Bantam Polar Kings Team News
by Shea Kelly

February 7, 2005
 
The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings traveled to St. Paul and Cold Lake on the weekend to finish up the last two league games of the regular season. Two wins would have kept our playoff hopes alive but despite the teams best efforts it was not to be.
 
On Saturday in St. Paul the Polar Kings battled to a six all tie and then lost 5 to 3 in Cold Lake on Sunday.
 
Everyone contributed to the points on Saturday with Jess Valleau earning another six points over the weekend. The nicest goal was a beautiful short handed goal scored by Chuck Leslie against St. Paul.
 
Colton Draves played in both games and made several spectacular glove saves. He kept our heads above water through several penalty kills.
 
Cody Woodward, Jess Valleau and Cole Kaban were all ejected during Saturday's game but only Cole was suspended for Sunday. As well, there were several injuries over the weekend including Matt Nyberg, Cody Woodward and Kurt Pfisterer.
 
The defense again played well for Wainwright including Tyler Dicker with a goal and an assist. Defenseman Ryan Olson played a strong game on wing due to a shortage of forwards.
 
The Bantam Polar Kings plan a series of exhibition games to extend our hockey season a while longer. Please check the website for details.

January 31, 2005

The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings traveled to Fort McMurray to take on the Cedar-Reactor Bantam AA Barons at the Thickwood Arena, home of the Junior A Oil Barons. The Polar Kings knew it would be a challenging two game match up against the first place Barons.

On Saturday, with Colton Draves in net, the score bounced back and forth until the third period when the Barons managed to get ahead by four goals to win 8 to 4. Three of Wainwright's four goals were scored by Jess Valleau. Jess also assisted, along with Mitchell Gillespie, on the remaining goal made by Chuck Leslie, who played a very physical weekend of hockey.
Ryan Olson was ejected from the game in the last few minutes for fighting, being provoked after a scrum in front of our net and missed out on Sunday's game.
Brendan Fleck also missed on Sunday due to an injury in Saturday's match up. Logan Skori iced an injury late in Saturday's game but thankfully was able to contribute to Sunday's already shortened roster.
The Polar Kings faced Fort McMurray with only four defensemen on Sunday: Casey Lawes, Jordy Lovig, Jordan Fraser and Tyler Dicker proved they were up to the challenge.
Fort McMurray got off to a big start in the first period, dominating the play and shots on goal. Goal tender Matt Nyberg's play in the first period was crucial, keeping Fort Mac to two goals. In the end Nyberg faced 51 shots allowing only 5 goals in a tremendous effort.
Chuck Leslie, Cole Kaban and Zack Kelly each scored to lead Wainwright to a 3 to 2 second period score.
Early in the third period Jess Valleau, assisted by Matt Nyberg, scored, making it a 4 to 2 Polar King lead.
Fort Mac then scored a power play goal to make it four to three. With six minutes left they tied the game at four, two minutes later they scored to take the lead.
At this point, with four minutes left, momentum appeared to be solidly behind the Barons. Refusing to give up, Kurt Pfisterer set up Cody Woodward who made no mistake going top corner to even the score at five a piece.
Then, with only 7 seconds left Jess Valleau tipped a Jordan Fraser shot from the point and scored the winning goal.
Polar King Captain Kurt Pfisterer, with 4 assists over the two games, played a solid weekend while Jess Valleau with seven points overall put in a heroic effort for Wainwright.
Wainwright's next weekend will be a Saturday game in St. Paul and a Sunday game in Cold Lake to finish up regular season league play.
January 23, 2005
 
The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings took on the St. Paul Canadiens on Saturday January 22, 2005 at the P.M.M. in Wainwright. The Polar Kings came out strong and dominated the shots in the first period. Cole Kaban, assisted by his line mates Cody Woodward and Zack Kelly scored the first goal early in the period. St. Paul answered back twice later on and the score was two to one at the end of the first period.
 
In the second period the forward line of Jess Valleau, Kurt Pfisterer and Brendan Fleck racked up three points for the P.K. with help from Casey Lawes. St. Paul scored once and the score was four to three for Wainwright going into the third period.
 
Cody Woodward, assisted by Jordan Fraser, scored right off the bat in the third period and Wainwright battled to keep the advantage for the next 19 minutes. St. Paul managed to score two more times and the final score was a five all tie.
 
We were missing Chuck Leslie due to a suspension from last weeks matchup. Both teams played with more discipline and attention to the puck this week. There was a total of only 24 combined penalty minutes in this game.
 
Wainwright heads off to Fort MacMurray next weekend for a double header against the first place Barons.
 

January 17, 2005

The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings played two home games during the Wainwright Minor Hockey Weekend on January 15 and 16, 2005.

 
On Saturday the Polar Kings played the Lloydminster Nelson Lumber Blazers. The shots were fairly even and Wainwright battled hard in the physical game, coming up short with the final score 7 to 4 for the second place Blazers. Kurt Pfisterer, Jordy Lovig, Logan Skori and Chuck Leslie racked up points for the P.K. assisted by Jess Valleau and Zack Kelly. Ryan Olson got the attention of both benches when he laid a big hit on late in the third period (of course, he also drew the attention of the referee).
 
On Sunday the Polar Kings took on St. Paul in the battle for a playoff spot. Wainwright had lots of chances throughout the game to score but were unable to capitalize. The Canadien's goalie made some excellent saves which did not help our cause. Both our goals came on shots from the point with Jordy Lovig (assisted by Zack Kelly) and Ryan Olson both getting points. St. Paul Scored into an empty net with 3 seconds left to make it a 5 to 2 hockey game.
 
Wainwrights next game is against St. Paul on next Saturday at the P.M.M. in Wainwright at 4:00 p.m.
January 10, 2005
The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings had a disappointing two game weekend against the Cold Lake Freeze. The Polar Kings are fighting for a playoff spot making every game important and before this weekend were tied for fifth and last place with Cold Lake.
 
Saturday's match up in Wainwright ended in a 7 to 3 loss and was not a very exciting game. The shots on goal were pretty much even. Brendan Fleck, Mitchell Gillespie and affiliate player Brody Maise scored for Wainwright. Colton Draves in net played well with none of the goals scored during power plays including two five on threes.
 
The repeat on Sunday in Cold Lake was a 6 to 4 loss but was a completely different hockey game.
 
On Sunday the P.K. were looking forward to the return of Captain Kurt Pfisterer who missed Saturday's game due to a suspension from the last few minutes of the Wetaskiwin Tournament final. He played briefly in Cold Lake before he received a controversial hitting from behind penalty and a game suspension.
 
Ryan Olsen was also ejected when he received a slashing penalty at the end of the second period during one of the many scrums in front of our net. Matt Nyberg in net played well stopping pucks and defending his crease. Zack Kelly was injured and missed the second half of the game. Wainwright fought hard to tie the game at four with minutes left in the third period, only to have it slip away again when Cold Lake scored twice.
 
The Polar Kings have two games next weekend during the Wainwright Minor Hockey Weekend. On Saturday January 15 at 4:00 p.m. we host the Lloydminster Nelson Lumber Blazers and on Sunday January 16 we host the St. Paul Canadiens at 9:45 a.m. Both games will be held at the Peace Memorial Multiplex in Wainwright.
 
Submitted by Shea Kelly
 

2004 Bantam Tournament
December 27, 28 & 29 Wetaskiwin.

December 27, 2004
After an enjoyable Christmas break the Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings traveled to Wetaskiwin on December 27 to participate in a AA Hockey Tournament.

The Polar Kings first game was against the Millwoods Bruins. Mitchell Gillespie earned Most Valuable Player honours scoring two goals and putting in a great effort. The final score was 11 to 1 for the P.K.

The next game was on Monday night against the Leduc Kosmos. The big story in this game was Leduc’s goalie with an amazing performance given the shots on goal were 56 against Leduc to 17 against the Polar Kings. Jess Valleau scored two short-handed goals and was named MVP for this game. The final score was 8 to 0 for the Polar Kings.

The next morning the Polar Kings played the Wetaskiwin Legion 86’ers. The score was tied 1 all when Captain Kurt Pfisterer scored early in the second period and turned the tides. The Polar Kings never looked back and the final score was 4 to 1 for Wainwright. Ryan Olsen earned the MVP award in this game.

The series of wins put the Polar Kings in the A final on Wednesday afternoon against a beefed up Leduc Kosmos. Despite a long break in between the first and second periods due to a Zambonie malfunction the boys kept their focus and went on to beat Leduc 7 to 3 and win the tournament.

Jess Valleau scored another short-handed goal in this game and was once again named MVP. The most exciting moment in the tournament, and the game turning goal had to be when Cody Woodward was allowed a penalty shot in the second period. With the score tied at 3 all and his Mom/Manager covering her eyes with her mittens, Cody tore off down the ice and scored on Leduc’s goalie.

Throughout the tournament the Wainwright defense played tough and controlled the puck in their end. There were some penalties as the players got wound up so the P.K. had lots of practice killing penalties and focusing their attention on the best way to win the game. The shots on goal against the P.K. were kept low and despite the penalties Wainwright goaltenders managed to keep the goals against to only five goals.

Jess Valleau played awesome all week; he continues to improve every game. In fact, it is interesting to see how all of the players are starting to come into their own as the season progresses and they become more comfortable with their positions on the team.

The Polar Kings play the Cold Lake Freeze at home on Saturday January 8, 2005 and then travel to Cold Lake for a repeat on Sunday January 9, 2005.

 

Happy New Year!

Submitted by Shea Kelly
      Click on picture for full view.

 

December 13, 2004
The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings traveled to Lloydminster to play their last league game before Christmas against the Lloydminster Nelson Lumber AA Blazers on Friday December 10, 2004 at 8:00 p.m.

The Polar Kings were down 3 to 1 at the end of the first period and down 5 to 1 at the end of the second. Then Wainwright came out and worked hard in the third period which resulted in keeping the Lloydminster score at 5 and another goal for the P.K. The final score was 5 to 2 for Lloydminster.
Brendan Fleck scored both of Wainwright's goals with assists by Jess Valleau and Charlie Leslie.
The Polar Kings have a break from league play until January but will be attending a tournament in Wetaskiwin on December 27, 28 and 29.
Merry Christmas!

Sylvan Lake December 3,4 & 5.

The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings traveled to Sylvan Lake, Alberta to participate in a 4-Team tournament hosted by the Sylvan Lake Bulldogs Bantam AA team.
The P.K. lost on Friday night to the Cold Lake Freeze (7 to 2) and then also on Saturday morning to the Bulldogs (10 to 1).
Wainwright pulled it together on Saturday night to beat the Regina Sharks 7 to 5 with Brendan Fleck scoring three goals, Jess Valeau scoring twice and Mitchell Gillespie and Tyrel Majeski each getting a point. They then had a much closer game against Sylvan Lake on Sunday morning although it ended up in a 7 to 2 loss for the Polar Kings.
Wainwright's next and last league game before Christmas is in Lloydminster on Friday December 10 at 8:00 p.m.

November 26-27-28, 2004
Maybe it wasn’t the bright full moon that set them off but the Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings sure came out howling this weekend…

The team first traveled to Lloydminster on Friday night to play the Blazers. The Polar Kings battled the entire game and it paid off with Brendan Fleck getting two goals and an assist, Cody Woodward and Kurt Pfisterer each scoring and Jordy Lovig scoring a slow motion empty net goal with .01 seconds left in the third period. The final score was 5 to 3 for the Polar Kings.

On Saturday the P.K. matched up against the St. Paul Canadiens in Wainwright at the PMM. Three quick goals put the Polar Kings in the lead in the first period. This seemed to get the Canadiens all riled up and there were close to two hundred combined penalty minutes by the end of the game. At one point in the second period there were ten players in the penalty boxes, five from each side, as Wainwright players let loose their wild side.

The final score was 7 to 2 for Wainwright with Jess Valleau making an amazing four goals and one assist and Brendan Fleck and Cody Woodward repeating their Friday night performance. Cody Kerr, an affiliate player with a great shot, helped out on defense as Tyler Dicker had been suspended from an incident on Friday night in Lloydminster. Colton Draves in net played extra tough through all of the scrambles in front of his net.

On Sunday Wainwright hosted the Cold Lake Freeze. The team was missing Zack Kelly due to an injury on Saturday. Jordy Lovig dished out some big hits to keep Cold Lake at bay while Matt Nyberg in net excelled to backstop a tired but happy Polar King team to a 2-2 tie.
The Polar Kings now boast a 4-1-1 record in their last six games. The P.K. travel to Sylvan Lake for a tournament next weekend.

November 22, 2004

The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings traveled north to Cold Lake on Saturday November 20, 2004 to try and melt the Freeze.
There was plenty of scoring action in this game. In the first period the forward line of Chuck Leslie, Mitchell Gillespie and Cole Kaban scored three goals to help the Polar Kings get up four zip by the end of the period. This marked Mitchell's return to a forward position. Cold Lake's response to the P.K. offense was to change their goalie at 14:52 in the first period.
The Freeze answered back in the second period with five goals but the Polar Kings kept in the game scoring three goals in the second period and two goals in the third period. It was great to have Casey Lawes back to the lineup after an injury last weekend.
Matt Nyberg in goal earned a well deserved win with a final score of 9 to 6 for Wainwright.
Wainwright has a busy three game weekend ahead of them with a game in Lloydminster on Friday night at 8:00 p.m., on Saturday in Wainwright at the PMM at 4:00 p.m. against the St. Paul Canadiens and on Sunday in Wainwright at the PMM at 2:30 p.m. against the Cold Lake Freeze.

November 12 & 14, 2004
With a 0 and 8 record and a strong hint of determination in the fall air the Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings headed off to St. Paul on Friday night to take on the Canadiens.  Wainwright controlled the play almost from the first as reflected in the final score of 9 - 3 for the Polar Kings. Each of the three centre men; Jess Valleau, Chuck Leslie and Zack Kelly scored twice. Kurt Pfisterer, Cody Woodward (on his birthday) and Ryan Olson rounded out the scoring.

There was a lot of help from the rest of the team with Tyler Dicker (4 assists), Jordan Fraser (2 assists) and Brendan Fleck (1 assist) all pitching in. Logan Skori had a couple of so close chances to score while Mitchell Gillespie showed off his puck handling abilities on the defense side.
With the Polar King defense rearing to go and Colton Draves in net the Canadiens were unable to score past the midway point of the second period.
On Sunday the Polar Kings met up with the Cold Lake Freeze at the P.M.M. in Wainwright. The score was close throughout the game with each team managing to get up by one or two points before the other team caught up again. Jess Valleau and Captain Kurt Pfisterer each had 2 goals and 1 assist. Chuck Leslie, Cody Woodward, and Tyler Dicker each got a point with Brendan Fleck, Cole Kaban, Jordan Fraser and Jordy Lovig assisting throughout.
With time ticking down late in the third period the P.K. pulled Matt Nyberg from net and attempted to tie up the game. It wasn't quite enough time and the final score was 8 to 7 for the Cold Lake Freeze.
Both Casey Lawes and Tyrel Majeski were out with injuries, although Tyrel played for part of the game on Sunday. Casey was injured on Friday night in St. Paul while Tyrel hurt his hand in practice the week before.
Coach Larry Golby had the following comments: "On Friday night it was a real team effort, everyone showed up to play and it was a full sixty minutes of hockey. On Sunday, it was a different story, we broke down in our end quite a bit. There were obvious mental lapses and not all of the team had come out to play."
The Polar Kings next travel to Cold Lake on Saturday November 20 to play the Freeze.
 

November 6, 2004
After taking the previous weekend off, the Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings played the Lloydminster Nelson Lumber Blazers on Saturday, November 6 at the Peace Memorial Multiplex in Wainwright.

The second place Blazers have a record of 3 wins, 2 ties and 0 losses.
Wainwright had several excellent scoring chances in the first period but were unable to make it happen. Lloydminsters' power play was effective with 4 of their 7 goals scored with the man advantage. Cody Woodward assisted by Charlie Leslie and Jordy Lovig scored the Polar Kings only goal early in the third period. The Blazers came out ahead of the Polar Kings 7 to 1 at the end of the game with four goals scored in the third period.
 The Polar Kings next game is on Friday November 12 against the St. Paul Canadiens in St. Paul followed by a home game against the Cold Lake Freeze on Sunday November 14 at 2:30 p.m. at the P.M.M. in Wainwright.

October 22 - 23, 2004
The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings traveled to Fort McMurray on the weekend to play the Ceda Reactor Bantam AAA Barons on Saturday at 4:15 p.m. and on Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
Saturday was the first game where we had the full roster on hand with no injuries or other absences. The final score was 6 to 3 for the Barons but the Polar Kings hung in for the entire game. All three forward lines were strong with each one getting a point by the end of the game. Kurt Pfisterer assisted by Jordan Fraser scored our first goal, then our second goal was scored by Ryan Olson assisted by Zack Kelly and our third goal was from Jess Valleau assisted by Jordy Lovig.
On Sunday the Barons came out strong and Wainwright played a tough game. Jordy Lovig, Jordan Fraser, Tyler Dicker and the rest of the P.K. defense let the Barons know that they could push back.  The final score was 5 to 1 for the Barons. Brendan Fleck, assisted by Cole Kaban and Jess Valleau, scored our only goal in the first period. The shots on goal were 47 to 34 for the Barons and our defense was kept busy keeping the Barons away from the net. Colton Draves, the Polar Kings goalie, played an awesome game, making a few spectacular saves and keeping his cool with all the pushing and shoving in front of his net.
The Polar Kings next game is Saturday November 6, 2004 at 4:00 p.m. at the PMM in Wainwright against the Lloydminster AA Blazers.


October 18, 2004
Despite the snowy weather, the Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings faced off against the Lloydminster Bantam AA Blazers on Saturday October 16, 2004 at 4:00 at the PMM in Wainwright. Wainwright was missing three players due to football commitments and two affiliate players, Brodie Muise and Derek Olson stepped up to fill in.
With a total of 99 penalty minutes and 3 game misconducts the refs were kept quite busy in this game. The score was 2 to 1 for the Blazers when Wainwright pulled its goalie late in the third period. The Blazers scored an empty net goal and the final score was 3 to 1 for the Blazers. Cody Woodward (with Mitchell Gillespie's assistance) scored for Wainwright.
Polar King Coach Larry Golby commented as follows: " I am very proud of the boys today, they played three full periods of hockey. They were much more confident, moving the puck around and they played very well defensively in our end."
The Polar Kings travel to Fort McMurray on October 23 and 24 for their first big road trip.

October 2004
The Wainwright Bantam Polar Kings of the Central Alberta Bantam Hockey League hosted their season opener against the Fort McMurray Barons on Saturday October 2 and Sunday October 3, 2004 at the Peace Memorial Multiplex in Wainwright.
On Saturday the Polar Kings lost 12 to 3. It was the Polar Kings second time on the ice as a team and they were definitely getting their bearings. Wainwright’s goalie, Colton Draves stopped shot after shot. Shots on goal were 48 to 14 against the Polar Kings at the end of the game.
On Sunday, a much closer game to watch, the Polar Kings managed to narrow the score to a 10 to 6 loss. Defense injuries shortened the bench to three defense players in the third period and Wainwright goalie Mathew Nyberg did a great job in net.
The Polar Kings next game is in Lloydminster on Friday October 8, 2004 at 8:00 p.m. and then at home on Saturday October 9, 2004 at 2:15 p.m.