The Bentley Generals will once again have a shot at glory this year as they take on five other Canadian Chinook Hockey League teams for the 2015 Allan Cup.
The team will travel to the east coast of Canada, arriving in Clarenville, Newfoundland to compete for the title of Allan Cup Champions – a title the team has missed since 2013.
Named team MVP through playoffs Torrie Dyck spoke on behalf of his team and said they were all very excited for the opportunity.
“It’s definitely a very exciting time for us. Getting out of Alberta was our first goal, but obviously going and winning the Allan Cup is our ultimate goal. We’re on our way there but we know that it’s definitely going to be a big challenge ahead of us,” he said.
He added through the season the group has been working hard to come together as a team, supporting each other and sharing strengths to make it into the running for the Allan Cup.
“We have had a fairly good season collectively as a team, but we have gone through a bit of adversity that we’ve had to battle through – injuries and guys coming in and out of the line-up. Our coaches and management have done a good job of keeping us in line in terms of working towards our ultimate goal, which is of course is the Allan Cup.”
Dyck led his team with 15 points in playoffs, with nine goals and six assists. He achieved 20 points during this year’s regular season and worked hard to contribute to his team. He was also one of the league’s top scorers in the 2014/2015 season.
“This year – I don’t know if it’s because the amount of playing years I have left are dwindling down – I really managed to find a lot of motivation this year, in terms of being able to get out and up in the games. I think that being surrounded by the guys that we have has really helped with that and helped me find a way to be able to contribute as much as I could.”
The Generals conquered the Innisfail Eagles with a 4-1 lead on March 22nd to secure their spot in the running for the Chinook Hockey League finals. Overall, they had a solid season with 23 wins, a single loss and no tied games.
They will go on to face the Lameque Au P’tit Mousse New Brunswick team, the Grand Falls/Windsor Cataracts and the Clarenville Caribous as well as two more teams yet to be decided from the west and central divisions.
Dyck said he is very much looking forward to the experience of playing for the Allan Cup this year.
“I think we have a very solid core group of guys. There are guys who have been with the team for a lot of years, and they’ve been through this before, so I think that they will be excellent leaders heading into Newfoundland. It’s going to be very exciting and it’s something I’ve looked forward to all year and now we’re going,”
The 2015 Allan Cup round robin style tournament begins on April 13th. The teams are in for a tough week with the final game taking place on April 18th.