entry from centre ice, deking around multiple defenders and outwaiting the goalie to pocket the puck. Forward Ruby Olson, possibly the team’s most-improved player this year, was always working hard to dig the puck out of the corners. A scrappy finish to the game couldn’t change the outcome; the Bears destroyed the Knights with a final score of 12-1.
Saturday morning, the Bears gathered at the Activity Centre to hop on the coach for their first-ever team bus trip—thanks to Earls for financing the trip and to Driver Bob. After five-plus hours, the team pulled into Camrose as one player exclaimed, “We’re here already?” to the laughter of many parents. The Bears took to the ice for warm up to the sweet sounds of “Thunderstruck”; this reporter has easily heard more AC/DC this winter than at any time since he was 13. The tunes seemed to have more effect on the Camrose Vikings; they looked energized to start the game, while the Bears were skating like they had just come on the ice full of Timbits. Which they were.
The game had a tight start; there were a few chances at either end but none were Grade A. A bad call put stalwart shot-blocking defender Jesse Groth in the box, but even without his defensive acumen, the Bears were able to kill off the penalty. The Vikings began a siege of the net late in the first, but defenders Kellan Smallshaw and Clark White kept pucks from getting on target. Underage player Kenny Olson had subbed in for a missing player for this game and his speed quickly made its impact felt. A quick equipment timeout was called when a goalie’s pants were falling down and required adjustment. The first period ended scoreless, a very rare outcome at this level but a testament to how all of these kids have really improved their games and team dynamics over the course of the season.
The Vikings finally pillaged the net early in the second. But then Jack Currie, the heart of the team, picked up an errant Camrose pass and carried it over the blue line to go in alone and pick top shelf. For such a polite, mild-mannered guy, he has the gritty work ethic of a pizza chef at Famoso. Antony Gagné, import from the home of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, put the Bears in front just a minute later on a similar play to take the wind out of the Viking ship’s sails.
This game also featured a penalty shot after a player covered the puck with his hand in the crease. Goaltender Carter Schmidt stared down the Viking shooter and won the battle. Later, Kennedy and Ash Habib terrified the Camrose goalie as they bore down on a 2-on-0 with Kennedy finding the back of the net.
The Bears came out for the third hungry to retain the only undefeated record in the league playoffs. Or maybe the Timbits had just been worked off by this point. Either way, they showed no fear; Arie Hofhuis blocked a shot at the blue line to clear the puck and help the Bears hold on for a gutsy 5-3 win. Just like an NHL team, they chowed down on pizza on the team bus en route to Athabasca and closed out the hotel pool as effectively as they had closed out the game.
As the sun rose on the boreal forest, the Bears staggered off the bus and into the Athabasca Regional Multiplex to face the Athabasca Hawks. These two comparable teams were fighting for the top seed heading into the final round of the playoffs and matched each other shot for shot through the first half of the game. The Bears had a bit more pep in their step and had a great chance midway through the second, with Matteo Artiaga nearly scoring off a scramble in close. Having playmaker and birthday boy Kalahari Harvey back in the lineup for this game was huge as Habib was forced to sit this one out. The Hawks finally broke the deadlock with a couple of beautiful breakaway goals, leaving no chance for Schmidt.
Late in the third, Gagné breathed life into the Bears’ hopes with a slapshot goal—always a notable feat in this age group—and possibly the nicest slapshot of the season according to one parent in the crowd. The Bears pulled Schmidt for the extra attacker and coaches Reg Currie, Rob Olson, Trevor Groth, Paco Artiaga, and Dave Hofhuis called a timeout to develop a plan. But it was to no avail as despite the relentless pressure, the Hawks held on to best the Bears 3-1; no matter, the Bears finished near the top of the table to qualify for the next round.As the bus pulled out of the parking lot for the long drive back to Jasper, the team started chanting “West Ed! West Ed!” to which one unnamed coach replied, “Well, if you woulda won that last game, we’d be going!” Everyone laughed to kick off the long drive back to Jasper to prep for next weekend’s Final Four to determine the U11 Tier 3 season champions.
