LAKELAND – The Lakeland Panthers U13 AA team continues to push through the Elite U13 AA Northern Alberta Hockey League (NAHL).
The Panthers play in the Rural Conference’s White Division of the NAHL. While they sit in sixth place of their division's standings, this does not dissuade the team.
On March 2, the Panthers played the Wainwright Polar Kings, who are first in the division standings. But the Panthers prevailed, winning 4-3.
“We were able to come out... it was a strong showing from start to finish and the coaching staff did a fantastic job with the kids,” said Cody Machney, head coach for the U13 Panthers. “It was a big win for us.”
They also played the fifth ranked Lloydminster Blazers on March 3, with the game ending up in a 5-5 tie.
The U13 Panthers will play this week in Wainwright to see if they will make it into the White Division’s semi-final. The division winner will play against the Rural Black Division winner to determine the NAHL’s Rural Conference champion.
And the winner for the Rural Conference will play against the champion of the Metro Conference – also composed of two divisions – the Capital and the Regional Division.
A clash between the two conferences will determine this year’s Elite U13 AA champion of the NAHL.
Machney said while the team may be lower in the standings, they can play toe-to-toe with teams higher in the standings, so they remain confident.
The Lakeland AA Panthers have teams throughout different age brackets, including U13, U15, and U18, with players from across the Lakeland making up the rosters, including Bonnyville, Cold Lake, Lac La Biche, and St. Paul.
To play AA hockey in the past, players had to commute outside the Lakeland even just to practice, said Machney. Having AA teams in the Lakeland area, “just gives an opportunity for the kids from the region to come together and put together a good team and compete at a high level.”
