WAA hockey camp wraps up with Red and White game

By Tyler Lowey, Times Reporter

After coming a few wins away from capturing the South Central Alberta Hockey League (SCAHL) title last season, the Wheatland Athletic Association bantam Warriors are back at work trying to find the new pieces of the puzzle that could take them to the next level.
Even with the malfunction at the gold arena at the Strathmore Family Centre, the Warriors wrapped up training camp with the annual Red and White intrasquad game Sept. 5.
“There are some solid guys who have a good chance at returning to this team and a new crop of unfamiliar names that look real good,” said Warriors Head Coach Cody Brown, who enters his fifth year behind the bench.
Brown and his staff took notes on the 58 skaters in camp and narrowed it down to 34 for the Red and White game.
“At the end of the day, the Red and White game is just another tryout. We tell these guys to treat each session the same and leave it all out there, so we don’t have a chance to overlook anything,” said Brown.
Returning from last year’s unit are Philip Raycroft, Brandon McGillvary and Ryder Many Grey Horses. Grady Stovka, Brandon Forget, Nolan Mahussier, Matthew Dovichak, Adam Moore, Tyler Fairbairn and Carter Gosling all spent a varying amount of time with the Warriors as affiliated players last season.
Following the intrasquad game, Brown is hoping he can take his pre-season roster out for a spin when they enter a tournament Sept. 14 to 16 in High River.
The peewee Braves are hoping this is the year they can build up consistency and make a deep run into the SCAHL playoffs.
“I really like what I’ve seen so far in camp and I think that our evaluators will have some very tough decisions ahead of them this week,” said Braves Head Coach Keith Klemmensen, who enters his eighth year behind the bench.
Klemmensen’s evaluators worked with a much larger talent pool, as 74 local skaters put their best game forward in hopes of cracking the roster.
“From looking at the games tonight, I think there are 19 guys here who won’t mind working hard each game. That’s what I like to see,” said Klemmensen.
Graduating the program was Fairbairn, but back in the fold for the Red and White game was the Braves third-leading scorer from last season in Conner Radke. Luc Trevors, Nash Wassing and Wyatt Yule are three more of the forwards back in the mix this year. On the back end, Luke Eitzen and Adam Lee are the only returning players.
The midget Chiefs quest to regain their spot atop the SCAHL began earlier in the week with fitness testing.
The Chiefs will open camp with their third new head coach in the past three seasons, but he is a familiar face.
Matt Gregory takes over for Matt Gass, who took over for Evan Barlow last year. Gregory was an assistant coach for the past two seasons and knows the players well.
Gregory and his assistants, Mark Laycock and Coltin Grant, will be in camp for the next two weeks with their annual Red and White intrasquad game scheduled for Sept. 17.