Last minute heroics were not enough to ensure Alberta Cup gold for four foothills area elite Bantam hockey players.
Okotoks Bantam AAA Oilers Mason McCarty, Eric Theander, Brad Sylvestre and Mason St. Martin on Team South lost in heartbreaking fashion 5-3 to the Team Northeast in the Alberta Cup final, April 29 in Lethbridge.
“I’m not saying the better team won, we had our chances, but we didn’t convert and it was basically down to the second period,” said Theander.
Team South jumped out to a 1-0 lead before Northeast potted three goals in the middle frame. Theander answered with a second period marker and then tied the game up with the extra attacker and only 59 seconds on the clock.
“I was trying to make a pass to my teammate back door, but it went off one of their players skates and went in,” Theander said of his tying goal. “I was just happy.”
The elation was short lived as Northeast’s Andrew Koep restored the one-goal advantage just 10 seconds later and added an empty net tally to make it 5-3.
Despite the close call in the final, the 15-year-old called the tournament the best experience of his young hockey career.
“It was very good, challenging hockey, it was quick paced out there. It was very exciting,” said Theander, a student at Okotoks Junior High. “We had a lot of people come out and cheer us on it was great.”
Team South, featuring prospects from the foothills south to Lethbridge, posted a 1-1-1 record in round robin play at the eight-team tournament to qualify for the final.
Theander finished tops on Team South with four goals and six points, while McCarty tallied three goals and was named one of only six tournament all-stars.
“They called Team South and then called Mason McCarty and it was a tough pill to swallow skating up there and knowing that the cup was up there and I wasn’t going to grab that.” McCarty said. “It certainly was an honour, but I wanted the Alberta Cup.”
With or without the trophy, the Blackie resident enjoyed the experience.
“I thought it was amazing,” McCarty said. “It was a short trip, but it was such a journey with all the guys.”
Theander, an Okotoks resident said he wanted to show a complete package to the horde of Western Hockey League (WHL) scouts in the stands.
“Speed, lots of puck movement, lots of leadership and I wanted to make a difference,” Theander said of his goals on the weekend.
Oilers head coach Mike Bara said the Alberta Cup is an important showcase for both the upcoming WHL Draft and for the Team Alberta U16 program.
“I especially think there is an importance with guys coming out of Okotoks, from smaller programs they get more of an opportunity to get looks,” Bara said.
The Bantam AAA Oilers employed a blue collar work ethic and struggled to a fifth place finish in the Challenger South division of the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League. Bara, who coached Team South to the 2011 title, said the high level of skill at the Alberta Cup gives the Oilers an opportunity to show off their talent.
“The mindset of a coach down there is let the kids skill shine through,” he said.
“For Eric to go down there and score a couple goals in the final and Mason (McCarty) to be a tournament all-star could be a big boost for them,” Bara said. “I talked to one (WHL) scout (Monday) who said McCarty definitely jumped and he even mentioned Eric as a guy that will get a look.”
The Oilers head coach, who has produced WHL prospects in Keaton Lubin, Levi Bews and Conner Bleackley, to name a few, expects both McCarty and Theander to be off the board by the end of the fifth round of the draft.
“Eric’s probably in that three-five (round) range and Mason I’d still peg him as a two-three (round) player, but maybe a team has seen that he’s put on 15 pounds and takes him as a late first to early second player,” Bara said.
The WHL Bantam Draft is May 3 in Calgary. Check next week’s issue of the Western Wheel for the full story on foothills prospects at the draft.
