The Notre Dame Hounds simply couldn't match the skating ability, work ethic and hockey sense of the Estevan Power Tech midget AA Panthers in this year's playoffs.
The Panthers beat the Hounds 5-1 at Wilcox's Duncan McNeil Arena on Sunday to win the South Saskatchewan Female Hockey League (SSFHL) quarter-final series in two games. Estevan, which finished first in the SSFHL with a 15-4-9 record, also knocked Notre Dame (3-21-4) out of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) playoffs with an 8-2 win at Affinity Place on Feb. 22.
“We're right where we want to be,” said Panthers coach Trevor Morrison. “The girls are playing good right now. We're pretty healthy. Knock on wood. We're in a good place right now.”
The Panthers stormed out to a 3-0 lead after 20 minutes on markers from Kamryn Friars, Marci LeBlanc and Kenzie Balon at the Duncan McNeil Arena, which put a bit of a damper on the crowd of red-and-white clad Hounds supporters who attempted to chant and cheer their team to victory from the side of Notre Dame's bench.
“The fans from the other team gave us a little more pressure to play as a team,” said Panthers defenceman Starla Mann. “It gave us the drive that we needed to win the game.”
Makenna Morrison made it a four-goal lead 2:14 into the second period on a drive to the Hounds net from the blueline before she potted her second of the game thanks to a seeing eye pass from Karli Colpitts that left her all alone in front of Hounds goalie Sam Brenner. Notre Dame's Breanna Bryant-Nelson ruined Morgan Fayle's shutout with 50 seconds remaining.
“I think it was teamwork (that got us the win),” said Mann. “We really put together what we've been bonding on and practising hard on.”
The Panthers are now set to face the Weyburn Aaron Well Servicing Drillers (9-16-3) in the two-game total-point SHA south finals and the Swift Current Full Line Ag Broncos (14-9-5) in the SSFHL semifinals.
“The first 10 minutes is going to be interesting because the pace is going to pick up,” said Morrison. “As we go I expect each round will get quicker and quicker, so we just got to make sure we're there.”
