Eatonia Huskies reach White Mud Hockey League finals

By Jordan Parker

The Eatonia Huskies have battled their way to the White Mud Hockey League finals.

They’re now facing the Gull Lake Greyhounds, who finished first-place in regular season play, just a point ahead of the Huskies.

The series comes after the Huskies battled to a 3-1 series win over the Maple Creek Hawks, a formidable opponent. Their clinching game against the Hawks was a 7-4 defeat.

“We played really well. The last game we played against Maple Creek was one of the best of our year. It’s playoff time, and everyone really stepped it up,” said Coach Ryan Adams.

“Overall, our game and intensity ramped up. When we play like that, it’ll be tough for teams to compete. We needed that attitude to beat Maple Creek.”

He said the major obstacle they faced against the team was how hard they were working to keep it competitive.

“We just don’t have any quit in us. We knew they’d come out fighting, especially in their home rink. We lost in their rink. We had to come to play,” he said.

He’s excited for the important match-up against the formidable Gull Lake Greyhound team.

“This is going to be a great series. The two teams who finished first and second going at it in the finals is great. We’ve been splitting games with them since the start of the season,” he said.

“They’re a really tough team, and they’re going to come to play. We need to stay the course, play our game, and it’ll be exciting.”

Eatonia has made it to the White Mud finals directly after the team spent some time away from the league.

“This all goes back to the community. We went to Maple Creek and we took a sports bus. Last time we were in Maple Creek, there were close to 100 fans from Eatonia there,” he said.

“We were so loud in their rink. Our own rink is always full, and it’s so exciting to play for a crowd. Someone told me it’s been close to 40 years since the Huskies made it to the finals. That amps us up.”

He knows how big the stakes are, but he says the team has a great chance against the Greyhounds. The Greyhounds came away with a 10-2 triumph on Sunday, February 26th.

Despite the game one setback, Adams isn’t throwing in the towel just yet.

“The guys are excited right now. We know the work this will take. We refuse to count ourselves out. If we play our game, our chances are great,” he said.

“It’s been a really fun season. I keep saying this year has been incredible and fun, and that’s the main thing. We can pack the rink and fight hard.”

The next game is Saturday, March 4th, 2023, at 7 p.m. in Eatonia.