U17 Heat confident ahead of provincials

A happy locker room produces happy players, and happy players usually win more games than unhappy ones. If this stands up to scrutiny, then the under-17 Westman Heat have a great chance to make some noise at provincials starting today in Portage la Prairie.

“We are really good at lifting each other up because there are lots of friendships on this team,” said Heat pitcher Ella Kulchyski.

That much is clear to anyone who attends a Heat game.

During a doubleheader against the Westman Storm on Tuesday night, not a single play went by without multiple voices from the Heat bench calling out encouragement to their teammates on the field.

Many teams boast strong friendships and a good locker room atmosphere. It’s the composition of the Heat that makes the team unique. Of the 12 players on the roster, nine are from Brandon while the remaining three are from the Parkland region.

“I wasn’t sure how this team was going to jive,” said head coach B.J. Birch. “It was tough because our nine Brandon girls have played together for a lot of years. I know the three girls were a little shy coming in, but they’ve fit right in.”

Avaunna Gutek — who plays pitcher, shortstop and centre field for the Heat — is one of the three players who don’t live in Brandon. In order to be a member of the Heat, she drives three hours to and from practices and games.

“Their commitment is crazy,” said Birch. “They’re cleaning up, they’re the last ones here and I’m trying to get them to go home because they’ve got a long drive and they’re picking up balls, the nets, they are definitely committed.”

That kind of commitment is contagious. When a quarter of your teammates are driving multiple hours to play, it becomes impossible to not go the extra mile yourself.

Provincials will test the Heat in unique ways. An added curveball at this year’s tournament will be the format. Each team will play a six-game round-robin with no semifinals.

That means the top two teams after the round-robin will play for gold, and three and four will battle for bronze. There will be no second chances for a team that has a slow start to the tournament.

“In all my years, I’ve never come across this type of format,” said Birch. “The round-robin is really important now because usually, as long as you get top four, you get into the semifinals and then a chance for the finals. Now, every round-robin game makes a huge difference.”

When it comes to a format like this, the key will be to break the game down in a very granular way. Every play becomes important, and focus is key. A poor inning, a flubbed catch or just a miscommunication has the potential to leave the Heat on the outside looking in when it comes to the gold-medal match.

“We all just have to be really focused on the game and not let little things get in our head and just refresh after each play,” said Kulchyski. “That will be a key to success.”

While she’s approaching the tournament with a driven mindset, Kulchyski also wants to prioritize enjoying the ride. Part of the reason she wants to take that approach is that she feels sometimes she can be a little too strategic and forget to enjoy herself.

“This is going to be my last year of ball, so I am just looking forward to having fun and connecting with the team I have,” said Kulchyski.

The Heat’s play on the field reflects their tight bonds as a group. There are no stars. This team gets in done by committee through solid defensive play and a next man up mentality.

“If one hitter doesn’t hit, the next hitter always will,” said Gutek. “Our bats are always good, and our defence is amazing. Everyone picks each other up and it’s just a really good team.”

Of course, a lack of star power comes with draw backs. Big moments sometimes require big players to meet them, and the Heat will need to find a way to navigate those high-pressure scenarios at provincials.

The old proverb states that defence wins championships and Birch knows that to be true.

“We have to play solid defence,” said Birch. “We have good pitching, we throw a lot of strikes, but we don’t have a big flamethrower that can strike them all out, so we have lots of balls in play … if we play strong defense, we will be ok.”

Given the amount of time she’s poured into this season, it is unsurprising that Gutek — like the rest of her teammates — wants to go for it all.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully getting in the final game and then having a shot at gold,” said Gutek.

Led by Birch, the Heat, which includes Averi Jury, Elli Pomehichuk, Emry Rudkavich, Josee Martine, Kelsey Birch, Lyndsey Boisvert Hamilton, Paige Thompson, Riley McCannell, Sydney Dell and Zara Pople will start provincials with three games on Friday.

Their tournament kicks off with a matchup against the Winnipeg Bolts at 11 a.m. followed by a 2:30 p.m. start against the Westman Storm. They will finish day one with a contest against the Southwest Strikers at 6:15 p.m.

On Saturday, the Heat play the Eastman Blaze at 2:30 p.m. before taking on the Interlake Maroons at 4:30 p.m.

The Heat’s final game of the round-robin will be Sunday at 10 a.m. against the Central Charge.

Success on Day 1 could make all the difference when it comes to getting to compete for a medal. The blistering pace of this format means the Heat will need to win early and often in the hopes of setting themselves up for success.

United with one goal in mind, the Heat intend to give it their all at provincials and let the result speak for themselves.

“I’m excited,” said Kulchyski. “I think we’re going to do well. Obviously, we’ve been working towards it the whole year. Our team is looking forward to it.”

» rmccarthy@brandonsun.com