The Bienfait Coalers collected their fifth championship in five years on March 26 after they defeated the Wawota Flyers 6-2, and broke Wawota’s record for most consecutive championships that they held for 40 years.
Captain Kyle Garagan said the best part was that they won the championship at their home rink in front of their fans.
“It’s one of those things where … it’s a feat that nobody else has done in the Big Six,” he said.
Garagan has been on the Coalers for six years and was able to experience the team's recent run.
Throughout the five years, team chemistry has been important for their success and the majority of the guys on the team have been there for the past five years, Garagan said.
He also mentioned the younger players on the team really contributed to this season’s championship as well.
“The best part about this year and it’s so much more special, was the fact that we had a couple of young guys that were 18-years-old (just out of midget AA hockey in Estevan) and brought a little bit of new blood,” Garagan said.
Coach Jamie Wrigley also believes that team chemistry makes the difference in the game.
“That’s what’s happened in the last five years, every year has been great, and great dressing rooms believe in what we have to do to win and it begins right at the start of the season and we build from there,” Wrigley said. Wrigley has been the coach for five years, ever since championship streak began.
“It just didn’t take this season … it took the last four as well to get to where we are today,”
He also gives full credit to his team for accomplishing what no other team in the league has done and they all work well together and know what needs to be done to have successful season.
When it comes to dedication to the game and skill, Garagan believes the Coalers have plenty of that and that the team just knows how to win.
“We’re a team that knows how to win, knows how to play and we know how to battle back,” he said.
He also mentioned there are a lot of good hockey players on the team that are ex-junior players, and ex-junior B players.
Team manger and player Jordan Laich also believes they have that go play and make it work mentality, to do whatever it takes to win a game.
Laich has been with the team for 11 years and believes that the Coalers have something special going.
“To build a team and to come into five straight championships, and every year is a battle, it’s kind of rewarding, after five years, after 11 years,” he said.
For Bienfait to keep having the success they’re having in the league right now, they have to keep doing what they’ve been doing for the past five years.
“We have a pretty good group of guys and nobody is really going anywhere and as long as we stick together and work together it should be fairly simple,” he said.
He also noted, it’s not going to be easy to win it all again next year because a lot of teams are getting better.
“We got a pretty big target on our back now, for next season already," he said.
