Team Alberta announces assistant and video coaches for 2017 U16 and U18 programs

RED DEER - Hockey Alberta is proud to announce the assistant and video coaches of Team Alberta for the 2017 U16 Male and U18 Female programs.

Team Alberta U16 Male

Brandin Cote (Assistant Coach), Marian Gmitter (Assistant Coach), Alex Mandolidis (Video Coach), and Derek Purfield (Goalie Coach) will join Head Coach Spiros Anastas on Team Alberta U16 Male.

Cote just wrapped up his first season coaching in the WHL, serving the 2016-17 campaign as an Assistant Coach with the Prince Albert Raiders. He’s been involved with Hockey Alberta in numerous capacities, and has coached in two Alberta Cups.

Gmitter is currently the Head Coach of the Calgary Midget AAA Royals. This year will mark Gmitter’s third time coaching in the Alberta Cup program, as he’s set to serve as the Head Coach of Team Central at the 2017 Alberta Cup.

Mandolidis is the Head Coach of the Calgary Midget AAA Northstars. Like Gmitter, this is Mandolidis’s third time coaching in the Alberta Cup program, this year as the Head Coach of Calgary South.

Purfield currently works for World Pro Goaltending, and also served as the Goalie Coach for the Okotoks Oilers (AJHL) and University of Lethbridge Pronghorns (CIS) in 2016-17. This will be Purfields third straight year with Team Alberta U16 Male, having previously served as the Goalie Coach for the 2015 and 2016 gold medal-winning teams.

Along with the coaching staff, Curtis Arsenault (Athletic Therapist), Dave Campbell (Equipment Manager), and Jamie Porter (Head Scout), round out the Team Alberta U16 Male staff.

Arsenault, from Lethbridge, is the Athletic Therapist for the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, and has previous experience in the Team Alberta program at the Alberta Cup.

Campbell just wrapped up his season as the Trainer for the Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL), and has served as a Mentor Trainer for Team Alberta in various camps and programs over the past five years.

Porter is the Director of Hockey Operations for the Swift Current Broncos (WHL), and was the Head Scout for the 2015 and 2016 gold medal-winning Team Alberta U16 teams.

Team Alberta U18 Female

Joining Head Coach Craig Perrett on Team Alberta U18 Female will be Cassea Schols (Assistant Coach), Bob Rutz (Assistant Coach), Sarah Hilworth (Video Coach), and Amanda Tapp (Goalie Coach).

Schols is currently the Female Prep Head Coach at the Northern Alberta Xtreme Hockey Academy, and was also an assistant coach with last year’s Team Alberta U18 team.

Rutz is the Head Coach of the Midget AAA Female Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs of the Alberta Female Hockey League. Rutz has previously served as a Head Coach and Mentor in various Team Alberta camps and programs.

Hilworth has been the Head Coach of the Olds College Broncos since 2015. She’s been involved in both the U16 and U18 female programs over the past four years.

Tapp is the Director of Female Development and the Lead Instructor at Top Prospect Goaltending. Tapp is a long-serving member of the Team Alberta U18 coaching staff, having served as the Goalie Coach for the past six years.

Mercedes Eustergerling (Trainer), Brodie St. Jacques (Equipment Manager), Heather Osgood (Strength & Conditioning Coach), and Doug MacLeod (Head Scout) have also been named to the Team Alberta U18 Female staff.

Eustergerling is the Owner and Physiotherapist at Vida Health & Wellness, and has been a Mentor Trainer for various Team Alberta camps and programs over the past three years.

St. Jacques currently serves as the Trainer for the Maple Leaf Athletic Club’s Bantam AAA team. St. Jacques is set to serve as the Trainer for Team North Grey at the 2017 Alberta Challenge.

Osgood is the Fitness Director at Vimy Ridge Academy, and has been a involved with Team Alberta for the past eight years.

MacLeod, a Regional Scout for Hockey Canada’s Women’s Program, is entering his second year with Team Alberta U18 Female, and has previous coaching experience with Team Alberta as well.

About Team Alberta

The U16 Male Program is the third stage of the development and identification process to select a roster for Team Alberta to compete at either the U16 Western Challenge or the Canada Winter Games. The Games are held every four years, with the next event set for 2019 in Red Deer. Players in the U16 Male program will be challenging for the opportunity to compete on one of the three teams that represent Canada each year at the World U17 Hockey Challenge.

The High Performance U18 program works towards identifying the top 20 female players in Alberta, who will comprise Team Alberta U18 representing the province at the National Women’s Under 18 Championship or the Canada Winter Games. Making this team is the pinnacle of female amateur hockey in Alberta, and a major lifetime highlight for the players.

RED DEER - Alberta is well-represented on the National stage this week, as the St. Albert Slash and Leduc Chrysler Oil Kings compete in the Esso Cup and Telus Cup, respectively.

The St. Albert Slash (Midget Female AAA) of the Alberta Female Hockey League are representing the Pacific region at the tournament, and are already off to a hot start. The Slash opened the Esso Cup Sunday afternoon in Morden, MB with a 6-0 win over Mid-Isle Wildcats, who are representing the Atlantic.

Schedule > | Stats > | Standings >

The Leduc Chrysler Oil Kings kick off their quest for the Telus Cup tonight against the host Cariboo Cougars in Prince George, BC. The Oil Kings earned the right to represent the Pacific region after winning the Midget AAA Provincial Championship. With their opponent in the Pacific Regional Championships being the Cariboo Cougars, the Oil Kings automatically advanced to the Telus Cup.

Schedule > | Stats > | Standings >

The Leduc Chrysler Oil Kings are about to begin their quest for the Telus Cup. But, the road to Prince George was anything but easy for the Midget AAA team. The Oil Kings finished third in the Alberta AAA Midget Hockey League season with a 14-15-5 record. From there, the team went on an impressive run through the AMHL Playoffs, claiming the Midget AAA Provincial Championship. They now find themselves ready to compete for a national title.

Ahead of the Telus Cup, Oil Kings Assistant Coaches Darin Wood and Colby McClachlan penned the following letter about their team of destiny:

The Leduc Chrysler Oil Kings aren’t your typical Cinderella story.

Expectations were high coming out of the gates with new coaching staff, four returning players, and a very well-rounded batch of incoming players.

With a tough schedule to begin the season, they got off to a mediocre start, playing to a 4-6-0 record in the first month. Goals were hard to come by, and under new systems and philosophies, there was a sharp learning curve to adjust to. Adding to the adversity, Carson Lux (one of four returning players, and team Captain at the time) got the call to take the step up to Drayton Valley in the AJHL.

November was more of the same, with offensive woes being the story, and the team’s record fell to 6-10-1. But the month was not without its ups, with Dillon Hamaliuk returning to the team after a late roster move by Seattle in the Western Hockey League. With the Macs Midget AAA tournament in Calgary looming, and with a goal that was set early in the year to play in the Macs, December was a turning point in the season. The Oil Kings started finding their stride.

Improving to a 3-1-2 record for the month (9-11-3 for the season), and boosting their offensive efforts, they solidified their place in the Macs.

With the Macs Tournament being a goal early on, the Oil Kings knew the competition was stiff and they had to raise their level of play. Great leadership and the close-knit nature of the club helped guide them to a 2-1-1 record in the tournament, narrowly missing the playoff rounds. But, a disappointing result for a very well-played tournament didn’t hinder the resilient group heading into the home stretch of the season, and with a newfound belief in the ability of the team and its potential, the Oil Kings finished the season 5-4-2 (14-15-5 overall), good enough for third place in the North Division.

The preliminary round of the playoffs was a hard-fought battle with the MLAC Beverly Optimists, where both games ended with a one goal differential, one of which was in overtime. A well-balanced attack, and a solid penalty kill was the story in the series, with 11 different players finding the score sheet, and going a perfect 9-for-9 shorthanded. Breydon Berthold led the way with two goals, including the series-winner.

The early series sweep added a lot of confidence to the group as they moved into the second round against the St. Albert Tire Warehouse Raiders. A typical second-seed vs. third-seed battle, the series took all five games to decide, with four one-goal games, two of which went into extra frames.

Exceptional resiliency (all three wins were come-from-behind) and penalty killing was once again the story for the series, allowing only one goal on 17 attempts, and adding a shorthanded marker. This set the stage for the North Division final against the top-seeded Sherwood Park Kings. A hard fought series from the start, which ended in two of three games requiring extra time, saw Easton Hesse assert himself as the leading playoff goaltender, stopping 113 shots in the three-game series, including a 49-save effort in the double-overtime game two. Once again the penalty kill group went a perfect 11-for-11 in the series, en route to a three-game sweep.

Heading into the provincial finals against the CFR Chemicals Bisons, it was clear that this team started seeing themselves as a force to be reckoned with, and with two key injuries on the blueline, they were put to the test. With a game one victory thanks to another 24 save performance by Hesse, and a perfect 4-for-4 penalty kill night, the series came home to Leduc with the Oil Kings up one game to none. Three lead changes, eight different goal-scorers, and another 3-for-3 penalty killing performance later, the Oil Kings found themselves in their sixth overtime game of the playoffs. Tyler Smithies buried his fifth goal of the playoffs, and Brendan Morrow went 100% in the faceoff dot to give LJAC a commanding 2-0 series lead.

Game three was nothing short of spectacular, as both teams exchanged prime scoring chances, and exceptional goaltending. The game went into overtime for the second time in a row, and seventh time in the playoffs for the Oil Kings. A phenomenal slap pass/deflection goal kept the Bisons alive, and for the first time, the Oil Kings had a chance to lock up a series at home. LJAC made history March 26, as they clinched game 4 in front of family and friends.

Their heart, evident by a 5-2 record in overtime, an earth-shattering seven wins coming from behind, and 98% penalty kill effort was the difference in the post season, which saw them go 11-3 overall. Even with their backs up against the wall, they stayed positive, focused, and poised. They played for each other, were accountable to each other, and never gave up on anyone wearing the crest. Other teams may have walked into the dressing room going into overtime exhausted, and sore, and used that as an excuse to shed 1% of their effort, but not this group. Some may have used a heartbreaking overtime loss as an excuse to point a finger in blame, or try and change the game plan. But not this group. Stats aside, it took 23 players to win the league. 23 unwavering efforts. 23 hearts and 23 souls. Some call it a “Cinderella Story”. The LJAC Oil Kings call it hockey.

Hockey Alberta is proud to unveil a new section at hockeyalberta.ca. Home Ice Feature stories will focus on interesting stories about the individuals and groups who make a difference within the hockey community in Alberta. If you have a suggestion for a Home Ice Feature story, email [email protected].

ARBORG, MB - The Keystone Cup is on its way back to Alberta, as the Wainwright Bisons defeated the Beaver Valley Nitehawks in overtime to claim the Western Canadian Junior B crown.

Wainwright went undfeated in round-robin play (3-0-2) to punch their ticket to the finals. The Bisons led 3-1 heading into the third period, but the Nitehawks forced overtime with two quick goals to open the final frame. With time ticking down in the first overtime period, Bryce Woodward scored the overtime winner, sealing the championship for the Bisons.

The Keystone Cup win is the first ever for Wainwright, following its first ever Provincial Championship win just two weeks prior. The Bisons are the first Alberta team to win the Keystone Cup since the Blackfalds Wranglers in 2011, and the tenth Alberta team in the tournament’s 35-year history.

As Canada’s National Men’s Under-18 Team begins to assemble, three former Team Alberta players are among the first six players to join the team roster.

Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Ian Mitchell, and Ian Scott will head to Etobicoke, Ontario, for two pre-competition games in preparation of the 2017 IIHF U18 World Championship, which runs April 13-23 in Poprad and Spisska Nova Ves, Slovakia.

Another Team Alberta alumnus, Ty Smith, is one of the six under-aged players invited to take part in order to gain more international experience.

All four players were a part of the Team Alberta squad that won silver at the 2015 Canada Winter Games. Smith, who played in the Canada Winter Games as an under-age player, also won gold with Team Alberta at the 2015 Western Canada U16 Challenge Cup.

Hockey Alberta is proud to unveil a new section at hockeyalberta.ca. Home Ice Feature stories will focus on interesting stories about the individuals and groups who make a difference within the hockey community in Alberta. If you have a suggestion for a Home Ice Feature story, email [email protected].