The Battlefords Sharks will head to Prince Albert Sunday afternoon with their season on the line.
After a 5-0 shutout loss at the Battleford Arena to the Prince Albert Northern Bears Saturday, the Sharks are now behind 2-0 in their best-of-five Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League quarter-final series heading into a 1 p.m. battle at the Art Hauser Centre.
“I’ve liked how we played in both games, but we just aren’t getting the luck on our side when it come to cashing in on our scoring chances,” Berggren said.
“It’s tough sometimes to keep those spirits up when you are going up against a team that you haven’t beaten all year, but I feel like if we can cash in those chances, we can keep ourselves in this series.”
Following a dramatic 2-1 overtime affair in Prince Albert Wednesday, the Sharks showed improvement on the offensive side of the game Saturday.
However, they were unable to slide one of their 22 shots on goal past Northern Bears netminder Brooklyn Elek.
“We missed an open net in the second period and we had a couple of shots that went off of the post,” Berggren said. “That made a huge difference.
“We’re playing well in our zone, especially when it’s five-on-five, and we were flying around in the first two periods. It’s all about getting the bounces in the playoffs, and that hasn’t happened for us yet.”
Brooklyn Anderson and Ireland South both had a goal and an assist for the Northern Bears, who also had goals from Brooke Hobson, Alli Soyko and Story Navrot.
“We got a couple of goals in the first period and that was huge for us,” Northern Bears head coach Jeff Willoughby said. “We were gripping our sticks a little tight in that first game when we fell behind, so it’s nice to get some extra confidence.
“We know that the Sharks aren’t going to go away quietly though. They are going to put up a great fight to keep their season going, and we’ll have to match that.”
Chantel Weller had another great game for the Sharks Saturday, as she made 40 saves to help keep her team in the contest.
If the Sharks can win Sunday, they will take to the ice for the fourth game in the series Monday night at the Civic Centre at 8:30 p.m.
A fifth and deciding contest, if needed, will be held Tuesday night in Prince Albert.
