Chiefs down Foothills; Warriors look for better results

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

The Wheatland Chiefs took awhile to get their legs going against the Foothills Bisons on Dec. 18, but once they started to wake up, there was no looking back as they ended off the first half of the season with a 7-2 win.
“We actually played pretty good,” said Chiefs assistant coach Keenan Desmet.
“The first half of the game was kind of slow. We came out flat but the boys came out in the second half of the game and we took it to them. We actually played pretty good down low in the offensive zone. We just never got enough pucks to the net and didn’t really crash or bang to get the greasy goals, but it all came together in the second half of the game.”
The team was only up 3-2 going into the third period and the boys were wondering what the game’s end result would be, and Desmet said that’s when veteran Ryan Skytt stepped up his game and led the charge, adding two goals to bring his total to four on the night.
“He came to play,” said Desmet.
“It was kind of the turning point from the third period. Everybody came together and dictated how we were going to win.”
He added that for the team to be in first place at Christmas break is a huge accomplishment and from the association all the way down to the coaching staff, they gave the boys gratitude for their hard work.
Chris Rebeyka, Robert Butterwick and Ryan Bell rounded out the offense behind Skytt.
The local midget double-A team will be on the ice in Lethbridge to begin the New Year on Jan. 2 at 7:15 p.m. before hosting Taber Jan. 3 at the Strathmore Family Centre at 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, the Wheatland Warriors received a reality check in their lone game before the break as the North Division-leading Alberta Central Selects defeated them 6-2 on Dec. 18.
“They’re the top of the North for a reason, they’re not there just because of luck,” said Warriors head coach Cody Brown. “They’re a good hardworking team. They’ve got some good size … and if you don’t bring your best game, they’re going to make you pay for it”
Brown said the boys started slow which resulted in the team battling the puck a little bit, which forced them to make quicker decisions that they weren’t used to.
Kyle Bray and Cole Berg scored in the loss.
The Warriors will start the New Year on the road in Airdrie on Jan. 2 at 2:15 p.m. and on Jan. 3 they will be in Rocky Mountain House to face the West Central Tigers at 3:15 p.m.
The Wheatland Braves ended off the 2015 part of the schedule as they beat the Okotoks Oilers 9-5 on Dec. 20, a game that second year forward Tristan Zandee was pleased with, but said there are some areas that can be worked on
“It’s nice to get a win under our belt so we can get some more confidence,” said Zandee.
“We just need to tighten up some little defensive things, so we can shut down offensive threats (more) than we have. I think we were burying opportunities today … just got to get greasy.”
Zandee scored four goals, Trey Gillis had two, while Philip Raycroft, Kobe Gosling and Bryce Benfield each tallied one goal.
However, the night before was not the same kind of result as the Braves were shelled in a 7-0 loss to the Medicine Hat Hounds.
The Braves next games will be Jan. 2 in Airdrie at 11:45 a.m. and Jan. 3 in Taber at 1 p.m.