麻豆社区

The Castle Rock Atom Junior Mustangs can trot with the best of the west.

In their first out-of-town tournament of the season, the local club proved it by finishing third and winning the B pool championship in Leduc, Alta.

"It's always hard to know how Whitehorse teams stack up when they go Outside but these Junior Mustangs proved they can ride with the rest of them,鈥� said coach Steve Smith.

The Adam Myers Memorial Tournament (Atom A) was hosted by Leduc last weekend. Regular head coach Kirk Gale was unable to make the trip due to prior commitments.

The Mustangs' first game came just four hours after the team landed in Wild Rose Country last Friday.

The young club channeled their energy into a 3-1 victory over a team from Sylvan Lake.

Erroll Ekholm, Kyle Schwantz, and Aimery Barrault provided the offence and Eric Potvin provided the heart and hustle in a big victory.

The game was closer than it looked however, with one goal against being disallowed after the buzzer.

"The kids were really excited and full of energy,鈥� Smith said. "That's what really got them through that first game.鈥�

On Saturday morning, the Whitehorse club faced Stettler, "the team to beat,鈥� said Smith.

That sentiment proved true, as the Mustangs dropped game two 6-0.

Defenceman Marco Harwood received the Heart and Hustle award for his inspiring play on the blueline.

The final game of the round-robin was played Saturday afternoon against Beaumont.

Another tough battle resulted in a 5-1 loss with the Mustangs' lone goal coming from Kyle Bierlmeier.

Despite the two losses the Atom Junior Mustangs finished round-robin play in a three-way tie for third place, putting them in the B pool final.

That night, the Mustangs spent some time in another rink 鈥� Rexall Place 鈥� serving as the honour guard for the Western Hockey League champion Edmonton Oil Kings, who were hosting the Prince Albert Raiders.

The visiting Raiders eked out a 4-3 victory.

"It was a wild game,鈥� Smith said.

On Sunday morning, the visiting club would also find success in the B pool final.

The Mustangs summoned all of their remaining intensity to dominate the final 鈥� a rematch with Sylvan Lake 鈥� winning 7-2.

Goals from Potvin, Keegan Bevilacqua, Bierlmeier (2), Kyron Crosby (2), and Barrault staked Whitehorse to a 7-0 lead, before Sylvan Lake nabbed two goals late.

"The kids had a blast,鈥� said Smith. "They were on fire in that last game.鈥�

Both Mustangs' goalies played well, sharing equal ice time in each game. Aaron Chen's save percentage was a sparkling .950 in the final round-robin game, earning him the Heart and Hustle award.

Dawson Smith saved all the shots he faced in two of the four games, including the final.

To stay current on future tournaments, the Castle Rock Atom Junior Mustangs have joined Twitter. They can be followed via Twitter handle @atomjrmustangs.