Hockey Saskatchewan released the draws for provincials for all levels of hockey from U13 to seniors, Jan. 11. Not including the province-wide leagues that administer their own playoffs – such as the U18 Saskatchewan AA Hockey League in which the West Central Wheat Kings play – a total of 262 teams will be participating in hopes of bringing home a banner for their rink.
The U18 Unity Lazers will be the first local team to start competing in provincials, with a first round series against Shellbrook which must be completed by Jan. 29. The winner of that series will then take on either Biggar or Waldheim.
With first round series that need to be finished by Feb. 5, the U13 Unity, Kerrobert and Macklin teams will also soon be starting their provincial quests.
The Lazers will be playing Maidstone in the C category, with the winner taking on either Rosetown or Spiritwood.
In U13 D, The Tigers and Sabres have the potential of meeting each other in the second round. To get there, the Tigers will first have to beat Big River First Nation and the Sabres will have to defeat Edam.
Other provincial action to look forward to in Unity will be U15 B competition with the Lazers playing La Ronge and then, if they win, moving on to take on the winner of a Meadow Lake/Kindersley matchup.
In Macklin, the Sabres will meet Maidstone in their start in U18 D provincials. The winner of that initial series will go on to play either Edam or Carrot River in the next round.
In Kerrobert the action will come a little later as the U18 Tigers have a bye for the first couple of rounds in the C category. They will then play Lanigan in what will be the provincial quarter-final. The winner of that game will take on the best of Outlook, Porcupine Pine, Wynyard or Rosetown in the semifinal.
The U15 Tigers will also advance directly to their provincial quarter-final. They will be playing Lashburn, with the winner taking on one of Rosetown, Wakaw, Shellbrook or Turtleford.
Senior Hockey
The Unity Miners and Wilkie Outlaws are both playing in Senior C provincials. This will the first year in provincial competition for the Miners in some time.
The Outlaws will start their series against Porcupine Plain, afterwards taking on either Biggar or Rosthern if they advance.
If the Miners are able to beat Dinsmore in the first round, their second round matchup will be against the winner of Canora/Rosetown.
In Senior D action, Macklin will be playing Perdue while Kerrobert takes on Eston. The winners of those two series will then play each other.
With provincial games being added to the schedule along with regular league and later playoff games, the rinks will be busy places with lots of action on the ice. Every one of the participating teams, regardless of age, appreciates hometown support and fans in the stands so be sure to keep your eyes open for posters and/or on the arena schedules.
