For two consecutive years, the Rimbey midget Renegades have won provincials.
This year, the team travelled to Coaldale, defeating Irma before going up against La Crete Lumberjacks in the gold medal game, March 25. Coach Darrell Carruthers said it was an exciting game from start to finish.
The first period got off to a rousing start with the Renegades taking the lead, then La Crete came back with four unanswered goals.
Coaches Carruthers and Daren May gave the boys a pep talk between the first and second periods, telling them to go one step at a time and one goal at a time. The talk seemed to spur them on, as they finished the second period in 4-4 tie.
At the 11:23 mark of the third period, Rimbey pulled ahead making the score 5-4, and then with less than three minutes of game time left, La Crete tied it up.
Two minutes and 24 seconds into overtime, Rimbey’s Tyson Maton scored, assisted by Tye Munro, and with the goal, Rimbey once again, became provincial champs. The team outshot La Crete 3-0 in overtime.
Carruthers said the boys played exceptionally well.
“The coaches are all so proud of the way they played to pull of an overtime win. Words can’t say enough.”
Carruthers said the Renegades’ most valuable player, Kale Lapointe deserved recognition for a job well done, noting with 114 points, he led the league in scoring. Ty Munro, who had 71 points, was second, followed by third-place scorer Avery Weenink with 60 points.
“All those boys are from Rimbey,” he said. ”The top three scorers in the tier 1 league.”
Carruthers said Riley Carruthers, Tyson Maton, Austin Bosgra, Douglas Wing, Kody Degenstein, Avery Weenink, Kale Lapointe and Ty Munro are all 17, meaning this is their last year of midgets.
“Next year we will have to have eight new bantams coming up,” he said.
The midgets defeated Viking in Manning to win gold last year.