100 Mile House Wrangler Jace Myers shoves himself to his feet after being tripped up by two Revelstoke Grizzlies. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

The 100 Mile House Wranglers battle to keep a Revelstoke Grizzly from taking a shot on their net. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Goalie Royce Watson blocks a shot from Revelstoke Grizzly Luke Aston. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Curtis Roorda looks to take control of the puck from Revelstoke Grizzly Kalen West. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Curtis Roorda moves the puck down the ice during a game against the Revelstoke Grizzlies. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

The 100 Mile House Wranglers and Revelstoke Grizzlies clashed Wednesday night at the South Cariboo Rec Centre. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wranglers Tyler Smoluk and Curtis Roorda look to take control of the puck during a playoff game against the Revelstoke Grizzlies. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Jack Mulder searches for the puck after the Revelstoke Grizzlies’ goalie finds himself knocked out of the net. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Ethan Hofstrand chips the puck past Revelstoke Grizzly Luke Aston. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Tyler Smoluk collides with Revelstoke Grizzly Gage Lajeunesse. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Jack Mulder scores the only goal the Wranglers scored against the Revelstoke Grizzlies Wednesday at the South Cariboo Rec Centre. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

The 100 Mile House Wranglers mob Jack Mulder after he scored a goal against the Revelstoke Grizzlies. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Tyler Smoluk fights for control of the puck as two Revelstoke Grizzlies converge on him. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

The 100 Mile House Wranglers faced down the Revelstoke Grizzlies at the South Cariboo Rec Centre last Wednesday in a playoff game. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Memfis Burgeson twists with the puck away from a Revelstoke Grizzly. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

100 Mile House Wrangler Mason Pincott grinds his shoulder into Revelstoke Grizzly Logan McLeod. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

The 100 Mile House Wranglers gather for one last pep talk from coach Dale Hladun during a playoff game against the Revelstoke Grizzlies. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

The 100 Mile House Wranglers hug captain Jace Myers after he takes a knee following their 6-1 loss to the Revelstoke Grizzlies. (Patrick Davies photo - 100 Mile Free Press)

The 100 Mile House Wranglers fought hard but were knocked out of the playoffs Wednesday following a four-game streak by the Revelstoke Grizzlies.

Wranglers coach Dale Hladun said despite the loss, he was impressed by the Wranglers’ grit. The team had struggled in the past four games, due to injuries and sickness. Only 14 Wranglers took to the ice in the final game Wednesday. Without several of their top scorers – including Ethan Davey, Nathan Bohmer and Ethan Sanders, they lost 6-1 and a chance to progress in the playoffs.

“Losing the series wasn’t the result we wanted but there were a lot of results I was so proud of,” Hladun said. “To win in the playoffs you need health and the hockey gods, and we had neither. I can’t get over the character our kids showed through so many sicknesses.

“It’s tough enough playing Revelstoke when you’re healthy, so I’m so proud of the will the guys had. They played so hard and it was almost a blessing we lost because they had nothing left after. I’m so proud of what they did.”

The Grizzlies came out strong in Wednesday’s game, pummelling the Wranglers into submission. The Wranglers remained defiant, with Jack Mulder scoring the sole Wrangler goal of the night in the second period.

Mulder was recognized that night by the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League as the most sportsmanlike player in the division. Hladun said the award was well-earned and that Mulder never quits.

Hladun also praised goalie Royce Watson for his performance in the playoffs, saying he had become one of the best goalies in the league. He also commended Jace Myers and Presley Gordon who played while they were sick and led the team until the end.

“Here’s our young team who has only one guy, Presley Gordon, who has played in the playoffs before. Revelstoke had 16 returning champions. Our kids went toe-to-toe with Goliath.”

Hladun thanked the Wrangler Nation for showing up in force for the final game, despite the bad weather. His players feed off that support and it means a lot to the team. Hladun said he plans to hit the road from March to May to scout some new players to fill gaps left by Sanders, Myers, Bohmer and Gordon, who have all aged out of the team.

patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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