Mavericks Open League Final Tonight On Home Ice
By Robert Thomas
It has been a long year with a lot of dedication and devotion but the Moose Jaw Midget A Mavericks are set to kick off the championship series versus the Leroy based East Central Fillies in Saskatchewan Female Hockey League action tonight.
At 7:15 pm the puck drops at the Bert Hunt Arena (855 Lillooet Street West) with the much anticipated matchup featuring regular season champions Fillies (14 - 0 - 2) versus the second placed regular season finishers the Mavericks (14 - 2). The Mavericks two losses in the season were at the hands of the Fillies who used their size and age to outmuscle the Moose Jaw squad for first place.
Coach Mike Botterill is confident the Mavericks can win so long as the team can execute its season long game plan based upon discipline, speed and determination to get past the Fillies.
Asked what the odds are against the Fillies, who according to at least one of their playoff opponents seemed flatter than their regular season play, Botterill said it is not impossible.
“I would like to say fifty fifty,” he said, adding “they are a good hockey club but I think we are up for the challenge. Our girls are really excited about this. We have worked really hard on this all year and we are going to come at them with everything they got.”
This past Monday and Wednesday the Mavericks at practice fine tuned their game in anticipation of the finals. The Mavericks, since the last time they met the Fillies in a 4 - 0 loss on December 21, 2019, have noticably improved. The team overcame injuries to two of their top forward players (Sidney Ellingson and Makayla Anderson) to finish the remainder of the season and the playoffs without a loss.
“Absolutely we have got a better team. The girls are excited about it. The girls have worked hard all year and this is it. So we can’t wait for the puck to drop.”
When asked about the Fillies who seemed to plateau earlier in the season Botterill said the Mavericks have steadily adapted and improved especially near and into the playoffs.
“I think everybody stepped their game up since the start of the year and that is when we played them at the start of the year, earlier on at the start of the season. I think a lot has changed. I think we have improved a great deal. I can’t tell you how they have done but I know our girls are ready and excited to go,” Botterill said.
Botterill said he had spoken to some of the Fillies opposition in the playoffs and the feeling was the Leroy squad was not as indestructable as they appear on the scoresheet.
“They beat the Prairie Storm they won 4 -1 but the feedback we got from the Prairie Storm team was they were right in the game right until the end.”
About losing Ellingson and Anderson for the remainder of the season the said “the rest of the girls have stepped their game up tremendously. There was a little concern going into the playoffs but they took any doubts away from me they have all stepped up and shown that they can take their place.”
The playoffs have seen the not only the Mavericks Bantam aged players, who are playing in the higher Midget division have come through for the team on many occasions and when it was needed the older players came through for the team.
The only stumbling part the Mavericks have experienced all year has been a slow start in the game.
“It seems like we always get a slow start but if we can basically come out with a better start tomorrow we can win. I don’t think we can let these girls from the north get up on us too much and I think we have to have a good start against them and see what happens from there.”
At press time Sydney Christmann is scheduled to get the start between the pipes for the Mavericks after missing the last game in order to participate in the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association provincial wrestling championships.
This will be the last game the Mavericks play on home ice this year and hope for a strong home town crowd to come out and cheer them on.
Game Two is in Leroy on Sunday, March 15th 4:30 pm. If necessary Game Three will be in Leroy with the date and time to be determined.
Moose Jaw Midget A Mavericks versus the East Central Fillies in game one of the best of three league championship
Bert Hunt Arena 855 Lillooet Street West tonight March 12th at 7:15 pm
Admission is free but for those who so chose to do so 50/50 tickets are available for purchase