Jase Malaryk admits the results weren’t what he hoped for the Estevan Murray GM Raiders juvenile broomball team at the national championships in Estevan from March 28 to 31, but he was still pleased with the team’s play and he hopes it will be a beneficial experience.
The Raiders went 0-7 at the national tournament, which was held from March 28 to 31 at Affinity Place and the Civic Auditorium. They went 0-5 in the round-robin, and dropped both of their playoff games.
But Malaryk, who was the team’s manager, still carries a lot of positives from the competition.
“They’re trying,” said Malaryk. “There’s a little bit of an experience difference. The (Valley) Gamblers and some of these teams play together, and they’re set up for this tournament. We played as separate teams, and then we meshed two teams to come together.”
The Raiders had 11 players from Estevan and nine from Odessa. They had about one month to come together as a team.
Their first game was a 4-1 loss to Team Manitoba, which featured the best players from that province. Dwight Kress scored the Raiders lone goal in that game.
Up next was a 7-0 loss against the Valley Gamblers from Ontario. The Gamblers would go on to win nationals for the second consecutive year.
“It’s just unreal how smooth they are with the ball,” said Malaryk. “They just know where each other is, and they set it up so nicely. As a meshed team, it’s hard to set up lines to play against their lines.”
At times the Gamblers looked like professionals out there, Malaryk said.
The game against the Gamblers took place after the opening ceremonies, and it attracted a large crowd to Affinity Place.
Estevan dropped two games on March 29. The first was a 5-0 decision to Ontario’s Kilsyth Flyers and the other was a 2-1 game to Quebec’s Blitz. Malaryk said it was their best effort of the tournament.
Brady Rist had the Raiders goal against the Blitz.
“We played 100 per cent like a team,” said Malaryk. “We were attacking well. We were passing well. We weren’t letting them into our zone easily.”
The Raiders finished the round-robin with a 5-0 loss to another Quebec team, the Frost.
In the playoffs, the Raiders opened with a 5-1 loss to the Blitz in a consolation round semifinal. Ryan Schaffer scored their lone goal.
“The Blitz showed up and they were ready to play,” said Malaryk.
In the bronze medal game, they lost 4-0 to the Flyers.
Malaryk said they improved as the tournament went along, particularly with their passing and chemistry. They had a growing awareness of where they were supposed to be on the ice.
He hopes the tournament will provide a boost for the team and the sport locally. The Raiders watched the other teams play, and took note of how those teams play the game.
“I’m really hoping it grows the sport,” said Malaryk. “It’s not an expensive sport by any means. Registration (costs) are very low. Broomball equipment is very low for price. Compared to hockey and football, it’s a very low-priced sport.”
Despite the scores, the team’s goaltenders, Abraham “Nikki” Bogdan and Preston Fieber, played well, he said. Carter Tuchscherer and Kyler Phillips also had strong tournaments. Defenceman Alex Stevenson was named the team’s most valuable player.
“He just had a good heart, good hustle, and all-around had a really good week,” said Malaryk. “He didn’t cough up too many balls.”
