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Friday, January 31, 2014

Provincial Playdown win for Peewee Chinooks



Peewee Chinooks vs Kainai
Lloyd Lybbert photos
  • Playdown wins for Chinooks 
  • Chinooks vs Lethbridge 1 at Enmax Centre
Update:  The Peewee Chinooks will face Vauxhall for the next round of playdowns.

Playdown win for Chinooks

The Peewee Chinooks hosted Kainai for the second of two Spud League Peewee B Provincial playdown games at Pincher Creek's Memorial Community Centre Arena on Thursday evening, January 30.  The Chinooks won the first game, held at Kainai's home rink, by a score of 6-3.  By playdown rules Kainai needed to win this one by 4 points to advance.  Kainai certainly gave it their all in their attempt to do so.  Talk about a transformation since the beginning of the season.  From the rough material of that Kainai team came this polished hockey machine.

The Chinooks too have demonstrated incredible growth this season.  What was essentially 3 teams squished together made up of players with widely varying levels of skill has become a solidified and intensified unit.  They would need every iota of their new found confidence and teamwork to defeat a Kainai team that definitely came to win it.

The ingredients for great hockey.

The fans were not disappointed.



Both teams hit the ice with very visible determination, playing fast and clean. The first goal of the game went to the Chinooks at 15:57 on the clock when the indefatigable Trinity Tanner took a pass from Sam Jordan, saw an opening from afar, and made the kind of long distance slap shot goal that makes opponents quiver in disbelief. In other words, a humdinger. 1-0 Chinooks. That was promptly answered by Kainai #8 Tayson Royal, unassisted. Royal worked his way through the Chinooks' defence, knocking it off, up, and over Krampe and into the centre of the net. 1-1. And that was it for the first. Despite intense back and forth play, Krampe and Many Fingers denied every attempt. My attention was drawn repeatedly through the game to Chinooks #17 Elias Smith, who has really improved his defensive skills this season. He was a digger out there.


The Chinooks weren't as on at the outset of the second period as they had been in the first.  At 14:43 on the clock a Kainai penalty gave them a power play.  At 14:34 Kainai's #10 Jett Black Water turned a lemon into lemonade, scoring a shorthanded breakaway goal.  Krampe almost had it blocked, and then he didn't.  Now Kainai was up 2-1.  Just as the Kainai penalty cleared the clock Chinooks #40 Ethan Grier worked his way around the opposition just long enough to spot the hole he wanted before quickly snapping it in, high and pure air.  Textbook. 2-2.  Less than a minute later he scored again, 11:45 on the clock,  this time taking a pass from #13 Thunder Crowshoe and immediately finding an open spot at the lower left corner of the net. 3-2 Chinooks. Thunder and #20 Nelz Vance picked up assists on that play.  Less than a minute later, 10:51 on the clock, Kainai #20 Rylan Shuberg scored, unassisted.  Tied again, 3-3.  29 seconds later Kainai was out in the lead again when #7 Keegan Wadsworth scored, assisted by Shuberg and Tayson Royal.   4-3 Kainai.


Halfway through the period.

At 9:46 remaining Trinity Tanner scored her second goal of the game for the Chinooks, snapping it high into the left corner, air all the way, assisted by #19 Calim Yellow Face.  Talk about action!  Back and forth it went.  With 3:29 remaining Kainai #14 Taylin Bruised Head scored, assisted by #19 Kyzer Bird.  5-4 Kainai, which is where it stood to the end of the second.

One thing was certain, Kainai was definitely hungry for the win.  They earned their lead the right way, with 100% focus, solid teamwork, solid passing, tight defence, and chutzpah to boot.   Kainai #20 Rylan Shuberg put in a notable effort.  He's one of those golden combinations.  Big, a good skater, a good forward, a good defenceman, able to anticipate and react, and intimidating  without being out of control.  Two of my favourite moments in the third period were when Chinooks Abi Cryderman and Beyonce Crowshoe put rational fear aside and stopped him cold.


So here it was, third period, Kainai up by one and needing to be up by 4.  Two non-stop periods behind them.  Back and forth went the action again, neither team gaining the advantage until Ethan Grier earned his hat trick for the game with 9:26 remaining, assisted by Taylor Smith and Thunder Crowshoe.  5-5, and now the odds for a favourable outcome were definitely on the Chinooks' side.  That was solidified by unassisted goals from Chinooks Captain #20 Nelz Vance (neatly into lower left corner), and #8 Sam Jordan (charge to the net, off Many Fingers' skate, and in) bringing it to 7-5 in the Chinooks' favour with 3:40 remaining.  Still Kainai kept pushing hard, earning a final consolation goal by Jett Black Water, assisted by Shuberg, with only 35.5 seconds remaining in the game.  Final score 7-6 Chinooks.

For the Chinooks, another 2-game Provincials playdown looms.  For Kainai, hopefully the knowledge that they've turned into a solid competitive team this season.


What a game!  These two dynamic teams are scheduled to meet once more this season for a regular Spud League game on Saturday February 8 at the MCC Arena, game time 1:00 pm.

Lloyd Lybbert photos

Chinooks Head Coach Brandon Yellow Wings said the first playdown game against Kainai was much like this one.  "Same thing, back and forth.  It was a real battle. We didn't expect them to come out as strong as they did, you know, when we played them the first time, and they came out even stronger today."

He confirmed the Chinooks have transformed. "They're really starting to click.  They're starting to know where people are without looking, and some tricksy passes and stuff like that..." 

Coach Yellow Wings said the team is ready for whatever team they will face next in playdowns.

Asked if he had a message for his young charges he said "Just how hard they skated.  They showed a lot of heart.  They really took it to them and never gave up or anything.  They  faltered a little bit but they always managed to come back."

Vauxhall will be the Chinooks next Provincial playdown opponent.*

Wes Krampe


Some fantastic goalkeeping was demonstrated on both sides from Chinooks' Wes "Cupcake" Krampe and Kainai's Walker Many Fingers.

Walker Many Fingers

Recap - Peewee Chinooks vs Lethbridge 1 at Enmax Centre

Note: the following replaces an earlier less detailed account of this game.

On January 26 the Peewee Chinooks played Lethbridge 1 at the Enmax Centre in Lethbridge 1, a regular season Spud League game.

Here's a brief clip which includes the second goal of the game, courtesy of Jamie McMullen:


Chinooks #26 Abi Cryderman broke the Chinooks' drought in the first period at the 13:22 mark, assisted by #40 Ethan Grier. #15 Trinity Tanner earned herself a hat trick in the game and got an assist.  #19 Calim Yellow Face scored twice and got an assist.  #5 Brandi Yellow Wings got a goal and an assist.  #4 Beyonce Crowshoe also earned an assist.

"We were down 4-0 right off the bat but we kept fighting back," said Chinooks hockey mom Jamie McMullen.

"They gave up 6 goals in 8 minutes.  We would be down by one and then they would get another. They played right to the buzzer," said Chinooks hockey mom Tara Cryderman.

Upcoming games
Upcoming Peewee Chinooks games (subject to changes and additions):

  • At home: Saturday February 1 exhibition vs Siksika, 1:00 pm 
  • Away: Sunday February 2 at Irvine, 4:15 pm
  • At home: Saturday February 8 - Hockey day and a game against Kainai at 1:00 pm
  • At home: Sunday February 9 vs Lethbridge 4, 1:45 pm
  • Away: February 16 vs Shock at Picture Butte, 1:40 pm  (last regular season Spud League game)

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