By Kevin J. Sabo
For the Advance
The Peewee Prospects Cup in Lethbridge over Mother’s Day Weekend will draw talented players from all over the province, including a local player from Alliance.
After taking part in the Regional Selection Camp over the weekend of April 12th to 14th, where he faced stiff competition from 184 other young players, 13-year-old Thayer Bunbury was one of 40 players chosen to take part in the competition. Of the 40 players two teams were put together and Bunbury will be competing for the South Black team in the upcoming competition.
Eight teams of 20 players will compete in the tournament which is held every other year opposite the Alberta Winter Games. The tournament was started to allow second-year peewee athletes, their coaches and their trainers the chance to learn and play high-quality competitive hockey.
During the four Regional Selection Camps held in April in Calgary, Olds, Vegreville, and Edmonton, coaches and staff were looking for “Alberta Built” players, which were players who are good people, having character and belief in themselves, grit and the ability to thrive on adversity, leadership, and players who focused on their game everyday. Previous statistics and performance were not taken into consideration for the team selection process.
Bunbury began playing in the 3 C’s hockey system, before trying out and being picked for the AA level Wainwright Polar Kings for the 2018/2019 season. The Peewee Prospects cup will begin on May 9th and run until May 12th.
There will be six games on May 9th and 10th, four games on May 11th, and the finals will run on May 12th. All games of the tournament are open to the public and free to attend.