Braves respond after mini-slump

Times Editor

 

After going through a stretch of collecting one out of a possible six points, the Wheatland Braves have their game back on track.

The local double-A peewee team has racked up three wins in a row, outscoring their opposition 19-6 in the process. 

In a pair of home games this past weekend in Hussar and Strathmore respectively, the Braves defeated the Red Deer Parkland 5-2 on Dec. 2 and Lethbridge 3-1 on Dec. 4.

“I think that it was a bit of an expected thing,” said Braves head coach Keith Klemmensen of the losing skid. “We had a real lopsided win in Cranbrook and human nature being what it is, sometimes we forget that not every win will be 18-2 with that much effort. It was a good reality check.

“There’s still some discipline and consistency issues, but once we get those issues ironed out, the team will find itself rounding into one of the better teams in the league.”

Despite the mini-slump, the Braves are still boasting an impressive 11-2-3 record.

According to Klemmensen, it’s easy to recognize when the team is playing well.

“To me, when we’re playing well – there are a number of things we’ve preached this year, but I think the key component would be the width of our attack through the neutral zone,” said the coach. “When we’re staying wide, going through the neutral zone with speed, that’s a key component (in our success).

“When we’re playing well we recognize when we should dump and chase and we recognized when we should continue the rush.”

The Braves are now gearing up for a huge game this weekend when they face the 15-1-1 Bow Valley Timberwolves on Dec. 11 (1:30 p.m.) in Cochrane.

“That is going to be a big test,” said Klemmensen. “I’m optimistic that the boys will show up there and give the same effort that they did the last time we played those guys (to a 4-4 draw on Nov. 25).”

Warriors bounce back

After suffering their second loss of the season on Nov. 20, the Wheatland Warriors bounced back with five out of possible six points.

The local double-A bantam team defeated Taber 8-0, tied Airdrie 4-4 and beat the Red Deer Ramada 5-1, improving their record to 13-2-3 on the season.

The team is slated to travel to Cochrane on Dec. 10 (4:15 p.m.) to take on Bow Valley before hosting the Airdrie Lightning the following day (4:15 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre.

Chiefs on fire

The Wheatland Chiefs extended their winning streak to six games after sweeping both contests this past weekend.

The double-A midget team defeated the Cranbrook Ice on the road 3-2 on Dec. 3, before posting a 4-0 win on home ice the following night against the Lacombe Raiders.

The league-leading Chiefs, who improved to 13-3-0 on the season, will host the Calgary CRAA Gold on Dec. 9 (7:30 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre before traveling to Sylvan Lake on Dec. 11 to take on the Lakers.