Dave Leaderhouse
Special to the Herald
The playoffs are underway in both the Saskatchewan Male and Female Hockey Leagues and while the road has already ended for some local teams the quest for a provincial title is still intact for others.
Following is a summary of what happened in the opening round of the various divisions and for those that survived there is information on future games if available.
U13AA SFS Buckeyes – A long and difficult season came to an end last week for the Buckeyes as they were swept in their first-round series on the consolation side.
After going 6-15-3 for a 10th-place finish in the regular season the Buckeyes faced the Martensville Marauders in the best-of-three opening round, but 6-2 and 8-4 setbacks sidelined them early.
Sean Franklin and Brody Parenteau scored for the Buckeyes in the opening loss while Nolan Kihn, with two, Boston Byers and Boston Moe responded for Prince Albert in their final outing.
The top seven teams in the 13-team league were grouped in the championship-side of the draw with the lower six teams playing out the string on the consolation side. Martensville will now face the Saskatoon Express in the consolation semi-finals.
U15AA Venice House Pirates – After failing to nail down the No. 2 seed on the final weekend of the regular season, the Pirates came out firing on all cylinders in the opening round of the playoffs as they easily disposed of the Saskatoon Outlaws in two straight games.
Lachlan Vandall led the way for Prince Albert in an 11-3 triumph on opening night scoring four times and setting up two others. Caleb Philp, with a pair, Carter Kulczycki, James Cook, Kaden Kohle, Pryce Schrader and Beckett Casavant also scored for the Pirates while Colton Mudry chipped in with four assists.
In the 7-5 series-clinching victory it was Jordan Labelle who led the charge scoring three times and adding a pair of assists. Philp, with a goal and two helpers, Mudry, Kohle and Will Kasner also scored for Prince Albert, who built a 4-1 lead only to fall behind 5-4 before coming back with three straight to finish off the Outlaws.
Prince Albert will now take on the Saskatoon Generals in the North Division semi-finals, but dates for that series have yet to be finalized.
U16AA R&W Renegades – The last two weeks have not been kind to the Renegades, but they are hoping to put an end to the recent struggles when they host the Northwest Stars in a third and deciding opening-round playoff game on Monday at 7:30 p.m. at the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre.
Having had their way for most of the regular season, the Renegades dropped their final five regular-season tilts to narrowly capture the No.1 seed for the North Division semi-finals and in the opening game against the fourth-place Stars they needed a goal by Nate Barrie midway through the second overtime session to secure a 4-3 triumph.
That taste of victory was shortlived, however, as the Stars rebounded with a 3-1 decision in the second game setting up the decisive match in Prince Albert on Monday.
Finlay Cochrane, with a pair, and Josh Bonthoux also scored for the Renegades in the opening victory while Jaxson Boyer was the lone Prince Albert goal scorer in the second-game loss.
The winner of Monday’s showdown will take on the winner of the Bridge City Blues-Martensville Marauders series, which is also requiring a third and final game on Monday.
U18AA Lake Country Co-op Timberwolves – The Timberwolves fought right to the end of the regular season to secure the eighth and final playoff spot in the North Division, but in the end the fight resulted in just two extra games as they were swept 6-2 and 6-3 by the first-place Saskatoon Riverkings in the opening round of the playoffs.
Carter Martin had both goals in the opening setback while Cohen Toporowski, Josh Charko and Zarryn Thomas responded for the Timberwolves in the final game.
The Riverkings will now meet the Warman Wildcats in the North Division semi-finals as the Wildcats upset the second-seeded Saskatoon Crunch in three games.
U13AA Family Pizza Foxes – The Foxes were rewarded for their first-place finish during the regular season with a bye in the opening round of the playoffs and it looks like the break refreshed them as they outscored the Warman Wildcats 5-2 in the first game of the North Division semi-final on Sunday.
Emmerson Palchinski, Lily Vandall, Emma Trann, Hailee Boyer and Danica Finch were the leaders offensively while Payton Braaten was solid in the Prince Albert goal.
Warman, which swept the Northwest Sharks by 8-5 and 6-3 margins in the opening round of the playoffs, will host Game 2 on Saturday. Should a third and deciding contest be required it will be played on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Kinsmen Arena.
U15AA Smitty’s Foxes – It was going to be an uphill struggle, but the Foxes gave it everything they had only to bow out of the post-season in two straight games against the Saskatoon Comet Impact.
A 4-18-1-2 record during the regular season left the Foxes in the No. 6 spot for the playoffs and pitted them against the third-seeded Impact in the opening round.
In the opening game, Meeya Tait-Sjogren, Gracelyn Janzen and Jordyn Henry staked the Foxes to a 3-2 advantage early in the third period, but Saskatoon tied things up with three minutes to play and then secured the victory in overtime.
The second game also had Saskatoon jump into an early advantage, but a goal by Henry early in the final frame was all the offence the Foxes could muster ending their season with a 4-1 setback.
The Impact followed the sweep of Prince Albert with another two-and-out verdict against the Saskatoon Comet Chargers and they will now meet the top-seeded Warman Wildcats in the North Division final.
U18AA Family Pizza Foxes – The best-of-three North Division quarter-final between the Foxes and Western Prairie Thunder went right down to the wire as Rylee Jensen’s goal with just 46 seconds left on the clock propelled Prince Albert to a 2-1 triumph in the third and deciding game on Sunday.
The Foxes, who were fourth in the regular season with a 12-13-1-1 record, also got a goal from Neveah Bird-Clarke while Brianna Brataschuk turned aside 31 shots to record the win in the Prince Albert goal.
The Foxes dropped the opener of the series 3-2 on home ice, but rebounded with a 3-2 decision in Game 2 played in Kerrobert. Kylie Huet and Jordyn Schrader were the Foxes goal scorers in the opening game while Steele Zablocki, with a pair, and Schrader provided the offence in the road victory. Zablocki’s second goal of the game with just over six minutes to play proved to be the winner.
The Foxes will now face the No. 1 seed Warman Wildcats in the North Division semi-final. Warman, along with the second-place Northwest Sharks, each received first-round byes for their regular-season performances and the Wildcats will host the opener against Prince Albert, but dates have yet to be announced. The Sharks will meet the Saskatoon Comet Legends in the other divisional semi-final.
