Bantam Bombers capture provincial crown

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Published on Saturday, March 11, 2017

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The Minnedosa Bantams pressed their “Hometown Advantage” this past weekend by capturing the Bantam ‘A’ Provincial Championship. The team of 13-14 year-old boys defeated the Swan Valley Stampeders 5-2 in the gold medal final to put a storybook ending to their season.

After losing their initial game of the weekend on Friday, Mar. 3 a to a familiar foe, the Rivers Jets by a 5-1 margin, the boys bounced back Friday night to defeat the Carman Cougars by a 4-1 score and built on that momentum by defeating the MacDonald Wolverines by a 6-4 score on Saturday with goalie Tanner Hanson making some timely saves to preserve the win.

This put the boys in second place in their pool and facing the top-seeded Virden Oil Caps in the Sunday morning semi-final game. Virden got the early lead but the Bombers battled back, with Lucas Parrott scoring to tie the game at 1-1 after the opening period.

The Bombers kept the momentum going, with Blair Desiatnyk scoring three minutes into the second period and Bryden McFarlane adding one midway through the third. Liam Bachewich secured the win with an empty-net goal with 1:46 left to play.

The boys then waited for the results of the other semi-final between Rivers and Swan Valley. Swan Valley defeated Rivers 6-3 setting up a Minnedosa - Swan Valley Final.

In the gold medal game, defenceman Graham Bailey opened the scoring with a seeing-eye shot 4 minutes into the game. The boys fed off this opening goal and their momentum built, culminating in Bailey scoring his second of the period with just under two minutes left. The Bombers were up 2-0 after the first period.

In the second period, Swan Valley regrouped and pushed back. They scored midway through the period and continued to press-on to get the equalizer. With just under a minute left in the second stanza, centre Konlyn Nemetchek broke free and went in on net. Nemetchek scored and the hometown team had a 3-1 lead after two periods.

The Stampeders came out flying after the intermission, scoring 23 seconds into the final frame. Up 3-2 the Bombers regrouped and went on the attack. Three minutes later, during a scramble in front of the Virden net, left winger Malik McKay hurled a backhand past the Swan Valley goalie and into a yawning cage.

The score was now 4-2 with just over 16 minutes left. The Stampeders once-again went on the offensive, determined to spoil what was now starting to look like a storybook ending for the hometown squad. But the Bombers weathered the assault of the Stampeders with hard and determined defensive play, some valiant shot-blocking and goalie Cody Creasy stopping everything Swan Valley could throw at him.

With just over three minutes left, defenceman Lucas Parrott snapped one home while the teams were playing 4-on-4, giving the Bombers an insurance marker.

From there, the Bombers dominated the Stampeders and closed out one of the most exciting weekends of hometown success that Minnedosa Arena has seen in some time. Among the fans and local hockey aficionados that watched the final game, no one could remember a Minnedosa team winning Hockey Manitoba Provincials in their home arena.

As the final buzzer sounded, sticks, gloves and helmets flew in the air as the team mobbed their goalie.

After the teams exchanged handshakes and the Bombers got their gold medals, champions caps and provincial championship banner, the ice was flooded with family members as players, parents, brothers and sisters and grandparents hugged, laughed and cried before taking pictures with their champion players with the champions banner.

Team captain Carter Hedley made the rounds through the dressing room. “This is what team is all about” said Hedley as he embraced in hugs with every team member “We believed in ourselves and our teammates. We had everyone elevate their game as the weekend went on. We could not have done this if all 16 of us didn’t do what they had to do to make this happen. I love these guys. I have 15 brothers and we proved we would do anything for each other.”

Head coach Lawrence Parrott,who along with assistant coach Dan Bailey and manager Wes Barrett have been with some of these players for 10 years of minor hockey, starting back when they were five years old, had this to say after the win.

”We’ve been through 10 amazing years with some of these guys. Roads trips and tournaments with tons of laughs and so many memories. I am so proud of what they have become, both as individuals and as a team. There couldn’t be a better way to wrap-up our journey with them. The way they came together they deserved this championship,” stated Parrott.