They had more highway time than icetime. But, for the Western Record Management Canadiens, a longer-than-usual trip to Edmonton was paved in gold.
The Canadiens, a peewee club team from the Prince George Minor Hockey Association, skated to victory at the Knights Spring on Ice tournament, played in the Alberta capital on the weekend. In the championship final, the Canadiens beat the Fort McMurray Cougars 6-3.
In round robin, the Canadiens downed the Fort McMurray Bulldogs 6-4, battled to a 4-4 tie with the Edmonton Kodiaks and then crushed the Cougars 10-1.
With a portion of Highway 16 east closed for most of the weekend because of a tanker truck accident between Prince George and McBride, Canadiens players and parents were forced to take alternate routes to Edmonton. Some families went north through Grande Prairie, while others headed south to Lone Butte and then back through Valemount.
Team members are Cole Beacom, Jaymes Pattie, Kolton Dyck, Grace Barlow, Keiran Leboe, Isaac Rogers, Nadine Kwiatkowski, Logan Buehler, Corbin Normand, Cameron Cain, Carl Vandekraats, Jared Hicks and goaltenders Caelan Swetlikoff and Josh Reeves. The coaching staff is formed by Mark Barlow, Dean Hicks and Grant Buehler.
