In what they hope to make a yearly holiday tradition, the St. Albert Slash will spend the Christmas break in Calgary defending their title in the prestigious Mac’s tournament.
After winning the Mac’s for the first team in team history, head coach Terry Sydor believes repeating will be an even tougher task.
“Last year our first experience was incredible so we have tasted it. That’s certainly what the players are looking forward to experiencing again but it’s not going to be easy,” said Sydor. “We’re not going to sneak up on anyone because we are the defending champions. Everyone is going to want to beat us out.”
The Slash (16-3-3) find themselves within a strong pool of contenders. The Saskatoon Stars (16-5) are the top midget AAA female team in Saskatchewan. The Vancouver Thunder are a legitimate threat. The Calgary Chaos (8-8-7) and the Medicine Hat Hounds (14-6-4) are familiar foes in the Alberta Major Midget Female Hockey League.
Winning every game is almost essential when it comes to earning a championship. However, Sydor and his staff try to relieve some of the stress that builds upon the players before the puck drops.
“That’s pretty stressful mentally on the players so we really try to focus on doing things well. We focus more on the process and not on the results,” said Sydor.
The Mac’s features 15 teams from across North America in the female draw. The bigger the tournament, the more chance the players have to get recognized by scouts in the hockey world, according to Sydor.
“It’s a high profile tournament. You’re playing against some of the best players in North America, so certainly it’s a chance for them to showcase their talents and what our team can do.”
This year’s edition will once again have games broadcast on Shaw. Sydor said it’s a nice feature but presents a whole set of obstacles for the players.
“There is a lot of things that can take away from your normal game but you try and not let those things be a distraction on your focus in relation to the on-the-ice stuff.”
Although the extra adversity might take its toll on a team relatively inexperienced to the attention, Sydor is confident the Mac’s will only make the Slash stronger when they host the 2011 Esso Cup national championship, April 17 to 23 at Servus Credit Union Place.
“It’s not a bad thing because we are going to have that experience at the Esso Cup, so being in a tournament like this gives us the experience and opportunity to prepare for that.”
In the round robin draw the Slash play the Chaos on Boxing Day at 11:30 a.m., Vancouver at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Medicine Hat at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday and Saskatoon at 8 a.m. Thursday.
The final is Jan. 1. In the gold-medal game last year at the Pengrowth Saddledome, the Slash downed the Calgary Flyers 6-2. They finished 5-0-1 overall and scored the first goal in every game.
The tournament website is www.macstournament.ab.ca.
