It did not start perfectly. In the first game, Boissevain was on the short end of a 5-3 score to the same Brandon team. However, as Kempthorne said, you can survive that in provincials. In fact, they had earlier won the league tournament after losing the first game.
“We learned a lot this year, and learned from that game.”
They next suited up against Flin Flon and won that contest. Moving on to the quarterfinals later on Saturday, March 5, they faced Lac du Bonnet. In a good effort, they were able to move past them. By Sunday, they were facing Manitou in the semis. Kempthorne said they were able to take care of business and make it past them and into the finals, facing Brandon once again.
As provincials moved on, the impact of the home crowd, who had been waiting in a sense for a moment like this since the start of the pandemic two years ago, started to be felt.
“Our community support, the other minor hockey teams, the parents and grandparents, it was electric in there,” Kempthorne said. “They had really spruced the rink up in there, it was an awesome atmosphere. I said it was a perfect storm. We had a long layoff, we found out we were hosting. It was a whirlwind. We were able to see a lot of people come out we hadn’t seen in the rink for a long time. They really got behind the boys.”
“To do this in our own barn with our crowd was awesome.”
He said Brandon took it to the home team in the first period, but by halfway through the second, the tide began to turn. The boys were a bit tired between the second and third, having a long weekend, but came out flying, getting two goals. Brandon put one in, but the team did not panic, and they scored their third. Brandon replied with a shorthanded marker, and Kempthorne called a timeout. He told them they had a little over a minute to become provincial champions.
“The rest is history. I think the boys slept pretty well that night.”
The coach said everyone came through and the win will be something they will never forget. He feels the same for the whole experience, with everyone from organizers to the Curling Club with their meals to the crowd making the effort to create something special. After losing the previous season to COVID and not even being sure about this year, being able to host and win was pretty special.
“When I think about it, it still brings a smile to my face.”
by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff