The Carrot River Outback Thunder are hoping to come from behind this week in their Prairie Junior Hockey League North Division semifinal series.
The Thunder fell 6-4 and 6-3 in the first two games of the series to the Saskatoon AGI Insurance Quakers. Game 3 of the best-of-seven series was slated for Wednesday in Saskatoon with Game 4 in Carrot River on Thursday. The Thunder are hoping to play Game 5 Saturday in Saskatoon. The final two games, if necessary, are slated for Carrot River on Tuesday and Saskatoon on Wednesday.
The Quakers topped the PJHL standings during the regular season. Trevor Logan, Carrot River’s head coach, said in the first two games Saskatoon made the Thunder pay for any mistakes.
“We just have to try to find a little more,” he said.
Before the series started, Nick Peterson, the Thunder’s captain said:
“To be successful in this next round we are going to have to do whatever it takes to win. We have a young talented team who can play with anyone in this league, now it's time to prove it.”
The Thunder advanced to take on the Quakers after defeating the West Central Rage two games to one in a PJHL North Division Survivor Series. Carrot River triumphed 3-2 in the final game. The Thunder had lost the first game, 11-1, but rebounded to win the next two.
“Winning this series was huge,” Peterson said. “Battling back from such a poor effort the first game shows how much heart is here in this team. Everyone regrouped and played for each other out there.”
Semifinal Game 2: Quakers 6, Thunder 3
The Quakers scored the game’s first three goals to lead 3-0 at the end of the first period on Feb. 26. The hometown Thunder got two back in the second, but Saskatoon held a 4-2 lead heading into the final frame. The Thunder were not able to get closer.
Scoring for Carrot River were Austin Linnen, Kyle Njaa and Chandler Ashcroft. Thunder goalie Kolton Holmen made 33 saves. The night before, Holmen was called up by the Melfort Mustangs of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League as an affiliated player to serve as a backup against Flin Flon.
Six players scored for the Quakers: Brody Doepker, Jared Hillis, Bryson Aistine, Braden Oleksyn, Tyson Rosnerand Evan Werle. Austin Swystun recorded 30 saves.
Semifinal Game 1: Quakers 6, Thunder 4
Game 1 featured a series of momentum swings as the Quakers and Thunder battled. The host Saskatoon squad scored the first two goals and led 2-0 at the end of the first period. The Thunder stormed back with goals by Linnen and Layne Cay, on a power play, in the first five minutes in the second period to tie things up.
Two straight Quakers goals put Saskatoon up 4-2 by the end of the second and they went up 5-2 before the halfway point in the third period. Levi Logan and Njaa lit the lamp for the Thunder to pull the visitors to within one, 5-4, with 4:13 left. They were unable to tie things up. With nine second left, the Quakers added an insurance marker on the power play.
Holmen made 31 saves. Werle (two), Landon Markovich, Aistine, Oleksynand Rylan Freed had Saskatoon’s goals. Swystun had 26 saves.
Survivor Series Game 3: Thunder 3, Rage 2
After a scoreless first period, the Thunder scored three straight goals in the second session on Feb. 22 in Kerrobert. Chandler Ashcroft lit the lamp on the first two.
“Linner [Linnen] gave me a perfect pass back door and I had a wide open net [on a power play] and then second goal Petey [Peterson] and Robo [Logan Robisnson] were working well down low and fed me in the slot and I just put her home,” he said.
Robinson scored with eight minutes left in the period to stake the Thunder to a 3-0 lead. With less than four and a half minutes remaining in the second, Blake Fennig scored for the Rage. In the third period, with 6:58 left, Tylo Anderson had a power play goal for West Central. The Thunder were able to hold off the Rage from there.
Holmen stopped 31 of the 33 shots he faced. Peterson, Robinson and Ashcroft each had two points. Rage goalie Dallan Tuchscherer had 22 saves.
