The Stettler Imperials felt the sting of the Sedgewick Sabres as the team fell short of the 2024 East Central Senior Men’s Hockey League championship.
After grounding the Hughenden Jets during the first round, best-of-three, series, the Imperials headed into round two of the playoffs with their heads held high.
Round two featured a best-of-five series against the Irma Aces, with the series taking all five games. Ultimately, Stettler beat Irma in an 8-5 game-five win over the Aces to take the series.
Sedgewick, which boasted a 13-2-1 record and sat securely in first place for the season, ultimately proved to be the Imperials’ undoing.
Again a best-of-five series, the Sedgewick Sabres had a home-ice advantage due to their standings.
In game one on March 15, the Sabres downed the Imperials 2-0 in Sedgewick.
Returning to Stettler the next night, the Sabres again downed the Imperials, this time with a score of 6-4 in front of a hometown crowd.
Finally, returning to Sedgewick on March 20, the Sabres dealt the deathblow to the Imperials, finishing the season with a 6-1 win.
“Unfortunately our season did come to an end and we weren’t able to bring home the championship,” says a social media post shortly from the team after the final game.
“But from all the board members and the players we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of our incredible fans, the supportive community, and our generous sponsors.”
Overall, the team finished third in the standings, and with the 50/50 community partnerships raised nearly $20,000 for regional community groups.
The Imperials will return to the ice for the 2024-25 hockey season.
