CANORA - The U13 Canora Cobras hosted a five-team hockey tournament in Canora on Nov. 10-11, with the host team putting in a strong effort to win two games, according to Head Coach Jeff Sznerch.
In addition to the Cobras, the other participating teams were: Preeceville Pats, Hudson Bay Hunters, Yorkton Pathway Terriers, and Yorkton Premier Terriers. Each team played the other four teams once over the course of the two-day event.
The Cobras opened their weekend with a game against the Yorkton Premier Terriers on Friday afternoon. Yorkton was full marks for a 4-0 lead after the second period, but the Cobras played their best period in the final 20 minutes. Goals by Wade Vangen and Kasen Heshka, assisted by Ashton Strelioff and Angel Sliva, cut the deficit in half, but the Cobras comeback effort ran out of time.
Canora hit the ice again on Friday evening versus the Hudson Bay Hunters, and were able to play with the lead for most of the game. Karter Shukin of the Cobras opened the scoring on an end-to-end rush, followed by a late first period goal from Kasen Heshka, assisted by Ashton Strelioff. The Cobras led 2-1 after first period. After a scoreless middle period, a third period goal by Caden Doogan sealed a tight 3-2 victory.
Saturday morning saw the Cobras up against the Yorkton Pathway Terriers, which ended in a 7-2 loss. Canora hit the back of the net twice in the second period on goals by Kasen Heshka and Courtlyn Heshka, assisted by Karter Shukin.
The fourth and final game of the tournament for the Cobras came on Saturday afternoon versus the Preeceville Pats. Canora had a strong start, and led 4-1 after the first period, stretching the lead to 6-1 after the second. The Pats kept battling and closed the gap somewhat in the third, but the Cobras still came away with a 7-3 win.
Levi Coleman and Ashton Strelioff led the Cobras offense with a pair of goals each. Singles came off the sticks of Chloe Doogan, Wade Vangen and Karter Shukin. Assists were contributed by Courtlyn Heshka and Kenzee Kopelchuk.
The Cobras won two games and lost two during the tournament, good for third place. Both Yorkton teams won three out of four games, while Hudson Bay and Preeceville each posted records of one win and thee losses.
The Cobras had only played one game so far this season, so according to Coach Sznerch, “Essentially the tournament began our season.”
Sznerch said he was pleased with the team’s play over the two-day event.
“I think it went very well. We accomplished what we had hoped to from a team perspective. We got better each game we played and the kids really enjoyed it. I feel as the weekend progressed we got more gritty and aggressive. We tried some different line combos and I feel we found some success there also.”
Hosting a tournament this early in the season provides a valuable opportunity for team development leading into upcoming games.
“It allows us to sort out some line pairings, develop chemistry within the roster, get our players into better game shape and brush the rust off so to speak without having any implications towards our league standings,” said Sznerch. “Furthermore, we have found that other teams are eager to enter pre-season tournaments to accomplish all the same things I spoke about. In the years we've been doing this, we haven't had much trouble in filling our tournament with teams.
“Many thanks to all the parents and the tournament committee for all their hard work throughout the weekend including all the planning beforehand. It once again was a success.”
As the upcoming season progresses, Sznerch said he and the other member of the coaching staff will be working on “overall skill development, both individually as well as from a team perspective, and we’ll also be working on our overall understanding of the game.”
Kurtis Shukin and Bryan Heshka are the assistant coaches working with Sznerch, while Genevieve Shukin handles the manager duties.
“It’s great to be involved with kids and to see them progress as athletes and as individuals,” said Sznerch. “There are skills learned from playing team sports that cannot be developed any other way, that will help these young people grow into well-rounded adults. Additionally, volunteering my time is my way of paying it forward and saying thanks to those that coached and influenced me when I was a kid.”
The season is getting into full swing for the U13 Cobras, with a home game set for Friday (Nov. 24) against Cote, and a road tilt coming up on Nov. 28 at Yorkton UCT.
Don't count on social media to deliver your local news to you. Keep your news a touch away by bookmarking Canora Courier's homepage at this link.
Here's why you should bookmark your favourites.
Bookmark SASKTODAY.ca, Saskatchewan's home page, at this link.
