Coach Chad Beagle, coach of the Rimbey Atom A Renegades, is so proud of his team his buttons are fairly bursting.
The team, who competed in Provincials in Daysland last weekend, has come home with a gold medal.
“They just really shone,” he said. “They were unbelievable.”
The Renegades started off the tournament on Friday with a resounding win against Daysland and when the players left the ice the scoreboard showed 15-0 in their favour.
Friday afternoon Rimbey faced Wabamum, winning the game 3-2.
“It was a very good game,” said Beagle. “Wabamum really came on hard and it was a good strong battle.”
The Renegades went up against Kitscotty on Saturday winning 6-4. This win secured the team first place in their pool.
“This was another really hard battle,” said Beagle. “Kitscotty was a big, strong, aggressive team and it was a rough game.”
Rimbey Renegades defenseman Mitchell Mann was off the ice due to an ankle injury, during this game, leaving the team shorthanded, but they faced this challenge with determination and never let up.
“They just sucked it up and played really hard,” said Beagle.
Sunday morning the Renegades faced Beaver Lodge, coming away with a 7-2 win, which made them contenders against Olds in the gold medal game held that afternoon.
The Renegades pulled away with a 3-0 lead early in the game, but Olds came back with two goals. Rimbey struggled in the third period, ending up with several penalties which left them shorthanded.
However, goalie Kaden Tourssaint came through for the team with some fantastic saves, said Beagle.
“He made some saves in the third period that I have never seen a goal tender of that age make. The save he made with 30 seconds left in the game was unreal. He just kicked out his right leg and stopped the puck. It was unbelievable.”
Beagle said the Renegades all deserve recognition for their teamwork and dedication. He noted Keagan Landry was the top scorer and Hayden Motowylo, Tyler Gyori and Mitchell Man were great leaders during the year as well as in the tournament.
“Every time we had a down during the year, we learned from it and it all came together in that tournament.”