Bring on the best in the South.
The Okotoks Bantam AA Oilers head into the South Central Alberta Hockey League South Division playoff this week as hosts peaking at the right time riding a strong finish to the top seed in the loop.
“For the last three weeks we’ve been talking about playoff hockey now for the past four to six games,” said Okotoks head coach Mike Glawson. “It’s great what we achieved in the regular season, that was our goal to finish first in the South and first overall.
“Now that we’ve done that we have to go in with the mentality of it has got to be a complete 60-minute effort every game because the littlest hiccup can cause major implications.”
The condensed playoff format sees all seven teams in the division play in a round-robin tournament. The squads with the top four records advance to semifinals with finalists determined from there. The winner goes on to meet the North Division’s champion in a league final to determine the provincial berth.
“This was introduced last year so most of the kids are pretty familiar with it,” Glawson said of the format. “That’s what we’ve been hammering home to our kids is that it’s great what we achieved in the regular season, but now it’s back to zero. Anybody can win it.”
The Oilers finished tied for first in the South with the Taber Golden Suns at 48 points. Okotoks owning the edge in head-to-head play gives the hosts the top-seed in the tournament and in the league as a whole.
Okotoks sewed up top-spot in a 6-4 triumph over the Lethbridge Hurricanes in its regular season finale on March 4.
Leading-scorer Kai Uchacz registered a hat-trick with Kaden Uchacz, Nathan Sager and Connor Poffenroth all adding singles in the crucial victory.
“That determined if we finished first or third, it was a big game for us,” the coach added. “Our kids are going into the weekend on a high. They’re looking at the big picture and know we can’t take teams like Foothills or Medicine Hat lightly.
“It has to be a big effort from everybody and everybody has to be focused and ready to go.”
The tournament is held at Okotoks’ Murray Arena and Pason Centennial Arena from March 9-12.
The Oilers open the competition against the seventh-seed Foothills Bisons on March 9 at 4:30 p.m. at the Murray.
They will also play the Medicine Hat Hounds, Wheatland Warriors and Cranbrook Hornets in round-robin action. Both semifinals go at 10 a.m. on March 12 at both rinks while the playoff final is slated for a 4:15 p.m. puck-drop at Pason Centennial Arena.
For more information go to scahl.com/bantam
