Standing outside the dressing room Sunday, still dressed in his Fort Macleod Mavericks uniform and skates, an emotional Jasper Sharratt bluntly described the feeling of losing in the finals of the provincial tournament.
“Devastating,” the young captain said, describing the impact of a 4-3 loss to Delburne Outlaws in the last game of the Alberta Tier 4 U13 hockey championships.
After both going undefeated over four days of action at the Fort Macleod and District Sports Centre, the Mavericks and Outlaws met in a battle of the ages.
Silver medal draped around his neck, hair soaked from sweat, Jasper had words of encouragement for his teammates.
“We played our best, and we left it all on the ice,” Jasper said.
Jasper talked about the attributes that made his Mavericks such competitors.
“There was no negative stuff on the bench,” Jasper said. “It was just making plans and moving our feet.”
Mavericks head coach Lyndon Van Buuren impressed upon his team not to let the outcome of one game diminish their accomplishments.
“The way I look at it, yes, it would have been great to win first place but second place is a big accomplishment too.”
“We’re the second-place team in all of Alberta. One game doesn’t paint a picture of our whole season. These kids have worked their butts off all season and they’ve got nothing to be ashamed of.”
The Mavericks went undefeated in regular season play in the Central Alberta Hockey League, racking up 16 straight wins.
“They just had great chemistry,” Van Buuren said of the Mavericks. “They all wanted to listen, they all wanted to learn. When it was practice, they took it seriously. When it was game time they took it seriously.”
Although they were guaranteed a spot in provincials as the host team, the Mavericks entered the Central Alberta Hockey League playoffs and won the tournament, beating Delburne in the deciding game.
The Mavericks finished the season with a record of 23 wins, one loss and one tie and won two tournaments.
Van Buuren said before their first practice the Mavericks set a goal of reaching the provincial championship, which they accomplished.
“I’m preaching to them in the room right now to celebrate what they’ve done, not what just happened,” Van Buuren said. “It’s unfortunate but their season shouldn’t be painted with just one game.”
The championship game saw Fort Macleod take a 1-0 lead in the first period, only to have Delburne go up 2-1 after 40 minutes.
Delburne increased their lead to 3-1 in the third, but Fort Macleod replied.
The Oultaws scored their fourth goal to restore the two-goal lead but the Mavericks again refused to quit and pulled within a goal, but could not get the equalizer.
“They should be very proud of what they’ve done,” Van Buuren said. “It’s been a wonderful season with these kids.”
