The Pembina Tigers high school hockey club capped off a long and sometimes trying season as they had a simply outstanding weekend at Provincials winning the silver medal and appearing in the AA final for the first time in the team’s 19 year history.  The Tigers entered Provincials in Killarney as the #6 seed, as they were rewarded a wild-card berth on the strength of a late season run. The ‘Cats opened up against the 16-1-1 Souris Sabres and Nick McKay played the hero as he picked up a BJ Avery rebound on a 2-on-0 with only 10.3 seconds left to give the Tigers a 5-4 win. Pembina trailed 2-0 with just over five minutes left in the 2nd period.  Connor Drewry, McKay, and Wade Haight all scored to put the squad up 3-2 heading into the 3^rd.  Avery made it 4-2 before the Sabres tied it up due in part to poor defensive coverage, but McKay’s heroics saved the day and gave the team the win to move on to Friday’s semi-finals. Wade Haight was named “Player of the Game” (POG) for Pembina. Game # 2 was for seeding only and the Tigers played another solid game losing 2-1 to this years Zone 4 champions Morris Mavericks. The Mavs led 2-0 after the 1^st, and held that lead until just over three minutes left when Brooks Keen scored. That would be it however and the team would face the winner from Pool B, the Neepawa Tigers (a Westman League finalist this season) in Friday’s semi.  Dennis Crawford has a superb game in goal making 21 saves, while Eric Harms was named POG.

Friday afternoon, the Tigers played their biggest game of the year and were vying for the all-important win which would put them in the final. The team played a great first two periods as Haight scored to open the scoring in the 1^st period and Bryce Enns on a great shorthanded effort with just 1:15 left in the 2^nd made it 2-0 heading into the 3^rd. Things started to unravel from here however as Neepawa converted on a bad pinch and the resulting 2-on-1 to make it 2-1, and then scored with just under nine minutes left to tie it. The big break came four minutes later as the Tigers won it, when Nick McKay found the puck on his stick in the high slot with just 5:04 left and blasted a shot blocker side for the go-ahead goal.  The Tigers bottled up Neepawa for the remainder of the game and when the buzzer went, the team had the huge victory, one of the most important in club history. Crawford again stood tall in the Tigers cage making 17 stops and was named POG.

Saturday would be for all the marbles and the Provincial AA Championship, and the team knew it would be tough heading in as a huge pro-Killarney crowd would be cheering on the home team in the finals (Killarney- the defending AA champions- beat Morris 2-0 in the other semi to get to the big game). Both teams struggled to get any real flow going early but it was the Raiders who struck first as according to the Brandon Sun “Aubrey Chapman won a faceoff deep in the offensive zone, pushed the puck between his opponent’s legs, stepped around him, then fired home the game winning goal” over Crawford’s glove off the crossbar and in for a 1-0 lead. That would hold up as the Tigers had some chances (although not enough as the team was 0 for 7 on the PP) but couldn’t find the back of the net and when the game ended, it was disappointment, but also the pride in knowing that the team came a long way form the mid-point of the year to end up as the second best AA team in the province.  Crawford had 20 saves while Nick McKay was named POG. Congratulations also to defenceman Brady Kidd and forward BJ Avery who were also named to the tournament All-Star team.

It was an uneven year for the Pembina Tigers who struggled for much of the year, especially at tournaments and at home as the loss of veteran players from one of the top AA teams in the province the year before hurt more than it should of as the squad just couldn’t seem to find the right mix of players on the ice until late in the season, when the team played its best hockey beating the arch rival Mountain Mustangs on the last night of the season to capture 5^th place in Zone IV, before sweeping the ‘Stangs in two straight games in the first round of the play-offs. A strong semi-final series against the defending Zone 4 champion GVC Zodiacs followed, before Provincials this past weekend. Overall, the team played a total of 51 games this year compiling an 18-33-0-4 record. The Tigers played in five tournaments including Boissevain, Morden, Toronto, Bottineau and Carman, with Brooks Keen and BJ Avery also having fine individual years for Pembina both finishing in the top-20 in Zone IV scoring.

A lot of questions center on the team for next season as the coaching and managerial situation and “school ownership” of the team is unclear. In the first regard, anyone interested in the coaching positions (either Head Coach and/or Assistant Coach), are asked to submit a letter of intent and their “hockey resume” to Nellie McClung Collegiate-c/o Pembina Tigers-Box 339-Manitou, MB-R0G1G0 by the deadline of April 10, 2010. 

In conclusion, the Pembina Tigers would like to thank Dale Seymour and Jeff Pearce for their commitment and long hours put in over the past two years which saw the team make it to the Zone 4 final and win a AA Provincial bronze medal in 2008-09, and make it to the Zone 4 semi-finals and win a AA Provincial silver medal in 2009-10.  There have been few if any back-top-back years better than these results!  Thanks also to managers Grant Caldwell and Tracey Crawford; to the teachers who filled in as supervisors when needed this year; to all of the parents who supported the team win or lose; the loyal fan base; the volunteers and rink attendants in Cartwright, Crystal City, Pilot Mound and Manitou; school and division administrations; business sponsors who without their generous financial support the operation of the team would be next to impossible; Cartwright Administrative Assistant Lori Hildebrand; and the bus drivers, especially Brent Pawich who had many difficult journeys with all the erratic weather we faced this season. Without the cooperation and support of all these parties, high school hockey would not be possible. Thanks also to graduating players Shaun Cavers, Brady Kidd, Nick McKay, Wade Haight, and Chris Seymour for your dedication and contributions over the years.  A final huge thank you to all the players who for the most part stuck together under sometimes difficult circumstances this season.  Be proud of your Provincial accomplishment and good luck next year!