Vegreville Wranglers U-9 Teams Host Tournament

Vegreville Wranglers U-9 Teams Host Tournament

Michelle Pinon - News Advertiser

Members of the Vegreville Wranglers U-9 Major and Minor hockey teams hosted their annual tournament on Jan. 14 and 15.

By all accounts everything went smoothly and coaches Josh Hamaliuk and Trevor Kassian said the main focus during the tournament as well as exhibition games is “having fun” on and off the ice.

Intense tournament action.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

Intense tournament action.

(Michelle Pinon/Photo)

The coaches say they hone in on improving basic skills like skating, stopping, shooting, stick handling, using edges, turning, scoring, etc. The Major team consists of second year players and the Minor team consists of first year players.

Using half ice versus full ice is more beneficial for the players, say Hamaliuk and Kassian, as players get to skate more, touch the puck more and have more interaction.

Hamaliuk said it was nice to see all the kids having fun and all the grandpas and grandmas in the stands to watch the players. Coaches and players are both excited about upcoming away tournaments in the coming months. Besides continuing to develop their hockey skills, tournaments are a great way to build on friendships, added Kassian.