Submitted by Stettler Legion Blues midget A hockey team
The midget A Stettler Legion Blues hosted their annual tournament this past weekend, and lost out in the semifinals while battling manpower shortages.
Stettler’s competitors on the weekend included Vegreville, Vermilion, Ponoka, Innisfail and Boyle.
Going into the weekend with a shortened bench of 10 skaters and two goalies, Stettler defeated the Ponoka Wolves 4-3 on Friday night in a tight contest.
Logan Davidson, Micah Croker and Justin McKenzie scored the Stettler goals, as the Blues outshot the Wolves 44-20. Devon Woelk tended goal for Stettler.
On Saturday, the Blues held their own with a 6-0 shutout win against the Boyle Blazers. That secured the host team a first-place seeding for the semifinals on Sunday.
Many of the Stettler players racked up points, but rookie Kieran Rost was at the top of the list with a five-point night that included four assists.
Jordan McCallum faced 27 shots in posting the shutout.
For the playoffs, it was a very competitive team selection, as the other pool faced a three-way tie for first place.
Going into Sunday with only nine skaters, because of an injury, Stettler lost 4-1 to the Vegreville Wranglers.
Justin McKenzie, on a Chase McGonigal setup, scored the lone Stettler goal in the semifinal loss.
The Blues got into a bit of penalty trouble, finishing the game with only eight skaters, but the penalty-killers and goalie Woelk ensured there were no power-play goals against them as they battled through the seemingly never-ending short-handed game.
Vegreville remained sharp and went on to defeat the Innisfail Flyers 5-2 in the championship game.
UP NEXT: Stettler hosts Barrhead on Friday and Hobbema on Saturday, before visiting Red Deer on Sunday.