Bradley Williams hasn’t been a 100 Mile House Wrangler for very long, but he gets it.
This team is all about hard work, says Williams, 18, who was recently acquired from the Osoyoos Coyotes and calls Calgary home.
It’s his first season in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. He says the Wranglers have been an easy fit for him. Coach/general manager Doug Rogers makes it clear what he expects from his players – effort.
“Honestly, it’s the hardest working team I’ve been on. Hard work usually wins over talent.
“I think we can actually go pretty far in the playoffs, as long as we keep working hard.”
In four games with 100 Mile House, Williams has two goals and two assists.
One of those goals came in the second period against the league-leading Kamloops Storm at the South Cariboo Rec. Centre on Dec. 13.
Kamloops won 5-2.
The game sort of fluctuated for the Wranglers. Kamloops got up 2-0 in the first period, but 100 Mile House fired back with two goals in the second, and it seemed like anybody’s game with Kamloops up 3-2 going into the final frame. 100 Mile House managed 13 shots in the last 20 minutes, while Kamloops managed 12, but scored on two of them.
“I thought we played poorly as a group, especially for the first period,” says Rogers. “We needed a better effort and we didn’t get it.”
The coach also talked about taking the next step from being “a good team” to a “very good team.”
“It takes dedication, commitment and effort. We have all those qualities in our room, but we need to make sure we bring them every night.”
Jayden Syrota scored 100 Mile House’s second goal on the power play. Lane
van de Wetering picked up two assists and Luke Santerno one.
Rogers mentions the play of goalie Nathan Warren, who faced 35 shots, and van de Wetering, who continues to accumulate points on offence.
“We need more players to follow their lead. I am not concerned by the lackluster performance (against Kamloops), but view it as another growth opportunity for our team.”
Next, the Wranglers travel to Revelstoke on Dec. 20, before hosting the Sicamous Eagles at the South Cariboo Rec. Centre on Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.
They are back in action after the Christmas break in Fernie on Jan. 3 to kick off a three-game road trip.
Kamloops leads the Doug Birks Division with 57 points. 100 Mile House, in second, has 36 points, followed by Chase (32), Sicamous (26) and Revelstoke (17).
