It’s been a banner year for the Okotoks Minor Hockey Association.
The Okotoks Peewee 3 Oil Kings capped off an undefeated season in the Central Alberta Hockey League (CAHL) with a league title last month.
With the victory, the Oil Kings became the second Okotoks Peewee team to complete the season with an unblemished record.
The Peewee 1 Oilers also finished without a loss in league play on their way to a CAHL crown.
“I think it speaks volumes of not just the Peewee hockey players but the entire OMHA (Okotoks Minor Hockey Association) and just the quality of kids that we’re graduating into Peewee,” Oil Kings head coach Jay LaForge said.
The Oil Kings rolled through the regular season with a 13-0-3 record, culminating in a first-place finish in their division.
After dispatching High Country in two-straight games in a best-of-three series, Okotoks advanced to the league final against Claresholm.
The Oil Kings dominated Claresholm in the best-of-three CAHL final.
Top scorer Tyrel Siki scored four times in the series’ opener in Okotoks to pace the Oil Kings to a 7-2 victory.
Captain Cody Guttridge, Adam Robertson and Kyle Parkinson also scored with assists credited to Jacob Froese, Adam Robertson and Carter Sten.
The second game wasn’t much different than the first.
Siki added three more goals to his total as the Oil Kings won 4-2 to take the series two games to none.
For the Oil Kings’ coaching staff, the clobbering of Claresholm was the perfect way to cap off a successful year.
“It was a fantastic season. I had a great group of kids,” LaForge said.
Guttridge thought the result was indicative of the work he and his teammates put in throughout the year.
“I think we just worked really hard. I think we deserved it,” he said.
Wyatt LaForge, the team’s assistant captain, recognized how impressive an achievement it was to go an entire season without losing a game.
“It is pretty fun to not lose a game,” he said.
The Oil Kings defenceman, who is currently in the seventh grade at John Paul II Collegiate, said he wasn’t surprised by Okotoks’ dominance at the Peewee level.
“Okotoks has really good teams,” he said.
The Oil Kings head coach gave all the credit for the team’s season to his players and the support of the parents who surround them.
After having coached in Okotoks for six years, LaForge has seen first-hand why the OMHA is such a strong program.
“There’s a great core of dedicated players, parents, managers and coaches who make sure that we’ve got a real strong program in the Okotoks area,” he said.
