Golden memories have been rekindled for a group of long-time teammates.
The Okotoks Bantam A Oilers reigned supreme for the second of two gold medal performances from hometown teams at the 8th Annual Okotoks Female Classic tournament on championship Sunday.
“The core is pretty much the same that we won with back in 2011 with some key additions,” said Bantam A head coach Barry Borbely. “A lot of the girls, as soon as they won the semifinal they went back to the 2011 when they won and went back to 2012 when they lost. We asked them to bring those things out and they did.
“This is everything for the girls. You don’t get in finals very often and it’s about making the memory. This is something they will remember for their lives.”
The Bantam Oilers didn’t leave much room for doubt in the gold-medal game scoring four goals in the third period alone to outlast the Lloydminster Blazers by an 8-3 count.
“What we term Oiler hockey – being the hardest working team on the ice and they did everything we expected them to do,” said Borbely. “They played with heart, 100 per cent effort, 100 per cent of the time.”
Lilli Kyle-Robinson and Kassidy Kingston led the offence with a pair of goals while Bryana Sharkey, Starlisse Weflen, Devyn Arnold and Talisha Meisel also found the back of the net.
Okotoks opened the tournament with a 2-0 shutout of Red Deer followed by a 3-2 shootout loss to Lloydminster. They earned a shot at redemption by edging West Prairie 3-2 in the semifinal setting the stage for the rematch with the Border City outfit.
“We wanted it. They had beat us and we came out hungry for the win,” said Oilers left wing Pacey Hansen. “We learned about how they played, knew what to look for.
“This is really important. It’s a big start for our season.”
Teammate Sharkey agreed after winning the tournament for the first time.
“We all wanted this, we all made it in this spot in the finals as a team,” Sharkey said. “It was something we could achieve as a team together.”
Achievement was flowing through all four local hockey rinks.
Earlier in the day at the Piper Arena, Okotoks White took home the Peewee B title in a decisive 4-0 blanking of St. Albert.
Okotoks White was 2-and-0 in the double-elimination format. The team opened the tournament in a 8-1 triumph over Edmonton and edged St. Albert for the first time by a 2-1 count.
Hometown teams were prolific in all eight divisions at the 44-team tournament.
The Okotoks Midget A Oilers came away with a silver medal on Sunday.
Okotoks fell 8-1 to a powerful Calgary squad. The team finished 2-1 in the group stage in putting up 14 goals in wins over Saskatoon and Onoway.
Their counterparts in the Bantam B division saw a similar fate.
Okotoks picked up wins over Strathmore and Calgary before bowing out 4-1 in the tournament final to Sylvan Lake.
The Midget B Oilers finished just out of the medal round with a record of 1-2, Okotoks Green went 0-3 in the Peewee A ranks and Okotoks Gold was 1-2 in Peewee B.
Elsewhere in Atom, Okotoks Green and White finished with records of 2-1 while Okotoks Gold was 1-2. In Novice, Okotoks Green was the top finisher among three local squads with a record of 2-1 with Gold and White coming in at 1-2.
For full results go to okotoksfemalehockey.com
