Saddle Lake Warriors dethrone nine time champions

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It was serious icing on the cake for the Saddle Lake Hockey Club. A great season, well played and hard fought, topped off by a decisive victory by the Saddle Lake Warriors March 25 against the legendary nine-time regional champions, the Lloydminster Junior B Bandits.

"It was a real surprise for everyone in the Northeastern Alberta Hockey League," said Head Coach Terry Ewasiuk when they took the regional crown. "They didn't think that the Saddle Lake Warriors would win a game and suddenly we were 3 games to 1, playing the defending nine-time champs in Lloydminster. Basically, their backs were against the wall. They could not afford to lose."

"We could lose a couple and not have to worry. I was worried that the boys didn't become complacent, and that fourth win in the series is often the toughest one to get. . . . Previously, in our fourth game we tied 2/2 going into the third and talked strategy in the dressing room-that we shouldn't give up a goal in the first five minutues-that we were disciplined-that we made sure that we played a smart period and if we did all those things we would win. Well, what happened was we gave up a goal in the first five minutes, we had a couple of bad penalties, we didn't play smart, we ended up losing. In game five, going into the third, same scenario. Tied 2/2, same speech- don't give a goal in the first five minutes- get a goal-and the boys came through."

"We take pride in playing offensive as well as defensive hockey. They learned to play without the puck, which is a big part of being successful."

Last fall, with one win and five losses, the Saddle Lake Hockey Association knew they needed to bring a new head coach on board.

Team Manger Henry Quinney recruited his friend Ewasiuk.

Ewasiuk brought in his son Jay, a strong goaltender. Over the course of the season the team went from second-last place to fighting for second place. The Lloydminster Bandits had first place tied up by Christmas. Ewasiuk also brought in two new defence players and a strong centreman, Mat Morris, which paid big dividends in the playoffs.

"A lot of players like to play their own style. I believe in systems. With a good system everybody is on the same page-which makes you that much better a team-which is why I believe my teams have always been successful in the past, especially in their own end," said Ewasiuk. "They know what the rules are, they know what they have to do when they are on the ice. When everybody understands that and agrees to be part of a team as a whole and play for each other, then we can be very successful.

"During the playoffs, we got on a roll, everybody was starting to understand the system: keeping the game simple, showing patience on the ice, knowing you can't score a goal every time you are on the ice, waiting for your opportunities. Discipline was a big part of it. They know when they take a stupid penalty or an undisciplined penalty. They police themselves that way. In the last two games, the other teams had 18 powerplays and we haven't given up a powerplay goal yet. It's been like that all year, our penalty killing has been over 90 per cent, which is really good by any standards," said the coach.

"Culturally speaking, the boys see themselves as players first. The fans make more of an issue of their cultural heritage than the team does. The boys don't look around the dressing room and see any difference between Native and non-Native players. What makes this team work is the chemistry, an unbelievable ability to get along. We did have an issue about a few boys partying too much, people in the community saying they shouldn't be on the team. I had a talk with them . . . they have turned it right around. Both boys have done an excellent job and scored some keys goals for us. This is what team chemistry is all about, everybody watches out for everybody else, makes sure everybody stays focused. It's all a team thing. Saddle Lake is really proud of its team," Ewasiuk said.

The Saddle Lak Warriors dress 17 Native players, recruited from Alberta and British Columbia: Chris Jackson, Jody Thompson, Wayne Shirt, Alvin Hunter (Goodfish Lake) Robin Quinney, Ryan Cardinal, Eddy Holes, Mike Holes, Orville Memnok, Ridel Mikokis, Owen Mikokis (Saddle Lake) Tyler Desjarlias (Frog Lake) Ryan Arcand (Alexander) Willie Louie, Antoine Sargent, Steven Daniels (BC), and Jeff Morin (Cold Lake).

"These young men want to succeed," said Ewasiuk. "They are not only playing hockey, they are representing the Warriors and the community of Saddle Lake. The rules are for everybody's good. So is the discipline and sacrifice. I personally get a lot of respect from both the parents and community.

"Education is a big part, the players that have done the best have also done well in school, the ones who understand how a system works."

Ewasiuk credits his players' families for some of their success too. "The way the parents react in the cities is completely different than the way they react in the rural areas or reserves. I have found that rural players are much more accepting of the coaches' word; the respect is there," he added.

At the provincials in Calgary March 29-April 1, Saddle Lake played the Calgary Royals Gold and the River Kings from Edmonton. Both games resulted in ties. The Warriors lost the third game March 31 to Red Deer, 4 to 5.