A semifinal game

The parents of the Edmonton Minor Hockey Association team rented a school bus in celebration of the Oil Kings' undefeated season entering the Sanregret Division playoffs.

"I never rode a bus to a hockey game before and I thought it was a great experience," said Michalchuk, 11. "We were able to put posters up on the bus and sang songs, chanted, and I was able to talk with my teammates. It felt like we were on a road trip." Michael McFayden felt like he was in the big leagues.

"I then just got down to business and won the provincials." In the first two games, Lemke had a 21-point lead with scores of 160 and 168. But then he changed lanes for the third and fourth games, and that brought trouble.Max Michalchuk has been to countless hockey games, but he will never forget his ride to the Confederation Oil Kings peewee team's first playoff game Saturday morning at Londonderry Arena.

Lemke threw a 129 in the third game and scored 119 in his fourth game while a fellow competitor lit up the lanes with a 183.In the fifth game, his father's advice came ringing through. By the eighth frame, he was in complete control. He won with a score of 157.

Lemke, a Grade 7 Sherwood Park student, started bowling when he was three years old, following a family tradition. He's already developed a few mental nuances, such as keeping his eyes of the other scores during a game.

"My first thought was that it was going to be a cold and bumpy ride," said Blue. "Turns out it was just bumpy hand dryer.

"What's more important is that, as it turns out, the players quite enjoyed putting up signs in the windows and looking for reactions as we passed other cars.

"This turned out to be a positive experience." The Oil Kings won both of their playoff games during the weekend, defeating SWAT 4-2 on Saturday and the Whitemud West Terriers 3-1 on Sunday to improve to 32-0.

Coach Blue said he knew this team was special and had a chance to go undefeated when it beat two teams from a higher tier during the Confederation Christmas tournament in late December.

"When we are driving to the bowling alley, I picture the ball rolling over my mark," he said. "I practise my steps and approach at home every day. Before I throw my ball, I use the hand dryer to make sure my hand is not sticky." At his young age, he's looking to get better.

"Bowling helps me feel really confident because I know I am a good bowler," he said, adding that he'd like to become a professional and win a world championship.

"That being said, in our last game of the regular season, we played the last-place team and had to come from behind to win 2-1." The Oil Kings now play in a semifinal game Saturday.

"It felt good and it was really cool, like you are on top of the world," Teagan Chouinard said about the bus trip.

"Being undefeated makes you feel like you are part of something big, something important. It is hard to describe the exact feeling, but it just makes you feel needed." Lemke knocks 'em over When Brandyn Lemke goes to the Youth Bowling Canada's 4 Steps to Stardom national championships May 1-5 at Toronto, he'll want his No. 1 fan with him because his father, Glen, pushed the right buttons at the recent provincial championship in Calgary.

"After I had a bad fourth game, my dad put his arms around me," said Bradyn, 12. "He whispered, 'This is just like soccer. There's five minutes left in the game and you need a goal'.

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