By Craig Ellingson /
With a new rink opened in early December and a recently awarded provincial tournament, there’s plenty to enjoy on the atom hockey side of things this season in High Prairie.
Players have hit the ice at the new Gordon Buchanan Centre, and on Dec. 11, the town of 3,000 learned it will play host to the atom A provincials, scheduled March 7-9.
Having the extra ice surface is a boon for coach Vernon Walker and his atom A True Value Thrashers, who’ve been lacing them up since mid-October. Games in the All Peace Minor Hockey League’s five atom divisions started the second week of November.
“It sure helps to get on full ice after having half-ice practices,” said Walker, a former player with the Jr. A Olds Grizzlys and High Prairie senior team who’s in his seventh year coaching minor hockey in the community.
The Buchanan facility was built next door to the existing High Prairie Sports Palace Arena.
The new rink’s opening helps alleviate an ice-time crunch in the area that saw bantam and midget players sometimes forced to practice in the morning before school.
Competition has been close so far this season in the Tier 1 Gold Division High Prairie shares with Grande Prairie, Peace River, Spirit River, Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Fairview.
And while the True Value Thrashers have yet to notch one in the win column, Walker says his team of 16 nine- and 10-year-olds are sure to improve as the year goes on.
“We’re close, but we’re not there yet,” said the father of three who works for the town and farms in the area. “We haven’t been blown out by any means.
“It’s been very positive.”
He’s proud to point out seven of his “very competitive bunch” – almost half – are going out of their way to help improve their game outside team time.
“They’re really dedicated kids — several of them are involved in the figure-skating program, taking a power skating program that is offered.” |
