The Southern Range Gold Wings swept the quarterfinal round of the Saskatchewan Female Midget AAA Hockey League, defeating the Regina Rebels in three games.
“It was a good win, but as we told the girls, we know that we can do better, and we’ve got to keep on steadily improving,” said Chad Kish, head coach of the Gold Wings.
The Gold Wings are waiting to find out who they will face in the semi finals, as all the other quarterfinals rounds were still in action. The Saskatoon Stars had a 2-1 lead over the Battleford Sharks, the Swift Current Wildcats had a 2-1 lead over the Notre Dame Hounds, and the Melville Prairie Fire and Prince Albert Fire had split their first two games.
“We are just trying to prepare the girls as best as we can for the next round,” said Kish. He figured that it would be at least a week before they were returning to playoff action.
“Right now, it is all about preparing the players for the next round, having a plan, and executing it.” Chad noted that the time off between playoffs can be a benefit since it will allow some recovery time for a few players.
It is more than likely that the Gold Wings will face either Swift Current or Saskatoon in the next round. “We have been to all the rinks, so we are ready.”
“We just hope for some good officiating because it can be hard to play the game when you have a ‘home cook’ as an official,” said Kish. In his opinion, Weyburn has been the best about having unbiased officials.
The Gold Wings had home ice advantage in their quarterfinal round against Regina. During game three, held at Crescent Point Place, the Gold Wings won a close 4-3 decision over the Rebels.
Sarah Hornoi opened scoring for Weyburn in the first period, with Bailee Bourassa notching a goal in the second period.
Then in the third period, the Rebels got on the board by scoring three times, two of which were during a power play. Two more goals from Bourassa, resulting in a hat trick, ensured that Weyburn earned the home win.
Chantal Burke was in net for the win, stopping 40 out of 43 attempts.
“The first two periods of this game were good, but we gave up three goals in the last period,” said Kish.
“We know that the girls can do better on the defensive side. So we have to learn from these moments, adjust to it, and encourage each player so that they can benefit from these experiences in the long run.”
Earlier in the series, game two was held in Regina on Sunday afternoon, with the Gold Wings winning 5-1 on the road.
The Rebels notched the first goal of the game. Then two power play goals were scored by Bourassa and Hornoi, giving the Gold Wings the lead after the first period.
In the second period, Bourassa scored again, and Jensen Hammer notched a power play goal. Madison Solie scored the last goal of the game in the third.
Burke was in net for the win, stopping 19 out of 20 attempts.
For game one of the quarterfinal series, the Gold Wings won 4-2 over Regina on home ice on February 24.
Jenna Grube notched the first goal of the game, scoring unassisted in the first period.
Regina got on the board in the second period, and Maeve McGauley notched a goal to give Weyburn a slight lead. The Rebels scored their second goal in the third period, tying the game for a short time.
A power play goal from Shelby Kirkpatrick ended the tie score. Then in the last seven seconds of the game, after the Rebels pulled their goaltender for an extra player on the ice, Brooklyn Chicoine scored an unassisted goal into an empty net for the win.
Burke was in net for the win, stopping 32 out of 34 attempts.
Residents are reminded that there is still time to get 2016 Esso Cup tickets, which will be hosted in Weyburn this April. These tickets can be picked up from the Weyburn Review/ Weyburn This Week office. Only cash or cheque sales will be accepted.
