Xtreme honours its own

nathan anderson
airdrie city view

This team has plenty of which to be proud.
The 2007-08 Airdrie Xtreme won the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League’s Rural South Division. The team went on to win bronze in the Western Canadian Championship tournament and have four players selected in the Western Hockey League bantam draft. Ty Rattie, who re-wrote the AMBHL record book, was selected an the AMBHL’s South Division most valuable player. Mike Winther picked up a share of the the AMBHL South Division’s Rookie of the Year award, the second consecutive year an the Xtreme player earned the honour. It’s easy to see why the Xtreme has become the “Cadillac” franchise of the AMBHL.
But that’s not what the team’s awards banquet, held May 8 at the Twin Arenas, was all about. It was about family. Dozens of players, coaches, parents, volunteers and well wishers gathered to say good-bye to this year’s edition of the club.
“As coaches, each and every decision we make is made with the best interest of our players at heart,” said head coach Terry Keogh, giving his farewell speech to the boys. “We thank you for giving us the privilege of working with you, watching you develop and grow... That is why we do what we do.”
The final team-event of the year, the awards banquet was also the first since Rattie, Jason Swyripa Nils Moser and Dylan Schellenberg were selected in the WHL bantam draft.
“We’re proud of you accomplishments and wish you well in your future endeavours,” Keogh said. “Being selected in the WHL bantam draft is a great acknowledgement of your past performance in this great sport.”
Keogh and Xtreme general manager Rob Rattie also presented the team’s awards:
• Most valuable player - No surprise here. Ty Rattie, who was selected second overall in the Western Hockey League’s bantam draft and won the league’s MVP award, also won the Xtreme’s most valuable honours. The MVP award was renamed the Vic Wiebe award this year in honour of one of the team’s most steadfast volunteers.
• Top scorer - Ty Rattie won this award for the second year in a row, having set new league records with 75 goals and 131 points in 33 games.
• Heart and hustle - Again, no surprise here. Top line centre Jason Swyripa collected the heart and hustle for the second consecutive year. With 70 assists and 107 points in 33 games, Swyripa made all of the players around him better, and never failed to back check or take a hit to make a play. He was selected in the second round of the WHL draft.
• Top defenceman - A stay-at-home blue liner from Three Hills, Matthew Hanger made the jump to AAA without too much trouble, and by the end of the season served as the team’s shut down guy at Western Canadians. His motto: speak softly and throw big hits.
• Most improved player - It’s not easy to win this award, especially on a roster with a team-record seven first year players. But netminder Wilson Sproule more than earned it, becoming a big-game goalie in the post season, and winning Best Goalie honours at Westerns.
• Code of Conduct - The award was shared by a pair of unsung heroes, who both happened to be first year players. Connor Chartier played an indispensable checking role down the stretch, racking up 32 points in 33 games. Dustin Cave played himself into the top defensive pairing in Westerns, going head-to-head against stars like Michael St. Croix and Ryan Nuget-Hopkins.

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