Bantam Mavericks Stellar Effort Falls Just Short

In what was likely their best game of the post season the Moose Jaw Bantam A Mavericks fell just short losing 4 - 3 in double overtime in game one of the best of three Provincial Championship series versus the Northwest Sharks on Saturday afternoon.

The two rivals met for the first time since the Bantam Mavericks fell two games to one in last year’s provincial finals against a Turtleford based squad.

The rebranded Sharks, who last year were Wings, came out flying in the battle between Mac The Moose based squad and Ernie the Turtle based teams. (See note at the end of the story for an explaination of that).

Within the first minute of play, at 19:15, the Sharks showed they were in the Friendly City to play when Brooklin Fry beat Maverick’s goal tender Syndnee Christmann on a wrist hand shot to the blocker side only to hear a metallic ting as it hit the post.

The Sharks would apply pressure but were unable to score.

The scoring goose egg was cracked at the 12:19 mark of the first when Ember DuSomme would take a wristhand shot from mid way in the right circke and beat the Sharks netminder. The assist went to Eowyn Stokes.

The period would see good opportunities by both sides with the Mavericks, Sidney Ellingson trying to break through the defence was hooked and fell onto the Sharks goaltender drawing a penalty.

In the ensuing power play though the Sharks would break out and score a shorthanded goal when Keyra Buziak took a pass from Brooklyn Salewski. Buziak would fan on her shot and the puck would slide along the ice off speed beating Christmann who was expecting a higher and harder shot.

Fry would put the Sharks into the lead with 1:55 left in the period when she managed to stickhandle around four Maverick players and then took a wrist hand shot blocker side beating Christmann and putting the puck into the top corner.

Shots on goal total for the first period was tied at eight shots each.

The Sharks would come out in the second period and face a tougher Mavericks squad but still managed to go ahead by two goals at the 9:44 mark when Austyn Eaton scored assisted by Kaitlyn Harty who passed it across in front of the Mavericks goal where it was backhanded in.

The Mavericks however did not collapse and continued their close in play and aggressive push towards the Sharks goal.

At the 4:44 mark Buziak would beat Christmann between the legs with the puck behind her and seemingly headed into the goal it rolled on its side two inches from the far goal post.

With the period winding down Sidney Ellingson tried to split the Sharks defence and after being tripped up fell into Mackenzie Bloom injuring the Sharks net minder who was down for two minutes.

After a few minutes with play resumed on the ensuing power play Halyk was stopped by Bloom with 10.4 seconds left in the second period.

Shots on goal in the second period were 11 to 8 in the Mavericks favour.

As tough as the game was it was not without controversy.

In the first minute of the third period a shot from Nikita Halyk went top shelf into the net but it bounced back out and the play continued and the goal was missed by the referee which set off the Mavericks’ bench in protest.

The play continued and as it entered the Mavericks end of the ice the Sharks ended up being assessed a cross checking penalty.

When the whistle blew the linesman skated over and called the goal. After a conference between the four on ice officials determined it was indeed a goal and awarded it at the 19:00 minute mark.

This set off a ‘vigorous’ protest by the Sharks bench, who missed seeing the goal, and additionally complained about being assessed an additional penalty after the goal was awarded as well as the Mavericks crashing their net. The coach was assessed a bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct.

As a result the officials credited a power play goal to Halyk assisted by Ellie Gauvin and the Mavericks ended up with a two skater advantage as the Sharks were assessed penalties for cross checking (assessed during the play following the missed goal) and the unsportsmanlike bench minor for ‘vigorously’ protesting it.

In what was a golden opportunity for the Mavericks with a five on three advantage but they were unable to capitalize.

At the 15:08 mark the much larger Buziak was able to split the Mavericks defence but was stopped by Christmann in a brilliant save.

The Mavericks would tie the game when with a great extra effort first year Bantam Eowyn Stokes was able to break in and score unassisted at the 13:34 mark.

The Sharks would almost regain the lead again when Fry would once again split the Mavericks defence with her stickhandling abilities at the 10:30 mark. After an inital stop and with goaltender Christmann on her back the Sharks could not capitalized in the ensuing scramble.

Christmann would once again come up big with a blocker save on a shot 10 feet out with two Shark defenders all alone in front of her.

The Mavericks would take advantage of penalties as the Sharks showing frustration about the Mavericks coming in close on their goaltender Bloom became undisciplined and retaliated on more than one ocassion. However the Mavericks were unable to capitalize on the power play opportunities.

The third period saw the Mavericks force the play in the Sharks end and they ended up with 16 to 10 shots in the Mavericks favour.

In overtime the Sharks started to exert pressure on the Mavericks. Shots on goal were three to two in Moose Jaw’s favour.

In double overtime the comeback was ended at the 10:24 mark when on the powerplay Harty fed Buziak who took a shot which Christmann almost had but it dropped just over the goal line.

Shots on goal total for the game was Mavericks 42 and the Sharks 33.

“I am really proud of the girls. I am super proud of their effort,” said Mavericks head coach Stephane Gauvin.

Asked if the game lived up to their expectations Gauvin said he knew it was going to be a tough and close matchup.

“We knew it was going to be tough for sure. We knew it was going to be a battle.”

Asked about his impressions of the Northwest squad and some of the individual efforts from players such as Fry and Buziak Gauvin said the Sharks use their size and ability to great advantage.

“They are a big team. They are big and physical and a really good team.”

Asked about how the Mavericks countered the Sharks Gauvin said the strategy was back pressure or back checking and the Mavericks forwards coming back to break up big plays before they start.

“We did a pretty good job at that…we have been working in practices on that.”

Asked about the controversy of running the Sharks goalie Gauvin said it was not in the Mavericks game plan.

“It is not in our game plan to go after their goalie and a couple of times with the momentum breaking in we got tripped up but that is not how we play…it is just how it worked out that way.”

Sharks head coach Seth Bloom said he had great respect for the Mavericks and that the Moose Jaw squad had three very good balanced lines that could score.

“They are a real balanced team,” he said.

Bloom said the Sharks expected a tough series as they had taken a very good look at the Mavericks stats and season standings saying both teams mirror each other almost identically.

“We knew it was going to be a good close series…I am not surprised it went into double overtime.”

With the Mavericks seemingly running the crease area Bloom said it led to aggression and penalties.

“We got aggressive back and we ran into penalty trouble for awhile…but we fought back.”

Bloom said he expected the Turtleford matchups should be same thing as in Moose Jaw and predicted some great hockey.

Game Two goes next Saturday evening in Turtleford and if necessary game three Sunday afternoon on Turtleford.

The puck heads across the goal line as the Mavericks tie the game

FUN FACT - As you enter the town of Turtleford from the south you are greeted to your right by the world’s largest turtle who is affectionately known locally as Ernie or ET for short.

The fun thing about this is a little known fact and that is when Ernie was sculpted his creator was the same artist, Don Foulds, who sculpted Moose Jaw’s Mac the Moose. In 1984, immediately after creating Ernie, Foulds headed directly to Moose Jaw where he created Ernie’s more famous “cousin” Mac.

So the answer to the philosophical question may never be answered which came first the chicken or the egg? But the answer which came first the turtle or the moose is now settled.