First medal for Holy Cross

Times Reporter   

 

Holy Cross Collegiate (HCC) sent a mixed curling team to South Central Zones from Feb. 14-15 in Drumheller, and for the first time in the school’s history, earned a bronze medal in the sport.

HCC won against Cochrane, but lost to Hanna and Morrin in round robin play. In the semi-finals against Hanna once more, HCC dropped 9-6, but earned bronze in the process.

“I’m very pleased with the kids. They were very excited to go,” HCC coach May Budzey said. “Considering the amount of time that we had to practice, we were really pleased with how we did. Their first games were a lot stronger than their semi-final game; part of that might be a little bit of tiredness.”

The team, consisting of Shaylene Magwood, Josh Hauk, Chelsey Hanna, and Ben Budzey, had only played one game together – an exhibition 6-3 win over Strathmore High School. Though they practiced a few times in Strathmore, they never had the chance to in Drumheller.

“I think the only thing we could have improved on as a team is practicing a bit more, getting used to the ice a bit. The ice was very different from Strathmore,” said skip Ben Budzey.

A mixed Holy Cross team went to zones last year and did not place; though HCC did not move onto provincials, they were still content with their finish.

“I thought I curled pretty well. There were shots that I just missed by nothing really. It all comes down to making one more shot,” Ben Budzey said. “Of course there were shots that we all wish we could have made that probably could have made a difference in the game. All the games we lost were pretty close.”