The Estevan PowerTech midget AA Panthers’ desire for a Saskatchewan Hockey Association (SHA) provincial title will go unfulfilled this season.
The Panthers lost 2-0 to Kindersley’s West Central Wheat Kings in the second game of their two-game total-point SHA championship series March 22 at the Dodsland Skating Rink.The defeat followed a 3-0 loss to the Wheat Kings at the Civic Auditorium on March 18.
Trevor Morrison, coach of the Panthers, said they played their game against the Wheat Kings, but the size of each team’s rosters seemed to make the difference. He said they have 10 skaters compared to Kindersley’s 17 and with their opponent pressing every shift it just wore them down.
“It was a good all-around game,” said Morrison. “The shots were 21-16 (for Kindersley). It was actually a hard-played game with not a lot going on. They got a goal in the first period and they got a goal in the second period and they kept on bringing it. We tried hard, (but) we couldn’t generate anything. The effort was there. We just didn’t have the extra gas.”
The loss ended a Panthers’ season that saw the club compile a 14-8-6 regular season record in the South Saskatchewan Female Hockey League before advancing to the second round of the league playoffs, where the team fell in two straight games to the top seeded Regina Ravens. In provincial competition, the Panthers came back to beat the Regina Capitals in the first round and Swift Current Titans in the second after losing the first game of both series before meeting the Wheat Kings.
“The last month and a half we were playing 10 skaters and we were still competitive,” said Morrison. “All year we won our share of our games and we were always undermanned compared to the other teams, but our girls fought right to the last minute. We lost with class in both the playoffs and the provincial final, but we never quit working hard.”
Morrison said there are other kids who have expressed interest in joining the team next season and if all the eligible returning players also come back they should enjoy another competitive year. He said the Panthers will lose Litesha Spittal, Jenna Kreklewich and Kailey McLellan to graduation and they will be missed, but their mentorship this year has and will help the younger players excel.
“Litesha is one of our graduating players, but she’s one of our goalies and she did an excellent job with (goaltender) Morgan Fayle this year,” he said. “Jenna Kreklewich and Kailey played forward and they played good. They were solid. They were a big part of our team.”
