Peewee Braves bring zone title home to Hobemma

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The peewee Braves I team convinced their opponents from Wetaskiwin that resistance was futile on March 11, jumping out to a seven-goal lead in the two-game total goal Zone 4 hockey final.

Realizing it wasn't in the cards for them to come back and win Game 2 by a minimum of seven goals, which they would have had to do to overcome the 8-1 licking Hobbema put on them in the opener, Wetaskiwin conceded the round and the zone title to the Braves.

Two weeks later, the Hobbema peewees put on a strong showing in the provincial championship tourney in Athabasca, finishing fourth out of 18 teams.

Hobbema fans noted that the officiating was a factor in their team falling short of their quest for an Alberta title, saying the referees might have been a bit biased against a Native hockey club from a reserve. But coach Carmen Wolfe, a 12-year minor hockey veteran, said he preferred to think about the positives.

"It's the highest we've ever been rated," he said. "It's the highest Hobbema has ever been rated."

After a hard, tough regular season, they opened the provincial playdowns with a decisive 13-2 win over Sylvan Lake, but Sylvan Lake declined to play the second game, conceding the round to the Braves.