Chiefs are champions

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

Head coach Devin Olson is going out a champion as his Wheatland Chiefs won their third SCAHL title in five seasons.
The local double-A midget team used a 3-1 win in Game 3 on March 27 and a 5-1 victory in Game 4 on March 28 to take the series over Red Deer in four games.
The Chiefs were able to forget a disastrous provincial tournament they had and took advantage of a tired Red Deer squad.
“Our team came into another level, they were determined and focused. They played a good game on Friday night and that Red Deer team had one strong line and they were matching lines and we were matching lines,” said head coach Devin Olson.
“We shut down that line, they got one point all series.”
Olson added that the atmosphere surrounding the team was positive before they even stepped onto the ice.
“Even when you go into the dressing room it was a different vibe,” said Olson. “They were nervous … usually they joke around and keeping it pretty light, but the Saturday game, you looked at the guys and you could see that they were focused. “We got up on them and we scored the third goal – their team, you could just see in their body language that they were trying to give it their all – but (they) played a lot of hockey.”
He found this team more unique than past ones as there was a closer bond amongst the players that made it a special group to coach to a championship.
“It was a great group of kids, parents, all the way around one of the most enjoyable years that I’ve had and this caps it all off,” said Olson.
For many players on the Chiefs it was a chance at redemption.
“There were 14 of these kids that played bantam double-A together a few years a go and they went to the finals and lost Game 5,” said Olson. “That was brought up quite a few times by a bunch of them that they didn’t want that to happen again.”
Olson is retiring from coaching due to personal and work commitments, after coaching for over 10 seasons in the Wheatland organization.