The Sylvan Lake Yettis rampaged against the Red Deer Renegades this past weekend in a bid to secure a spot at the provincial championships.
Though unsuccessful, losing two games to Red Deer, 9-7, and 16-12 respectively, Assistant Coach Justin Moltzahn was very happy with the way the team battled.
“I’m very, very proud of the them; they are a phenomenal group,” he said.
Moltzahn recognized the strength of the Red Deer team and their strong leadership core, something he believes the Sylvan Lake team learnt from.
“The boys learned how to lead which is a very important thing to do,” he said.
In particular Andrew Barns and Braydon McLaughlin stepped into leadership roles with great displays of individual effort.
“Barns played the game of his life Friday night,” Moltzahn said. While on Saturday McLaughlin stepped up to the plate and “gave the team the boost they needed.”
“As disappointing as the finish was, the boys realized how good of a team they were up against and [Red Deer] deserved to win; over all they had the right attitude,” Moltzhan said.
After the games Moltzah gave the boys credit for how far they’ve come this year. He said at the beginning of the season the team could barely run a drill by themselves. By the end of the season they could run a drill with very little direction.
“We needed to create a winning culture and that’s what we did. That doesn’t mean winning every game, but supporting each other and being positive,” Moltzahn said.
Moltzahn said it’s the little things that win games and he believe this year the boys finally figured how to do that. This will make the Yettis a force to be reckoned with come next season.
Clenching a spot in provincials would have been a great way in which to cap an already exceptional year, but next season looks very promising for the Yettis. A number of key players returning, promising new prospects, and a positive new attitude.
