One Game Left To Win For Optimist Rebels

It wasn't like Dasan Sydora needed to prove himself, again.  But he did, again.

The diminutive goaltender was superb in making 29 saves for the Red Deer Optimist Rebels in their 2-0 semifinals win over the Saskatoon Contacts at the 2012 Telus Cup in Leduc.  Sydora stands just 5'8 tall but seems to grow about a foot taller whenever he stands between the pipes for his club.

"They're awesome to play in," Sydora said following the win.  "Nothing can compare to the do-or-die games."

Semifinal Saturday @HC_TelusCup

They are down to the final four at the 2012 Telus Cup national midget championship in Leduc, Alberta.

It may be cliche to say that all four teams have a legit shot at winning it all... but it is absolutely the truth in the is case.

The Red Deer Optimist Rebels finished the preliminary round of the tournament with a 3-0-2 record after a sound 10-3 thrashing of this year's tournament basement-dwelling Sudbury Wolves.  13 players had at least one point for the baby rebels in this one.  Ty Mappin led with two goals and three assists.  But the big moment in this game perhaps belonged to defenceman Kolton Dixon who scored Red Deer's 10th goal of the game... his first of the season.  No doubt he had a smile on his face and received "plenty of support" from his teammates.  On a more serious note... if the Optimist Rebels take nothing else from this game hopefully they gained some confidence on their powerplay (they converted three times on the man advantage vs. Sudbury compared to just twice throughout the rest of the tournament).

Red Deer finished second in the preliminary standings with 8 points, one behind 4-0-1 Phenix College du Esther-Blondin.  Saskatoon (2-1-2) finished third with 6 points while the host Leduc Oil Kings (2-3-0) earned four points to claim the fourth and final playoff spot. So here's how Semifinal Saturday shapes up...

2pm - Red Deer vs. Saskatoon - These two western squads met in the opening game of the tournament, playing to a 2-2 tie.  You can check out my earlier blog post for a full game re-cap but it was a match that wasn't nearly as even as the final score indicates.  Contacts goalie Mack Shields kept his team in it making 38 saves.  Saskatoon should have plenty of confidence knowing they managed to hang in with the Optimist Rebels and pull out a single point.  Red Deer Rebels fans will again get to see four prospects do battle in this game... Scott Feser and Scott Ferguson for Red Deer and Vukie Mpofu and Rodney Southam for Saskatoon. 

6pm - Phenix College du Esther-Blondin vs. Leduc Oil Kings - This will be the second meeting between these two teams in just over 24 hours.  The Quebec squad edged the hosts 5-4 in the final preliminary game on Friday afternoon.  If, and it's a huge 'if', that game is any indication today's semifinal should be an dandy.

Meantime... a pair of Red Deer Optimist Rebels have won player awards at the Telus Cup.  Joel Topping is the Top Defenceman.  Dasan Sydora is the top goaltender.  Congrats to both!

Fit To Be Tied - Telus Cup Top Teams Remain Unbeaten

No fear.

That's the lesson Head Coach Doug Quinn says his team learned on Thursday.  Play with no fear.

The Red Deer Optimist Rebels took on Phenix College du Esther-Blondin in a battle of unbeaten teams, and a possible gold medal game preview, and came away with a 2-2 tie.

Red Deer held a 2-0 lead going into the final period until Esther-Blondin scored twice in the span of 4:24 to even the match.  And while the point lost in the standings wasn't critical for the baby rebels, the lesson learned in the process certainly was.

Optimist Rebels Clinch Playoff Spot

In a game in which five-on-five play was as rare as a bad episode of Seinfeld, the Red Deer Optimist Rebels came up huge on special teams.

Ty Mappin scored shorthanded, Nick Glackin and Scott Feser each scored on the powerplay as the baby rebels edged the host Leduc Oil Kings 3-2 at the Telus Cup national midget championship on Wednesday.

Optimist Rebels Fly Past Moncton (sort of)

It's no exaggeration to say that out of the 120 minutes of hockey the Red Deer Optimist Rebels have played at the Telus Cup in Leduc they have dominated at least 110 of them.

The only problem is the scoreboard hasn't reflected that domination.

The baby rebs out shot the Moncton Flyers 43-20 on Tuesday but settled for just a 2-1 victory to improve their round-robin record to 1-0-1.

Optimist Rebels Make Contact But Settle For Tie

For whatever reason, the Red Deer Optimist Rebels simply weren't themselves to start the game.

But in the end they showed enough of their regular selves to pull out a 2-2 tie versus the Saskatoon Contacts in the opening game at the 2012 Telus Cup in Leduc.

Red Deer Head Coach Doug Quinn said his team did do well to overcome their shaky start.

"I thought we were a little bit nervous in the first period.  We settled in in the second period and created some pressure and had a good third [period]."

Scott Feser, who scored the game-tying goal in the third period, wasn't exactly sure why his team started the game so poorly (the Optimist Rebels trailed 2-0 after the first period).

"It's obviously been a couple weeks since we played a game and it's a pretty big tournament.  So I don't know if a few guys were nervous.  It could be nerves but it's good to get that first one over and I think we should be able to push forward now."

Slow start aside, Monday's game was like many others we've seen throughout the baby Rebels postseason.  It was a game in which they badly outshot (40-18) and outplayed their opponents yet ended up in a tight game.  Playing against a fairly high scoring Contacts team, Quinn was pleased with his squad's defensive play.

"We knew that they had a lot of skill.  We certainly wanted to make sure that we played a pressure game and didn't give them opportunities and space to handle the puck.  I thought for the most part, once we adjusted to their quickness, we did that in the second and third periods."

Josh Uhrich opened the scoring for Saskatoon 6:27 into the game with a well-placed shot that seemingly fooled Red Deer goalie Dasan Sydora (he hardly flinched as the shot went off his shoulder and beat him top shelf).  Rourke Chartier made it 2-0 with a powerplay goal at 15:44.

The Optimist Rebels finally broke through late in the second period on their 26th shot of the game.  Brady Bakke fired on net, Contacts goalie Mack Shields made the save, but Nick Glackin was there to put home the rebound for a shorthanded goal at 15:50.  The goal set the stage for complete Red Deer dominance the rest of the way.

Shields was outstanding between the pipes for Saskatoon.  He did everything he could to try and steal the win for his club.  And it started to look like he would do just that until Feser tipped Cole Berreth's point shot out of mid-air and past Shields 6:16 into the final frame.  Neither team was able to find the go-ahead goal from there and settled for a single point in the standings.

The Optimist Rebels are back in action today at 4pm vs. Moncton.

In other Telus Cup action on Monday... Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin beat the Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves 6-2 and the host Leduc Oil Kings knocked off the Moncton Flyers 5-4.

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Sticking with our theme from my previous blog... here are my thoughts on how the four Red Deer Rebels prospects fared in yesterday's game (as they auditioned for Rebels assistant coaches Chris Neiszner and Bryce Thoma who were both in attendance)...

Scott Feser, Red Deer (F) - Game-tying goal aside, Feser did a fairly good job of creating scoring chances throughout the game.  He certainly seemed more comfortable versus Saskatoon than he did in either game of the pacific regional final versus Vancouver.  Scott, like the rest of the Optimist Rebels, should look even more comfortable starting today now that the opening game jitters are out of the way.

Scott Ferguson, Red Deer (F) - Personally, I thought Ferguson played the best game out of any forward on the ice.  Every time he was on the ice, Ferguson either had the puck on his stick or was getting it to his line mates for scoring chances.  Scott also used his size (6'0 182lbs) to create havoc in the corners for Saskatoon defenders.  The Optimist Rebels will definitely benefit if Ferguson can maintain a high level of play throughout the rest of the week.

Vukie Mpofu, Saskatoon (D) - While Joel Topping was clearly the best defenceman on the ice for either team, Mpofu definitely led the charge for the Contacts group of bluelines.  I have no official stats, but I'd be willing to bet that Vukie played in excess of 25 minutes in the game.  His small small stature works against him, but Mpofu stood in tough against Optimist Rebels forecheckers.  He also was effective at moving the puck ahead to his forwards.  Speaking with him after the game, Mpofu is happy with how his game has progressed throughout the season, "I think not only myself but a lot of our [Contacts] young players grew a lot.  I think it [qualifying for Telus Cup] has got us really ready to maybe make the jump to the WHL next year."

Rod Southam, Saskatoon (F) - Yesterday's game was not an overly physical affair, which didn't play well into Southam's power forward style.  But he didn't look horribly out of place and didn't hurt himself at all in the way of turnovers and such.  A harder hitting game will help Southam better show off what he has to offer.  Southam told me he is happy with his development this season, having gotten bigger and stronger and quicker on his feet.  He says there is no secret to what his game is all about, "I like to hit and bring the body and be a physical presence out there."

Rebels Prospects To Do Battle In Leduc - UPDATED**

**IN MY ORIGINAL VERSION OF THIS POST I HELD OFF OF MENTIONING SCOTT FERGUSON UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO CONFIRM A FEW DETAILS I WAS LOOKING FOR.  I HAVE NOW INCLUDED FERGUSON IN THIS VERSION UPDATED MONDAY EVENING**

While four weeks of campaigning in the Alberta provincial election has come to an end (please... get out and vote on Monday!) a foursome of Red Deer Rebels will be some campaigning of their own this week in Leduc.

The Red Deer Optimist Rebels are representing the Pacific Region at this week's Telus Cup national midget championship tournament.  The Optimist Rebels feature forwards Scott Ferguson, taken by the Red Deer Rebels in the 6th round (122nd overall) of the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft, and Scott Feser, selected by his hometown Rebels in the 8th round (166th overall) in the same draft.

The Saskatoon Contacts are in Leduc representing the West Region and feature two Rebels drafted players.  Defenceman Vukie Mpofu was selected in the 4th round (87th overall) in last year's bantam draft while forward Rodney Southam was selected by the Rebels in the 6th round (131st) overall.

It just so happens that the Optimist Rebels and Contacts meet in the opening game of the tournament (Monday, 12:30pm) meaning fans of the big Rebels will get an early look at their potential future players.  Here's a quick look at all four...

SCOTT FESER (F) - 5'10 170lbs, 01/05/1995, Red Deer AB
Feser finished second on the Red Deer Optimist Rebels in regular season scoring with 40 points (18 G, 22 A) in 49 games played.  He followed that up by leading all AMHL skaters with 11 points (8G, 3A) in 10 games. Scott was held pointless in the two game pacific region final versus the Vancouver NW Giants.  Feser was called up to the WHL Rebels this past season, playing nine games and collecting two assists.  His older brother Justin is a star player for the Tri-City Americans.


SCOTT FERGUSON (F) - 6'0 182lbs, 04/22/1995, Red Deer ABSize is definitely one of Ferguson's strongest assets.  He used his frame to record a respectable 23 points (12G, 11A) in 33 regular season games and another 7 points (2G, 5A) in 12 playoff games.  Ferguson was not called up by the big Rebels this season but did appear in three games with the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL.  He did not record a point for Camrose in those games.
 

VUKIE MPOFU (D) - 5'9, 165lbs, 18/02/1996, Saskatoon SK
When it came to scoring during the Saskatchewan Midget AAA regular season, Vukie finished fourth among Contacts defencemen with 19 points (7G, 12A) in 43 games played.  He also racked up 45 penalty minutes.  Mpofu followed up with 6 points (2G, 4A) in 16 playoff games played for the Contacts, good for second among team blueliners.





 







RODNEY SOUTHAM (F) - 5'10, 170lbs, 08/09/1996, Saskatoon SKNot a particularly dominant force offensively, Southam was 10th in Contacts team scoring this season with 23 points (12G, 11A) in 43 games played.  But if penalty minutes are any indication, he ranked 4th on the team and 2nd among forwards with 93PIM, Southam isn't afraid to throw his weight around (he's not overwhelmingly big but 170lbs will still get you places).  Southam had just one assist and 16 penalty minutes in 17 playoff games for the Contacts.


Admittedly, it's easier to get a read on Feser having watched him play numerous times this season.  It will be interesting to watch Mpofu and Southam in action today.  A good showing by both players would serve them well heading into Rebels Prospects Camp this June.

You can follow the Telus Cup on Twitter @HC_TelusCup and online at hockeycanada.ca

TG 

Optimist Rebels Set To Battle Starting Monday

(Courtesy of Hockey Canada)

2012 TELUS CUP BEGINS MONDAY IN LEDUC, ALBERTA

LEDUC, Alta. – For the 39th time, Canada’s top Midget teams have gathered, this year in Leduc, to do battle for the National Midget Championship, beginning Monday, April 23. This year marks just the fourth time Alberta has hosted the TELUS Cup, joining Calgary in 1976 and 1991, and Red Deer in 2007.

The host Leduc Oil Kings are joined by five regional champions: the Phénix du Collège Esther-Blondin (Quebec), Moncton Flyers (Atlantic), Red Deer Rebels (Pacific), Saskatoon Contacts (West) and Sudbury Nickel Capital Wolves (Central). The six competing teams will take to the ice at the Leduc Recreation Centre hoping to earn one of the two berths in Sunday’s nationally-televised gold medal game.

This year’s field includes two teams that have won the National Midget Championship in the last decade – Saskatoon (2005) and Sudbury (2008) – and another, Red Deer, that has played in three gold medal games without winning the national title; the Rebels lost the final in double overtime in both 1994 and 2007, and also took home silver in 1995. While Collège Esther-Blondin and the host Oil Kings are making their first TELUS Cup appearances, the other four teams all have plenty of experience – Red Deer is making its ninth trip to the national championship, Moncton is in for the seventh time, Sudbury’s appearance is its fifth and Saskatoon is making visit No. 4.

CLICK HERE FOR THE TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Optimist Rebels Win Pacific Title, Advance To Telus Cup

He was first credited with scoring the game winner on Friday night when in fact it was Ty Mappin's goal. This time, Dylan Thudium made sure he would get his just due.

Thudium scored 2:02 into the second overtime to give the Red Deer Optimist Rebels a 4-3 win over the Vancouver NW Giants. Red Deer wins the Pacific Region Midget AAA Final 2-0 and will play at the Telus Cup national championship tournament, April 23 - 29.

Funny enough, Mappin's name was the one announced as having scored the game winner. But make no mistake, it was Thudium who clinched the series for Red Deer.

"Tanner Lomsnes made a good play on the wall just to chip out front" Thudium said in describing his overtime goal. "Then I just grabbed it quick and ripped it at the net and it went right bar [post] and in. I was pretty lucky actually. I didn't try and pick that spot, I just fired it at the net."

Lucky, perhaps. But this blogger is a firm believer that you have to be good to be lucky. And the Optimist Rebels were indeed good. Exceptionally so. But it didn't start out that way.

Neither the Optimist Rebels or the NW Giants seemed to be at their best in the opening period. But Vancouver did have two or three point blank scoring chances only to be thwarted by Red Deer goalie Dasan Sydora.

The floodgates opened up in the second period. Adam Helewka, Vancouver's leading scorer in both the regular season and playoffs, scored the Giants first goal of the series 2:42 into the second period which definitely energized the road squad (though they were the designated "home" team for game two). Giants Captain Taylor Tanti, son of former NHLer Tony Tanti, gave his team a two-goal lead at the 8:50 mark, creating a sense of frustration for the Optimist Rebels. Red Deer players, notably goaltender Dasan Sydora, were furious in thinking the goal should not have counted (feeling the net was knocked out of position). But nevertheless, Vancouver led 2-0.

Cue the turning point for Red Deer. Seeing the frustration and feeling the need to regroup, Optimist Rebels Head Coach Doug Quinn called a timeout.

"We were playing well but after they scored the body language did not look good at all" Quinn noted following the game. "It [the timeout] was just a matter of trying to refocus and realize there's a lot of game left."

Point taken. Just 55 seconds after the timeout, Thudium scored his first goal of the game to get the Optimist Rebels on the board and the Red Deer fans (approx. 1200 of them) on their feet and back in the game.

If the timeout was one thing that tilted the game in Red Deer's favour, depth on their bench was the other. Red Deer continued to roll out three forward lines in the second period while Vancouver had already cut down to two lines. It was quite noticeable as the game went on and with just over a minute left in the second period Logan Fisher tipped home a Stefan Danielson point shot for a game tying powerplay goal. 2-2 through 40 minutes.

Nick Glackin's goal 6:59 into the third period gave Red Deer its first lead of the game and you kind of got the sense that the Optimist Rebels would pull away with it from there. But give Vancouver credit, they kept battling and tied the game less than three minutes later at 9:44. Josh Thrower, who seems like a lock to play in the WHL for the Calgary Hitmen after his stellar performance in this series, rifled a point shot past a screened Dasan Sydora. 3-3. Overtime beckoned.

And overtime nearly ended as quickly as it began. The Mappin, Thudium, Lomsnes line came out flying and nearly jammed the puck into the next on their opening shift. But Vancouver goalie Liam Smith, who got the start despite Braden Krogfoss' MVP-style performance in game one, held the fort. He would continue holding the fort through the rest of the 10 minute overtime period. Red Deer outshot Vancouver 11-0 but to no avail. The NW Giants held on long enough to force a second overtime period.

From there, Thudium netted the game and series winner sending Red Deer to the Telus Cup for the second time in three years.

The Optimist Rebels will take a couple of days to enjoy their triumph in the regional final before returning to practice on Tuesday.

(more to come tomorrow) - TG

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GAME SCORING SUMMARY

1ST PERIOD
(NO SCORING)
SHOTS - RD 13, VAN 7

2ND PERIOD
2:42 VAN Helewka (Landon)
8:50 VAN Tanti (unassisted)
9:45 RD Thudium (Mappin, Lomsnes)
18:55 RD Fisher (Danielson, Topping) PPG
SHOTS - RD 14/27 VAN 7/14

3RD PERIOD
6:59 RD Glackin (Bakke, Mappin)
9:44 VAN Thrower (Carvalho) PPG
SHOTS - RD 8/35 VAN 9/23

OVERTIME
(NO SCORING)
SHOTS - RD 11/46 VAN 0/23

2ND OVERTIME
2:02 RD Thudium (Lomsnes)*
SHOTS - RD 3/49 VAN 1/24

* Goal was originally credited to Ty Mappin on the scoresheet, but it was indeed Dylan Thudium who scored the goal

Optimist Rebels One Win Away From Telus Cup

Check out TSN's latest story on Red Deer Rebels defenceman Mathew Dumba as he gets set to lead Team Canada into battle at the World U-18 Hockey Championship in the Czech Republic.

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The scene played out last night at the Red Deer Arena was one we have already seen numerous times during the Red Deer Optimist Rebels playoff run.

Stifling defensive play. Dozens of shots on the opponent's net. Fast-paced. Low scoring.

Ty Mappin scored the only goal of the game with just 2:19 left in the third period. The Optimist Rebels took game one of the Pacific Region Midget AAA Championship 1-0 over the Vancouver NW Giants. Red Deer grabs a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Mappin (who had three or four great scoring chances go for naught earlier in the period) was the beneficiary of a great setup by Tanner Lomsnes... who charged into Vancouver territory down the left wing side, blew past the defender and circled the net before sliding the puck through the crease to an open Mappin. Dylan Thudium was also in the area but admitted after the game that it was indeed Mappin who netted the game winning goal.

Lomsnes' solid effort did not go unnoticed by Red Deer Optimist Rebels Head Coach Doug Quinn.

"Tanner is one of the players that has certainly stepped up for us throughout the playoffs" Quinn commented following the game. "He's taken his game to another level. That line [with Mappin and Thudium] has really carried us."

At the other end of the rink, Dasan Sydora did what he's done all playoffs long for Red Deer. He wasn't tested often, Vancouver had 16 shots on the night, but faced some quality chances. Especially so in the third period when both teams were pressing hard for the elusive first goal. Sydora earned his fifth shutout in 11 playoff games played. His goals against average drops to a miniscule 0.91 while his save percentage rises to a sparkling .963.

Quinn said it was exciting for his players to play in front of a raucous hometown crowd [estimated at approx. 1000] but felt it also may have played a role in what he felt was a slow start to the game for the Optimist Rebels.

When it comes to the Vancouver NW Giants, Braden Krogfoss was their best player on the night (he and Lomsnes were selected as the Players of the Game for their respective teams). The 16-year-old netminder turned aside 37 of the 38 shots he faced and gave his team a chance to win right up until the final whistle. Now when you look at the Giants stats, they have split their games fairly evenly between Krogfoss and his goaltending partner, Liam Smith. It will be very interesting to see who Head Coach Todd Harkins goes with tonight for game two.

Giants defenceman Josh Thrower was given plenty of ice time to audition for his WHL team. The 6'0" 186 lb. defender was selected in the 2nd round of the WHL Bantam Draft by the Calgary Hitmen... and both GM Kelly Kisio and Assistant Coach Brent Kisio were in attendance last night to see him play first hand. I think they'll be pleased with what they saw for the most part. Aside from a couple of minor miscues, Thrower played very well for the amount of ice time he received... which was a lot.

Vancouver's leading scorer Adam Helewka (9 points in playoff games coming into last night, 53 points in 40 regular season games) was held at bay last night. But judging by those numbers it'll be tough to do that two nights in a row. No doubt he'll have something to say about how tonight's game turns out.

"We had a kind of nervous energy and sometimes that can tire a body out. But, we found a way to win and that's all that matters right now."

It's safe to say that Quinn and the rest of the Optimist Rebels would love to see another large crowd on-hand tonight at the Red Deer Arena as they try to clinch the series and a trip to the Telus Cup in Leduc. Game time tonight is at 7pm.

If you're unable to make it to the game, check out www.imediatv.ca as I'll have live play-by-play coverage. We had great response to our first broadcast last night, thanks to everyone who tuned in! We hope to have you back again tonight (and tell some friends!)

Midget Rebels Are Provincial Champs (Again)

I'm always a bit hesitant to use the word "dynasty" but the Red Deer Optimist Rebels have earned it.

They beat the St. Albert Raiders 5-3 last night at the Red Deer Arena to sweep the Alberta Midget Hockey League final series three games to none.

For the Baby Rebels, it's their third straight AMHL and Midget AAA provincial title and their sixth in the past ten years.

Dynasty? Yup, that definitely counts.

Last night's game had a much different feel for Red Deer compared to all of their other playoff games. It had become almost routine to see the Optimist Rebels outshoot their opponents by at least 20 or 30 shots on their way to victory (there were a few 2-0, 2-1 and 3-2 games that were nowhere near that close in terms of game play).

Red Deer opened the scoring just 2:47 into the game courtesy of Rory Davidson. But Liam McNamara replied with a shorthanded goal for St. Albert and it was 1-1 through twenty minutes.

Tyler Lomsnes gave Red Deer a 2-1 lead 3:14 into the second period and BJ Duffin scored just 18 seconds later to make it 3-1. The Optimist Rebels were seemingly in cruise control at that point.

But St. Albert called a timeout after Duffin's goal and it definitely had an impact. The Raiders refused to roll over and eventually cut into the Rebels lead late in the middle frame. It was 3-2 heading into the third period.

The gathered crowd over over 1,000 was silenced when McNamara scored his second of the game for the Raiders, tying it 3-3 just over six minutes into the third. St. Albert was full of confidence and Red Deer was on its heels somewhat.

In the end, special teams would prove to be the difference. The Raiders took back to back minors with just over three minutes remaining, giving the Optimist Rebels a 5-on-3 powerplay. The would take full advantage.

Stefan Danielson scored the eventual series winner with a blast from the point with 3:08 remaining. Joel Topping would add an insurance marker forty seconds later. Red Deer wins 5-3.

Red Deer Head Coach Doug Quinn was pleased with how his team battled back to earn the win.

"We were back on our heels in the second half of the first period. I thought we actually played pretty well in the second period, we kind of regrouped. We got into penalty problems and once they got that second goal then we were playing like we were trying not to lose, which is a dangerous combination."

Quinn says winning a third straight provincial crown is a testament to the overall strength of their program.

"The group of coaches that we have here and the type of players that are coming through the program, there's an expectation that if you're gonna play here you gotta give us everything. And we certainly feel that that combination will always give us an opportunity to compete for provincial championships."

But now a much tougher challenge lays ahead for the Rebels, a third straight meeting with the Vancouver Northwest Giants in the Pacific Region Midget AAA Final. The best-of-three series will be played at the Red Deer Arena, April 6-8. There is no doubt in Quinn's mind that home ice advantage will play a huge role in the series.

"Two years ago when we played [Vancouver] it was a huge advantage playing at home." (Red Deer won the series). Vancouver came out on top when they hosted the series last year.

If/when the Baby Rebels get past Vancouver they will go after the Telus Cup national title that has always been just beyond their reach (Red Deer finished as the runner-up when they hosted in 07, as well as back in 94 and 95). This year's Telus Cup tournament will take place in Leduc, April 23 - 29.