The Estevan bantam B Knights of Columbus Knights captured the A-side championship at their home tournament on the weekend, while the Estevan midget B Tower Wolves claimed the B-side title in theirs.
Knights coach Scott Dryden said their 7-5 win over the Swift Current Broncos in the bantam championship game at the Civic Auditorium on Sunday started off a little slow and they were down a couple of goals by the end of the first half of the game. He said three quick strikes by the Knights in the middle of the second period then shifted the momentum their way.
Estevan’s Jean-Luc Dupuis, Bradey Blondeau, Logan Erhmantraut and Ethan Bill recorded singles in the game, while Jared Fornwald notched the hat trick.
“Winning the one-on-one battles is pretty much what did it for us this weekend,” said Dryden, whose team boasts a 3-1-2 record in the Moose Mountain Hockey League this season. “It’s a great group of kids. I’m proud of them. Right from the start of the tournament it’s (been) the same philosophy. Just work hard, win the one-on-one battles and be successful and play our game."
The Tower Wolves won the B-side final 7-4 over the Assiniboia Stingers earlier on Sunday at the Civic Auditorium, with the Moosomin Rangers scoring the A-side victory with a win over the Estevan Bruins at the Bienfait Memorial Arena. The Wolves’ Dawson Nobiss, Jarrett Daoust, Kyle Hertes, Preston Audet and Garret Ross scored one goal apiece in their championship win and Garrett Mehler picked up two.
“It’s a good confidence builder for the boys that we have grit and determination and skill,” said Tower Wolves coach Daniel Ross, whose team is 2-5-1 in Moose Mountain Hockey League action so far this year. “They’re great players and we can win games and we can win tournaments and when push comes to shove we can come out on top.”
Teams from Fort Knox, Moose Jaw, Moosomin and Swift Current traveled to Estevan to face off against the home town Bears, Knights and Flames in the bantam tournament, with the Flames taking the B-side championship with a victory over Fort Knox. Joining the Tower Wolves and Bruins in the midget tournament were squads from Moosomin, Saskatoon, Regina, Assiniboia and Lampman.
“We had a great weekend,” said Estevan Minor Hockey Association (EMHA) bantam and midget director Stephen Truman. “Everybody went home happy and we had a lot of success with the Estevan teams. They were in all the A and B finals, so I’m really happy with that.”
