Two games are done in The Reminder's SJHL playoff simulation. While Battlefords and La Ronge are battling it out, the Bombers seem to be having trouble with a hot goalie.
At the virtual Whitney Forum, Melfort jumped out to an early lead for the second straight game. Kenzie Arnold fooled Bomber netminder Jacob Delorme with a rebound off a blocked shot to give Melfort a 1-0 lead only 98 seconds in. In both Game 1 and 2, the Mustangs managed to score on the first shot of the game.
The Bombers were able to hold Melfort at bay for long periods of the first, but were kept away from the Melfort net. Whenever the Mustangs’ defence lapsed, Shawn Parkinson stepped right up. The Mustangs led 1-0 after one.
Despite going two men down early, the Bombers killed off a 5-on-3 early in the second. Despite that, the Bomber powerplay, usually the hottest in the league, missed out on four chances in the second period alone. Parkinson stood tall, even though Melfort’s defence didn’t, giving up 16 second period shots.
The Bombers were finally able to break the goose-egg early in the third, when Tristan Lemyre found Alec Malo through traffic and Malo went top corner on Parkinson. Not long afterward, Zach Bannister brought the Bomber faithful to their feet with a massive hip-check on Melfort’s Adam Nobes.
The Bomber powerplay continued to be futile on the night, missing out on two more chances while holding the momentum steady. Parkinson would not allow the Bombers to get a lead easily.
Despite a last-minute chance by Chase Haygarth at the side of the net, the Bombers couldn’t find the twine. Overtime would be required.
Parkinson would kill the Bombers’ first offensive chance and proceed to end the game, kicking the puck out to Colton Schell who found a streaking Tyson Meyers. Melfort’s captain, sprung on a partial breakaway, made no mistake, beating Delorme high blocker and giving the Mustangs a 2-1 win and a 2-0 series lead.
Delorme made 29 saves while Parkinson finished with 38 stops and an assist on the game-winner.
The series will retreat to the Northern Lights Palace Arena for Game 3 and Game 4 Wednesday and Thursday night.
Battlefords-La Ronge
In the other game Monday night, the Battlefords North Stars hoped to tie the series back up following a shocking OT win by La Ronge Saturday night.
That dream got off to a bad start. La Ronge opened the scoring midway through the first with a goal by Kyle Ford, capitalizing on a wrister in the high slot. La Ronge scored again three minutes later, with Daylon Mannon entering the zone and shovelling a rebound past Kristian Lyon. The Ice Wolves added yet another goal late in the period on a Jordan Mish point shot to seal a 3-0 lead after 20.
La Ronge continued early in the second with another Ford goal, picking a corner on Lyon. The Ice Wolves had fired 20 shots in 22 minutes, scoring four times on Lyon.
It was then the Stars woke up. Rookie forward Carson Reagan got his team on the board by beating La Ronge’s Liam McGarva short side, then after killing off a 5-on-3, Elijah Loon-Stewardson cut the lead to two with a quick hashmark snapper. Loon-Stewardson would almost add another goal late in the second, but McGarva came up big, making a skate save to keep the game 4-2 entering the third.
The Stars would make it 4-3 courtesy of a Kaden Boser one-timer, then would almost tie the game up after Steven Kesslering beat McGarva but not the post.
Finally, with less than four minutes remaining, the Stars would tie the game up. Jaxon Steele found Boser near the net with a pinpoint pass and Boser scored his second of the night, making it 4 all late.
That wasn’t quite enough for the Stars, however. Barely a minute later, Battlefords defender Walter Somers found an opening on the sideboards, cut toward the net, fired and scored his first goal at any level in more than three seasons, sneaking the Stars into the lead for the first time on the night.
This game was not over. Reagan was issued a penalty late, then with McGarva on the bench and the Ice Wolves up 6-on-4, Stars captain Matthew Fletcher was called for a hooking penalty with 40 seconds on the clock.
The Ice Wolves, now up 6-on-3, were able to tie the game up. A Ben Manson point shot, saved by Lyon, landed on the stick of rookie Spencer Kennedy who was able to pot the rebound, tying the game at 5 with 20 seconds to go.
However, the game was still not over. Off the faceoff, Battlefords powered directly through to the Ice Wolves’ net, led by Boser. Boser took a shot that McGarva stopped, but the rebound squirted out, going directly to Jaxon Steele. Steele whacked the open puck and with only 11 seconds left, Steele gave the Stars the lead again, this time making it 6-5.
The shorthanded goal would end the scoring, even though La Ronge’s Stewart Pond came within inches of tying the game up yet again with barely a second left on the clock. Battlefords was able to hang on for a 6-5 lead, tying the series at one win each.
Lyon got the win despite an uneasy first half, making 34 saves. McGarva was saddled with the loss despite a 45 save performance.
With the series split, play will revert to the Mel Hegland Uniplex for Games 3 and 4 Wednesday and Thursday.
Notes
The Battlefords-La Ronge matchup ended with three (nearly four) goals in the final 1:08, giving the second game a radical see-saw ending. The Stars led Game 2 for exactly 2:30, all of which were in the game’s dying moments, but it was enough to tie the series up.
The Bombers’ offence has been as explosive as expected, firing 85 shots in two games, but Shawn Parkinson has saved almost everything, making 83 out of 85 stops. The Mustangs have been able to ride a hot goaltender into two huge wins in enemy territory. Flin Flon will need to win four of the next five games in order to win the series.
