With a three-goal outburst in the third period, the Battlefords Sharks found themselves with a chance to knock off the top team in the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League Sunday at the Battleford Arena
Instead, the Prince Albert Northern Bears showed why they are the defending champions.
After Miranda Heidt tied the game up on a shorthanded snipe with eight minutes to go, Jordan Ashe solved Sharks netminder found the back of the net with just 17 seconds left on the scoreboard as the Bears skated away with a dramatic 6-5 triumph.
“Even though the ending wasn’t what we would have hoped for, it was a great effort from the girls throughout the entire lineup, which was great to see,” Sharks head coach Gary Berggren said.
“All of the little things that we have been working on at both ends of the ice came together in this game. We did a great job in the defensive zone and we were able to get a lot of shots on net.”
Cassidy Carlson and Madison Glynn both scored a pair of goals for the Sharks, while Ali Aitken had a two-assist afternoon.
Keara Amson also scored in the loss, which saw Haylie Biever make 24 saves.
Sunday’s performance was a lot better than what happened to the Sharks a night earlier against the Bears, as they came out on the wrong end of an 8-0 scoreline.
“We just came out flat in that game,” Berggren said. “We didn’t skate very well and it showed on the scoreboard.
“When you are playing against the top teams in the league, you need to skate well right from the start if you want to have a chance of competing with them.”
The Bears, who have 14 players back from last year’s championship winning roster, are currently on a eight game win streak and are in first place in the SFMAAHL standings with a 14-3 record, which gives them a four-point cushion over the 13-0 Saskatoon Stars.
“We were able to find the back of the net early on Saturday night and we kept that up through most of the weekend,” Bears head coach Jeff Willoughby said. “We had a 4-2 lead going into the third period Sunday, then we took a lot of undisciplined penalties as the Sharks were fighting back, which is what brought this game down to the wire.”
Next up for the Sharks, who are seventh in the league standings with a 3-15 record, is a pair of games this weekend at the Battleford Arena against the 5-10 Melville Prairie Fire.
The first meeting between the two sides will take place Saturday at 7:30 p.m., with the rematch slated for 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Sharks will also be hosting their annual alumni game at the Battleford Arena on Thursday, Dec. 21 at 7:15 p.m., with donations of teenage girls’ hoodies being accepted at the door, along with scarves, toques and mittens.
