What a beautiful way to start off the playoffs, eh?
For those few of you who turned out for Barrhead’s Midget 2 Renegades league playoff game against the Camrose Nordics, you know how the three periods went.
Hockey is a rough sport, we all know it, but I’ve got to hand it to the Renegades’ coaching staff — Dave Bondarchuk, David Bain, Dwayne Kleinfeldt and Greg Scheffler, because these boys played with class.
As I have noted to my coworker on several occasions regarding the Steelers themselves, it seems like the quality of sportsmanship in our players on every team has increased this season.
Not that our boys weren’t exhibiting stellar sportsmanship in the past.
There were times when things were getting a bit tense on the ice during this particular league playoff game, make no mistake, but the Renegades kept their heads and did not make the game personal.
At least not to the same extent that their opponents, did in my opinion.
I know I’ll probably get a call or two condemning my above statements but I am glad that the refs ejected the Camrose Nordics player who went out of his way to target Austin Van Patten and sent him flying through the air.
Anybody who was there could have seen how personal that hit was.
In any sport, there are moments when things get heated and emotions run high.
I don’t know if there were words spoken between Van Patten and that Camrose player prior to the hit but regardless, purposely targeting a player like that, in my mind, has no place on the ice.
In the NHL, I do believe the same player would have faced a game suspension and a substantial fine as well.
My hat is off to you Austin for taking it like a champ and carrying on when if it were myself, I’d still be lying there wondering what the heck happened.
It was an exciting game to watch and I’m proud of the boys for taking all of the hits in stride, for pulling the punches when they so clearly wanted to do otherwise.
And again, kudos to the coaching staff.
Whatever you guys are doing, keep it up.
