It wasn’t the ending the La Crete Lumber Barons were hoping for.
Okotoks got past La Crete 6-3 in the gold medal game of the Junior B Hockey Provincials in Peace River.
Lumber Barons Head Coach Dion Knelsen says Okotoks was a very hard team to play against.
“We knew it would be a battle from the start. We came out strong and obviously got the lead but they have a pretty deep club and they’re relentless and obviously they were able to come back and go up 3-2. We came back and made it 3-3 with 10 minutes left and it was a hockey game. It’s just hockey. I thought our boys gave it their all, they came out in the third period and didn’t leave anything on the ice.”
Despite that loss, Knelsen says the tournament overall was a great experience for the team.
“The organizing committee did a great job with this tournament, everything felt very well done, it was a pleasure the whole weekend. Obviously we feel very blessed to even be at this tournament in only our second year in the league and I was very impressed. It was a great experience for everybody. I feel like for us to get to the final and get a silver medal is pretty outstanding for these boys.”
Knelsen says their young lineup should benefit from the experience they gained playing at provincials.
“This is what life is. You go through stuff that’s awesome like winning and you go through stuff that’s pretty tough. All of that adds up into who you are as a person and I think this will be a great experience for the boys. Looking back, they’ll be thankful that they had this opportunity. I personally am and I’m very proud of them and I know they’re great young men and they’re growing up to be great human beings and I’m so proud to be their coach.”
You can hear that full interview with Knelsen below.
– Kyle Moore, Trending 55 Newsroom
