It was a disappointing finish to what had been a strong season for the Battleford Beaver Blues.
After taking a 2-1 series lead following a double overtime road win last Monday, the Beaver Blues dropped a pair of games to the Edam Three Stars and saw their quest for a Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League championship come to an end with a 5-1 loss in Turtleford in the fifth and deciding contest Friday night.
“When we got that win there in double overtime, everyone on the team felt like we had a pretty good opportunity on our hands, especially with a game at home Thursday,” Beaver Blues captain Brent Salzl said.
“Everyone played hard in those two games, but we had a couple of breaks that didn’t go our way. Edam’s got a very solid team and we just couldn’t get it done this year, but hopefully better things will happen for us next season.”
Friday’s deciding game played out in a similar fashion to the contest that took place a night earlier at the Battleford Arena, which saw the Three Stars score four times in the second period on their way to a 7-3 victory.
The two sides were deadlocked at a goal each until the final frame, when the Three Stars once again scored a quartet of goals over the course of 20 minutes.
“It was a tight game and then things kind of got away from us a little bit,” Salzl said. “It’s pretty hard to claw your way back when you fall behind late by a couple of goals, especially against a strong team like Edam.
“The final score didn’t really show how tight a game it was.”
Owen LaClare and Brody Roach both had three-point nights for the Three Stars, while Mitch Wall had a goal and an assist.
Josh Laclare had the other goal for the victors. Jon Kachur found the back of the net for the Beaver Blues.
Kevin Bendall was the pace-setter offensively in Thursday’s loss as he had a goal and an assist for the home team.
Tyler Wasmuth and Salzl also scored for the Beaver Blues, while Owen LaClare and Brent Blais each had four-point evenings for the Three Stars.
Although the Beaver Blues missed out on the SPHL final, Salzl believes the future is looking bright for the team.
“This is one of the closest teams that I’ve been a part of in a number of years,” Salzl said.
“We’ve got a lot of key pieces on our team that gained a lot of experience, especially in playing in front of the big crowds at home during the playoffs. Hopefully we can go a little bit further next season.”
The Three Stars will now go up against the Hafford Hawks for the league championship.
The Hawks, who entered the playoffs as the top ranked team in the SPHL, roared back from a 2-0 deficit to win their best-of-five semifinal series over the defending champion Shellbrook Silvertips Sunday night.
The schedule for the final had yet to be determined as of press time.
