It’s weird, says 100 Mile House Wranglers coach Dale Hladun. The end of a hockey season is a lot like the abrupt end of a movie. Or even more so, like that famous final episode of The Sopranos.
There’s something, and there’s usually something else coming, and then, just like that, there’s nothing.
Cut to black.
Game over.
The Wranglers 2014-15 season ended just like its inaugural one in 2013-14, (except with more controversy this time).
The local Kootenay International Junior Hockey League club knocked out the Chase Heat in Round 1 of the playoffs, before falling to its Doug Birks Division rival and powerhouse club Kamloops Storm in Round 2.
Kamloops clinched the series at home in Game 5 on March 7. The game took a controversial turn in the second period, explains coach Hladun.
100 Mile House’s Austin Turner put the club on the board early in the first, and the Wranglers had a 1-0 lead until the puck went off a Kamloops skate and past goalie Kristian Stead. To the Wranglers bench, the puck was clearly redirected intentionally, which should have meant no goal. Assistant coach Richard Duff was ejected for arguing the call with the referee, who then handed the Wranglers a two-minute bench minor. Kamloops scored on the ensuing power play, icing the game and the series, 2-1. Stead, the Wranglers MVP all season long, was credited with the away team’s star of the game, turning away 36 shots.
Cole Zimmerman assisted on Turner’s goal.
Kamloops moved on to the Okanagan Shuswap Conference finals, which started on March 11, with the Osoyoos Coyotes. The Kimberley Dynamiters and Beaver Valley Nitehawks are meeting in the Kootenay Conference finals. The winners of those two series will meet in the league championship.
“I’m extremely proud of the effort all year,” says Hladun. “We had hardworking kids
that should make the community proud of their effort right up to
the end.”
The Wranglers forced Game 5 with their backs against the wall in an exciting 4-1 win in front of close to 700 local fans in Game 4 on March 6.
A. Turner took star of the game honours for the Wranglers with a two-goal effort. Michael Lynch and Brett Harris also found the back of the net. Harris (2), Devan Suidy and Cole Weber tallied assists.
That sudden lull Hladun spoke about after Game 5 didn’t last very long.
The coaching staff met with players this week to discuss their past season and their future, and Hladun is now off to the Okanagan, Clearwater, Dawson Creek and Red Deer, to scout midget tournaments ahead of the Wranglers spring camp in April.
Hladun anticipates being behind the Wranglers bench at the start of next season.
“I’ve coached a lot of years, at a lot of different levels with different organizations. This has been probably my most enjoyable year in junior hockey. From the community, from the players on the team, from the executive, you want to win now, you want to win even more.”
“I see a lot of successful seasons coming up,” he adds.
