The Battlefords AAA Stars will be heading back to Calgary for the Mac's Midget AAA World Invitational Tournament from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1.
"It's a pretty high-calibre, prestigious tournament," said Battlefords coach Martin Smith during a phone interview.
In last year's tournament, the Stars finished with a 2-2 record, but were unable to make it past the round robin. One more win would have placed them into the knockout stage. Smith hopes to get off to a good start in this year's tournament.
"I like our schedule in terms of the times of the games," said Smith. "We don't have any early morning games like we had last year."
The Stars don't play before noon in the round robin. Last year, the team played games at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m.
"The teams that we're up against are going to be tough teams, but they seem similar to where we are in our standings in our league," said Smith. "We expect to do well."
About half of the team is returning to play in this year's tournament. He believes the returning players have taken leadership roles while preparing for the tournament.
"Last year, the excitement was different because, for everybody, it was their first time at the tournament," said Smith. "Whereas this year, I think the veterans have helped keep everybody a lot more level-headed."
The experience off the ice has helped the Stars prepare for this year's tournament as well. They created a committee of parents to handle two of the meals per day.
"We practice Christmas day and then we get on the bus," said Smith. "We get to Calgary that night and there's nothing really open except for a pizza joint or something like that. This time, we're going to have a meal prepared, which is a lot better preparation for the first game the next day."
Battlefords will be without forwards Spencer Bast and Kiefer Hintz. Bast leads the team in points with 35 as of Dec. 18, and his 17 goals are also a team high. Bast will be playing for Team West in the 2014 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge held in Cape Breton, N.S. starting Dec. 28. Hintz, a veteran from last year's tournament, is battling an injury and won't make the trip to Calgary.
"We've got some good depth," said Smith of filling the holes in the lineup. "[The affiliate players] will fit in. They've been practicing quite a bit with us this year and playing games. Those guys should be able to jump right in."
The Stars open the tournament Boxing Day against Finland's Under-17 team at 12:45 p.m. Their next game is Dec. 27 against the Lloydminster Baker Hughes Bobcats at 2:30 p.m. The Stars play the South Island Royals Dec. 29 at 5:15 p.m. before finishing off the round robin against the Calgary Buffaloes at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 30.
