Two quick goals in the opening 10 minutes put the Estevan PowerTech midget AA Panthers on their heels at the Civic Auditorium on Friday.
After going down 2-0 to Kindersley’s West Central Wheat Kings eight minutes into the first period, the Panthers found themselves chasing the puck the rest of the way in the first game of the Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) provincial two-game total-point championship series. The Panthers lost 3-0 to the Wheat Kings at the Civic Auditorium meaning they have to win by four goals in the second game of the series at the Dodsland Skating Rink on March 22.
“We are going to have to get pucks on net,” said Panthers coach Trevor Morrison. “They’ve got a good team. They’ve got a good goalie. We got to put some pucks on net and generate some rebounds and get a couple of ugly goals down low.”
The Wheat Kings’ Jessie Herner opening the scoring a little under four minutes in on a shot from the point that tipped off Panthers goaltender Litesha Spittal’s glove and just crossed the goal line hitting the top of the net past the crossbar. West Central’s Ali Aitken made it 2-0 Wheat Kings around four minutes later when she one-timed a pass out front by Celena Kissick low stick side. The Kindersley team got their third of the night five minutes into the second on a quick snapper from the bottom of the circle after a wide shot hit the end glass and bounced straight to Aitken.
“They both played hard,” said Wheat Kings coach Mike Rublee, whose team is gunning for their second straight SHA provincial championship. “We just got some lucky breaks on goals. It was real good. We haven’t played a team quite like that (with) that few skaters coming that hard who don’t quit. And their goalie played really well.”
Morrison said their game plan heading into the Friday contest was to move their feet and play a puck-possession game, but it didn’t seem to work that way. He said they’ll have to play desperate hockey in Dodsland being down three goals while remembering this game is six periods long.
“We’re not done,” he said. “We got to play for each other, we got to play for pride and see what happens. We get a bounce and, you never know, things can happen. Hockey is a game of momentum and if you can get it on your side you just ride it and see where it takes you.”
