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Athabasca meets Challenge head on

It was a challenge like no other, with three of Alberta’s best collegiate men’s hockey teams stepping onto the ice for the first ever Athabasca College Hockey Challenge (ACHC).
Members of the Augustana Vikings rally squad, Matthew Marches, Caleb Congdon, Jacob Hayward, Ethan Rich and Keenan Ponich go all out for Game 1.
Members of the Augustana Vikings rally squad, Matthew Marches, Caleb Congdon, Jacob Hayward, Ethan Rich and Keenan Ponich go all out for Game 1.

It was a challenge like no other, with three of Alberta’s best collegiate men’s hockey teams stepping onto the ice for the first ever Athabasca College Hockey Challenge (ACHC).

The first of the two weekends of college hockey featured a round robin of exhibition games between the University of Alberta Golden Bears, Augustana Vikings and NAIT Ooks. The three games were spread Friday to Sunday, bringing in a crowd af about 1,000 people through the entire weekend.

“It’s a real rare opportunity for our community and the people in this region to come and witness something like this and be a part of it,” said ACHC co-chair Jeff Johnson. “As the word spreads, I think the rink will be even fuller, but we had very solid attendance.”

The Golden Bears stayed golden after winning their two exhibition games, followed by the Ooks finishing 1-1 and the Vikings leaving the ACHC without a win.

The first matchup had the Golden Bears and the Vikings battling on the rink. The Golden Bears defense proved to be the Vikings’ Achilles heel, shutting down their offence and forcing neutral zone turnovers. The Golden Bears would take the game 5-1, outshooting the Vikings 48-18.

The Vikings were up against the Ooks the following night, looking for a little bit of redemption. The Ooks dominated the first two periods, leading the game 6-1. The Vikings however, took control of the third period keeping the Ooks off the score sheet bringing it to a final score of 6-3.

The Ooks facing off against the Golden Bears would prove to be a tight game, with both teams beating the Vikings in similar fashion. The Ooks were soft on offence, and basically handed the Golden Bears a 3-0 lead going into the third. The Ooks battled back to close the gap 3-2. They couldn’t hang on to the streak, though, as the Golden Bears were able to grab two empty net goals for the 5-2 win.

The ACHC had events occurring behind the benches of the college hockey games. Athabasca’s Bantam, Pee Wee and Atom minor hockey kids were each given a jersey and assigned to their own college team as part of a rally squad. As an added bonus, each squad had the opportunity to practice with their assigned hockey team.

“To go on the ice with them in full gear and their team’s in full gear – I mean that’s unheard of,” said Johnson. “I’ve never seen or heard of anything like that happen at this level (of hockey).”

“Most of (the kids) wanted to show off and do their thing,” said Jay Alix, after participating with his Pee Wees during the Ooks practice. “Couple of them even got into a bit of a tussle at the end (for fun). You know, they look up (players) like that. They’re athletes, and doing something somewhere. They had a lot of fun, and were just giddy afterwards.”

The ACHC featured a Coaches’ Clinic on Saturday, with a panel consisting of Golden Bears coach Serge Lajoie, Ooks coach Tim Fragile, Augustana’s director of athletics Greg Ryan, and former NHL coach Billy Moores.

The discussion was also hosted by Edmonton Oilers radio colour commentator Bob Stauffer.

Moores’ talk was one of the most revered presentations among the coaches panel.

The former Edmonton Oilers assistant coach emphasized a player’s growth and development and earning their respect, a lesson that could be used not only in sports, but in teaching methods as well.

“Today’s kid – or player – has to respect you, and respect is a two-way street,” Stauffer said after hosting the panel. “The coach has to earn their respect as well as the players. When I watch coach Moores – and I’ve known coach Moores since 1989 – I watch him do that speech with those reoccurring themes, and that’s to me how coaching has to be done today.”

With one weekend down, the ACHC will be welcoming the University of Alberta Panadas and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, two of the best women’s intercollegiate college teams in the West.

“It’s not just for female hockey players to come watch,” Johnson said. “It’s a real opportunity to profile our community, to expose all of our athletes to another high level of achievements.”

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