The Cold Lake Wings wrapped up their showdown against the United States over the weekend.
Although the Cold Lake team couldn’t capitalize throughout their six games, head coach Johnathan Aitken said they did learn a thing or two along the way.
From Nov. 10 to 17, the Western Provinces Hockey Association (WPHA) hosted four Western States Hockey League (WSHL) teams including the Bellingham Blazers, the Seattle Totems, the West Sound Admirals, and South Oregon Spartans.
“It was good to see different teams,” explained Aitken. “When you see different teams in the league that have been established for some time now... guys can get prepared a little bit more. It’s not your typical Edson, Hinton, and Meadow Lake, it’s a little bit trickier.”
The showdown gave the Wings a taste of what to expect in December’s Las Vegas tournament, where they will face-off against dozens of their U.S. counterparts.
“I think it was a good way to showcase the league. The WSHL is in its 25th season, which is something for the league to be proud of,” detailed Aitken.
The head coach attributes the team's short bench and injuries to their shortfall.
Anson Smith takes a shot on net during the Wings’ final game of the showdown on Saturday. Smith recorded his first hat trick of the season versus the Seattle Totems.
He said, “Our defence is really depleted. We have forwards playing defence... When you don’t have a good defensive core, you’re going to spend a lot of time in your own end.”
For Aitken, the ultimate take away for the team was learning to be patient.
Because they're short players, the Wings have to wait for their window of opportunity in order to strike.
"We have to be patient in a sense where we wait for turnovers,” Aitken expressed. “It’s about working smart.”
He added, regardless of their age or level of the league, his expectations remain the same.
With lots to learn ahead of them, the Wings will continue to build their bench and work hard.
"Working on different systems and everything else, that's going to come. It's just a matter of practicing and practicing," described Aitken.
He continued, "What they can learn is consistency. It's hard to be consistent from one shift to the next. I'm not saying it can't be done."
During the showdown, there were some instances where the Wings held their ground, only losing by a goal or two, while in others, they couldn't keep up to their opponents.
In terms of their toughest competitors, Aitken said every team had their own strengths and weaknesses.
"Every player and every team, they feed off of different things."
When it comes to his own team, he noted they did a good job showing up, giving it their all, and "they stuck it out and they played."
"What they're getting good at is being more disciplined, forgetting about all of the nonsense after the whistle, and not taking selfish penalties," Aitken described.
