Head coach Scott Reed had nothing but praise for his squad after the Prince Albert U15 Aces finished 12 out of 21 teams at nationals in Saskatoon.
The Aces fell 13-8 to the White Rock Renegades in the first round of playoffs, ending their tournament hopes. However, Reid was satisfied with his team’s play.
“Things went pretty well at Nationals,” said Coach Reed in an interview Wednesday afternoon.
“We were very happy with how our girls played overall. With the exception of one game, we were in every game that we played and battled. I’m very proud of the girls.”
The Aces dug themselves a deep hole against White Rock, falling behind 7-2 by the end of the second inning. However, the club rallied with one run in the third and four more in the fourth to tie the game at seven before White Rock pulled ahead for good.
The B.C. team scored went ahead 8-7 in the bottom of the fifth, then scored three runs in the sixth to take a commanding 13-7 lead. Prince Albert responded with one run in the top of the seventh, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap.
Macy Sidebottom led the way for Prince Albert with three hits—including two homes runs—and four RBIs. Ireland Trevarthen led the way for all Prince Albert pitchers with two strikeouts over three innings.
“They ended up finishing 12th overall in the country, so there’s nothing they should be ashamed of at all,” Reed said. “I’m very proud of them.”
With nationals in the books, the Aces can start looking ahead to next summer. What might next season look like for the team? What shifts may be made in the lineup due to age?
“There’s seven of our main eleven girls that played with us all year who’ll be moving up to U17 next year,” Reed said. “There’ll be four girls with the opportunity to return to the U15 age class.”
Reid said the club was grateful for the support shown by local Prince Albert residents in businesses, especially their sponsors who provided transportation to and around Saskatoon.
“We had a van supplied to us by P.A. Northern Buslines, and a van supplied to us by Riverside Dodge,” he said. “It was nice of them to sponsor that for the girls, so we were able to travel everywhere as a team.
“I think that’s a big part of it, is the team bonding and spending time together as a group. It was a great week, thanks to those two businesses for a lot of help there with us.”
Overall, Coach Reed feels grateful for the whole community.
“We’d love to thank all of the family and friends that supported us along the way and the City of Prince Albert. The Destination Marketing Fund was a key contributor to our team’s success as well.
“Of course, I would really like to thank all of my girls who played for me this year, including our three girls that we picked up for the National championship. It was a pleasure to coach this group of girls and I’m extremely proud to be with them along the way on their journey this year.”
Seasons change, and so do the sports coming up.
“Now it’s time to get ready for hockey season,” Reed said.
“There’s no rest for when you coach in town and when you volunteer, but all the volunteer time is well worth it when you get to have some fun with the kids and hopefully teach them along the way, that’s for sure.”
Where will Coach Reed be coaching next?
“I’m the head coach of the Pee Wee AA Greyhounds, and then last year, I helped with the Bantam AA Girls’ Foxes, and they’ve asked me to do that again, so I may end up helping with that too.
“We’ll see what time permits.”