ThereB次元官网网址檚 nothing like peaking at the right time in sports.

For the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies midget Tier 1 hockey team, a group of largely rookie players in this three-year age division (roughly 15 through 17), learning as they go along has been a good strategy.

B次元官网网址淲e struggled early on in tiering and exhibition, but theyB次元官网网址檝e picked it up. WeB次元官网网址檙e getting better as the season goes on, where everybody else seems to have plateaued, I think,B次元官网网址� says Grizzlies head coach Chris Kueber, whose team was due to wind up play today (Dec. 29) at the Richmond International Tournament.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e young and a hard-working group of guys B次元官网网址� one of the hardest working teams IB次元官网网址檝e ever coached.B次元官网网址�

The squad has scored enough goals (34) to be sitting atop the Vancouver Island Division 1 midget standings with an 8-1-0 record heading into the leagueB次元官网网址檚 Christmas break. But itB次元官网网址檚 their talent for keeping the puck out of the net that has really impressed Kueber.

B次元官网网址淥ur defence has really stepped up,B次元官网网址� he said, noting that third-year goaltender Jordan Spandli and second-year midget Luke Sheldrake have combined to give the Grizzlies a superb last line of defence. B次元官网网址淥ur goalies are both awesome.B次元官网网址�

Playing responsible hockey in their own end helped Juan de Fuca win a pair of key league games two weekends back, 4-1 over second-place Saanich and 2-1 over Campbell River, the only team to beat the Grizzlies this season. That was a 5-4 loss on the North Island, a game that saw the Grizzlies trail 3-0 early and battle penalty problems to make the game close.

Part of the teamB次元官网网址檚 success so far has come from the fact third-year midgets, team captain Spencer Knight and assistant captain Jacob Finlay, have set a good example for the younger players to follow, Kueber said.

B次元官网网址淥ur third-years have really stepped up and been leaders,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e got the team to bond. TheyB次元官网网址檝e got the first-year guys to buy in to what weB次元官网网址檙e doing.B次元官网网址�

Kueber, a coach in the Juan de Fuca Minor Hockey Association for 12 years, has taken teams to the Richmond tournament in the past and knows the competition is always tough. He was hoping his players would come away with a better sense of what it takes to beat good teams.

B次元官网网址淚t really makes the kids learn that they have to play three full periods; they canB次元官网网址檛 get away with not playing a full game.B次元官网网址�

The Grizzlies return to league action in Nanaimo on Jan. 9, then head to Pearkes Recreation the following day for a rematch against Saanich.

editor@goldstreamgazette.com