It’s been a few days since they got the gold medals put around their necks, but the buzz that comes with winning the Western Canadian Midget AA Championship was still there for Northwest Prairie Pirates players Tanner Huber and Paul Cubbon.
“I think it set in for me the moment that we won the final Sunday in Kamloops,” Cubbon said. “It’s really hard to try and put into words, but it’s such a great accomplishment for our team.”
“It’s pretty surreal really,” Huber added. “Everybody on the team has grown so much and we were able to get everyone healthy at the right time.”
The Lloydminster based program features a number of area talents on the team.
Cubbon was the lone player from North Battleford, while Cooper Olson and Mickenzie Sondergaard of Maidstone suited up for the squad.
Huber was joined by fellow Unity residents Dylan Bosch, Damian Lantz, Skyler Mackie and Dillon Poschenreider.
After winning the Saskatchewan provincial championship last month in Swift Current, the Pirates continued their strong play in the round-robin in Kamloops as they went a perfect 4-0 to earn a spot in the final.
“We got the jitters out of the way in our first game against Prince George and we just kept rolling from there,” Cubbon said.
“It’s important to get off on the right foot and not get behind the eight-ball at the tournament, which is something I learned first hand last year when I played for the North Battleford Beavers and we had to play catch up all weekend.”
They clinched a spot in the final with a dramatic 9-8 win over the host Kamloops River Dogs Saturday, as Huber hit a two-run walk-off double that sent his teammates into a frenzy.
“It was a must-win game for them to stay in the hunt for the finals so it was a pretty intense battle,” Huber said.
“There was no outs with runners on second and third and I had a 2-2 count at the time. I choked up on my bat a little bit and I was able to connect on a pitch that was just outside and I was able to hit it over their shortshop.”
Sunday’s championship game was another tightly contested battle with the Prince George Knights, but the Pirates were able to build off of a complete game performance from pitcher Jaydon Gartner to earn a 4-1 victory.
“Our defence was really strong as we made zero errors,” Huber said. “I remember our first baseman Chase Anderson making a huge diving catch to get us out of an inning, and that really set the tone for how we played.”
With only five players from this year’s team, which includes Bosch, Cubbon and Olson, graduating from the program, the Pirates have a strong base to build around heading into next year.
“I think the guys know what it takes to win now,” said Cubbon, who will be attending the University of Saskatchewan to study engineering this fall.”
“With the first year players coming in here, there’s a lot that we can teach them from what we learned this season,” Huber added.
