The U17 AAA Eastman Selects are rolling right along, and coming off a recent tournament win, coach Mark Woloshyn believes the team is going to keep building as they battle through the regular season.

Tournament victory

It was a special run for the team at a pretty big tournament, as Woloshyn explains. "We were at the Winnipeg Jets U-17 AAA Classic in Winnipeg, and we ended up winning the whole thing. It was a pretty special feeling. The guys were ecstatic, and it was a good couple of days, but now we've got to get back at it and focus on the regular season."

Coaching in season vs tournament

There is a bit of a difference when it comes to coaching in a tournament, but Woloshyn says he keeps it pretty dialled in regardless. "I think for that, for us, it's just kind of like, we didn't want to make any major adjustments, because we played the Sask East Oilers on the first game Thursday, and we told the guys we didn't know much about them. We knew nothing, really, because we couldn't find anything on them. It wasn't until a couple of hours before the game that we found some of their stats from their players this year, and then we made notes of that, but we kind of told the guys just play our game, and whatever happens, happens. We'll make adjustments to what's in the game. So that's how that started."

Getting the results

At the end of the day, Woloshyn says it's up to his group, and he has total belief in them to do what needs to be done. "Looking back to Thursday night, it was kind of like a wake-up call, in a sense, though, too. Because we didn't win our first game of the tournament. We lost 4-3 to Sask East Oilers. For that, in a sense, it's like, hey, guys, like, obviously, there's other teams that compete with us. We have to be bringing our A game every night. We can't take any nights off, so for us to respond the way we did on Friday, beating the  Wild. Taking down the other two-team society of Weyburn, and had a rematch against Sask East, so it was in the semifinals. Those were good ways for us to adapt. Learn on the fly, learn from our mistakes. You can't do it all in the past, especially in a tournament. Because it's a short four-day term. You can't be dreading it. You have to move on."

All hands on deck

Everybody has been chipping in, something Woloshyn says is key to winning in tournaments or in the regular season. "It was great. It was awesome. Everybody contributed in a big way. I've got to give kudos to our special teams against our power play and our penalty kill. Special teams were 28% throughout the week in our pallet killers. 90%. Everybody has a role in those special teams and in those special teams departments right now. So when you have all those guys buying into the role, that says a lot about the team and boosts your team's confidence and morale as well."

Hockey Fights Cancer

Coming up on December 13th and 14th, the Eastman Selects will have their Hockey Fights Cancer weekend, an event Woloshyn is looking forward to. "We're playing against Parkland and Southwest, and it's a way to give back, right? We're going to be doing a silent auction, 50-50. I believe there's a loony thing. Don't quote me on that, but I... It's just a way for us to kind of give back. Cancer affects everybody. Throughout some time in their life, and for us to make a small contribution and help. Continue to fight a cure is a way we can give back at least."

Big weekend

This weekend, the Selects have another big game coming up against Pembina Valley, and Woloshyn is excited for the challenge. "It'll be good. It'll be another tough challenge. Last time we played Pembina Valley, they came to our barn, and it wasn't easy. They're very well coached. I will give them that. They run a really good program there, and we have to bring our A game and be ready to go. I trust the guys will be ready. We're going to have practice under our belt, and we'll be ready to go for Saturday. It should be a really entertaining game for sure."