By Darren Steinke /
The Medicine Hat Boston Pizza Hounds peewee AA team is having a season
to remember.
The squad of developing youngsters opened the regular season running up a total of 13 straight wins. The start helped vault the Hounds to first place in the South Division of the South Central Alberta Hockey League (SCAHL) at 15-1-2.
Hounds head coach Jason Bartram believes the fact his team had to play a lot of games early helped the squad to bond.
“I think, in the first month (of the season), we were forced to play 13 games,” said Bartram. “We rode the bus together right off the bat, so we created a good community.
“We jumped out to 13 straight wins before we ended up getting a tie. It (the busy schedule) is going to hurt you, or it is going to help you. This year, I think in our guys’ season, it helped us.”
In goal, the Hounds split the duties between Cody Schlosser and Justin Dubeau. Offensively, the scoring comes from a lot of different sources. Preston Kopeck, Blake Penner, and Torrin White have 53, 41 and 40 points respectively.
Others who regularly find their way on the score sheet include Keegan Bartram, Eric Meyer, Spencer Weselosky and Brandon Stahl.
“Our team is gifted offensively,” said Bartram, whose team has scored 126 goals in 18 games. “I think we are three lines deep with offence.
“We play a physical game and generate a lot of offence. I think that is our strong point.”
Besides what happens on ice, the Hounds staff likes to find other ways to make playing memorable. One of those experiences was a chance to have a practice session with the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers in late November. Tigers associate coach Shaun Clouston, whose son, Connor, plays for the Hounds, organized that practice.
“When Shaun (Clouston) set that up for us, the kids found it exciting,” said Bartram. “Hockey is supposed to be fun. It is something that they are going to remember and take with them for the rest of their little hockey careers.
“I am a Brandon kid. If I got to skate with the Wheat Kings when I was little, with guys like Ray Allison, Brian Propp and Bill Derlago, I would have remembered it.”
NOTE – The Boston Pizza Hounds toughest rivals this season appears to be the Hat’s other peewee AA team the Sports Connection Hounds. The Sports Connection Hounds sits second in the South Division of the SCAHL with a 10-3-5 record after 18 games. |
