As the weather warms and the allure of outdoor sports begins to captivate athletes everywhere, the sport of handball says not so fast, as its season is just reaching its climax.
Northeast Alberta Handball zones was held in Bonnyville this past Thursday and Friday, with Mallaig sending boys and girls teams to compete in hopes to bring both banners home.
The girls had an extremely dominant weekend, going undefeated in the round robin, and then defeating all of their opponents in playoffs to win the zones banner.
“We had high expectations for the girls, as they did very well in our two previous tournaments this year. We had more experience over the teams we were playing, which played into our favor throughout the weekend,” said coach Ian McGilvery.
The boys also found success on the weekend, as they managed to bring home the silver medal in zones competition. In the round robin, they were defeated by Notre Dame but won their two other games. They ended up in the finals up against Notre Dame once again, but unfortunately, the boys were not able to capture the zones banner, settling for second place.
“The boys played hard all weekend, but we were just outplayed by Notre Dame in both games against them. The boys were disappointed that we weren’t able to grab the win, but the Notre Dame team was very skilled and we will get another shot at them at provincials,” said McGilvery, noting the boys have a bye to provincials this year.
As for the provincial competition in Edmonton, McGilvery is confident in his teams’ ability to compete.
“Both teams will be right in the thick of it. If we lose, it’s going to be by one or two points, and if we win, it will be just as close. The competition in handball this year has been very close and exciting to watch.”
The teams both have potential to bring home a provincial banner, as they have won many provincial championships since the program first started in 2011.
“Our experience that we gained in the two tournaments we competed in will prove to be even more valuable at provincials, as it showed us our weaknesses and gave us an opportunity to work on them. Both of our teams are very excited to compete in the provincial championship,” said McGilvery.
Provincials take place this weekend from April 28 to 30 in Edmonton and Sherwood Park.
