Pictured L-R: Team Sask's Lawson Gardipy, Devante Pratt, Tyson Wuttunee (assistant coach), Dayne Henry, Waylon Gardipy. (Submitted photo/Dayne Henry)

By Martin Martinson

Taking home Silver

AAA Stars reflect on experience at National Aboriginal Hockey Championship

May 14, 2024 | 6:00 AM

The Battlefords AAA Stars’ trio of Dayne Henry, Devante Pratt and Waylon Gardipy are coming off a silver medal showing at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championship, that wrapped up over the weekend in Grande Prairie, Alta.

Team Saskatchewan opened their tournament hot, with a dominant 11-1 victory over Quebec’s Eastern Door and the North in their first game, followed by a 2-2 tie in their second, in a tight finish against the hosts from Alberta.

However, after facing some adversity, dropping each of their next two with 6-3 losses to BC and Manitoba, the team was in need of a big turnaround heading into the playoff rounds, with a rematch against Alberta in the quarters.

This time coming away with a 6-4 win of their own, the victory not only punched their ticket to the semis, but as Pratt recalled to battlefordsNOW, served as a real turning point for the group.

“After we lost two in a row in the prelims, we kind of knew we had to pick it up and we had to really work for it,” he said, reflecting back. “We battled hard and when we beat Alberta in the quarters, from there we kind of knew we could beat anyone in our way.”

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That battle-it-out mentality carried over to the semis against the same talented BC team that had doubled them up in their first meeting back in the preliminary stage.

However, this time, Saskatchewan stood strong to whether the storm and kill 11 penalties – including three in overtime – on their way to an incredible 4-3 double-OT win, on a goal by Saskatoon Blazers’ captain Raiden Zacharias.

A longtime childhood friend of Pratt, and someone the recent Battlefords North Stars’ commit moved in with to train with last summer, Pratt said there was never a doubt the game was over when Zacharias found himself in the clear.

“I was just about to go on the ice when Raiden gets a breakaway, and I know his go-to is five-hole so I knew he was going five-hole, and I knew it was going in,” he recalled with a laugh. “Before he even shot it, I was on the ice skating towards him pretty much… I’ve known him like all my life, so it was nice to see him get that goal and send us on to the gold medal game.”

For Stars’ captain Dayne Henry, who scored in Saskatchewan’s opening win, while playing primarily the role of shutdown defender now in his third year with the provincial squad, said he too can clearly remember the moment the double-OT goal delivered the team to the final.

“I was on the ice behind in the play, I saw him on that breakaway and I just started gliding because I kind of had a feeling he was going to score,” Henry said. “Sure enough he did, so I just skated down the ice and jumped on him,” he added with a laugh.”

While Saskatchewan would ultimately fall 4-0 in the gold medal game to Ontario, Henry closes out his third NAHC with a second silver medal, adding to the one he won two years ago alongside his brother, Matthew. However, more than the hardware, what really stands out to Henry are the relationships made.

“The biggest thing that I’ve learned from the three years of playing [with Team Sask], is just being open and be social with the people around you,” Henry said, looking back. “I’ve got buddies from the team I didn’t know going in, to where after the week, I’m best buds with them pretty much. I’ve still got friends from the team my first year I talk to regularly.”

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1