The West Central U13 AA Challenge took over the West Central Events Centre this past weekend. The host Wheat Kings joined nine other teams from Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The tournament couldn't have started much better for the Wheaties. Playing out of Pool A, West Central won the first game of the tournament 6-1 on Friday morning against the Regina Royals, and then Friday afternoon the Wheat Kings remained perfect with a 2-1 win against the Wainwright Polar Kings. That momentum carried them to a big 9-3 win against the Calgary Buffalo Hawks on Saturday morning, and then the Wheat Kings finished off pool play undefeated with a 5-4 win over the Northeast Wolfpack.
Pool B action was dominated by the Saskatoon Fury and Martensville Marauders. Saskatoon went undefeated on their way to first place, and Martensville would finish in second after losing to the Fury 6-3 in the tournament opener.
West Central matched up against Martensville in the semi-finalsThose results led into championship Sunday. The Wheat Kings took on Martensville as the first place team in Pool A, and all of the magic must have run out for the hometown Wheat Kings as they lost 5-2. It was an impressive tournament run, finishing with a goal-differential of +13 in pool play, but West Central was simply stifled by the Sunday competition.
The Saskatoon Fury would defeat Wainwright in the other semi-final, setting up a rematch from the Pool B opener in the tournament final. The Fury wouldn't be denied taking on the familiar faces from Martensville, winning the West Central U13 AA challenge by a score of 4-0.
Thu, May 2, 9:30 AM
