A dominant final game and a half earned Team Alberta hockey players the right to call themselves 2024 WHL Cup champions.
On Sunday, Oct. 27, Team Alberta cruised to an 8-1 victory over Team Manitoba in the gold-medal game at the Peavey Mart Centrium to close out the annual tournament, which features U16 teams from the four Western Canadian provinces competing against each other.
"I couldn't be more proud of our entire group," said Alberta's head coach Derrick Martin.
"Short-term competitions like this aren't easy — there are a lot of ups and downs. We have a special group. They stayed pretty even-keeled and they stayed focused on the task at hand. They get to call themselves champions for the rest of their lives."
Team Alberta's road to the finals wasn't an easy one. After going 1-2 in round-robin play, Alberta faced off against Saskatchewan in the semifinal on Saturday, Oct. 26. (Saskatchewan topped Alberta 5-2 in their round-robin game.)
In the semifinal, Saskatchewan scored the first four goals of the game — one of those goal scorers was Red Deer Rebels prospect Cash Arcand-Vandale. But halfway through the second period, Alberta began imposing their will, scoring eight straight goals, en route to an eventual 9-5 victory. Red Deer-born Brock England had two goals and an assist, while Olds' Crew Martinson recorded an assist in the game.
Manitoba faced hardship on its path to the finals as well. The team was winless through three round-robin games and was tasked with taking on the 3-0 British Columbia squad in the semifinal. Despite struggling in round-robin action, Manitoba found a way to defeat B.C. 4-2 to advance to the championship game.
It was all Alberta during the gold-medal game. Alberta scored one in the first period, and three in both the second and third frames. England was one of the Alberta goal scorers in the championship game — he also was named tournament MVP, recording eight points in five games.
"We came together as a group. We couldn't have done this without all 20 of us. I'm super pumped," said England.
"It's cool (to be named MVP), but the most important thing is us winning the championship. I want to focus on the team and not myself. ... Our coaches did a great job getting us to bond as a team."
Martin praised England as one of the team's top players.
"We always knew Brock was fast and he was good with the puck. But we really saw he's a leader, a driver and a player that is really special. He does a lot of things right," said Martin.
"There are times in the tournament guys like him and (Ben) Harvey put the team on their back and carried us through some tough moments. He never floundered or faltered and was a driving force behind the team's offence. It was nice to see him get that recognition on this stage."
In the bronze medal game, Saskatchewan defeated British Columbia 8-5, with Rebels prospect Arcand-Vandale scoring a goal. Red Deer Rebels defence prospect Graeme Pickering who represented Manitoba, was named a tournament all-star.
