Leader Flyers end their season with pride

By Jordan Parker

The Leader Flyers finished out their White Mud Hockey League season last week with a disappointing result, but they’re proud of what they’ve achieved.

The were beat 2-1 in the playoff series against the Maple Creek Hawks, but it’s bee a storybook year for the team regardless.

“We’d still like to be playing, but looking back, we’re really happy about the season,” said player Riley Feiffer.

“It turned out better than we ever imagined, and we’re shaping up to come back better and stronger. We can’t be too disappointed.”

The team was back after an extended absence from the White Mud league, and it was a good return for the club.

“We went six years without a team. It’s our first year back. Fan support was so incredible,” he said.

“From the first game, the rink was packed. They’re the best fans and I’m happy for that.”

Though they finished second-last in season play with a 3-9-0-0 record, Fieffer saw some strong points.

“We have lots of good forwards who can score goals. There weren’t many games we didn’t score four goals or more,” he said.

“Next year we will focus on cleaning up in our zone, and go into the next season preparing to do that.”

The Maple Creek series saw Leader take an 8-3 Game One, but drop the final two.

“That team can score, and they’re just a good team all-round. It was a good series. And after game three, we had a total of eight guys injured,” he said.

“The first game was a big win. Then they came back and smoked us, and game three was 5-3. It was a good series.”

“Right now, we’re looking at our team. I’d say 85 per cent are coming back, and many are talking to me and asking about the team and wanting to play,” he said.

In all, Feiffer is so happy with the way the season went, and excited the team is now back on track.

“We just want to thank the fans who are there and supporting us. Our sponsors also made this possible, and we’re so grateful for what we have,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Eatonia Huskies capped off the weekend with a Friday night 7-4 win against the Maple Creek Hawks to take round two. They beat the Frontier Flyers in round one.

The Huskies will now play the Gull Lake Greyhounds in the WMHL finals. The Greyhounds defeated the Shaunavon Badgers 3-1 in the other semi-final.