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For such a small community, the calibre of athletes competing out of Lakeland College is awe-inspiring.
Similar to their court-dominant counterparts, the Lakeland College Rustlers women’s ice hockey team is set for post-season action as they host a best-of-three series against the SAIT Trojans at the Russ Robertson this weekend.
The Rustlers secured home-ice advantage last weekend after back-to-back home wins over the NAIT Ooks, with a 4-3 double OT win on Feb. 23 and a 3-2 final on Feb. 24.
The Rustlers’ best-of-three series starts at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Russ with Game 2 scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday. If needed, Game 3 will be played at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.
For head coach, Morgan Mann, playoff home-ice advantage was something he’s been hoping for, and the team delivered.
“For our players, our home games are that much more fun than being on the road,” said Mann.
“I was also proud of the team for stepping up and playing the type of hockey we’re going to need to play in the playoffs, and that’s competing and having that will to win. This group has had that all year, which is why they’ve had success, but it goes to another level in playoffs when you want to be successful.”
Since entering the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) last season, the Rustlers have proven they deserve to be at the top of the league’s standings, something Mann hopes to see continue.
“This is our second year in the league and our first year finishing first; we finished third our first year in the ACAC,” said Mann.
“Our very first year was played out of the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League, and we finished first in our division.”
For Mann, the growth of the program came quicker than expected, but he’s definitely not complaining.
“We have a really good group of hockey players and people,” said Mann.
“Every team goes through ups and downs and this doesn’t last forever. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you think you are as a coach. We know we’re fortunate to have a great group of individuals who are team minded. That’s the difference. They play for each other, and in a team sport, you need that to be successful.”
