The Eastman Selects U18 AAA hockey team captured the league title over the weekend, capping off one of the best seasons in the program's history, but they're not done yet.
Head Coach Laird Laluk says it still gives him goosebumps to be referred to as a champion. "It's still kind of a little bit shocking, I'm not going to lie," the coach says with excitement. "That final series was a really good one. It was full of emotion, jumping up 2-0, to being forced into a game five, winning at home and seeing the pictures online of all the smiles and tears, it's such a special moment for the players and the families, it's pretty amazing."
Looking back, Laluk says he knew this series was going to be close so even going up 2-0 then being shutout twice that forced a deciding game, he was pretty calm about it all. "We tried to just stay focused on the task at hand. A few changes here and there, maybe moving some players around on the power play, talking about how to get to the net for different looks, little things we saw over those two games we lost. We fully believed in these girls. We talked about us being 27-2-3 while they were 27-3-, there was one point between us in the regular season, we knew they were a hard hockey team to beat. We were not unhappy with the amount of shots we were getting, the looks with traffic in front but we wanted to stick with our game plan."
After back-to-back losses, game five didn't start that well for the Selects but going down quickly, the strong bonds they formed throughout the year kept the team in a positive place. "Their goal 10 seconds into the game was a little shocking," Laluk says with a chuckle. "I think it speaks to the resiliency of this group. They didn't turn on each other, they put their heads down and went right back to work. It's a champion's mentality, and I'm really proud of them."
Even being a longtime hockey person, Laluk says he's never been a part of a game that went that long with that much on the line. "I can't remember it from my playing days," he says with a laugh. "Coaching high school a few years ago, we'd have games that went long that needed a shootout. So, it was some extra emotion. We said less between the periods, the girls knew what they needed to do."
Laluk says the end of the game kind of surprised him. "The goal caught me off guard," he says chuckling. "It surprised us like the first goal we gave up. We thought maybe the period would play out a little bit, the teams would feel themselves out. But, a strong play to keep the puck in, a net drive then Dinger (Sophia Heidinger) hard on a puck and wrapping it in. The whole moment is surreal still. The bear hugs on the bench and watching the kids celebrate, they're such a great group, I'm really, really proud of them."
The coach says Sophia Heidinger being the hero comes as no surprise and couldn't have been done without her trademark hard work. "I've said all along, she's someone who plays the game the right way, she plays the game hard, and could be given a game star every game. She always brings her entire energy and focus to this team. She's got a commitment to play next year, continuing her hockey. She's a third-year that's done nothing but win with us. She's an assistant and a leader. We've had three balanced lines rolling, working hard but it's great when someone can have a special moment and she deserves it."
All season, this group has said they're more than teammates, they're a family, which is something Laluk is very proud of and took note of during the celebration. "They just play so hard for one another. They're easy to coach, they're mentally strong and they always work. They want to win for one another. As a group, they wanted to achieve this as a group. They battled through sickness and injury, they're so selfless. Some are multi-sport athletes and have been successful in other sports, while others maybe have come close but haven't won. This opportunity here provided them a chance to live in that moment and seize that moment. Groups like this are special, they don't come around often."
There's more work to be done for this group as they start packing for a special event this upcoming weekend. "So, we head to Saskatoon," Laluk says, sounding like he's back in coach mode. "We have a series lined up with the Saskatoon Stars. They host this year, it alternates each year. We're off playing games Friday night through Sunday night. The winner of that series will go to the Esso Cup in Lloydminster, Alberta at the end of April. We have more work to do. We're going to get a few days of rest, then hit the ice and then we're on the bus. Just another opportunity for them to do something special. It feels a bit like we're playing with house money having won the championship we really wanted to win. In saying that, we have another task at hand and we want to compete, so we'll see how we do."
The Eastman Selects vs Saskatoon Stars series starts Friday night.