A local minor hockey player made his European debut last month at the 2015 U14 Czech Spring Hockey Cup in Slany, Czech Republic.
Zach McIntyre, a first year forward on the SBAAHL champion Yorkton UCT Terriers, was one of 18 Western Canadian U14 players invited to play for the Western Canadian Select Grizzlies (WCSG) in Europe and one of just two Saskatchewan hockey players to make the squad joining Saskatoon General defenceman Tyler Danielson, both of whom were scouted while taking part in the Graham Tuer Bantam 鈥楢A鈥� Challenge in Regina last year. 鈥淲e were in the Regina tournament and I guess I had an okay weekend because they asked me if I wanted to go on this trip and play in the Czech Republic for a tournament,鈥� said McIntyre. 鈥淪o I said yes, because I thought it would be a good opportunity for me.鈥�
But while it was a good opportunity, the chance to play in Europe didn鈥檛 start out exactly the way McIntyre had hoped it would. 鈥淭he first few games there I had some stomach problems,鈥� offered the physical forward, who had to miss an exhibition game early in the trip due to a visit to the Slany Hospital. 鈥淚 had some bad cramps and I couldn鈥檛 play.鈥�
In fact the cramps also caused McIntyre to leave the first game of the tournament, a 3-1 Grizzlies win over Norway鈥檚 Lillehammer IK, before finally feeling better for his team鈥檚 second game of the tournament against the EHC Burgdorf Knights from Switzerland, a 9-0 WCSG win.
Unfortunately McIntyre, who was originally on the second line with Nikolas Sombrowski (Fernie, BC) and Spencer Blackburn (Stony Plain, AB), was dropped to the tenth forward position meaning his ice time was reduced, although he was still used in penalty killing situations.
McIntyre was also used primarily on the penalty kill in the Grizzlies鈥� final round-robin game against HC Slavoj Zbraslav from Prague, Czech Republic, who the Grizzlies beat 5-4 to finish atop their pool with a perfect 3-0 record.
A 2-1 win over Germany鈥檚 ESC Dresden Selects in the semi-finals saw the Grizzlies move on to the tournament final.
It also saw McIntyre鈥檚 ice time increase in a big way due to fellow Canadian forward Ethan Schaffer (Winfield, BC) breaking his arm late in the game, resulting in McIntyre being promoted from the tenth forward to the top line for the gold medal game against a familiar foe: HC Slavoj Zbraslav.
McIntyre proved to everyone in attendance that he deserved the first line promotion, scoring twice including netting the game winner in a 3-1 Western Canadian Select Grizzlies gold medal victory. 鈥淚t was a great feeling to score those goals,鈥� said McIntyre, continuing, 鈥淲e were winning 1-0 and then I potted one.
鈥淭hen they got one and then I got another goal to put the game away for us.鈥�
The European tournament win capped off a great 2014/15 campaign for McIntyre, who had also won a league and provincial title with the Yorkton UCT Terriers while scoring 13 goals and 14 assists in 23 regular season games before adding five goals and three assists in nine playoff games.
