Utah youth hockey team has strong showing in international tournament

QUEBEC CITY, Quebec — The Northwest Regulators, a pee-wee hockey team based in Salt Lake City, went 2-4 during the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament.

Being the first team from Utah to compete in the hockey equivalent of the Little League World Series, picking up a few victories was considered a success.

The under-12 team, mostly made up from players from Utah, Colorado and Wyoming, played teams from France, Switzerland, Quebec and Nova Scotia, as well as tournament title contender Carolina Jr. Hurricanes.

Steve Metcalf coached the team that included six Utahns: Alex Truscott, Keb Heasley, Anea Ferrario, Cody Grant, Lindros Beard and Kyra Yu.

"This has been an incredible experience for these kids," said Metcalf in an e-mail, adding that they got to play in Le Colissee de Pepsi, a former NHL arena.

The Regulators fell to the Jr. Hurricanes 9-1 in their first game on Sunday. They regrouped to beat a French team 2-0 on Monday before topping local team Montereay in a dramatic shootout. Beard, Truscott and Ferrario all scored, with Beard's coming with 40 seconds left in the third period to force overtime.

"I think if you asked a parent their favorite memory would be about the hockey experience — maybe their kid scoring a goal or setting a play or our big overtime win against the home town team — but if you asked the kids, it would be playing shinny hockey in the hotel or going tubing for a full day," Metcalf said.

The Regulators fell to Nova Scotia 5-0, Quebec 2-1 and 2-0 on Thursday to a Swiss team in their final game. But the hockey isn't over, as the players will rejoin their local clubs and face each other in the Great Western Showcase in Salt Lake City.

"I'm sure they will play hard against each other," Metcalf said. "But that little grin they have when it's over will be their common experience in Quebec."

e-mail: amorton@desnews.com