The McCreary Mountaineers kicked off their Westman High School Hockey League season with a couple of games over the weekend.
On Friday, Shayne Shura Froese and Drake Pahl scored in a 5-2 loss against Glenboro. Pahl's goal in the third had the game tied at two, but the Wildcats scored three straight to win.
Playing in McCreary again yesterday, the team welcomed Virden to town and the game was a high scoring affair. The Golden Bears ended up winning 8-5. Devon Benson led things with two goals while Nelson Lepla had one goal and three assists. Drake Pahl also scored a goal.
"I thought we saw a lot of positives in our first two games," said Doug Timlick, coach. "I'm looking forward to the year. We have some new players and we're excited about our season."
"A big thing for us is conditioning. We're a little late starting with our ice coming in late compared to other rinks, so we have to continue to work on that," he continued. "I think defensively we have to work on tightening up in our own end, all things that come with practice."
The Mountaineers are now in their third year in the league. Last year was their best. They won nine games in the regular season and they advanced to the consolation side semifinals. In their first league in the league, McCreary won just three games.
"We lost five key players after last year, but that happens with every high school program," continued Timlick. "We have a young team, only two grade 12's are on our roster. We're moving forward and our goal is to surpass what we did last year. We're looking good with our young group."
Swan Valley is right back at it this Wednesday. They continue and conclude their three-game homestand to begin the season against the Swan Valley Tigers. The Tigers are 2-1 this far and they've scored 24 goals in their first three games.
The game is also in Ste. Rose, the first time McCreary has played their this season after starting in their hometown.
"We know that Swan Valley is tough, they are high powered and they can put up a lot of points," continued Timlick. "We have to take care of our own end and we need to capitalize when we get our chances offensively."
"I know the people of Ste. Rose are really excited to watch the game, it should be a fun one," concluded Timlick.
After Wednesday's game, McCreary plays in Melita on November 17 and Hamiota on November 24. They return home on November 25 for a game against Roblin in Ste. Rose at 7:00 p.m.
