The 100 Mile House Wranglers of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League took the Summerland Steam to task on Oct. 27, winning 5-0.
“Obviously, Garrett Hilton had a big dog game, but he is one of the premier forwards in our conference and Garrett is going to keep on getting better and better. To be involved in all five goals, that’s a pretty good feat,” said Dale Hladun, the head coach and general manager of the Wranglers. “That was a hard game to pick a game star because Garrett got the five points and Dan Allin got a shutout.”
Hilton scored a hat trick and assisted on the two goals scored by Harley Bootsma and Aidan Morrison. Ben Keon, Liam Dodd and Kolby Page also had an assist each in the game.
The game was also a unique one, said Hladun, in that a number of players on both sides were from Williams Lake. This drew a busload of Williams Lakers to watch the two Wranglers from the city — Jaxon Passari and Nic Flinton — as well as the Conroy brothers (Tyson and Brody), the Swan brothers (Justin and Cody) and Cory Loring of Summerland.
There will be some changes in the upcoming week in player personnel.
Allin, who has won four games (including three shutouts) in his first and only season with the Wranglers, will be moving on to the Drumheller Dragons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
“The guys are pretty excited to help him get a shutout in the last game of his time with us here in 100 Mile,” said Hladun. “He was an awesome fit. I think the amount of goalies I had here over my career in this league, he’s equal to or better than many of them. I think Dan is going to do very well in Alberta and will be going on to play college hockey and beyond.”
Hladun also issued another warning to players who are having difficulty remaining calm and/or taking stupid penalties.
Despite winning 5-0, the team was shorthanded on 10 occasions, and collected 91 minutes in the box during the process.
“I just feel there are some kids there that I’ve been telling them how hot the stove is, don’t touch it. But they seem to want to touch it, so okay. You wanna touch the stove, here is how it works,” said Hladun. “There might be some familiar faces on the roster this season that might actually be on their way out… After a while, I’ll be done talking and I’ll start to move guys.”
Hladun said that at the beginning of the season, he starts working on building the team’s culture.
Now that the team is 14 games into the season, it’s time to shift the gears into actually pushing the kids and making sure they are buying into the system and adjusting properly, he said.
“Are we just here to play hockey or are we here to win a title or are we here just to have fun with each other? Or are we going to buy in and do something special, not just for the Wranglers but for the community of 100 Mile House as well?”
There are also three new players who will be joining the team this week.
Nico Hemming, a defenceman from the state of Colorado, will continue his first season in Canadian hockey with the Wranglers after being dropped from the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL).
Previously to his five games on the Ice Wolves, he made appearances for the Steamboat Wranglers in the now-defunct Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League and the Colorado Evolution in the Western States Hockey League.
Hemming was recruited with the help of former Wrangler Kevin Fillier, who is playing for the Ice Wolves this season. Hladun said Fillier had a word with the 17-year-old American after he was cut and told him 100 Mile House would be a good option for him.
Hemming will not be the only American joining the team this week.
Greg Moon, a 19-year-old from Franklin, Maryland will be replacing the outgoing Allin.
Hladun described Moon as explosive and said he was pretty excited to see how he looks with the team.
Moon has a wealth of experience in junior hockey, playing for three teams in three different leagues in as many seasons, including the Elliot Lake Wildcats of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League and the Edmundston Blizzard in the Maritime Junior A Hockey League.
Centre Max Messier, cut from the Swan Valley Stampeders of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, will also be joining the team.
The Wranglers will play the Castlegar Rebels and have a rematch with the Summerland Steam this weekend.
“I’m sure they’ll be on the top of their game after we beat them 5-0. They’re not going to be happy with that,” said Hladun of Summerland.
