RHL season begins - Mustangs defeat Huskies

2013-2014 RHL Huskies
C. Davis photos except*

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

• Huskies have some work to do, fan support is strong

Pincher Creek's Senior Huskies hosted Fort Macleod's Mustangs at the Memorial Community Centre arena on Saturday evening for the first game of the 2013-2014 Ranchland Hockey League (RHL) season.

Town of Pincher Creek Mayor-elect Don Anderberg drops first puck of RHL season
Mustangs Captain Landen Marr, Don Anderberg, Huskies defenceman Sam Quinlan

A sizeable crowd turned out for the Huskies/Mustangs game.  A short ceremony was conducted prior to the game.  Junior hockey players promenaded federal, provincial, and Town of Pincher Creek flags, Alyssa Barbero led the crowd in the singing of 'O Canada', and Mayor-elect Don Anderberg performed the ceremonial first puck drop of the season.  Anderberg reminisced with me about his younger years as an avid hockey player in the region, and said he was thrilled to be invited to participate in the ceremony.

10 minutes for singing so good - Alyssa Barbero in the penalty box before anthem gig

Play was brisk from the start, lots of back and forth, and lots of dust on the bottle for both teams.  Neither team managed to score in the first, and it seemed like we were in for a game of evenly matched play.  Then the second period happened.  1 goal for the Huskies in the second, 4 for the Mustangs.  The third period was more of the same one sided scoring, only this time it was 5 goals for the Mustangs to 1 goal for the Huskies.

Pincher Creek's groovy Ladies Night club at the game

Bottom line, the Mustangs won it 9 -2.

The Mustangs also rang up three times as many penalties as the Huskies.

*Randy Wittkopf scored unassisted for the Huskies in the second, the first Huskies goal of the season. Matthew Hammel scored for the Huskies in the third, assisted by Ian Hagen and Joey Gibboney.  Scoring for Fort Macleod - a shorter list would be who didn't - Willie David (who also got an assist), Mark Mills (twice), Taylor Bilodeau, Abe Jensen, Tyce Gallamore (who also got an assist), and Leo Lacarier (twice).  Also getting assists for the Mustangs were Harold Hourie,  Jadon Patafie (twice), Cole Matson, Garret Smith, Tyson Thompson, Zach Kottke, and Kent Brewer.

Lloyd Lybbert photo

Greg Shackel is the Head Coach for the Huskies this year, assisted by James Elliott, and Tony Radvak.  Elliott and Radvak were coaching this game because Shackel was in the States.

Huskies General Manager Jeff Kaupp took a little time out after the game to talk about this season's team.  "The big difference to this year is that we have a lot of new guys, rookies to the league.  We have guys from outside of Pincher, whereas last year it was mainly Pincher.  We've got a few guys from Pincher, and a few guys from Calgary."

"It's a little bit different, a little bit younger team.  There are guys that just came out of the Midget program in Pincher here. From last years Midgets we have Tristan Doell, Brent Tarcon, and Braden Clairingbull right now."

Lloyd Lybbert photo

"I don't think that the scores really indicative of how the game was," Kaupp said.  "We had half of a game that was really bad.  I think really we've just got a lot of things we have to work on as a team, moulding these guys together.  A lot of these guys have never played with each other, ever... hardly know each other's names."

Acclaimed Town of Pincher Creek Councillor Wayne Elliott
hangs with the Ladies Night Out crowd during intermission

Scandalous!  This is a Roughriders town!

There are four teams in the RHL again this season.  A fifth team, the Okotoks Drillers, was expected to join the RHL but didn't.  The RHL teams are: Pincher Creek Huskies, Fort Macleod Mustangs, Nanton Palominos, and Lomond Lakers.

*Lloyd Lybbert photo

Catch the RHL Huskies in action again next Saturday, November 2 starting at 8:00 pm when they take on the Nanton Palominos for the first time this season. The Palominos were the RHL playoff and Provincial 'A' champions for the 2012-2013 season.

*correction: Randy Wittkopf scored the first Huskies goal, not as previously reported.