ALASKA HIGHWAY NEWS
A6 | SPORTS | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2021
Trio selected in WHL Prospects Draft A trio of hockey players who got their start in Fort St. John were selected in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft on Thursday, Dec. 9. Caleb Hadland was selected 22nd overall by the Brandon Wheat Kings, and was the final pick of the first round. Hadland began his minor hockey career in Fort St. John, and plays for the Yale Hockey Academy U18 Prep team, where he has 14 points (9 goals, 5 assists) in 14 games this season. Hadland spent the previous two seasons with the Triple-A U15 Red Deer Rebels. Hadland, playing for Alberta in the WHL Cup in October, had three points in five games as his team went 3-2 and won the silver medal. Evan Gardner was selected eighth in the third round, and 53rd overall, by the
Caleb Hadland
Cayden Lindstrom
Evan Gardner
Saskatoon Blades. Gardner, born and raised in Fort St. John, currently plays goalie for the Rink Hockey Academy Kelowna U18 team. Gardner has started seven games in the U18 ranks, with a 3.40 goals-against
average and 0.909 save percentage. Gardner had the best save percentage of all goalies in the WHL Cup tournament in October, at .953%, winning both his games for Team BC. Cayden Lindstrom was
selected ninth in the third round, and 54th overall, by the Medicine Hat Tigers. Lindstrom currently plays for the Delta Hockey Academy U17 Prep team, and has 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 16 games this
season. Lindstrom scored the game-winner as BC beat Alberta in the WHL Cup in October. Lindstrom played for Delta’s U15 team last year, and previously suited up for the Bantam and U18 NEBC Trackers teams. In total, 214 players were selected by WHL member clubs, including 119 forwards, 71 defencemen, and 24 goaltenders. Alberta led all provincial branches with 75 players selected. A total of 65 players from B.C./Yukon were chosen, with another 41 players coming from Saskatchewan. Manitoba saw 26 players selected. Thursday’s draft saw seven players selected from the United States, following on the heels of 43 American-born players taken in the 2021 WHL U.S. Priority Draft on Wednesday.
Inconnu returns to racing with Sadownik Invitational By Josh Sorensen Racing returned to the North Peace Leisure Pool for the first time in two years as the Fort St. John Inconnu welcomed the Grande Prairie Piranhas to town for the Sadownik Invitational Dec. 4-5. The two teams renewed the crossborder rivalry for their second dual meet this season, following the first in Grande Prairie on Nov. 21-22. While the temperatures outside plummeted, the pool deck was kept warm by the explosive races from the swimmers in the pool. Swimmers from both teams contested 21 events across all four strokes and individual medley disciplines. From age seven to 16, athletes raced across multiple distances from 25-metre sprints to 800-metre battles. The atmosphere was filled with cheers from athletes, coaches and parents alike, as swimmers battled over every metre for every hundredth of a second. The Inconnu Men prevailed 21742007 while the Piranhas took the women’s side 3204-1933. This is the second dual meet between the two teams following the first in Grande
Prairie on Nov. 21-22. Top 3 aggregate awards went to the following Inconnu swimmers: Boys 7-8 2nd: Ian Brand 3rd: Marco Modde Boys 11-12 2nd: Kieran Rogers 3rd: Ryder Modde Boys 13-14 2nd: Nate Rogers 3rd: Mason Stirling Boys 15+ T-3rd: Vigg Pedersen T-3rd: Alex McDonald Girls 9-10 T-1st: Emma Brand T-3rd: Quinn McCue The team looks to close out 2021 by sending a small crew to the JP Fiset Invitational in Edmonton on Dec. 16-19. The meet will host some of the top swimmers in Alberta and will give the swimmers a chance to test their mettle against top competition.
At left: The Inconnu swim team hosted a dual meet with the Grande Prairie Piranhas at the North Peace Leisure Pool, Dec. 4 and 5, 2021. (Supplied Photos)
Senior girls place 19th at volleyball provincials By Jaclyn McNicol North Peace Grizzlies travelled to Nanaimo, British Columbia, December 9th to 11th for the AAAA Girls Volleyball Provincial Championships. The first day of the tournament consists of a round-robin tournament that places you in the top 16, a crossover, or the bottom three teams. Game 1 for the Grizzlies was against Mt. Boucherie (5th place); they started strong but lost in 2 sets. Game 2 was against the Host school Dover Bay Secondary (12th place), where the Grizzlies pushed Dover Bay to three sets, however lost in the third. Game 3 was against Seaquam Secondary (8th place), where the Grizzlies battled hard, demonstrating the efforts they have put in this season but struggled to take the win in three with an exciting match (20-25, 26-24, 13-15). Day two resulted in a tough loss to Terry Fox in the cross-over match to go into the top 16 teams. The Grizzlies struggled to perform and demonstrated mental strain in game play. However, as the Grizzlies went into the final day of competition for a 17-19th place, they showed unity as a team. Game 1 against Earl Marriot went to three thrilling sets (24-26, 2522, 12-15). Game 2 against Oak Bay was another exciting showcase from the Grizzlies; however, they lost in three sets (25-17, 22-25, 10-15). The Grizzlies placed 19th overall and learned a lot from this tournaSUPPLIED PHOTO
ment, as they discovered this year they can compete with the rest of the province but struggle to persevere when they get into challenging situations. A typical season consists of travelling to Prince George and playing highly competitive tournaments in Alberta, whereas teams that attend provincials have faced their opponents more often. Coach Alexandra Bacso suggests it would be encouraging to familiarize the team with more schools in a B.C. tournament to provide more opportunities to learn, grow and prepare themselves for provincials. Overall, Alexandra said, although the girl’s placement does not reflect the true quality of play of the team, she is proud of the Grizzlies as they represented Fort St. John well and demonstrated sportsmanship, skill, and improvement. As this is the last tournament for the Grade 12 players on the Grizzlies team, it will be exciting to see what avenues in the volleyball community choose to go down. Grizzlies provincial All Star goes to Gracie English as she demonstrated skill and leadership in challenging moments. Most Valuable Player award goes to Brooklyn Brown who demonstrated energy, skill and team camaraderie. Let’s go Grizzlies. Next up for NPSS Grizzlies Athletics is Basketball season in January, with tournaments in Prince George for the Junior Teams.