Rebecca Netzband

The Cochrane Cowboys wrestling team came away with medals at the Paperweight Invitational wrestling tournament in Edmonton over the weekend.

Brendan McKeage, Aidan McKeage, Connor McNeice, Daniel Coles and Christoff Coles all earned gold at the Jan. 28 invitational tourney featuring more than 500 wrestlers.

Cian Hilkewich took silver, and Evan Proudlock and Rebecca Netzband won bronze.

Katie-Mae Stockley and Vernon Pointen placed fourth and Jordon Pease took fifth.

The Cowboys are sending eight wrestlers, plus alternates, to the Alberta Winter Games being held later this month in Spruce Grove/Stony Plain/Parkland County.

Connor McNeice, Callum McNeice, Proudlock, Pease, Kristoff Coles, Aidan McKeage, Aidan Smith and Stockley will all wrestle at the Games. Daniel Coles, Luke Clubb, Kayden Roberts, and Netzband are going as alternates.

High school tournament

Bow Valley and Cochrane high schools are combining their athletes to send a competitive team to the Forest Lawn High School wrestling tournament in Calgary this weekend.

The schools have combined to send 24 athletes to the Forest Lawn meet.

“They are a fun group to work with and they are like sponges,” said Bow Valley wrestling coach Matt Baugh. “They’re learning a lot, which is great.”

Wrestlers attending the Feb. 3-4 tourney in Calgary include: Grant Bauer, Liam Billard, Cameron Birch, Julia Cameron, Connor Denison, Bailey Gordon, Alexandra Grant, John Greenan, Chris Johnson, Zach Kibzey, Luke Klassen, Teran Lyons, Tristan Massey, Kenzie McCrady, Patrick McElroy, Landon McNeil, Black Mowbry, Cole Morrison, Emma Perry, Russ Pilling, Daniel Smith, Cody Snoxell, Trevor Teece and Josh Thomas. “Our ultimate goal is the rural provincial championships Feb. 24 in Bonnyville,” said Baugh.

SISEC

Thirteen feet.

Doesn’t sound like much, but in the game of hockey it’s a world of difference.

And those worlds collide in Cochrane at the Swiss International Sports and Education Centre, where international players aged 15-17 are honing their hockey skills in a North American hockey environment.

Five of those players are bringing a Russian-style game with them. It’s a game played on an ice surface 13 feet wider than the average 85-foot wide North American rink. The SISEC Russians, and the team’s other non-North American players, are now playing on a surface approximately 2,700-square-feet smaller than the rinks they left back home.

And with the smaller ice surface comes a very different style of play compared to the games played in the larger rinks.

“Different because of the physical game,” said 16-year-old SISEC forward Georgy Ostapchuk, who hails from Krasnoznamensk, just outside Moscow. “A lot of hits.”

Ostapchuk has been adapting to the smaller ice surface this season along with his fellow Russians.

“Very good hockey. Hard contact, high speed,” said 16-year-old forward Danis Farvazetdinov of Moscow. “I like it. It’s good.”

The generous international ice surface breeds a more virtuoso, individual-style of play than the pass, move, and hit system so prevalent in the North American game.

“They have the skills. Their one-on-one game is great. And they see the open ice well and attack well,” SISEC coach Topher Plonka said. “In Russia, they let them wheel it up the ice.”

But it’s Plonka’s job to introduce these athletes to the more acute confines of the North American rink and the style of play that succeeds on it.

“The biggest adjustment for them is the smaller rink. It forces you to be more physical. Their time and space is gone,” Plonka observed. “Here, they’ve got to be able to move the puck and react quicker and take hits. It was a big wake-up call for them, the physical part of the game.”

Still, he doesn’t want to coach the individual skills out of his Russian stars.

“I don’t want to hold them back. But I also want to limit them from trying to dangle through everybody.”

He appears to have struck a balance in that regard, as the team is 14-3 with one overtime loss in Canadian Sport School Hockey League play, and has won eight games, tied six more and lost 11 in Northern Alberta Midget AA Hockey League play.

Givi Shepotko, who played in the highly-regarded Moscow Dynamo program, is showing great success here, even if he’s not sold on this style of hockey.

“I think where I played, it’s better than here, basically,” said the 16-year-old Muscovite, who has 30 goals and 18 assists in 33 games. “Where I played in Moscow; very technical players. Very smart.”

Of course, the larger ice surface has something to do with it.

“More room to be creative,” he offered, while adding he’s enjoying his time with SISEC.

Fellow Muscovite Arseny Ivanov has a different take on the North American game.

“I like the smaller ice,” the 15-year-old forward said. “Better than the big ice in Russia. It’s good play.”

Goalie Mikhailo (Mike) Rudenko of Kherson, Ukraine, is in his second year with SISEC and has become very comfortable on the smaller ice. After all, the size of the net doesn’t change.

“I’m used to it. It’s faster,” he said of the pace of play here. “Canada has more team players. It’s more like a unit. Canada has the system that is better than trying to play yourself. It’s not the players who are winning, the team is winning. If the team is playing well, you’re winning.

“We’re winning a lot.”

And, big ice or small, that’s the one fundamental element in competitive hockey everywhere: When you’re winning, it’s all good.

Chris Hugo

The Cochrane Generals won a pair of Heritage Junior Hockey League games over the weekend, downing the Three Hills Thrashers 8-2 on Jan. 28 at Spray Lake Sawmills (SLS) Family Sports Centre after defeating the High River Flyers 5-3 Jan. 27 in High River.

Riley Boothby led Generals scorers with a hat trick against Three Hills. Jonny Pictin scored twice with Kris Keller, Darren Schmautz and Luke Geddes scoring one apiece. Brady Markham kicked out 18 Thrashers shots.

On Jan. 27, Pictin scored twice, with Boothby, Brett McKernan and Reid Wilson scoring singles. Matt Shawchuk turned aside 30 Flyers shots.

The Generals wrap up the regular season with a pair of home games this weekend at the SLS Centre. The Strathmore Wheatland Kings visit Feb. 3 and the Ponoka Stampeders, the final opponent of the regular season, play Feb. 4. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.

Eight Cochrane players are skating in the Junior Women’s Hockey League East-West tournament scheduled Feb. 2-5 at Edge School in Calgary.

Erika Sowchuk, who won gold with Team Canada at the U18 world women’s championships last month in…

Czech Republic, Lauren Fredrich, Celine van der Molen, Hannah Olenyk, Selby Jessiman, Karly Heffernan, Carissa Fischer and Emma Pincott are all playing for Edge School at the tournament featuring teams from Boston, Washington, New York, Vermont, Colorado, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Warner.

Playoff seeding for the JWHL will be determined at the season-ending, 25-game tourney.

The tournament begins Thursday, Feb. 2, with Edge facing Washington at 6 p.m. at Edge School’s Kyle Stuart Arena.

Cochrane U10 Red Rockies

Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre will be ringing with activity this weekend as the third-annual Cochrane Classic ringette tournament descends on the facility.

Girls aged 7-13 on 24 teams, some coming from as far away as Fort McMurray and as nearby as Calgary, will all be in Cochrane with their families for the Classic.

Eight local squads will take part, with the tournament divided into five groups – Under-9, Under-10, Under-12B, Under-14A and Under-14B.

Cochrane Classic organizer Jan Thue expects approximately 1,000 ringette visitors in Cochrane for the Jan. 27-29 tournament.

“We calculated out that it’s approximately $200,000 injected into the local economy,” Thue estimated. “We based that on what we spend when we travel to a tournament and then multiplied that by the number of visiting teams.”

So growing the tournament is something, Thue feels, will benefit Cochrane ringette and the town.

“It would be wonderful if we could double it,” she offered.

As for spectator interest, along with family members of out-of-town players, others will be compelled to check it out.

“There will be a lot of people here,” Thue predicted. “Aunts and uncles close by who come out.

“It’s not just immediate family from here because there are other activities going on at the sports centre, and you get interest from everyone at the rink who’s already there.”

Everyone is welcome to come and watch the action at SLSFSC starting Friday, Jan. 27 and going to Sunday, Jan. 29. All three rinks will be ringing with ringette.

Megan Ogilvie

Grab the ring and win a prize.

For ringette fans, the third-annual Cochrane Classic ringette tournament provides more than a chance to enjoy high-level play between ringette teams from across Alberta.

It also gives fans a chance to win big, while contributing thousands of dollars to Cochrane’s ringette program and promoting local businesses.

“We do a silent auction as well as a raffle draw,” tournament coordinator Jan Thue said of the prizes up for grabs over the Cochrane Classic weekend Jan. 27-29. “And a bunch of fundraisers, like 50-50 draws, that kind of thing.”

Prizes up for grabs at this year’s tournament include four box seats to a Calgary Flames game at Saddledome ($1,008 value), a four-night stay in a Whitefish, MT, condo ($800 value) and one week at a Scottsdale, AZ, condo ($700 value, warm desert sunshine included). There are dozens more prizes ranging from an autographed Jarome Iginla hockey sweater to a Big Hill Pizza gift basket.

As the main fundraising initiative for ringette in Cochrane, the Cochrane Classic is pivotal to the ringette program. Last year, the Classic raised approximately $17,000 for ringette in town.

“The sponsorship money we raise goes towards technical development of our teams, additional ice time; or we bring in coaches from universities,” Thue said of how the funds are spread through the Cochrane ringette program. “We’ve had university coaches come out and work with our coaches and players. There’s a coach-mentoring program as well as technical sessions for the athletes. There are even goalie clinics tailored specifically to our goalies.”

Thue is grateful for all the support the Classic receives from Cochrane businesses and individual donors. Cochrane ringette is doing all it can to ensure the benefits flow both ways.

“Our mandate has been to support our local businesses and local economy,” she observed. “We’re providing maps to the restaurants who provide sponsorships, and provide lists of sponsors to all the visiting teams.

“We’re creating a ringette directory for our local Cochrane sponsors so the away teams will know who all our sponsors are.”

If you want to get in on some great schwag and support local ringette and local business at the same time, just visit the lobby at Totem 2 arena in the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre over the course of the Jan. 27-29 tournament. Raffle prizes and silent-auction prizes will be on display and Cochrane ringette volunteers will be there selling tickets and providing information on the tournament.

Ian McRae

The best offence is a good offence.

Just ask the Cochrane Generals, who have four top-10 players on the Heritage Junior Hockey League scoring-leaders list – Jason Labelle, Jonny Pictin, Kris Keller and Tyson Soloski. It’s no mystery the Generals have been at, or near, the top of league standings all season.

“When you’ve got four, instead of three, that means you’ve got two lines you’ve got to watch from the other coach’s perspective,” Generals head coach Dana Boothby said. “They can break a game open, any one of those guys.”

But their statistical success isn’t just based on individual play.

“I like their teamwork,” Boothby offered. “You just can’t defend against it. That’s what I like. They’re very unselfish.”

Assistant-captain Labelle, currently third in league scoring with 20 goals and 38 assists in 34 games, took that setup from the coach – and buried it.

“Having Picton on my line helps a lot,” the team points leader said of his linemate. “If I put the puck on Picton’s stick, he’ll put it in the net. We feed off each other for sure.”

And Pictin, with 27 goals to go with 24 assists for sixth in league scoring, is feasting on those Labelle feeds.

“I’ve got a great centreman in Jay Labelle and great left winger in Darren Schmautz. We’ve all got great chemistry,” Pictin related. “We just work well together and we bury every opportunity we can.”

And if, for whatever reason, Labelle’s line isn’t producing, you skate right into the buzzsaw that Soloski, Keller and Riley Boothby bring to the rink.

Boothby is the beneficiary of two very skilled passers with great vision, anticipation and hockey sense.

“With the two guys I’m with on the line, they give me the puck and I put it in the back of the net. They shoot it in off me sometimes,” the 25-goal-scorer said, grinning.

Keller, who’s ninth in league scoring with 17 goals and 31 assists, uses his speed to get defenders chasing him before finding the open man with a pinpoint pass.

“I rely a lot on my skating. My vision too, when it comes feeding guys and passes,” he related, adding he doesn’t pay much attention to his personal stats.

“My dad pays more attention to my stats than I do,” he cracked. “I’m more focused on how the team is doing than I am doing.”

Soloski, currently at No. 10 on the league-leaders list with 14 goals and 33 assists, has more than twice as many assists as goals.

“It’s nice to be rewarded for some hard work,” he said. “But I’m more focused on the team effort and getting the wins and the two points every night for the team.”

And if all this individual offensive firepower is harnessed and pointed, collectively, in the right direction at the right time?

“As a team, if everyone shows up to play and we try our hardest, we can take this all the way,” said Labelle.

Cochrane Classic organizers are victims of ringette's popularity. Photo by Jeremy Broadfield.

Popularity comes with a price.

In the case of the Cochrane Classic ringette tournament, that price is a shortage of resources.

Tournament coordinator Jan Thue has booked all the ice she can get in town for the 24-team tournament, and is now scrambling to find referees for the 48 games that will be played over three days in the three arenas at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre.

“Are they ever hard to get right now,” Thue said when asked about the availability of experienced on-ice ringette officials. “Cochrane has lost a few referees along the way this year because of university commitments of some of our local girls who were refereeing games.”

And trolling for outside help isn’t making it any better as Calgary is hosting tournaments over two weekends this year – the Golden Ring and the first-annual Calgary Classic.

“We’ve definitely run into a snag this year,” Thue said of referee scheduling issues. “This year Calgary decided to split off part of their tournament and put the split on the same weekend as ours. So any referees we had a tentative commitment with pulled out because they had to go to Calgary first.”

The Golden Ring tournament in Calgary is touted as the largest of its kind in the world, so Thue does not want to find the Cochrane Classic competing for resources. She had even looked into booking some Calgary ice for a few Cochrane Classic games this year. But the ice she wanted was booked.

“Our date will have to change if it looks like Calgary is going to split their tournament and that’s (Jan. 27-29) going to be the week they do it,” Thue said. “We have to find a weekend that doesn’t conflict with the Calgary tournament that also works with the Cochrane minor hockey schedule.”

So all this popularity very much does come with a price.

Cochrane Classic ringette tourney to take place Jan. 27-29 at SLS Centre.

It’s so popular, they’re beating them away with a stick. A ringette stick, that is.

The third-annual Cochrane Classic ringette tournament is set for Jan. 27-29 at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre. And while two dozen teams involving players aged 9-14 are signed up and ready to go, many more were turned away.

Tournament coordinator Jan Thue is grateful for all the support the Cochrane Classic receives, and she’s hopeful she’ll be able to invite more teams in future.

“We have a waiting list to enter our tourney,” Thue said in a telephone interview. “We could easily double the size if we could get the ice.”

Teams are coming from as far away as Fort McMurray and Fort Saskatchewan. Many teams returning to take part in the Cochrane Classic are now bringing other age-level teams from their towns along for the fun. Word on the street is this is one ringette tournament you don’t want to miss.

“When teams leave our tournament, they tell us how they enjoyed their stay,” Thue related. “The people in Cochrane are so friendly and the teams enjoy the tournament so much, they want to come back.

“Word’s getting around prior to us setting things up on the website. We were getting phone calls about this year’s tournament dates because people didn’t want to miss out.”

Count Fort Saskatchewan as a group ringing in for a spot.

“We know and value the kind of experience a small, friendly tournament can provide to our players and their families,” said Janet Pook, president of Fort Saskatchewan Ringette, which hosted Cochrane ringette teams at their Diamond Ring tournament in early December. “We are excited at the prospect of playing in the Cochrane Classic.”

The popularity and success of the Cochrane Classic softens up the hard days that inevitably occur over the course of the ringette season.

“It makes up for the days you wonder why you put so many hours in,” Thue said. “It makes it worthwhile.”

Cochrane Rockies players (from left) Grace Johnson, Kailey Sobocan and Nichola Wassing will all be skating at the Cochrane Classic ringette tournament Jan. 27-29 at Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre. Photo submitted

Craig Packard

Following a rough start to the season – just one win in November – the Bow Valley Timberwolves Midget AA squad is coming together at the right time. And it’s due partially to the commitment and excellent play of forward Reed Boothby and defenceman Craig Packard, who have been chosen by their team to go to the South Central Alberta Midget AA Hockey League all-star game in Red Deer this weekend.

“It’s been a process all season,” offered Midget AA Timberwolves head coach Evan McFeeters following a convincing 4-1 win over the Foothills Bisons on Jan. 8 at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports centre. “We kind of slumped for a bit. But now we’re firing on all cylinders.

“All the boys are buying in to what we’ve been teaching them throughout the season and they’ve really come together in the last couple of games and it’s showed. It’s night and day out there.”

Here are your Bow Valley Timberwolves headed to the SCAHL Midget AA all-star game Jan. 15 in Red Deer.

Craig Packard

No. 7 Craig Packard, defence

2 goals, 4 assists,

0 penalty minutes in 23 games

Craig’s take on his selection: “It’s exciting for sure. It’s going to be a good opportunity. There are going to be lots of scouts out there. Overall it’s good for your game and how you think about the game. There’s definitely a bit more on your shoulders. But your preparation doesn’t change. You still go out and give it your 100 per cent. A lot faster pace. I’m a defensive defenceman who’s not afraid to take the puck and go for a rush.”

Coach’s assessment: “Craig’s probably the top d-man in the entire league. He plays every situation for us. He’s our captain. On and off the ice, he’s a leader. He just deserved it. It was a unanimous decision to send him. He sees the ice incredibly well. He’s a very smart hockey player. He sees the ice and makes the right decisions. On top of that, he has all the tools. He can skate with the puck well. He shoots the puck well. He’s an all-around top defenceman.”

Reed Boothby

No. 10 Reed Boothby, forward

9 goals, 7 assists

36 penalty mins. in 22 games

Reed’s take on his selection: “It’s good. I’m pretty excited about it. It’s really a high pace. A lot of good skill guys out there. It’s good hockey. It’s kind of a skill show. Everyone is going harder because it’s the all-star game. You obviously want to give it your all.”

Coach’s assessment: “He’s a power-forward type of player, but he’s got that skill. And that’s why he’s one of the team leaders in goals.

“We moved him from wing to centre because he’s an excellent skater. He does make the plays. He’s physical.

“He’s just another one of those guys who’s an all-around type of player.”

Reed Boothby