Lethbridge Midget AAA Hurricanes trending upwards ahead of Mac’s tournament

The Lethbridge Midget AAA Hurricanes (12-8-1) have won seven of their last eight games and are feeling confident heading into this year’s Mac’s AAA Midget World Invitational, after going just 4-5-1 through the first 10 games of the season.

Sean Gillam is in his first year as head coach of the squad after Doug Paisley moved on to coach at the University of Lethbridge. Gillam said it took the team a while to find its identity.

“Getting to know the kids a bit better, and them getting to know us a bit better, I do think we work a lot harder than we did at the start of the year,” he said.

“We are a tough team to play against. We’re tenacious on the puck, and now we’re starting to find our offensive knack a little bit.”

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And the confidence is coming at a key time, as the Canes prepare to head to Calgary for the Mac’s tournament; a competition that they narrowly missed out on winning last season.

1:30 Lethbridge Hurricanes split weekend with Hitmen ahead of Christmas break

“I think a lot of them feel like they have some unfinished business,” Gillam said. “And you know, that’s great; go in there and expect to win — that’s awesome.”

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For the handful of players who were on last year’s roster, the loss still stings, but it’s also serving as motivation.

Tonin said the team has turned its attention to the tournament — which begins Boxing Day — over the last week or so, as they prepare to face the top midget teams from all over Canada, the United States and Europe.

The Canes are one of 25 teams in the tournament.

And the group has continued to grow closer through preparation.

“We’re lots of fun, we’re like a band of brothers,” said forward Cole Larocque. “We’re always there for each other and we always work with each other to succeed.”

The tournament is also an opportunity to expose players to scouts who fly in from all around for the tournament.

Gillam believes his team is set up for success, with a system that will serve them well, no matter the competition.

“We can play against any team with our system, and so we don’t really have to change the way that we do things. We just have to stick to our game-plan and execute it,” he said.

The Hurricanes will play four round robin games, beginning on Boxing Day against the Sherwood Park Ennis Kings.