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The Kal Tire Peewee Mustangs went unbeaten in the Golden Rockets Aeros Tournament in Golden, B.C. from Feb. 21-23. Their unbeaten record in round-robin play earned them a berth in the final against Nelson where they overcame a 2-1 deficit to force a shootout.

鈥淭he game was really exciting,鈥� said head coach Ken Anderson. 鈥淲e were down 2-1 with about a minute left and we pulled the goalie. It came together. We tied the game and we got to a shootout.

鈥淔ortunate for us but not too fortunate for the Nelson kids but that鈥檚 why you play the games.鈥�

After the buzzer sounded on regulation time, there was no overtime period, it went straight to the shootout.

鈥淲e went to five shooters in the end,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淲e ended up winning in the fifth round. Our goalie, Alix Walchuk, she played really good.鈥�

Accomplishing the comeback showed perseverance from all the players, said Anderson.

鈥淚t really showed them that they can persevere,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淚f there is a little bit of adversity they proved that they can rise up and overcome that. It was good to see that.鈥�

Anderson said shootouts are something the team works on in practice but when the players are in that situation, it鈥檚 difficult to know who is going to come out on the winning end.

The Mustangs have played in a number of tournaments this season, but have come up short. Anderson said the team has shown lots of growth.

鈥淚 think there is a lot of improvement skill-wise and team concept-wise as well,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been quite a bit of improvement. Like a lot of teams, it鈥檚 if we get them to play a full game.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what we are kind of dealing with now, to see if we can keep the pace and focus for a full sixty minutes.

鈥淚f we can get them to start the game at a good tempo and doing things the right way and carry that through the game we are usually successful, or at least competitive.鈥�

In Golden, Anderson said the team began showing more consistency and the gold medal victory is a reflection of their hard work and their jelling as a team.

鈥淚n the last month or so they鈥檝e come together as a team,鈥� said Anderson.

The Mustangs defeated Golden 4-3 and the Knights 10-1 in round-robin play. Being unbeaten is a position the Mustangs have been in before, however, they did not achieve the desired result.

Winning in Golden, Anderson said, was a good confidence boost after falling short in previous tournaments.

鈥淲e were in that situation in a previous tournament,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淲e were first in the round-robin but lost in the semifinal. They鈥檝e seen both sides of coming first.

鈥淭hey did learn something. You can never underestimate your opponent and every game is a new game. I think they learned that lesson.鈥�

Anderson was pleased with the on-ice performance but was happier with how they conducted themselves away from the rink.

鈥淎s a team, off the ice, they came together really good,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been doing that all year. You are seeing the kids jelling as a unit and doing stuff together.

Everybody is included and that鈥檚 a big thing about sports that鈥檚 so valuable.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not just on the ice it鈥檚 off the ice. It was good to see all that.鈥�

The next tournament for the Mustangs will be the B.C. Provincials beginning March 14.

Anderson said he hopes the team will carry the momentum forward.

鈥淔rom a confidence point of view, any time you win something, and there were some competitive games as well, that鈥檚 important for your confidence,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l be taking the time to make the right play. They won鈥檛 feel rushed.

鈥淗opefully it translates over to provincials and I think it will.鈥�

During practice, Anderson said they will work on shoring their overall game.

鈥淚 think just a little bit more compete, battle for the puck, is important. A lot of the times the games come down to those tiny little things. If you get the puck it鈥檚 not a goal if you don鈥檛, maybe it鈥檚 a scoring opportunity for the other team.

鈥淲e鈥檒l focus on quite a bit of that. Body position and the defensive side of the puck.鈥�

B.C. provincials will begin March 14. Last year, the Peewee Mustangs won gold and Anderson said the hopes the team can repeat on that success.

鈥淗opefully we can continue that tradition,鈥� said Anderson. 鈥淲e are certainly going to give it our best.鈥�

By JOHN TONIN Sports Editor