It was a great weekend in the pool for the Estevan Sharks as 5 teams travelled to Saskatoon this past weekend for the Winter Provincials and they came home with 5 medals overall. 2 GOLD medals were won by the Atom Girls and the Bantam Boys. Atom Boys and Bantam Girls and Cadet Girls all won BRONZE. Cam Gillingham, Estevan’s only Cadet age boy played in the Open Men’s division at the tournament. 

Throughout this 2 day tournament, all age divisions of the Sharks worked hard and showed that they are THE club in the province to beat.
 
The BANTAM BOYS team had a great tournament in Saskatoon. Coached by Dave Dzeryk & Jason Dalzeil, the boys started off the weekend with a strong win the Weyburn Hurricanes. All boys on the team scored in this opening match that left them with a 33-2 victory. The boys then faced off against the Regina Armada Destroys. The game started off back and forth with the Sharks only having a small lead at halftime, but after that, the true endurance of the team came through and the boys clinched another victory of 20-10. That left them with one more game on Sunday morning against the stronger Armada Fireship team. The boys definitely shone in the first period that ended with a 7-1 score, but the Fireship team came back strong and by the end of the third period the Sharks were down 8-6. The coaches reminded the boys at this point that they needed to pass and play as a team to see the back of the net and after that they found their way back on the scoreboard and ended with a 10-10 tie. 
This put the boys in the Gold medal game later that morning where once again against the Armada Fireship team in a true nail-biter game. The first period was tough for the Sharks as they found themselves behind by 2 goals and struggling to get past the strong Armada goalie. By the end of the half they were down 4 goals but once again the strong endurance of the team was seen and the boys fought their way back and in the last few minutes of the game they finally took over the lead and held onto it for a hard-fought 16-13 victory. This is the third straight time that the Bantam Boys have won gold at provincials.
 
The U14 BANTAM GIRLS team consisted of a mix of U12 and U14 athletes played 4 games against teams with athletes from Regina, Saskatoon and Weyburn. Players were Maria Banulius, Sadie Smith, Alandra Young, Lily Knoll, Emily Tarnes, Jordyn Tarnes, Emily Sauder and Pryzm Gooding. Tayla Gervais and Alianna Young were are on the injured list. Our lead goal scorers were Banulius, Smith, Sauder and the Tarnes sisters. Knoll made many magnificent saves during the 4 games. The athletes worked really hard against the stronger teams but came up short in all of their games. They brought home the bronze medal. 
 
The ATOM GIRLS team played 3 all-boys team in the tournament, only losing to a tough Regina team with a huge roster. Veteran players Pryzm Gooding, Jordan Tarnes & Emily Sauter lead the team in goals and steals. They are great role models for the younger players to look up to! Strong mid-pool play by Hailey Tangjerd, Rachel Tober and Hailey Hack helped keep the team ahead in tight games. Mahlyn Bomerack showed great drive towards the net. Rookie players Jennika Lithincum and Lochlan held up in their positions, with Lochlan getting on the board in 2 games!  They met the Regina Girls team in the gold medal game and won! 
 
The CADET GIRLS, joined by players from Saskatoon, faced 2 very strong Regina teams. They were able to finish the tournament with a bronze medal. 
Several Estevan players were also referees for this provincial tournament; Cam Gillingham, Mikayla Hack, Teagan Hack, Alex Andrist, and Josie Andrist.