GCB Wildcats capture AA Provincial Championship
This past weekend was Monumental for the GBC (Glenboro Carberry Baldur) Wildcats Hockey team winning the coveted banner during the provincial championships in Boissevain. This is the 23rd year for the high-school hockey team led by Coach Corey Forbes and the first time they have taken the championship. During the awards ceremony when the team was presented with the banner, individual awards were also presented to: Griffin Anderson Player’s Choice Award; Austin Dubyts, Preston Shearer and Sawyer Wiebe Provincial All-Stars and Tucker Forbes Provincial MVP. The Wildcats first game was on Thursday with a 4-1 win against Boissevain Souris/ Deloraine. Killarney/Wawanesa took a win over the Wildcats in the second game with a close score of 2-1. This loss put the Wildcats in 2nd place in Pool A going into the semi-final crossover game with Pool B leaders, Major Pratt Trojans of Russell. Winning the semi-final with a score of 9-1 the Wildcats were headed to the finals with the re-match against Killarney/ Wawanesa following their overtime win against Carman.
Coach Forbes commented that the Wildcats hadn’t been victorious over Killarney since 2017. Although the Wildcats had played in the finals on two occasions, and came home with the bronze once, they had never won the championship before. They secured the title with a score of 5-1, outshooting Killarney 31-13.
Assistant Coach Bryce Watson commented that he feels the team really came together over the last month and it carried over to this past weekend. “Over the course of the weekend you could really see everyone on the team buy into the style of play that we needed to be successful. That culminated in the final game with probably our most consistent and focussed effort of the season.”
Tucker Forbes, Wildcats defenceman and Provincial MVP, was plus 10 in four games and had 2 goals and 3 assists. GCB Wildcats capture AA Provincial Championship “Tucker has been really good for us all year. Only in grade ten, he has played his way into an important role this year. He had his moments of good and bad this past weekend, but as the games got bigger he got better,” commented Coach Watson. “He showed his capability to shut down opposing teams’ best players but also contributed offensively for the Wildcats.”
Although they have captured the Provincial Banner, the Wildcats are still playing league games and are aiming to be in the league finals as well!
PROVINCIAL AA CHAMPIONS: (back row, l. to r.) Brendin Dubyts (manager), Dylan Barnstable, Jaxon Mueller, Jack Ramsey, Brycen Anderson, Tucker Forbes, Austin Dubyts, Chase Nash, Dylan Hood, Landon Bouwman, Preston Shearer, Nathan Dyck, Bryce Watson (coach), Corey Forbes (coach), Regan Richmond (coach) and Mitch Thornborough (equipment manager). (front row, l. to r.) Sawyer Wiebe, Tyler Knol, Griffin Anderson, Carter Elliott, Max Janz, Jack Sholdice, Corbin Knol. PHOTO SUBMITTED
