51°µÍø

Here’s how community hockey works in Jasper. Kids sign up on a team in their age group and they play. This includes kids who have been playing for years, who have never played before, the naturally talented, those who prefer the locker room to the ice, and the kids with two left feet and stone hands. The community affords everyone the privilege of learning and playing with the guidance of passionate, volunteer coaches and managers. In return, the community asks for honest participation by parents and kids that affords players at every skill level the chance to learn the game.

Last weekend the Jasper PeeWee Bears kicked off their competitive season with a warm-up tournament in Hinton. They played four games over three days and had a chance to explore their new roles and get into game shape. The first game on Friday night against Hinton was an eye-opener. Hinton is an offensive minded team with an aggressive forecheck that quickly overwhelmed Jasper’s anemic breakout. Twenty minutes in it was 4–0 for the Hinton Havoc and they never looked back.

Jasper had a better second period, including a power play marker off the stick of Sebastian Golla, but Hinton scored twice to extend their lead. In the third, Jasper mounted a comeback of sorts. Goals by Dylan Dekker, Ty Crozier and Golla drew Jasper back to within four goals late in the third, but then the wheels came off for Jasper, and a late Havoc flurry gave Hinton the 11-5 victory. Jasper’s player of the game was goaltender Donovan Fawcett who faced about a million shots.

On Saturday, Jasper took on the Beaumont Braves and a better effort led to a better result. The lessons from Friday night led to better puck movement and resulted in a 2-1 Jasper lead after the first, a 6-4 lead after two and an 8-5 victory when the final buzzer sounded.

Dekker, Baden Koss and Liam Crozier each bent the twine twice, while Apollo Hardman and Golla each netted singletons to round out the scoring, but it was effort by the line of Janelle Tank, Nash Hilworth and Henri LeClerc that made the difference.

Bright and early Sunday morning Jasper played a hum-dinger of a game against the Spruce Grove Wolves that ended in a 2-2 tie and went to a shootout.

Before the game, Coach Eric Bouchard felt that Jasper would be in tough with the Wolves. But a strong defensive performance by Jasper’s blueliners led by Jacob Bartziokas and Michael Hayashi kept Jasper in it. Golla provided Jasper’s scoring punch with two goals, including a last-minute thriller. And even though Spruce Grove prevailed in the shootout, Jasper’s effort was strong enough to land them in the bronze medal final later Sunday morning.

After two periods against the wheeling Strathcona Warriors, the game was knotted at two thanks to markers by Hardman and Tanner Carlton and a stand-on-your-head performance between the pipes by Fawcett. But facing their sixth period of play in five hours, against a fresh Warriors team, Jasper would need to dig deep for the fitness and effort to prevail. And in the end, they could not dig deep enough, losing 5-2 despite having a number of power-play opportunities. A disappointing outcome to be sure, but a powerful learning opportunity.

What was learned brings me back to the very nature of community hockey in Jasper. Every kid gets to play on the top team at every age group. Coaches will teach you the game if you are willing to learn. Success comes at the cost of effort. And success, not necessarily measured in wins and losses, will grow these kids and strengthen our community. The most important steps will be taken this week during practice. The PeeWee Bears are on the road next weekend, playing in Fox Creek, but there will be lots of hockey in Jasper. 

Hope to see you in the stands. 

John Wilmshurst Special to the 51°µÍø