The Jasper Bears left town on Saturday morning bound for Edson, but that was just the start of a 1,250 km weekend road trip. Silly? Yes. But that’s life on the western edge of the North Eastern Alberta Hockey League.

The Bears started slow in their first game in Edson, spotting the Sabres a goal just seven seconds into the game. Perhaps the coaches need to run these kids a bit more after a long car ride! But that inauspicious start was not a sign of things to come. Unlike the 2023/24 Edmonton Oilers, these kids can face adversity and not crumple.

Kalahari Harvey got that first goal back in short order. It was followed up with Anna Gifford’s first of the year; all her flying around the ice like a bulldog on skates finally paid off. The second period opened with a four minute power play and the Bears began to run away with the game. 

Ruby Olson took her time and went top shelf with a laser to improve the Bear’s power play percentage. Later, after Jasper took a penalty, goalie Jackson Hughes made a huge save to preserve the lead. 

All the Bears were coming out of hibernation now; Elliot Vassallo dished a sweet feed to Arie Hofhuis who was waiting in front of the net for the tap-in. Shortly after, defenseman Jesse Groth called for the puck in the slot, corralled it, and scored. His moonwalk celebration got the bench laughing; one smooth criminal, that guy. Will Lescard relieved Hughes in net at the halfway mark of the game and made a few thriller saves of his own.

The former Grizzlies who joined the co-ed Bears this year made their mark on this road trip. After Gifford’s goal, Molleigh McGrath showed increased fire and also potted her first of the season. The game ended 12-4, with the shots 48 to 19 in favour of Jasper.

The team, coaches, and parents decamped to spend the evening en route to Wabasca at Calling Lake for a team-building retreat. You would have thought that after an evening of eating nonstop chips and marshmallows and staying up late, these Bears would have had a rough time at the next day’s game. Nope! On Sunday afternoon, the Bears picked up where they left off in Edson, putting goal after goal up on the board.  

Carving up the Wabasca ice, defenders Jack Currie and Zoti Korogonas danced across the blue line and hit the mesh a few times; one of Korogonas’ moves was so slick that the goalie pulled his groin trying to stop it. Cohen Fitzgerald also added to the Sabres’ pain. Ben Derksen and Clark White’s determined defence and ferocious puck-stealing limited Wabasca’s shots on net; Hughes was there to answer the call when necessary.

Something new for the trip was live broadcasts of the games courtesy of Paco Artiaga and Jasper Sports Broadcast.  Many of the parents, grandparents, and siblings were able to listen to Paco’s Hispanic-influenced turns of phrase. 

Wabasca is always a great place to play; it seems like half the town turns out for the games, the crowd is always very animated and a lot of fun, the DJs are on point, and the refs are professional. The playoff atmosphere helped to amp up Paco’s live feed.

Later in the game, the Eagles took a four-minute penalty for a hit to the head. On the ensuing power play, the fearless Hannah Callihoo, another Grizzlies alumnus, tore around the ice and bagged her first goal of the season. Rowan Vien also put one by the Wabasca Eagles’ keeper, off a pass from Matteo Artiaga.  

In an exciting moment rarely seen at this level, Kellan Smallshaw broke his stick while attempting a blistering slapshot. The crowd loved it (but maybe not his parents). Towards the end of the game, the Bears had a more-than-healthy lead. But that didn’t stop them from trying a set play with 2.5 seconds left on the clock with a faceoff to the right of the Eagles’ net. Harvey won the faceoff cleanly and got the puck to Ash Habib, who one-timed his buzzer beater with precision. It was a satisfying end to a fun weekend, and the team agreed: It’s a lot easier to haul the 6.5 hours home from Wabasca coming off of a couple of wins.

Lucas Habib // info@thejasperlocal.com