Heading into the bantam final four tournament that starts this Friday at the C.A. Nesbitt Arena, bantam AA Thompson King Miners head coach Lovro Paulic says local hockey fans are in for a treat.

"I think it's going to be a fantastic tournament," said Paulic, predicting fast games with great scoring opportunities. "It'll be enjoyable to be playing and it'll be enjoyable to watch. This'll be the best bantam hockey that they'll see."

The tournament will feature the top bantam teams in the province, including Thompson's own bantam AA provincial champions and rural AA champion MacDonald Lightning, as well as AAA teams from Winnipeg and Brandon

"They play competition at a very high level," said the coach.

The Thompson squad has already played and beaten two of the teams this season.

"That's given us a little confidence," he said.

The King Miners haven't played the team from Winnipeg, but will have a chance to see them play Brandon and MacDonald before squaring off with them in the final four.

"We'll see what kind of team they are," said the coach.

One of the challenges facing Thompson is that they are the host team in a high-stakes tournament that will mark a first for the King Miners this season.

The bantam AA King Miners haven’t had a home tournament since hosting provincials in 2008, and the odds of getting the chance to host the final four are quite slim, says Thompson Minor Hockey Association president and tournament co-ordinator Bruce Bodie.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for hockey fans,” Bodie says, noting that just having both bantam teams win provincials is unusual. “That’s a success in itself. This is an opportunity that a lot of the kids would not normally get.”

Still, the King Miners didn't go 20-3-1 in the season and win the provincial champions by shrinking from pressure.

"You get there by embracing pressure and using it to your advantage," said Paulic. "They've played well under pressure."

Coming at the end of an already successful season, winning this tournament could extend it a little longer, as the winner advances to represent Manitoba at the Western Canadian bantam championships, which will be played in Burnaby, B.C.

"That would be huge as well," said Paulic.

Despite what's on the line, the coaching staff isn't changing anything in the way they prepare their team, recognizing that it's hard to predict what will happen in a tournament where everything hinges on a single game.

"We've just got to continue to follow our best practices," said Paulic. "They know what to do at this point. They just need to execute what they've been doing all year."

One aspect of the team that will help in the tournament situation is their adaptability.

"We've made a lot of adjustments all year," said the coach, both within games and during tournaments. At provincials, for example, six or seven different line combinations were employed over the course of three days. "We don't go with a set plan."

Part of the reason that's possible is because the core of the bantam AA team has played together for about six years.

"They're capable of adjusting and finding that chemistry," said Paulic. "We've got a good chance."

That isn't to say the coaches will be relaxed.

"It'll be stressful to coach," said Paulic. "It'll be tense."