Coyotes 14U go undefeated in Spokane tourney

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Coyotes 14U hockey team swept the competition 5-0 over the weekend to win the Frozen Face Off in Spokane. Despite a delayed start to their season, head coach Dan Niehenke was proud of how hard his team played.   

“They've been putting in a lot of hard work in the limited availability they've had,” Niehenke said. “They came out and played hard; they played strong the entire weekend. There were a lot of teams that were surprised by the numbers. We had comments that one team thought we stacked the bench and combined the best players from all of our teams. I took it as a compliment they thought we assembled the best of the best to come to this tournament.”   

The Coyotes 14U team consists of 11 players for the entire program, Niehenke said.   

At the three-day tournament, they came across four teams. The Moscow Bears 14U were the first to challenge the Coyotes on Friday. However, they responded to the challenge by taking a 6-1 win to advance in the tournament. Jack Sanders led the team with three goals, while Conrad Nelson, Cooper DeBeaumont and Cole Girvan each contributed a goal of their own.   

In game two, the Coyotes took care of business with a 4-0 win over the Spokane Blue 14U team. In addition to a Sanders and Girvan goal, Damien Vanlterson and Archer Turnbull also aided in their second win.   

On Saturday, they stormed the ice for a dominant 11-0 win over Kent Valley 14U. Turnbull and DeBeaumont each scored three goals, which tied to lead the team. Tannon Blackman also scored his first goal of the weekend alongside Vanlterson, Nelson, Girvan and Sanders to help the Coyotes cruise to victory.   

On Sunday, they faced the Moscow Bears once again. This time, they brought a tougher challenge for the Coyotes. It was a much closer game this time around, but goals by Sanders, DeBeaumont, Girvan and two by Jack Wiley lifted them over the Bears 5-4 to advance to the championship game.   

Niehenke praised his players' effort during practice and noted their regulation sheet of ice also helps build up stamina. Other teams around Washington have to practice on reduced ice rinks, while the Moses Lake Ice Rink is a full-sized rink. He said every time they get on the ice, they go full speed.   

“Obviousl,y hockey is physical; every team is physical, but coaching them through it and just trying to shift their perspective on how they approach the game, making it more like a chess game,” Niehenke said. “By changing how they've looked at the game, they've been better able to execute and move around the ice, move the puck around, and confuse the opponents and take advantage of some of the deficiencies they have and how they play.”  

The Coyotes faced the CDA Gold 14U team in the championship game, the same day they overcame the Bears. They brought their best effort as they sealed the win 5-1. Girvan and Vanlterson rose to the occasion once again with two goals each, while Sanders backed them up with a goal of his own.   

For Niehenke, the dominance they showed in the tournament proved to him how much his players have learned so far.   

“The players have really shifted how they play from a physical-only (team) to really trying to analyze the game and their opponents and adjust accordingly,” he said.   

The Coyotes are a non-profit organization that is not associated with a local high school. While they provide local athletes with an alternative sport, Niehenke said their mission is to develop the young players into well-rounded people.   

“It's all about developing them into good people,” Niehenke said. “I've been focusing on developing the players to make sure that they are good contributors to their society. They still have that drive to participate in those team sports, especially in the wintertime, when it could be potentially limited.”   

As the season continues, the Coyotes 14U team has more tournaments left on its schedule. On Jan. 30, they begin a weekend tournament in Moscow, Idaho at the Palouse Ice Rink. However, they will host a 14U tournament in Moses Lake from Feb. 6-8. Niehenke said he is confident his players will continue to improve.   

“The further we get, the more polished they become,” he said. “They're getting to the point where they're meshing as a team and learning to operate almost autonomously. It’s come from the point where I had to coach them to now, I get to watch them on the bench throughout the games, and all I have to do is provide small tweaks and details to them, and they execute.”  

Game 1   

ML Coyotes 6 Moscow Bears 1  

Goal Stats:  

Jack Sanders -3  
Conrad Nelson -1
Cooper DeBeaumont -1
Cole Girvan -1  

Game 2  

ML Coyotes 4 Spokane Blue 0  

Goal Stats:  

Jack Sanders -1  
Damien VanIterson -1
Cole Girvan -1
Archer Turnbull -1  

Game 3  

ML Coyotes 11 Kent Valley 0  

Goal Stats:  

Archer Turnbull -3  
Cooper DeBeaumont -3
Tannon Blackman -1
Damien VanIterson -1
Conrad Nelson -1
Cole Girvan -1
Jack Sanders -1  

Game 4  

ML Coyotes 5 Moscow Bears 4  

Goal Stats:  

Jack Wiley -2  
Jack Sanders -1
Cooper DeBeaumont -1
Cole Girvan -1  

Championship Game  

ML Coyotes 5 CDA Gold 1  

Goal Stats:  

Cole Girvan -2  
Damien VanIterson -2
Jack Sanders -1 

    The Coyotes’ Archer Turnbull (82) races against his opponents to the puck during a game earlier this season. Turnbull was named an MVP select in their win over the Spokane Blue 14U team.
  

    Tannon Blackman (70) takes possession of the puck during a game earlier this season. Blackman contributed several goals on their way to a championship win at a Spokane tournament.
  

    The Coyotes’ Cooper DeBeaumont (27) pushes the puck up the ice during a game earlier this season. DeBeaumont scored three goals against the Kent Valley 14U team during their tournament in Spokane.