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Oak Lake’s Lane, Wallace, Elkhorn’s Mitchell proudly wear the ‘M’ at Canada Games

Virden’s Grady Lane and Hunter Wallace of Oak Lake were proud to represent Manitoba at the Canada Winter Games. “The best part of the Canada Games for me was getting to wear the 'M' on the front of my jersey,” said the son of Tod and Penny Wallace.

Virden’s Grady Lane and Hunter Wallace of Oak Lake were proud to represent Manitoba at the Canada Winter Games.

“The best part of the Canada Games for me was getting to wear the 'M' on the front of my jersey,” said the son of Tod and Penny Wallace. “Making Team Manitoba was something that I had worked really hard for and it was a great experience to represent my province.”

The local players helped Team Manitoba, coached by Elkhorn’s Garth Mitchell, to a fifth-place finish at the Winter Games in Red Deer last week. The team knocked off Nova Scotia, 7-5, in the fifth/sixth-place game.  

“We had hoped on getting a medal but a 3-3 record and finishing fifth in the country out of 13 teams was a good accomplishment,” said Mitchell, who had Oak Lake product and current Virden Oil Capitals head scout Brian Elder on his staff as a goalie consultant.

“We were plagued by some slow starts in our first few games, but I was very happy with how resilient our team was and how we never gave up.

“It was a great experience for me as a coach and as a Canadian and will be something I will never forget.”

Lane, the son of Craig and Stacey, was an assistant captain for Team Manitoba and recorded an assist at the Winter Games.

“Grady Lane had a very solid tournament,” Mitchell said. “He had an important role of a solid two-way player who played physical and was one of our top penalty killers. He also was an important leader on our team and was very well respected in his role of an assistant captain.”

Wallace scored in the fifth/sixth place game. He lit the lamp three times during the tournament.

“He was one of the team’s hardest workers every game and was rewarded with scoring some important goals for the team,” Mitchell said. “Hunter also was one of our top penalty killers.”

Lane and Wallace are teammates on the Southwest Cougars midget AAA team. They were pleased to be able to enjoy the Winter Games experience together. (Meanwhile, the Cougars’ season ended last Friday with a 1-0 loss against the Winnipeg Wild.)

“Grady and I are best friends and I'm grateful that we got to go together to Red Deer and share the experience,” Wallace said.

Lane and Wallace enjoyed the opportunity to work with veteran coach Mitchell.

“Garth is a terrific coach,” Lane said. “Throughout the process of making this team, he was never afraid to sit down with you and help. He always made it clear, no matter what we were doing. He’s a very vocal coach, which is every player’s dream. After every single shift, period, and even game, he is always there to give you feedback and always wanting to make you a better player.”

The Winter Games brought together provincial teams made up of the top players in their age group. Team Manitoba included Strathclair’s Connor Geekie and Foxwarren’s Colby Wotton of the Yellowhead Chiefs midget AAA team.

“The thing that I enjoyed most about the Games was competing against the best players in the country and getting to represent my province at such a prestigious event,” Lane said. “Almost every player in the tournament will go on to play high-level hockey and it was nice to see how I stacked up against them.”

The competition on the ice at the Winter Games was high. Mitchell had coached at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge events and said he felt the level of play by the under-16 players was very good and he was impressed by their overall skill.

“Every game was at a fast pace,” Lane said. “Every single shift you are going against the best in the country and at a high speed. I definitely had to adjust to it and make plays at a quicker speed.”

Mitchell said the atmosphere at the multi-sport event was something he had not experienced before. He praised the job Red Deer did hosting the event and its facilities.

 

 

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