Dave Leaderhouse
Special to the Herald
The two Prince Albert teams vying for Saskatchewan Female Hockey League championships will both be heading to Regina on Saturday with clear, but different, objectives in mind following the opening games of their respective provincial finals on Thursday.
The U13AA Family Pizza Foxes have their sights set on finishing off the Regina Rebels White following a convincing 7-1 triumph at the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre while the U18AA Family Pizza Foxes are in survival mode after they were edged 2-1 by the Regina Rebels at the Kinsmen Arena.
“They (Regina) are the winners of the South Division so we knew they would be well coached,” said U13AA Foxes coach Cory Trann after the decisive opening victory in the best-of-three provincial final. “We knew there would be little room for error.”
There were very few, if any, errors turned in by the North Division champion Foxes.
The club’s leading scorer during the regular season, Emma Trann, opened the floodgates just over four minutes into the game and then set up the first of two by Zoey Walter four minutes later. Emmerson Palchinski netted her first of three before the first period was over and the rout was on.
“They believe in themselves,” says Trann of the team he has watched roll through the post-season having yet to lose in three rounds. In fact, the U13AA Foxes have not suffered a defeat since before Christmas. “They have the opportunity to do something special. They are playing like a team; not as individuals.”
Danica Finch also scored for the Foxes when the team captain responded just 35 seconds after Regina had gotten on the scoreboard mid-way through the second period. Payton Braaten played her usual solid game in the Prince Albert goal despite only facing 16 shots.
The Foxes will look to finish off their season in style on Saturday when they take on the Rebels White in an afternoon game in Regina. Should a third and deciding game be needed it would be played back in Prince Albert on Monday at the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre. That game would start at 7:30 p.m.
The U18AA Foxes, meanwhile, find themselves in familiar territory as Thursday’s loss has left them in a one-game hole for the third time in the four playoff rounds they have played so far.
Prince Albert overcame first-game setbacks against both the Western Prairie Thunder and Warman Wildcats to start the post-season and then in the North Division final they won the opening game against the Northwest Sharks, but still needed to go the distance before advancing to the provincial final.
On Thursday, Jaryn Fidler staked the Foxes to a 1-0 advantage mid-way through the first period, but Regina netted single markers in each of the second and third periods to hang on for the narrow victory.
The Foxes, who were one game below the .500 mark and had lost both meetings against Regina during the regular season, had a chance late in the game to get the equalizer as they had a power play and the goalie pulled for an extra attacker for the final 47 seconds, but they could not get the game on even terms.
Brianna Brataschuk had a strong game in the Prince Albert goal turning aside 22 of 24 shots she faced. The Foxes had just 17 shots at Ainsley Goddard in the Regina goal.
If the Foxes can even the series on Saturday in Regina, the third and deciding game will be back in Prince Albert on April 4 with that contest set to start at 7:30 p.m. at the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre.
While the girl’s finals got under way on Thursday, Prince Albert’s last remaining boys team – the Venice House Pirates – begin their quest for the provincial U15AA title on Sunday when they are in Balgonie to meet the Engelheim Prairie Storm. Game 2 for that series will be on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. at the Lake Country Co-op Leisure Centre.
