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Midget AA Bruins rally to advance
Cutline: Chase Gedak (22) and Notre Dame opponents watch as the puck crosses the goal line for the overtime winner in the midget AA Bruins 4-3 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds on Tuesday night.
Jared Fornwald picked the perfect time for the biggest goal of his life.
Fornwald scored 6:22 into the second overtime period to lift the Estevan Apex midget AA Bruins to a 4-3 victory over the Notre Dame Hounds in the fifth and deciding game of their best-of-five Saskatchewan Minor AA Hockey League first round playoff series.
“I just got the puck on the wall, tried making a move to the inside, somehow got wide open in the slot, and put a backhand on the net,” said Fornwald.
His goal wouldn’t have been possible without a thrilling comeback by the Bruins late in the third period.
Estevan trailed 3-1 when Triston Sorenson scored with 2:16 to play to pull the Bruins to within one, and 36 seconds later, Dylan Hull tied the game.
Fornwald said there was tension on the bench when the score was 3-1 with only a few minutes to play, but they kept a positive outlook.
"We were trying to keep our heads in it, and focus and do what we need to do to come back in the game," said Fornwald.
Head coach Riley Hengen pointed out that his assistant, Dustin Stepp, drew up a play for the team.
“It happened to work right away, which was huge,” said Hengen.
Neither team scored in the 10-minute overtime that immediately followed the third period. There was an intermission, and then the teams returned to the ice for a 20-minute overtime.
Tanner Stovin had the other Estevan goal. It came just over three minutes into the first period, and gave the Bruins a brief 1-0 lead. But Notre Dame would score twice in the first to lead 2-1 after one, and after a scoreless second, the Hounds added another early in the third for their two-goal lead.
While the Bruins had the early lead, Hengen said the first period was likely one of their worst of the year. They started to turn their game around in the second period, but couldn’t put the puck in the net.
“Same thing in the third. We had chances. Once that second one went in, it got the boys excited late in the game, and they just carried the momentum over.”
Notre Dame is a good defensive team, with strong goaltending, and they didn’t give the Bruins many chances to score in the third until late in that period.
Zane Winter was in goal for Estevan.
Estevan fell behind 2-0 in the series, thanks to a 5-4 loss at home on Feb. 18 and a 6-2 loss in Wilcox two days later. But they recovered to defeat the Hounds 5-1 in Game 3 on Feb. 20 in Estevan, and 4-1 the next day back in Wilcox.
Hengen pointed out that the Hounds also won all of their meetings during the regular season, so it was important to win Game 3.
“We kept pressing, and eventually those things are going to bounce the right way,” said Hengen. “So credit to the boys for not giving up.”
