The Thunder rolls.
This is the time of year when minor hockey seasons come to a close. For many, it’s an exit on the local arena schedule, but for many Quesnel rep teams, there is more to be played all over the province. It is a successful year for Thunder teams of all ages.
The U18 Thunder are off to Tier 4 provincials in Clearwater.
The U18 Development Thunder will be hosting their own Quesnel tournament.
The U13 Thunder are off to provincials in West Vancouver.
The U11 Development Thunder have a final tournament in Osoyoos.
And the U15 team is heading for Port Alberni. This pivotal age group is where much of a town’s minor hockey program shows its stuff. To win the zone spot in that bracket means a successful culmination of years of coaching, support, opportunities and unlocking talent for a number of young players at once. It also hearkens to what might be ahead in the next, final age bracket of minor hockey where dreams of Junior tryouts, university teams, and just local high-points among friends are solidified.
This year’s U15 rep team won gold at a tournament in West Kelowna in November, silver in Penticton Feb. 3-5, then won the North Central District division title over Prince George Feb. 17-18 weekend to punch their ticket to the provincials. Much the same team also won the zone title playing together in U13 and went to the provincials that year in Trail. This is a team that has made a habit of success on the ice.
“When you’re having a good season, and the kids are getting along, and the parents are getting along, that makes it good for everyone,” said team manager Brian Inwood. “It’s been pretty much the same kids now, since they were under Atoms. Every two years they have a year where they mostly all get to be together, then a year where some age up into the next division and another set ages into the division. There is always some fluctuation, but more or less it’s the same group every year and even more so every two years. It makes it easier when you know the kids, you know who is going to play where for positions, and that’s an advantage, sometimes.”
The team’s strength is they have no strength.
“We are a well-rounded team. We have our goal scorers, we have our defence, our goaltenders are both doing well, so it’s not any one thing we have to rely on that makes us successful. It’s working well as a system,” Inwood said.
By implication, a well balanced attack often means the real strength is in the coaching.
“Well, I would agree with that,” said Inwood, pointing to bench boss Shelby Ballendine. “We have a coach who has no kid on the team, yet she has taken this team on. She was a player over in Europe, and she brings in some systems that she knows that really work, and the players have been very responsive to that.”
She is a Quesnel Minor Hockey product who is now giving back to the organization with her high levels of experience.
One of the challenges Ballendine faced was the time off between the zone tournament and the provincial championship. She had to keep the team game-sharp, said Inwood.
“We decided to have no free weekends. We had one where we took on extra practices, and heading into provincials, we have set up exhibition games. We are taking on the U18 Development team, so an older group, and then we will go down to Williams Lake and play them. Because they are a tier higher than us, there shouldn’t be any hard feelings on our part about wining or losing, it’s just two games down there for our readiness.”
The U15 Thunder is: Brayden Scott, Tylor Jensen, Alliesha King, Noah Inwood, Nathan Pressey, Brin Powell, Kristian Guglielmin, Matt Gerich, Draydon Lee, Marek Lowndes, Kaysen Kirk, Daniel Tilsner, Nathan Nitschke, Kali Matter, Payton Beaudry, Dawson Lust, Henley Hannah, head coach Shelby Ballendine, assistant coach Ian Hannah, team manager Brian Inwood, trainer/safety Dan Lowndes.
Read more: U15 Quesnel Thunder test their mettle at Williams Lake hockey tournament
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