The U13 Tier 1 Cochrane Rockies are provincial champions.
The team won 6-5 in an intense overtime battle against the Drayton Valley Stars in the Hockey Alberta provincial tournament final in Grande Prairie April 3.
"Our team got stronger throughout the weekend," said head coach Brad Kile. "The [final] was high emotion, the players were very on edge and tense.
"We got up and Drayton Valley came back, and then in the third period, they ended up getting ahead again. I'll be honest, I felt the ice was a little bit tilted and I wasn't sure what the outcome was going to be."
Rockies right-winger Auxtyn Kile came in clutch toward the end of the game, getting a hat trick with the team's fourth, fifth and sixth goals.
His third goal marked the game winner about halfway through a 10-minute overtime period.
Also scoring for the team was forward Rylan Gelinas, with two goals in the first period and forward Ethan Reidstra with one in the second.
The Rockies had lost to the Stars in a round robin match earlier in the tournament by a single goal.
"They were a very, very strong team," said goalie coach Jayme Vidler. "They were well structured, well coached and probably one of the strongest teams that we've played throughout the entire season.
"Getting an opportunity to play them again in the final was exciting because you always want a crack at the team you had lost to previously."
Leading up the final, Cochrane went up against Calgary's Glenlake Hawks in the semi to win 6-2, while Drayton Valley was busy with the Beaverlodge Blades, where they won their semi-final match 7-1.
Vidler said the Rockies were fortunate to have strong tandem goalies protecting the net for them this year. Both Harper Devine and Linden Sobocan have been critical to the team's success.
Sobocan was the Rockies' veteran netminder, in his second year playing for the team.
"He was very calm, composed and gave our team a lot of confidence while he was in the net," said Vidler. "He has the ability to calm things down when things get a little bit tense and exciting."
From a goal-tending perspective, Vidler believes Cochrane had one of the strongest goalie tandems in the tournament.
Playing fives games in four days, assistant coach Cory Sarich said the players were starting to feel the wear and tear of the tournament, but it didn't stop them from playing some of their best hockey when it counted.
"It was an exciting finish," said Sarich. "Our team really came to life and we had [the Stars] penned in their end.
"The kids were pretty motivated to get it done, more motivated than they were in the first three periods."
Sarich, Vidler and Kile were among five coaching staff backing the team this year. Also supporting the team were assistant coaches Chad Hill and Mike Cann.
"We all did a quick group hug before we started running on the ice at the end of that game," said Kile. "It was over the top as far as the celebration and you know, almost a relief that we had been able to win provincials."
The team is the second in 26 years to bring home the provincial banner for Cochrane Minor Hockey and Kile credits much of their success to the team culture that was fostered over the course of the season.
"Everybody supported everybody," he said. "There was zero bullying and it was an amazing team to be a part of, and that flowed over into the parent group as well.
"For me, the most important part of the year would be the culture the team created. I think that ultimately drove our success."
Watch the full U13 Tier 1 provincial tournament final below.
