What’s been months in the making is finally a reality.
The Okotoks Oilers Black have worked all season to prepare for an eventuality, the honour, privilege and considerable challenge of hosting the Hockey Alberta Midget AA Provincial Championship from March 30 to April 2 at Pason Centennial Arena.
“There is a lot of buzz around the room, everyone is really excited,” said Oilers Black alternate captain Ryan Partaker, one of several graduating players on the roster. “It has been a long time coming since we figured out just before the halfway point of the regular season.
“It’s a last hurrah. We’ve been a pretty tight knit group since Bantam so this is one last shot to get it done with all the boys.”
Wanting to qualify through the front-door, the Oilers just missed out on a berth in the South Central Alberta Hockey League (SCAHL) championship in a one-game overtime loss to Airdrie in the division final earlier in the month.
“We had a good playoff run where we went 5 and 1,” said head coach Kevin Kobelka.
“The team played as well as we have all year. We’re cautiously optimistic and looking forward to a great weekend.”
Okotoks was at the top of the North Conference for most of the regular season before being hit by the injury bug during the late stages of the campaign, ultimately earning the number-two slot.
Balance and depth at all positions characterize the squad.
Six skaters — Partaker, Jackson Kobelka, Nathan Bailer, Devyn Stewart, Jack McArdle and defenceman Kale Hawryluk – surpassed the 20-point plateau.
At the other end of the ice, the goaltending duo of Braeden Mitchell and Dylan Jensen — winners of nine and 10 games, respectively — helped Okotoks to the fourth-best goals against numbers in the league.
“Having a deeper team and being able to roll four lines really helps,” Partaker said. “Staying in games, working hard, chipping pucks deep, we’ve just got to play our game and I think we will be fine.”
The hosts won’t get any gimmes on the schedule.
Strathmore’s Wheatland Chiefs are fresh off winning their third consecutive SCAHL championship at the expense of Airdrie in a two-game sweep earlier in the month. Wheatland lost just twice in the regular season, boast the best goals for and goals against numbers in the loop and feature three of the league’s top five scorers in Isaac Benoit, Chayse Hnatowich and Riley Romashenko.
A fixture at the Alberta championships for three years running, the Chiefs program is looking for its first provincial banner.
“They’re a very deep, fast team,” Partaker said. “They can score a lot of goals.”
The CBHA Rangers were the top finishers in the Hockey Calgary Midget AA ranks with a 22-5-2 mark in the regular season.
The Rangers are led by a familiar face in Booker Chacalias, top scorer and point producer in the league. The dynamic forward was a member of the Okotoks Bantam AA Oilers championship team in 2013 – alongside several skaters on Okotoks Black.
The northern contingent features a pair of teams who finished second in their respective divisions in the Northern Alberta Hockey League yet came away with both berths to provincials. The St. Albert Crusaders edged SSAC in three games to advance to the league final while the Strathcona Warriors repeated the feat at the expense of Grande Prairie. The NAHL league finals take place after the provincial tournament.
“Each team has won its way in and had very successful seasons,” Kobelka added. “From my knowledge I would say probably Wheatland and the Calgary Rangers are the favourites going into the event from their league standing and the firepower that both teams have.”
Okotoks brings its healthiest line-up of the season to the ice this week. Defenceman Carter Baht is the only player injured entering the competition with AP Daniel Lindeman from the Rockyview Raiders expected to fill in on the back-end.
The Midget AA Provincial Championship opens on March 30 when the Rangers and Chiefs do battle at 10 a.m. The host Oilers kick things off with an afternoon tilt versus the Rangers at 4:15 p.m.
The championship concludes on April 2 with the bronze medal tilt at 9 a.m. followed by the gold medal match at noon.
For more information on the tournament go to midgetaa.haprovincials.ca
Tournament updates will also be posted on Facebook, Twitter at @atbmidgetaa
Oilers Black Schedule
March 30, 4:15 p.m. Oilers vs. CBHA RangersMarch 31, 12:45 p.m. Oilers vs. Strathcona Warriors.March 31, 7 p.m. Oilers vs. Wheatland Chiefs.April 1, 12:45 p.m. Oilers vs. St. Albert Crusaders.April 2, 9 a.m. Bronze medal game.April 2, 12 p.m. Gold medal game.
