Battlefords Sharks head to Calgary Firestarter tournament ahead of the season

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The Firestarter, which includes teams from across Western Canada, also gives clubs a chance to become familiar with opponents they may see later at other tournaments. 

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Battlefords Sharks head to Calgary Firestarter tournament ahead of the season

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“It really does help identify where you are now, where you might need to get to. There’s a good chance that we see these other teams at other showcases or potentially down the road as we try to get through our league and everything like that,” he said. 

Horbach also highlighted the tournament’s importance for players’ individual careers beyond the Sharks. 

“It is a showcase and we know that there’s a lot of scouts, whether it be from Canada or the U.S., there. So, it’s a good chance to showcase skills. No better way to do it than show up as a team and stay and play connected.” 

The Sharks coach said winning the tournament would be great, but he understands it is only a showcase and does not want his players to feel too much pressure. 

“If we can compete consistently and do all the little things, we’ll be OK. There’s no pressure from us in terms of coming away as a leading scorer or anything like that. From the veterans, kind of model the way in terms of what they do to get ready for the game, how they handle the different kind of ebbs and flows of the game,” Horbach said. 

“We’re playing anywhere from four to five games, just making sure they prepare and look after themselves in between. So, a lot of mentorship that we’ll rely on these — we’ll call them older Sharks — but we’re in a good spot.” 

Sharks standout Brooke Weber added that staying present will be important during the tournament, which the team hopes will be the start of a long ride this season. 

“We’re always being patient. We’re always ready to learn new things and just take it one step at a time, and not focus so much on the future and then take away from the now. So, just try and do our best where we are now.” 

The Sharks will kick off the tournament on Sept. 10 against the Rocky Mountain Raiders of the Alberta Female Hockey League. 

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Ryan.Lambert@pattisonmedia.com